The Top 5 Fish that should not be considered for beginners

[Joeganja]

I've decided to educate those newcomers to this hobby with a brief list of fish that many say are for beginners but may reveal not to be. By the way these are my opinions on why and which fish are not suitable for beginners.

1. Coral beauty. This fish may said to be one of the easiest Angelfish to care for; however due to the fact that it is prone to ich and many new hobbyists may not know what that is, they may fail knowing why all of their fish are covered with white spots and die. A beautiful fish. But I recommend this for an established tank.

2. The Yellow Tang. A vibrant species that many fail to know that it should be the last addition to any tank. This fish is also prone to ich as any tangs are. It can get aggresive and or kill any fish that may be added after this fish. My thought is with newbees coming into this hobby is that they start with small aquariums and the yellow tang if wanted in the long term should be added to a 75 gallon or larger aquarium. Note that with Any Tangs if they look like each other color or shape unless added at the same time they will not get along. Only in the biggest of systems.

3. Niger Triggerfish or most any Triggerfish. These guys can get aggresive although may change their attitude and can be aggresive as they grow and turn from juvenile to adulthood. Many growing more than 8 inches they can grow quickly and have teeth that can really pack a punch!:croc:Also take in the fact that they eat a lot therefore requiring a strong skimmer because they produce a lot of nitrates.

4. Snowflake Eel and Moray Eels Specifally. Personally I've never enjoyed eels due to the fact that jump out of your tank and survive hours without water! And yes they have teeth and two sets of SHARP TEETH. Now yes the water quality may not affect them as much as tangs and angelfish and they cannot get ich due to their slimy bodies, but they EAT any fish that fits into their mouths!

5. Hippo Tang. Yes just like the yellow tang and found in Finding Nemo this fish isn't the easiest to care for. All Tangs are prone to ICH. And it's the biggest headache in the world. Now unlike the Yellow Tang it can be added at any time; but may not get along with fish that has the same body shape as itself. Now some may agree that Tangs in general may be added a couple months after the aquarium has been set up and cycled but just not that with Tangs your always going to want to be safe than sorry. Ich and Marine Velvet can affect any fish in your aqarium except for Sharks, Skates, Stingrays, and Eels. Invertebrates and coral are not affected by these diseases somehow. And it takes alot of research and learning to find a cure.

 

[ca1ore]

In the interest of spurring debate, those would not be my top 5 .... at least, four of them wouldn't. Agree that the Hippo is not a fish suited to the beginner. In addition to it's propensity towards ich, it needs lots of swimming space and can be idiosyncratic. Of fish that re regularly available, the Achilles and Powder Blue Tangs are most definitely not for the novice. They are also pone to ich, can present feeding problems and are very aggressive. I'd lump anthias together as a fish that the novice should not attempt. Can be tough to acclimate and presents feeding challenges the beginner will be ill equipped to handle. I don't find the CB to be problematic, but the Flame Angel can be. Can be tough to acclimate and needs lots of live rock to graze, at least initially.

 

[tyler1503]

I would just say tangs in general. People are too quick to cram 3 of them into a 50 gal and wonder why they all die. Then they go and buy 3 more. The average beginner just seems to want dory and bubbles and think because "fish only grow to the size of the tank they're kept in" (I don't actually believe that, it's just what a lot of people outside the hobby think) and dory and bubbles are both only 2 inches long, they will live happily in a tiny tank.
I also don't agree with eels being on the list, with the exception of a few select species. Besides the ribbon eel, these select species are not common enough, pretty enough and often not cheap enough for the average beginner to consider getting anyway. Snowflakes are especially easy to care for if some very easy and simple precautions are taken. Also, water chemistry can affect them greatly. Too much nitrate and any moray can refuse to eat. Also, ich and velvet can affect eels. Generally speaking, eels are hardy enough to not show signs of infection, but they can still carry diseases and parasites.

