OK, Lets hear the crazy combinations...

[milomlo]

Great post ophiura!!
Thanks for your contribution

I have to say I was :scared: to read this.

Just kidding
I know we all do crazy things. I am glad we are all sharing as I stated I think it is important.

Because I some threads I get the impression from some folks (not u of course) that they have never done anything wrong and have always played by all the rules. (Which you should do in saltwater keeping I might add

)
And to all of you who don't know any better......DO NOT DO ANY OF THE THINGS IN THIS THREAD.

***)

 

[colball9]

well let me state my 55 gallon
1 bicolor angel
1 yellow tang
1 bicolor blenny
1 green chromis
2 yellow tailed damsels
1 perc clown
1 lettuce nudi
and some polyps
stock lights
hob filter
skimmer is coming this month but hasnt had one on it ever
2 powerheads
55-60lbs of LR
i never qt either
my tang and my angel are best buds and i mean BEST BUDS they do everything together!
evrything is great in it! i am looking at a fish that will stay more out and not so much around the rocks of the tank though any suggestions?

 

[4fun]

I started a 75 gal with live rock and bio spira, cycled in less than a week with damsels then added a juvi passer angle which has now been with me for over 16 months. By the way he is fat and happy! :happyfish I was told on this website to take him back, the tank was too young for a angle.

Oh by the way he lives with a 4" Gold Maroon Clown, dragon goby, lawnmower blenny, red hawk, yellow tail damsel and two cleaner shrimp. They are getting a larger home soon, but for someone who did everything wrong., we have done OK.
There is great advice given on this website but sometimes you are afraid to ask or share your excitement on a new tank mate due to responses given.

 

[ophiura]

I think it is important to work through some of the perceptions about the board.
Keep in mind that you get this response for a reason. People have learned things the hard way and simply do not want you to repeat them. In a large percentage of cases, angels do not do well in young tanks, though you may not hear about it alot. So do you not want people to tell you that? This is where I get confused...yes, sometimes unusual combinations work...but the majority of times they may not. I would want to know that, and be informed in making decisions.
If you are sure of what you are doing, why worry about what others are saying? If you aren't confident in what you want to do, then why? If you are confident, then ignore others. What works in this case may not work in the majority of other cases. That is all people try to share, though often emphatically.

 

[ophiura]

I have been thinking of other things as well:
I have a wet/dry equivalent running on a reef tank.
I do not have nitrates at 0
I commonly sold damselfish to cycle tanks (I don't recommend it any more, and can argue why, but it is a method to cycle a tank).
There was something else I thought of yesterday but it has escaped my mind at the moment....
But a lot of these things were before I had resources like this board, and if I had it at the time, I think I would have been "enlightened" gratefully, much earlier in this hobby.

 

[jaybird101]

I have a 44 gals corner stand with coralife 50/50 bulb and an blue anionic bulb.
1- Yellow Tang
1- Maridian Goby
1- Cleaner Shrinp
1- Pur Puffer
2- Turbo Snails (until they flip over and die)
3- Blue legged hermit crabs
1- Condi Anemone
1- colony of yellow polyps
1- Quarter size star fish I found in the Gulf of Mexico new Clear Water FL.(don't know name yet)
10 lbs DIY LR and 10 lbs store bought LR
I don't use RO water either (conditioned tap water)
All water readings are 0
PH alittle lower (buffer works great)
Salt content good
The cleaner shrimp even cleans the puffer.

 

[daj0424]

well, this is some good reading so I think I will chime in...
I have a 55 gallon FOWLR with...
1- yellow tang
1- blue hippo tang
1- Dawrf Lion
1- Maroon Clown
and soon will be adding a Potters Angel
When I first started the hobby I did not know anything and jumped right in. I did not know how to care for SW fish after only having a 10g freshwater tank that was my girlfriends for a couple months it was a totally new experience.
I have learned my lessons the hard way and realized that after you learn how to care proerly for your tank you can try new things and be successful if you are careful and have the proper understanding of the hobby. My fish all seem very happy in their home. I just introduced the Lion because I recently moved and gave some fish away but I had to keep the 2 tangs and the clown together becuase they are some of my favorites.
With so many different set ups and different beliefs their are endless ways to keep and mantain your tank. I believe that if your way is working for you, then that is all that matters.

