Trigger vs. Scorpionfish?

[thebrohem]

Hello all. I have a tank that is amazing. Up to this point, no one has gotten into anyone's business and such, and that is great considering they are all aggressive fish. But, recently, my scorpionfish (i dont know the exact species) and my pink-tail trigger have been going after each other, and my scorpionfish always wins. I am starting to think that i might have to get rid of one of them to make sure one doesnt just get killed (though it seems like the trigger would be the one gets killed by the scorpionfish). Anywho, i was wondering if you have opinions on which one would be better in the long run to keep. The other fish include a toadfish, a dog-faced puffer, a mexican wrasse, and an eel. The tank is big enough and no one else fights, nor do either of these 2 fish bug anyone else. So yeah, thats my dilemma right now. Thanks!

 

[crypt keeper]

Which fish could you live without. That is question. Its up to you. You have to deal with your tank everyday.

 

[salt life]

Originally Posted by thebrohem
http:///forum/post/2973638
Hello all. I have a tank that is amazing. Up to this point, no one has gotten into anyone's business and such, and that is great considering they are all aggressive fish. But, recently, my scorpionfish (i dont know the exact species) and my pink-tail trigger have been going after each other, and my scorpionfish always wins. I am starting to think that i might have to get rid of one of them to make sure one doesnt just get killed (though it seems like the trigger would be the one gets killed by the scorpionfish). Anywho, i was wondering if you have opinions on which one would be better in the long run to keep. The other fish include a toadfish, a dog-faced puffer, a mexican wrasse, and an eel. The tank is big enough and no one else fights, nor do either of these 2 fish bug anyone else. So yeah, thats my dilemma right now. Thanks!
First you need to figure out what type of scorpionfish it is, like a type of lionfish or what? for the pinktail, it shouldn't be in anything less than a 75g and if it is a volitan then that doesn't belong in anything less than a 90. your profile says you have a 55g, what other fish do you have? They could be fighting because there is no territory in a 55. provide more info to get the best help.

 

[rcreations]

Is this a scorpionfish or a lionfish? It's my understanding that scorpionfish stay mostly on the bottom of the tank. In which case how can it go after your trigger? Triggers are also much faster fish. You sure it's not the trigger that is bothering the scorpionfish and the scorpion is just defending itself?

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by Salt Life
http:///forum/post/2973911
First you need to figure out what type of scorpionfish it is, like a type of lionfish or what? for the pinktail, it shouldn't be in anything less than a 75g and if it is a volitan then that doesn't belong in anything less than a 90. your profile says you have a 55g, what other fish do you have? They could be fighting because there is no territory in a 55. provide more info to get the best help.
I agree. Crowding+aggressive fish =stress= aggression. If you do have a 55, it is way too small for the fish you have; in addition to the fish Salt Life mentioned, a 55 is way too small for a dog faced puffer of any size.

 

[salt life]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/2974037
I agree. Crowding+aggressive fish =stress= aggression. If you do have a 55, it is way too small for the fish you have; in addition to the fish Salt Life mentioned, a 55 is way too small for a dog faced puffer of any size.
I didn't see he added the other fish he has, what type of eel do you have? you need to be more specific, unless you have a golden dwarf moray you shouldn't have an eel in a 55g tank, I know people don't agree and will put a SFE in a 55g but it is JMO. With all those fish in a 55g tank, the only problem I see is over crowded and no room to create a territory and are getting stressed.
Does this look like the scorpion fish you have? :
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=4
And what type of eel do you have? is it a snowflake moray? :
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=4

 

[thebrohem]

