Difficult and Special Care Species List

[meir]

Wld one baby twin spot be able to live in an established 5 gal full of pods

 

[eatbreakfast]

Meaning pods and the like

There's more to microfauna than just pods. In the case of twin spot gobies they will eat sand dwelling microfauna, which includes pods, but also much more live creatures as well.

Wld one baby twin spot be able to live in an established 5 gal full of pods

Not for long...

 

[Kaysneezye]

Want add some of these Anthias anybody got any experience with them. Thing of add about 6.

 

[Newb73]

They make great snacks for my blue throat trigger....

 

[eatbreakfast]

Want add some of these Anthias anybody got any experience with them. Thing of add about 6.

Flavoguttatus anthias aren't that bad. Peaceful tankmates, high flow in the top 1/3 of the tank, and frequent, small feedings of small frozen foods.

 

[meir]

Just brought a punctato butterflyfish and a long-nose butterflyfish, so both have a bit of ick but I'm not so worried about that, what worries me is the the punctato isn't an aggressive eater as all the other fish in my tank, i do ly know how to get a good feeding response[emoji30] does anyone have any ideas???

 

[eatbreakfast]

Just brought a punctato butterflyfish and a long-nose butterflyfish, so both have a bit of ick but I'm not so worried about that, what worries me is the the punctato isn't an aggressive eater as all the other fish in my tank, i do ly know how to get a good feeding response[emoji30] does anyone have any ideas???

Live blackworms or clams on the half shell.

 

[meir]

@eatbreakfast I feel like the rest of the aggressive fish will devour it

 

[eatbreakfast]

@eatbreakfast I feel like the rest of the aggressive fish will devour it

Then utilizing a tank divider or a qt tank to get the new fish conditioned will be required.

 

[shrimped]

Was Fairy gobies mentioned? IMO tryssogobius Colinis (blue eye darts from I think Okinawa Japan) are one of the most difficult fish to keep in captivity long term.

Most die from transportation alone. 1” Max and probably better with multiples. Similar to Firefish, will usually pick off of one another. Picky eaters, difficult to train, and requires several feedings per day.

 

[becks]

I would add under diamond gobys - a tank cover is a must! Mine jumped out of my QT tank today, a small gap less than 10mm, the rest is covered

 

[Ferrell]

Good read and always exceptions to the rules .As always proceed with caution with all fish additions .

 

[alepop1211]

Was Fairy gobies mentioned? IMO tryssogobius Colinis (blue eye darts from I think Okinawa Japan) are one of the most difficult fish to keep in captivity long term.

Most die from transportation alone. 1” Max and probably better with multiples. Similar to Firefish, will usually pick off of one another. Picky eaters, difficult to train, and requires several feedings per day.

Was Fairy gobies mentioned? IMO tryssogobius Colinis (blue eye darts from I think Okinawa Japan) are one of the most difficult fish to keep in captivity long term.

Most die from transportation alone. 1” Max and probably better with multiples. Similar to Firefish, will usually pick off of one another. Picky eaters, difficult to train, and requires several feedings per day.

Cool fish though

If only enough of them would come in so we could learn about then

 

[atoll]

"Multi-Barred Angelfish (Centropyge multifasciatus): They don't adapt to aquarium life well, rarely eat, and are very secretive, though not fatal, they also seem particularly prone to Lymphocystis"
and
Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus): A problem feeder, specimens from the Philippines and Indonesia rarely make it long in captivity, Red Sea Specimens tend to be hardier and more willing to accept prepared foods partially due to collection and holding techniques, the more recent trend to keep this fish in reef aquariums helps with survivability.

Not in my experience, I am not suggesting they are easy but if you get one that has been taken care of when collected, held well before shipping and is a youngish specimen then you have a very good chance of succeeding with them as I have.



Cleaner Wrasses (Labroides spp.): Specialized parasite feeders that rarely live long in captivity, leave them in the ocean where they can do their job.
Again as with the above, I have had one for 6 months doing very well.

 

[MnFish1]

Fish To Be Avoided::Fish that have incredibly low survivability in aquaria or are totally unsuitable for home aquaria


Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus): A few success stories, but miniscule amounts live long, difficult feeder, mystery deaths, and even when accepting prepared foods often slowly starve

Rock Beauty Angelfish (Holacanthus tricolor): Nearly impossible to meet the dietary needs in home aquaria

Multi-Barred Angelfish (Centropyge multifasciatus): They don't adapt to aquarium life well, rarely eat, and are very secretive, though not fatal, they also seem particularly prone to Lymphocystis

Venustus Angelfish (Centropyge venustus): See the Multi-Barred Angelfish above

Butterflyfishes (Chaetodon spp.): Many problem feeders in the group and most are corallivore that are almost guaranteed to starve to death in aquaria, do a lot of research before purchasing any butterflyfish

Clown Tang (Acanthurus lineatus): VERY ich prone and a finicky eater, horrible survival rates, when they do live they are terribly aggressive and often take over a tank

Twinspot Goby (Signogobius ocellatus): Terrible survival rates in captivity, rarely accept prepared foods or survive long even when they do

Clown Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides): Difficult feeders and rarely adapt to aquarium life, should you manage to get one to live they get quite large

Oriental Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus orientalis): See Clown Sweetlips, in general this can be repeated for most species in the genus Diagramma and Plectorhinchus