 

[saltysand]

as a newbie of only 6 months , i am shocked. I can't believe some of the preachers on here that have yelled at me have done worse ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

just kidding. I am really enjoying this thread and hope it continues and in my opinion is a great way to learn and have fun at the same time. now for my confessions of only 6 months,
I used damsels to cycle listening to lfs and unfortunately lost one. I dont' use r/o water. I do let it set , oxgenate and heat water to same temp before putting in.I have an ocelleras and clarki clown that hated one another at first but I let them fight it out and now they act like they are mates :notsure: a little dum i am sure.I saw a 12 gal aquarium set up at lfs that had corals , a hippo tang(baby), and a yellow tang and really wanted it bad!!!!But i knew it was wrong so I resisted.ok i feel way better now.

 

[reeffreak9]

I just wanted to put out my 2 cents as to why I started this thread..........I definately am not na-na...ing those who say certain things can't be done. I respect and value most advice given on the board. The fact is alot of people (myself included) had gotten into this hobby with just the advice from the lfs. We set up, cycle, and add whatever the lfs says is ok. (you would think that the lfs would know what they are doing?) I found this board after I was cycled, and had added marine life. Some of my mistakes cost me to lose livestock. And some just worked out for me. (against all odds so to speak) I meant to open everyones eyes to the posibility that some things thought to be undo-able, sometimes just work out. I do not want to imply that anyone should just do what they want and not listen to others opinions. But those of us who unknowingly made those mistakes and had success anyways...... Good for you, be proud of your sucess, and share your story!

 

[petjunkie]

Shhh... I have crushed coral. However tanks been set up for over a year and moved halfway thru with no nitrate spike. I use tap water but I would use ro if I could get it and I also have a cleaner wrasse. Oh and just finally bought myself a skimmer, aqua c remora, figured it was better to wait until I could afford a good one instead of wasting half the money on junk.

 

[my way]

I stopped keeping fish for about 20 years, then while at a store I saw baby Clown Triggers for $30 dollars, well I had to have one. The problem was I did not even have a FW tank setup at the time but did have some equipment stashed. I came home with the trigger and a bag of salt, set up a 30 gallon tank up, drove over to my nieces and stole some filter media to seed mine. After a year the trigger did fine and I was getting ready to upgrade to a larger tank when I inadvertantly left the pump of to feed the fish and forgot to turn it back on. Needless to say the fish starved of oxygen and died. I still kick myself in the butt for that one. At least now I have a nice 30 gallon mini reef.

 

[oceanists]

55g
Bubble Tip
Carpet
2 mated Sebae clowns
1 HUGE Maroon Clown
1 Yellow Tang
1 Blue Devil Damsel
1 Black and white strpied damsel
1 Sand Sifting Star
1 Serpant Star
Various Hermits and snails
Various shrooms and I just through a couple of peices of uncured Rubble Tonga Rock ,,,, maybe a pound.
No Aerating just shake the bottles every now and then letting it sit over night...... Let my Temp Fluctuate about 3 degrees between night and day
havent tested for anything in well over a month
I do the water changes with RO once a week.
Dont use Kalk or Lime Water in conjunction with my Halides
fffwwhooooooooooo! happy I got this off my chest

 

[imurnamine]

Eh... I'm new so I don't have anything particularly special to share, but I DID cycle my tank with a Domino and Three-Striped Damsel... I didn't know any better then, and now I do, so I'm sorry about that...
...Anywho, I had the little striped Damsel absolutely love my Clarkii Clown... They got along famously; they would burrow out a place in the back corner of the tank and sleep together... It broke my heart when my Damsel died... Anyhow, I know that none of that is half as cool as eels and other things getting along, but I just wanted to share. ^_^