Thank you all for your help. No, it is not a lionfish. I know you dont mean anything by it, but i used to work at a pet store and do lots of research before getting my fish. It is a scorpionfish, like it doesnt swim and stay at he bottom all the time kind. I think it might be a spotted scorpionfish but my local saltwater fish store didnt have the actual scientific name posted. Yes, it does indeed just stay at the bottom of the tank, but no joke, i wish i could tape it and post it on here, he is the aggressor and he is the one that randomly attacks the trigger, honestly for no reason. Its funny and scary to watch. As far as tank size goes, a dogface is fine in a 55 and so is a scorpionfish, though a trigger does need a bigger tank as it gets older. The eel in there is actually a rather small freshwater snowflake moray eel, and he is the smallest one in the tank by far, so much so im surprised no one has tried to eat him. The scorpionfish and trigger are about the same size, about 4 inches. This is totally new, the tank has been up and running the way it is for almost 2 years and there has never been a problem. There is a chance that the trigger at some point some time ago pissed off the scorpionfish, if that is true then the scorpionfish has great memory to keep attacking him.

 

[prime311]

Originally Posted by thebrohem
http:///forum/post/2974392
As far as tank size goes, a dogface is fine in a 55 a
This is why I don't listen to people that work at pet stores. But its cool, keep thinking you're Dogface that can grow over a foot long will be fine in a 3' by 1' tank.

 

[thebrohem]

A 55 gallon tank is 4 feet by 14". Not every fish grows to the same length; if we go by that principle that would mean that every human male is the same height, though any human male can grow to be 7' tall like Yao Ming, but not everyone does. Dude, i didnt come here to be told what is wrong with my tank, i came here to get advice on which one of those two fish will be the better one to keep in relationship to being a bigger pester to the rest of the fish. Thanks though because its obvious that you have seen my tank and know how it works. Give me a break. If you are such an expert, write a book and publish it, dont go around talking down to people who need advice and are actually torn over which fish to give up even though i love both.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by thebrohem
http:///forum/post/2974535
A 55 gallon tank is 4 feet by 14". Not every fish grows to the same length; if we go by that principle that would mean that every human male is the same height, though any human male can grow to be 7' tall like Yao Ming, but not everyone does. Dude, i didnt come here to be told what is wrong with my tank, i came here to get advice on which one of those two fish will be the better one to keep in relationship to being a bigger pester to the rest of the fish. Thanks though because its obvious that you have seen my tank and know how it works. Give me a break. If you are such an expert, write a book and publish it, dont go around talking down to people who need advice and are actually torn over which fish to give up even though i love both.
How can anyone help if you can't even tell us what kind of scorpionfish you have? You need a lot of advice; but I doubt you'll take it. Nobody here is claiming to be an expert; but anyone who is serious about SW fishkeeping knows you are extremely overstocked, even if we never worked in a pet store.

 

[hlcroghan]

Originally Posted by thebrohem
http:///forum/post/2974392
Thank you all for your help. No, it is not a lionfish. I know you dont mean anything by it, but i used to work at a pet store and do lots of research before getting my fish. It is a scorpionfish, like it doesnt swim and stay at he bottom all the time kind. I think it might be a spotted scorpionfish but my local saltwater fish store didnt have the actual scientific name posted. Yes, it does indeed just stay at the bottom of the tank, but no joke, i wish i could tape it and post it on here, he is the aggressor and he is the one that randomly attacks the trigger, honestly for no reason. Its funny and scary to watch. As far as tank size goes, a dogface is fine in a 55 and so is a scorpionfish, though a trigger does need a bigger tank as it gets older. The eel in there is actually a rather small freshwater snowflake moray eel, and he is the smallest one in the tank by far, so much so im surprised no one has tried to eat him. The scorpionfish and trigger are about the same size, about 4 inches. This is totally new, the tank has been up and running the way it is for almost 2 years and there has never been a problem. There is a chance that the trigger at some point some time ago pissed off the scorpionfish, if that is true then the scorpionfish has great memory to keep attacking him.
Okay, couple questions.....how are you keeping a freshwater eel in saltwater? Is it a brackish fish? Just curious......
I believe what they were saying is that a dogface will definitely be too large long term for the 55 gallon, however if he is only a couple inches now then you may have some time left.
I would say that if the scorpionfish is the aggressor and you are sure of it then you should take him back to the store, however, remember that as triggers get bigger they can become very aggressive and start giving your other tankmates problems. Perhaps take both back and get something smaller so that each fish has bit more room. You honestly are going to start seeing more and more of these problems as the fish grow due to their large and aggressive nature.