Pinnatus Batfish (Platax pinnatus): Gorgeous fish when young, very very few success stories, diet, disease, and stress from aquarium life are big issues

Tiger Tiera Batfish (Platax batavianus): See Pinnatus Batfish above

Orange Spotted Filefish (Oxymonacanthus longirostris): Specialized coral polyp feeder and almost never accepts prepared foods

Ribbon Eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita): Rarely eat in captivity and are excellent escape artists

Snake Eels & Garden Eels (various genera): Difficult feeders that require specialty tanks

Cleaner Wrasses (Labroides spp.): Specialized parasite feeders that rarely live long in captivity, leave them in the ocean where they can do their job

Tamarin Wrasses (Anampses spp.): Very poor shippers and need tanks with their special needs in mind, even then they often starve to death, their best chance is often a large established reef aquarium with large amounts of live rock, peaceful fish, and something to prevent their escape from jumping

Leopard Wrasses (Macropharyngodon spp.): See Tamarin Wrasses above, but there are more success stories, both these and the Anampses are boderline being in this area of the list and the next section

Pencil Wrasses (Pseodojuloides spp.): Very sensitive, they almost always die in transit so you don't see them very often if ever in the trade

Parrotfishes (Family Scaridae): Very specialized feeders on mostly dead (some live) coral skeletons and the algae and organisms associated with them, they adapt poorly to aquarium life in almost all regards

Tilefishes (Family Malacanthidae): VERY timid and must be kept in a covered aquarium with lots of space and docile tankmates, in general they just don't adapt to aquarium life

Cartilaginous Fishes (Sharks, Rays, Skates): With very few exceptions, unless you own a massive aquarium that is several hundred gallons stay away

Grunts (Family Haemulidae): Rarely adapt well to aquarium life and should probably only be considered in a large species tank

Jacks (Family Carangidae): See Grunts above

Drums (Family Sciaenidae): Poor shippers, being very shy and fragile they rarely live long after being collected

Trumpetfish (Aulostomus spp.): Too large and too specialized for 99.9% of the aquarists out there, also poor shippers

Remoras (Family Echeneidae): Unless you have a large Shark or Whale in your backyard oceanarium it's probably best to stay away

Leopard Blenny (Exallias brevis): Specialized coral feeders that rarely live long in captivity

Chambered Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius): Though technically not a fish, there are a plethora of reasons to leave them in the ocean, simply not suited for typical aquarium life

The lists are interesting - thanks for putting some of it together. That said - It perhaps would have been easier to list the 3 or 4 fish that are ok to keep. If you combine all of the avoid and only for advanced aquarists, there are very few fish left. As a guideline, I think this is great - but I think it is the 'worst case scenario'.

 

[norfolkgarden]

The lists are interesting - thanks for putting some of it together. That said - It perhaps would have been easier to list the 3 or 4 fish that are ok to keep. If you combine all of the avoid and only for advanced aquarists, there are very few fish left. As a guideline, I think this is great - but I think it is the 'worst case scenario'.

"The list" is intended for newer people who are conscientious but basically have little knowledge of what they are getting into.
If you are new and the LFS employee tells you "That blue tang will be happy in you 55 gallon tank." how else are you supposed to know otherwise?

I'm glad you are having success with your fish.
Most newer hobbyists wouldn't likely be as successful.
Either due to a tank that is too small, not offering a wide enough variety of foods, or maybe not even realizing you can't just dump in flakes and pellets from the very beginning, like you did with the tetras.

Awesome videos. Would enjoy seeing more.

 

[MnFish1]

"The list" is intended for newer people who are conscientious but basically have little knowledge of what they are getting into.
If you are new and the LFS employee tells you "That blue tang will be happy in you 55 gallon tank." how else are you supposed to know otherwise?

I'm glad you are having success with your fish.
Most newer hobbyists wouldn't likely be as successful.
Either due to a tank that is too small, not offering a wide enough variety of foods, or maybe not even realizing you can't just dump in flakes and pellets from the very beginning, like you did with the tetras.

I didn't say I was having success with my fish - not sure where you got that. I complimented the OP for putting the list together. But - with even 'clownfish' on the list - like I said - it would have been easier to post the 3 or 4 fish that are suitable for beginners.

Part of the problem is where people buy their fish. Most people go for the lowest price - which often means the lowest quality. Perhaps more new hobbyists do this as compared to others. I definitely think that the guidelines as to space, etc are important.

It has always escaped me why 'tangs' are separated out as needing huge tanks - but other large fish are not. I know they tend to swim long distances in the wild - but none of our tanks mimic the range that many of the fish we keep swim. BTW - im not saying a tang should be kept in a 40 gallon tank - but - if one were to carry it to extreme - even a 300 gallon tank is too small for a tang...

 

[eatbreakfast]

The lists are interesting - thanks for putting some of it together. That said - It perhaps would have been easier to list the 3 or 4 fish that are ok to keep. If you combine all of the avoid and only for advanced aquarists, there are very few fish left. As a guideline, I think this is great - but I think it is the 'worst case scenario'.

That list is pretty outdated. There are quite a few that don't belong on it any longer.

 

[Highgrade]

That list is pretty outdated. There are quite a few that don't belong on it any longer.

+1

 

[Willragan]

New challenging addition to the seahorse tank