reef safe predators

[copperband]

hello everyone so im might upgrade in the future and was wondering what type of reef safe predatory fish are their that can go inside of a 55 gallon tank thanks and also until i upgrade just wondering what type of reef safe predatory fish could go in a 29 gallon bowfront with soft corals cleaner shrimp yellow tang occelaris clown some type of damsel/chromis engineer gobie lawnmower blenny and six line wrasse as well as hermits and snails and feather dusters thanks

Matt

[hobogato]

i wouldnt put anything else in that 29 gallon tank - you are bordering on overstocking.

[RayAllen]

Im with ACE on this one; If you were to add any reef safe predator it would most likely become territorial over the small space and eat or kill the other fish.

[copperband]

k thanks yeah if i didnt have a skimmer rated for a 60 gallon tank and enough filtration for a 55 to 75 gallon tank i would be dead but im getting a free open brain coral that is suffering under someones lighting so im gonna try and save it

[caferacermike]

I think the problem you'll find with a 55g is that it will quickly pollute itself as both a predator tank AND coral reef. Predators intake and produce large amounts of food and waste that could quickly foul the conditions that coral need to live in.

[JimD]

For the sake of the people who may be wondering the same thing,, lets pretend that his tank was large enough, what replies would ya'll offer and state minimum tank size..

[Ed]

Well, as long as we are pretending................

As Mike said, a predator tank needs lots of filtration because they are messy eaters and what goes in must come out..............

I would skip the 55g and think about a 75g minimum or better yet a 100g. Some of our vendors run a 100g tank combo for ~ $400.00. Your Yellow tang will do better and you will be able to keep it longer in the 5' tank.

As for reef safe predators, maybe a Niger or Blue Throat Trigger. I have kept both successfully in a reef tank. Maybe even a dwarf Lionfish, but I would not count on the shrimp surviving that one. :wink_smile:

Kudos for asking questions and doing some homework. Best advice I can give is BE PATIENT! Nothing in this hobby happens quickly except disaster.:cry_smile:

HTH.

Ed

[MissT]

ditto what Ed said, and keep doing your homework on anything before you add it. Ask questions, research good books and shop at reputable LFS's. A great book to have and carry with you to the LFS is the Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Fish. It's easy to read and has a good index that makes it easy to flip to the fish you are looking at.

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[coraline79]

I have a 110 gallon tank for sale if your looking, described in the for sale section, also considering trades.

[greenmako]

Wow. Loaded Question. Assuming you had a large enough tank, their are still too many factors. Define "predator"...lol. Predator of SPS, LPS, crustaceans, fish or a combo of them? Some beautiful butterflies and angels are SPS obligate feeders and dont do well in captivity, the majority of others will mow down LPS (especially injured LPS). The larger wrasses (banana, lunare, coris, harlequin, etc) that are popular for FOWLR/predator tanks are crustacean destroyers. Your clean-up crew and any shrimp are toast (their are exceptions but this is the rule for the most part). Triggers are the same. With any predator reef, its give and take. What are you willing to sacrifice to keep the predators?

We had a harlequin wrasse and a niger trigger in out old 150g. We had to constantly refresh/restock the clean up crew and the harlequin ate 3 small yellow coris wrasses right in front of us. We knew and were prepared to have to restock the clean-up crew.

Currently, we have a regal angel (named GreenMile) that devours LPS. He hasn't picked on the euphyllias yet(I know I spelled that wrong...lol) but we have been trying to catch him for months now. We knew we were taking a chance when we got him. He did fine for a year then yummmm...LPS, meat corals specifically about $5-600 worth.

We also have a mystery wrasse, that is coral safe but demolished 2 cleaner shrimp (big ones). He had been in the tank for months with the cleaners then went kamakaze on them. We saw him grab one and start beating it on the rocks. The other fish loved it, it was a shrimp buffet. So no cleaner shrimp for us.

Dwarf lions in reefs are very cool. However, they can be hard to get to eat frozen especially with faster fish competing for food. They will eat anything that can fit in their mouth too. Clowns, shrimp, you name it. If you can find one eating frozen, and all your other fish are BIGGER than the lion and probably BIGGER than the lion will grow you could pull it off. If the tank was large enough.

See what Im getting at? Give and take. What are you willing to sacrifice to have a predator?

-Christina

[MikeP]

Accept that even though the cleaner shrimp is established any 'predatory' type fish you add may eventually decide its lunch. Same with many of your smaller fish.

A couple possible reccomendations I have:

Hawkfish - longnose, lyretail or flame (these are shrimp eating machines but well behaved with similar sized fish).

Basslets - many of the Carribean basslets are hardy but can get largish (6" +) and many are semi piscivorous like the harlequin and tobacco bass. Also if you decide to forgo some of the smaller fish Hamlets are great reef safe predators that would do well in a 55 - 75 gallon.

Dusky Jawfish - not as cute as goldhead or bluespots but definitely a micro predator. Again not safe with small shrimp but they will grow on you.

If you have the cash / space maybe one of the dwarf morays like the ghost eel or if you have deep pockets a golden dwarf moray are fascinating predators that do well in 30 gal + tanks. Given your current stocking levels I'd hold off on anything until your new tank is up and settled in before adding anything. I actually would take a couple fish out before adding any type of micro predator.

[copperband]

ok thanks but i really cant upgrade until i get the money and the 55 i have is my african cichlid tank which i need to get rid of the more agressive africans