 

[txfishman]

We are trying to help you. I have a scorpionfish. Does yours looks like this? http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...80226_1097.jpg I also have had a pinktail trigger. I got him when he was 5 inches and within 4 months he was 8 inches. The scorpion fish i got when he was 3 inches, in less than 2 years he was 11 inches. Please if you like both and/or all of your fish you should upgrade to something like a 125.

 

[salt life]

Originally Posted by hlcroghan
http:///forum/post/2974581
Okay, couple questions.....how are you keeping a freshwater eel in saltwater? Is it a brackish fish? Just curious......
I believe what they were saying is that a dogface will definitely be too large long term for the 55 gallon, however if he is only a couple inches now then you may have some time left.
I would say that if the scorpionfish is the aggressor and you are sure of it then you should take him back to the store, however, remember that as triggers get bigger they can become very aggressive and start giving your other tankmates problems. Perhaps take both back and get something smaller so that each fish has bit more room. You honestly are going to start seeing more and more of these problems as the fish grow due to their large and aggressive nature.
When I first started my tank I had a green white cheek moray, which is a FW or brackish moray, and the fish store acclimated it to full SW. They also sell the FW snowflakes as a marine species too.

 

[salt life]

Originally Posted by thebrohem
http:///forum/post/2974392
Thank you all for your help. No, it is not a lionfish. I know you dont mean anything by it, but i used to work at a pet store and do lots of research before getting my fish. It is a scorpionfish, like it doesnt swim and stay at he bottom all the time kind. I think it might be a spotted scorpionfish but my local saltwater fish store didnt have the actual scientific name posted. Yes, it does indeed just stay at the bottom of the tank, but no joke, i wish i could tape it and post it on here, he is the aggressor and he is the one that randomly attacks the trigger, honestly for no reason. Its funny and scary to watch. As far as tank size goes, a dogface is fine in a 55 and so is a scorpionfish, though a trigger does need a bigger tank as it gets older. The eel in there is actually a rather small freshwater snowflake moray eel, and he is the smallest one in the tank by far, so much so im surprised no one has tried to eat him. The scorpionfish and trigger are about the same size, about 4 inches. This is totally new, the tank has been up and running the way it is for almost 2 years and there has never been a problem. There is a chance that the trigger at some point some time ago pissed off the scorpionfish, if that is true then the scorpionfish has great memory to keep attacking him.

simmer down there sparky, we got the impression you didn't do research because when you post some type of scorpionfish and an eel it is confusing for us to figure out what the deal is. just because you worked at a pet store doesn't say much so blow smoke up someone elses booty. If you did your research you wouldn't have the fish you do in a 55g tank. hopefully you don't take offense but we are all being honest and giving our opinions. I say take all your fish back to the store and do your research the correct way.

 

[thebrohem]

To hlcroghan and txfishman, thank you very much, i appreciate your advice a lot. The eel is/was brackish. The picture of the scorpionfish from txfishman is very similar, but mine is more of a red-red, not maroon red, know what i mean? Its hard to explain the exact color. Also he does not have the little protruding things on his eyes. IS there a way to upload a pic of him on here? I know i need a bigger tank in general, but honestly, right now all the fish are pretty small and they are fine, the tank is not crowded, i have seen crowded tanks and this is not. Eventually, yeah, i know how big all the fish can get. Would they all love to be in a bigger tank right now, no doubt, but it isnt too small for them right now. In a book i read about the many types of aquarium fish, there were 2 that looked like my scorpionfish, sadly one of them reached a max length of 14", while the other only about 6". I dont know which one of those it is. To srfisher17, if i knew what species it was, i wouldnt be on here asking for advise. I came here for an opinion, not "hey you, get a bigger tank cuz i dont care what you say, its overstocked". Honestly, if it truly were overstocked, it would be crawling with algea and the bad kind, the fish would all be trying to kill each other all the time, and they would all have some major disease going. Neither of those are true. I whole heartedly admit it could be bigger and they would love it. I am not here to dispute that, i wanted help on which one of those two needed to go now. And i will take advice, in fact, i asked for it, but i am not taking advice just because someone wants to act smug. And sorry if i offended anyone by saying that at some point i worked at a pet store as a manager, but its not like im some idiot that doesnt know how to take care of animals. I am no expert, but im not stupid, nor did i say anyone called me that. You want to help me, just say which one of the these two fish i should part with right now before the trigger gets really hurt. On a side note, this really only seems to happen at night, after like 9pm, its odd.