However, everyone has different experiences with different fish. Plus with this sort of topic being purely subjective, I believe there isn't one list that everyone will agree on. Each to his own

 

[Joeganja]

Again just my opinion i put this together in minutes. Yes your both right, however you have to consider the fact that this is a broad post. There are many problems with the fish i have chosen for begninners and if youd like post what fish you don't think beginners should have.

 

[hart24601]

I walked into my LFS and my gf fell in love with 1) Moorish Idol and 2) a little baby panther grouper that she thought, and is, super adorable. She is learning the hobby pretty fast and has picked up quite a few things, so those two fish make my beginners beware list based off of last Sunday. "No, I don't think he would be happy in a biocube."

 

[tyler1503]

All good joe. I'm just im just sharing my opinion too hence my little disclaimer at the end.
+1. Panther grouper and Moorish idol.
Panther groupers grow way too big and quickly even for large tanks. Most groupers do for that matter.
Moorish idols are pretty much the epitome of difficult.
Mandarins are more likely to be chosen by a newcomer to the hobby in my opinion, so I believe they should be on the list. They're often quite difficult to feed too.
Ribbon eels. Beautiful, but way hard. There's been more and more success stories lately, but not enough to make me think things are turning around regarding keeping them long term.
So far that's what I've decided would be my top 5 fish found in the hobby. My list will eventually change though lol.

 

[Joeganja]

but beginners would assume heniochus are moorish idols because they wont know about them

 

[Humblefish]

My top five would be

1. Copperband Butterflyfish
2. Achilles Tang
3. Moorish Idol
4. Mandarin/dragonets
5. Chromis (due to their susceptibility to Uronema marinum, a disease which can last in your aquarium indefinitely even without a fish host to feed on :sad

 

[Joeganja]

But most people cannot find those fish in common fish stores.

 

[Joeganja]

Well then you might as well add the acantharus species of tangs.

 

[Sully]

Shouldn't the damsel be on the list? Everyone buys one in the beginning and then they're on here complaing what a horrible fish it is and asking how they can get them out.

 

[declanisadog]

Well then you might as well add the acantharus species of tangs.

*Genus

 

[AdamNC]

1. Mandrin and Scooter Blennies (lack of understanding the need for hundreds/thousands? of pods a week)
2. Morish Idol (very difficult to get eating)
3, 4 and 5. Any Eel (can bite very hard no matter the size and escape experts)

Off the top of my head those are the only ones.

 

[Shep]

I would have to say Mandarins, people always assume that they will be able to get it to eat frozen and 99% of the time it will not.

 

[Mercurio]

1. Copperband Butterflyfish
2. Achilles Tang
3. Moorish Idol
4. Mandarin/dragonets
5. Chromis (due to their susceptibility to Uronema marinum, a disease which can last in your aquarium indefinitely even without a fish host to feed on :sad

This is spot on. The first 4 are definitely on my list. I actually didn't know that about Chromis but then again I've never owned any. I'd add leopard wrasses as my 5th.

 

[NeuroticAquatics]

1. Copperband Butterflyfish
2. Achilles Tang
3. Moorish Idol
4. Mandarin/dragonets
5. Chromis (due to their susceptibility to Uronema marinum, a disease which can last in your aquarium indefinitely even without a fish host to feed on :sad

I like this list, but also agree with several other people's thoughts too. Maybe a Top Ten list?

It always bothers me walking into a place like Petco that has Regal Tangs, Yellow Tangs, Niger Triggers, Foxfaces, etc but they don't sell tanks big enough to house these fish when they grow. It sets people up for failure.

 

[haleyf1024]

1. Moorish Idol
2. Copperband Butterfly
3. Mandarins
4. Clown Tangs
5. ANY TANG IF YOU HAVE A 55 GALLON OR SMALLER TANK.

 

[rawlins06]

+1 damsels It didn't kill my porcelain crab or yellow clown goby but it certainly let them know who was queen of the tank.

 

[Golddoor]

What do you guys recommend for beginners then?

 

[haleyf1024]

For beginners, I would say any type of clown, toby puffers like valentinis, bicolored dottybacks, neon gobies, a single pajama cardinal, and midas blennies.