Most HARDY fish?? AKA WONT DIE

ws4lif

ws4lif

New Member
OK,
I'm trying to deside what route I want to go with as far as livestock are concerned. Depending on what I pick, I'll tailer the equipment/tank around it.
Tank size any where from 150-300 gallons.
This will be my first SALTWATER tank. So I want fish that are going to be able to handle a mistake or two.
I want LARGE fish. What do you guys suggest?
 
K

kpatrick

Guest
If you want an aggressive tank then I would go with some triggers.
 
ws4lif

ws4lif

New Member
I'd like a variety....and would love a lion fish...which don't do well with triggers....but maybe a lion is too much work.
 
doncheecho

doncheecho

New Member
Lion Fish are easy to take care of. The do best with passive fish like Tangs. Most species of Tang are also easy to keep and do well as long as they have their veggies.
 
H

hewetton

Guest
I think Maculosus/Passer/Koran angels are easier to keep than others although I had a good luck with Blueface.
 
ws4lif

ws4lif

New Member

Originally posted by Doncheecho
Lion Fish are easy to take care of.
I thought they required alot of time to teach them to feed and special food, and almost daily maintance.
 
K

kpatrick

Guest
At first lions take a little more work getting them to eat. After that they are nice fish to have in a tank. All tank mates need to be large enough that they cant in the lions mouth or else they will become an expensive dinner! Also, you are correct that most triggers can not be kept with lions. I have kept a niger and picasso trigger in with a lion before and never had any issues but other more aggressive triggers would rips the fins off the lion.
 
reefeel

reefeel

Member
Eels don't get sick and a resistent to most external disease due to their slimy coat the only problems are some eels such as ribbon eels don't eat well. Groupers resistent to a lot of diseases. Triggers are normally kill proff.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member

Originally posted by WS4LIF
I thought they required alot of time to teach them to feed and special food, and almost daily maintance.
Not at all if one of the more common species (eg volitans). The trick is don't let them rule you. Also ask to see one fed at the store, should you buy one at the LFS. They will eat thawed silversides, krill, squid, etc...DO NOT fall for the "they have to eat live food" story which is not only untrue, it is generally extremely bad for the lionfish. If they are not eating when you get them, you really must starve them out. This may take many days, but usually within the week, they will give in. Few predatory fish are so hard headed that they would starve before eating silversides or something. Once they are eating, you can feed a few times a week and generally have to be careful not to overfeed them as they will stuff themselves if allowed.
Then you just need to watch where they are in the tank while you are cleaning, etc. If stung, run the area under hot water. However, if you tend to be allergic to various insect bites like bees, then you may wish to reconsider. Like bees, some people have a bad reaction to the venom while most don't really have trouble.
 
O

ocikitty

Guest
"Most HARDY fish?? AKA WONT DIE "
Those little plastic ones that float up and down.
 
saltjunkie

saltjunkie

New Member
Engineer Gobies are very hardy. They look like eels when they mature, but are far less aggressive. They are very tolerant to mistakes, ie water chemistry, and also very resistant to disease. They tend to ignore other fish, and are usually ignored in return. The only downside is that they will dig endless tunnels in your substrate, so you have to make sure your rocks are stable.
 
zeromus-x

zeromus-x

Member

Originally posted by SaltJunkie
Engineer Gobies are very hardy. They look like eels when they mature, but are far less aggressive. They are very tolerant to mistakes, ie water chemistry, and also very resistant to disease. They tend to ignore other fish, and are usually ignored in return. The only downside is that they will dig endless tunnels in your substrate, so you have to make sure your rocks are stable.
Agreed 100%. My engineers have been through lots of stuff that other fish don't seem to have been capable of. They get big fast; I've got two in a 36g that I got when they were maybe an inch long, and now they're probably five inches long... within about six months! If they keep it up they'll be looking for a new home.
Definitely keep an eye on the sandbed. These guys work together, and constantly dig out one corner of my tank. They have attempted on several occasions to bury my starfish and my conch (literally... pick up dirt, dump it on them, repeat).
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
The other downside of engineer gobies is that they get pretty large, and many LFS aren't interested in taking them back for a trade. So think carefully if you get one! Also, I have found that they may have issues with any copper based medication. Otherwise they are quite tough and pretty cool.
 
flamehawk

flamehawk

Active Member
Never heard of tangs referred to as passive and easy to keep. They are territorial and are ich magnets whcih make them a difficult species to keep for many years. It can be done but I woulddn't consider them easy.
If you want a hardy angel get a scribble. Great looking and hardy. Very personable and will eat right out of your hane. S/B ok with Lion if you want both in a 6' tank. Good luck.
 
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