 

[salt life]

Originally Posted by thebrohem
http:///forum/post/2974634
if it truly were overstocked, it would be crawling with algea and the bad kind, the fish would all be trying to kill each other all the time, and they would all have some major disease going. Neither of those are true.
I disagree with that, alot of people have overstocked tanks with healthy fish and have the proper filtration so they don't have "bad" algae and they don't have major diseases just because of overstocking, but your the manager of a pet store what do I know. I would take the trigger back since it will need a bigger tank in the future, if this is happening at night then it is obviously a territory issue. Don't get frustrated because we are being honest, not being smug at all.

 

[thebrohem]

Thank you salt life. The frustration is not coming from the honesty, i get that, its ok to say and hear. What i am not liking, is this animosity (spelling) towards what i have said. What is the deal with me saying i worked at a pet store and why does that bother anyone? I used to work at one, now i dont. I didnt say i know it all. At no point did i say no one here didnt know anything. My god, this was supposed to be a question on which one to part with and it has become a bloodbath. I mean, whoa. I simple cry for help became a witch hunt. I mean, sheesh, sorry. Now, as far as the night thing, the light is still on when this is going on, it is just after pm, central time. I will agree with the filtration keeping it clean, but in my opinion (not claiming to be a know-it-all, its just my opinion) the lack of disease is usually a good indicator of it not being overstocked. I believe that since the rest do get along, and these two get along with everyone else, that it is some sort of fluke that is just between the two of them. It does seem that the trigger will be the one to go and that sucks.

 

[salt life]

Originally Posted by thebrohem
http:///forum/post/2974665
Thank you salt life. The frustration is not coming from the honesty, i get that, its ok to say and hear. What i am not liking, is this animosity (spelling) towards what i have said. What is the deal with me saying i worked at a pet store and why does that bother anyone? I used to work at one, now i dont. I didnt say i know it all. At no point did i say no one here didnt know anything. My god, this was supposed to be a question on which one to part with and it has become a bloodbath. I mean, whoa. I simple cry for help became a witch hunt. I mean, sheesh, sorry. Now, as far as the night thing, the light is still on when this is going on, it is just after pm, central time. I will agree with the filtration keeping it clean, but in my opinion (not claiming to be a know-it-all, its just my opinion) the lack of disease is usually a good indicator of it not being overstocked. I believe that since the rest do get along, and these two get along with everyone else, that it is some sort of fluke that is just between the two of them. It does seem that the trigger will be the one to go and that sucks.

My bad i wasn't trying to be an ass or anything just looking at the whole picture with the fish you have in the tank size. to answer your original question I would bring the trigger back since he will need an upgrade in the future anyway. good luck with whatever decision you make, keep us posted.

 

[thebrohem]

HI all. Well, after much debate and help from both this message board and my local fish store and such, the decision came to let the trigger go. He is gone now, rehomed to someone with a much bigger tank. I am sad but it had to be done and it seems that he went to a good home. Thanks to all that helped!

 

[salt life]

Originally Posted by thebrohem
http:///forum/post/2984562
HI all. Well, after much debate and help from both this message board and my local fish store and such, the decision came to let the trigger go. He is gone now, rehomed to someone with a much bigger tank. I am sad but it had to be done and it seems that he went to a good home. Thanks to all that helped!

good luck with your tank