125 FOWLR stocking

that brazilian moray eel is a beaut!! you got me looking into all kinds of morays, i think i'm going to head to my lfs with a list and see what they can get. yours sure looks big for a 30" eel, i'm also liking the looks of a whitemouth. as for the grouper, i think i like the miniatus, and the fiancee had a specific request for a "big red fish" and the minaitus sure fits that bill.

as for the tess, i got an offer to "adopt" a 4'er the owner claims he hasn't grown in the year they have had him alone in a 75, but who knows. thats about the only reason i'm considering one, but at the same time i'd like at least a grouper and a lion in with him.

thanks for posting those pics, your fish look great!

~Will.

 

Thanks Will. My BDM is actually only about two feet, but it is really thick around, and outeats my 3' zebra moray five to one. I've had it about 2.5 years, I think.

I can recommend a great reference for picking an eel. If you can afford it or borrow it, read Reef Fishes volume 1 by Scott Michael. It has an awesome chapter on moray eels. Pay close attention to size, aggression and what it eats. There are some nice looking eels that become total terrors. Don't buy any eel without doing your research! Most are NOT good community tank fish, so choose carefully.

Years ago, I once bought a cute little eel, about 10 inches long for $19. It only grew to be two feet, but it was the most terrifying creature I ever owned. It killed EVERY fish I tried to keep with it, including a small clown trigger. The tank had algae on the glass, except the top two inches, because it went after me when I scraped the glass. It bit my finger once, one of the most painful bites ever, and it got infected. When I finally found a fish store that would take it (after TWO YEARS), I had to wrestle it into a bucket after lowering the water level in the tank. It was lunging out of the water, trying to bite my face, the whole time. When I looked up the eel, after buying it (so cute! so cheap!) I found out it is Gymnothorax saxicola, and Atlantic species called the black edged moray. Not much information on it online, but Scott Michael's book called it very aggressive. Always listen to Scott (except on minimum tank size, it is usually too small).

Isn't it just the cutest little thing? (and it is the AntiChrist too):




Definitely stay away from the tess unless you want an eel-only tank. BTW, that 75 is way too small!

A good free site for species research is Wetwebmedia, Aquarium, Pond, Marine and Freshwater Fish, reef tanks, and Aquatics Information. I'd still have to recommend Scott Michael's book, especially Reef Fishes volume 1, above all others. A decent beginner reference is New Marine Aquarium by Mike Paletta. Less than $20 on amazon, and great advice. It took me my first 10 years of marine keepig, learning the hard, and expensive, way to know what is in this book. Great advice, great pictures.

To get you started on WWM:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/morays.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/moraysii.htm

For buying rare/oddball/big fish, I swear by the following:

Liveaquaria.com Diver's Den - WYSIWYG and the healthiest specimens around. 14 day guarantee. Most of my fish come from here.

Reefhotspot.com - also great quality, service, guarantee. I got my gorgeous emperor angel from them.

Bluezooaquatics.com - haven't ordered from them yet, but they have an excellent reputation and often get some uncommon fish. I will order from them soon. Guarantee as well.

I can't get the same quality or guarantee from my LFS... I do buy locally, especially for the more common fish, or really poor shippers. But liveaquaria Diver's Den is my preferred vendor for the rarer fish I have.

Here's a link to their fish WYSIWYG:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/CatDisplay.cfm?c=2733 3&siteid=20&ref=4282&subref=AB

Don't get this Muraena species (related to Brazilian dragon moray) - it gets over 3' and I believe it is more aggressive than my BDM.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733 3&ddid=55411

Also check out the regular liveaquaria web site and "collector's corner".

 

one last comment about tesselata's. This is from an eels FAQ section on wetwebmedia:

 

i sent a pic in to WNM just to make sure this actually was a tesselata and not a leopard moray. i think i'll stay clear of this eel for now and continue looking for something else heavy-bodied and under 5' . . . like that brazilian dragon or whitemouth (any others you could recommend?)

~Will.

 

goldentails are nice

 

i had a clown with a lion and they left eachother alone but might a recomend a harliquen tusk fish i have one and theyre beatiful if you dont get the clown i would say a humu humu or a blue jaw would be cool to i have a FOWLR myself not as big but still

 

There are individual differences, but triggers, especially the more aggressive ones, are a definite risk with a lionfish.

Have you ever seen this video???

http://s136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/barbianj/?action=view&current=MVI_2067.flv

I asked another reef site to post it as a sticky in the Fish Only and Aggressive Forum, because there are questions all the time about mixing triggers and lionfish.

Wouldn't you be worried about a clown trigger outgrowing a 125? They get really big as adults. Many people report that as they mature, they get a lot more territorial and aggressive, especially in "smaller" tanks, which I consider a 125 to be, if you are adding a fish over a foot long (they get 18-20", but even a 10" clown trigger is really massively thick and active).

+1 on the HT, they are one of the best fish out there. Pricey, but so worth it if you keep it in good healthy. Also, okay for life in a 125, even though they are also good sized.

 

harlequin tusk has been on the list since the beginning of page 2, i think? i have seen that vid of the lion defending - or trying too - against the clown trigger. the clown has been off my list for quite some time, tho i havent really updated it on this thread.

the new wish list is :

V. Lionfish
Brazilian Dragon eel or whitemouth - not sure yet
Miniatus Grouper
Harlequin Tusk
maybe a puffer of some kind, there growing on me

if my levels stay in check it may only be another couple weeks till i can get the lion i've been drooling over at my LFS. the thing has been in a 4' 250 gallon cube with a 5' green moray . . . i hope he dosen't get eaten before the tank is ready.

~Will.

 

I think that's a reasonable list. May be pushing it a little on the bioload, but all good fish choices. My BDM tried to eat my puffer and may have killed another, so be careful.

Have you looked at goldentails? These are super-nice eels. There are several color morphs, yellow is more expensive.






Some other nice eels:

white ribbon eel - not to be confused with blue or black ribbon eels, which are almost impossible to keep alive, and which should be left in the ocean



Snowflake moray - common and cheap, but popular for good reason! More fish-safe than most, stays reasonable sized

 

after taking my fiancee and her 5 year old daughter to a few different fish stores, it looks like i might have to go with a zebra eel just so i can have a few "smaller" pretty fish. the puffer and trigger are now very low on the potential stock list because both girls really want to see a big starfish in there.

the lion is still a go, but i have to put a lock of some kind on my canopy incase some little hands get the idea to pet the fish (as stupid as this sounds, her grandparents taught her to pet goldfish). so now i'm looking to go semi-aggressive with a zerbra eel, lion, harlequin tusk, marine betta. some kind of cool big starfish (choclate chip?), some kind of active tang / butterfly, and maybe a miniatus grouper (have heard mixed reviews on them). all will be bought small with the exception of the zebra at just over 20", and added slowly - maybe 1 every 2 weeks or so.

will a heard of small black leg hermits and snails be ok as a cleanup crew, or would the zebra somehow get them out of their shells. is there any compatability issues i should worry about with the above list?

~Will.