Tropical Reef Store

Anyone know anything about this site?

Tropical-Fish

Thx

 

The fact that they have absolutely no information on most of the fish is somewhat concerning.

More concerning, written for the yellow tang:

"Yellow tangs are good fish for beginning saltwater aquarists because they are able to tolerate fluctuating water conditions better than other tangs or surgeonfishes (up to a certain point)."

 

I felt the same way. But they have a Pinnatus Batfish which I would really like. Anyone know where I could find one? Saltwaterfish.com and Fosters and Smith do not have them for sale.

 

Are you really prepared to take care of a batfish?

"Known by several names, including Red-Stripe, Pinnatus, Shaded, Dusky, Red-Faced, Long-Finned or Red-Finned Batfish, the Pinnate can reach up to 20 inches in length. Juveniles have a striking red border on their body and fins; however, this generally fades with adulthood. The body has alternating vertical bands of brown and a silver-tan.

The Pinnate Batfish is very difficult to maintain in an aquarium, often refusing to eat. The Pinnate must be provided with a deep, 200-gallon tank and plenty of unobstructed room to swim. Unlike other batfish, the Pinnate is very shy and needs numerous hiding places. Not a good reef dweller, it will eat many types of sessile invertebrates including corals and anemones. As with all Batfish, the Pinnate is susceptible to ich.

A varied diet of meaty foods such as shrimp, scallops, vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, and frozen herbivore preparations should be provided. The Pinnate should be fed three times per day."

The part I bolded is the biggest problem. That means that if you want to have a batfish survive, you're going to need to spend quite a bit of time getting it to eat. Do you have that kind of time (also for 3x feeding a day), with enough filtration to keep nitrates under control, and a big enough tank?

 

blackraven, k for great information. Its good to see someone actually back up the reason for not getting a fish.

 

Well, I understand that it's an awesome fish, I love the colors on it too.

I just want to make sure you've got the care ready for it when you get it, since it's not an easy fish by any means.

 

I assure you that is not a sally lightfoot picured (unless it has been cooked)

 

Yes I have done my reading on the fish as well. I realize that it is a difficult fish to care for but I think I can deal with that aspect of the hobby. What is the point of the hobby if not to be a challenge? The same information is also written after descriptions of many corals and other inverts.

 

I don't mean to single you out,many people make this decision, but that is not the decision I would make. I did this a while back with an orange spotted filefish after reading about it and talking to many people who owned them, I decided to give it a try...:-[ It failed because I could not feed it at least 4 times a day. )I did have it eating frozen though!;D)
I would suggest you pass each article through a fine tooth comb and make sure you are absolutely sure you know what you are getting into. Learn from others failures. If this is truly what you want to do, I wish you the best of luck with this beutiful fish!
Good Luck (don't take this as a repremand, I am just trying to give you an idea of what you are getting in to)
Pan

 

Yes, the same kind of information is written about all sorts of corals, inverts and fish.

Then, lots of people buy them even after reading the description, thinking "Oh, I can handle this", and they die at some point due to improper care. Anemones, SPS corals, even down to "simple" stuff like tangs, mandarins and jawfish die all the time from some silly-seeming issue, like keeping a tang and a jawfish in too small a tank together.

I'm just wondering, do you have much experience with saltwater? 200g+ deep tank, time to feed 3x a day, no fish that would pick on it, etc?