Fish Requirements

[jlehigh]

Now that's preparing a meal with love! Congrats on the success Don!

 

[cheeks69]

Based on this, is there a resource (i.e. website, books, etc) available where we can get fish requirements....such as behavior, feeding, necessary swimming space, compatibility....that is factual and unbiased? That way we can give the best environment to our fish.

I have been trying to find this resource for a long time. I have always loved dwarf angels and I looked all over the internet for good info on them and found some but very generalized. When I finally found ' Angelfishes' by Helmut Debelius I was so happy I bought it from TMC publishing as soon as it was available. Unfortunately I became disappointed because again there was no real specifics about their behaviour,requirements etc. although it's a beautifully illustrated book. I think the problem is alot isn't known yet about some fish and as it's been mentioned before every fish has it's own personality and act differently, one example is the Yellow Coris Wrasse I had. When I did some research there was mixed info on wether he was completely reefsafe so I bought one and he wiped out every shrimp I had except a large Pistol. Now if you talk to Craig Manoukian he'll tell ya his is a model member of his tank and hasn't touched a shrimp.

As for the Manderin IMO it's the amount of mature LR you have that is important not tank size because he's not an open water swimmer.

 

[Craig Manoukian]

My Yellow Coris Wrasse is a full adult and has been a pretty good reef member. Gets along peacefully with all fish but on occasion wil victimize a Nassaurius Snail. So far my Scarlet Hermits and Red Skunk Cleaners have had no problems. I did observe that when I turned off my power head and a dead hermit crab came out and before the body hit the sand the Yellow Coris had it as a snack. Dead limpets are also on its' menu.

I hope this is helpful to anyone interested, and I can say, It is one of the most beautiful fish I have seen.

 

[Craig Manoukian]

After reading this thread it is important to note a couple of things. First there are general rules and therefor exceptions to those rules. Second, our responsibility is to provide an environment where the animals will thrive, not just survive.

The challenge is that unless a Mandarin, for example, will eat something other than live copepods, then putting one in a less than 100 gallon tank with a thriving pod population is taking an unnecesary risk.

This is why it is so important to research our livestock as much as we can before purchasing, to avoid compatibility, environment, and feeding issues. If you don't know then error on the side of caution. I think if we keep these things in mind, that our long-term success will be greater.