 

[ghostiroc]

In my 55g tank i have, a huge domino damsel , a sergent major, a 4 striped damsel, a electric blue damsel, a lunar wrasse, a yellow tang, a lavender tang, a algae blenny, a bicolor angel fish, 2 niger triggers, 8 blue legged hermits, and a clarks clown a dogface puffer ( I just couldnt resist him when he wagged his little tail and chomped those teeth) but note to those who are reading....your dogface will love chocolate chip starfishes. He ate both of mine in .09 seconds of being in the tank!!! Got milk?
In the next 2 weeks all these guys are going into their new 125 gallon tank if the baserock ever gets here. Its been 10 days since I ordered it.

 

[jmick]

It always amuses me when I read that putting in two tangs, a lion fish and a dwarf angel into a 55 gal is a new concept. Also, keeping fish for a year or two does not equal success, when you can keep those fish for 5+ years without any causalities and maintain a healthy system then you might be mildly successful. For as long as SW tanks have been around people have been over stocking and it’s not a new idea. What most have learned is that in the long run it’s a better idea to add fish that are ideally suited for your system and IMO, a fish that can grow upwards of 8-10” and needs lots of swimming room is not suited for a tank that 48”x20”.

 

[nigerbang]

lets see...where to start..I have never done a water change, never ran a skimmer, on my 1st tank i didnt even use a power head. I do use RO water though, I have 2 triggers in a tank that is too small.(moving them soon though) The first tank I cycled with 4 damsels, after it cycled 2 weeks later I put a YT in a 55 with a Red Lion, Sea Apple, Cuke, 2 codi anemo, long spine urchin. Never had a problem...untill it crashed when I went on a 2 week vaction. It ran like that for 4 years

 

[hardcrab67]

Man oh man, If I said what I thought I'd probally get banned off of here. Reminds me of a LFS employee that give contradicting info in the same breath.

 

[reeffreak9]

Originally Posted by Jmick
It always amuses me when I read that putting in two tangs, a lion fish and a dwarf angel into a 55 gal is a new concept. Also, keeping fish for a year or two does not equal success, when you can keep those fish for 5+ years without any causalities and maintain a healthy system then you might be mildly successful. For as long as SW tanks have been around people have been over stocking and it’s not a new idea. What most have learned is that in the long run it’s a better idea to add fish that are ideally suited for your system and IMO, a fish that can grow upwards of 8-10” and needs lots of swimming room is not suited for a tank that 48”x20”.
I did'nt see where he stated that it was a "new concept"? Also if you read they are being moved to thier new 125 gal tank. This thread is not to share "new ideas" it is to share some crazy cominations that are working out for you. I beleive that is just what he did. However, I don't see where your post included any of your combinations? Everyone starts somewhere and we all make mistakes. If you maintain a healthy tank for a period of time less than 5 years, you don't have any sucess? I would like to know the name of the mad marine biologist that came to that conclusion? Or is it that you have been in the hobby for 5 years and want to mock those that have'nt been in it as long? (immature) Regardless, I feel I described my intention for this thread. And if you can't keep an open mind then maybe, you should start your own "experts only thread".

 

[sunnfun]

I enjoyed reading this thread!!!

I follow the tried and true because honestly I can't afford to make mistakes.

If I want a good aquarium, I have to play by the rules.

 

[dmm0724]

I had a 55 that cycled for a few days.....had pc lighting and the following:
2 percula clowns
foxface
LTA and BTA
cleaner shrimp
gorgonian
kole tang
blue hippo tang
royal gramma
lawnmower blenny
We ran a canister with tons of carbon, skimmer and that was it. Everything did great but we sold it not long ago.
But now...the new experiement: (lets cross out fingers)
zebra eel
volitans lion
dogface puffer
possibly a foxface
These will be in a 110 gallon with 20 gallon sump, skimmer, 150lbs lr, 60 lbs ls
Lets hope things work out!