aggressive/predatory fish for 40 breeder

[fishy fishy wishy]

hey all, i have a 40 breeder and i'm looking for some sort of fish i can keep without corals or anything, i love predators but i'm gonna assume most are too big for a 40 gallon. i've only ever kept freshwater so this is gonna be my first and only saltwater tank, i at least want something that will eat frozen or live and looks tough, i'm not much for a small praceful community, thanks

 

[vetteguy53081]

.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Undulated trigger
Bursa trigger
Strawberry grouper
Clown tang

 

[Sharkbait19]

Undulated trigger
Bursa trigger
Strawberry grouper
Clown tang

In a 40 breeder?

I’d look at dwarf lions, they seem to fit the bill. A fu Manchu or a fuzzy could probably live in a 40 breeder for life if a solo fish.
Or a mantis shrimp.
Or a toby puffer.

 

[vetteguy53081]

In a 40 breeder?

I’d look at dwarf lions, they seem to fit the bill. A fu Manchu or a fuzzy could probably live in a 40 breeder for life if a solo fish.
Or a mantis shrimp.
Or a toby puffer.

Yes the triggers will average 3” , that particular grouper up to 5” and clown tang 4”
I’ve owned all these and 49 breeder 36x18” will be fine - not all at once obviously- just one of these

 

[welsher7]

dwarf lions, anglers, toby puffers, an undy trigger (slow grower), dwarf golden eels, hamlets (they are like small groupers), skeletor eel.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Yes the triggers will average 3” , that particular grouper up to 5” and clown tang 4”
I’ve owned all these and 49 breeder 36x18” will be fine - not all at once obviously- just one of these

Hmm, I always thought those guys all got over a foot.
I won’t argue lol.

 

[WheatToast]

Possible choices (I have not tried them, yet):
- Gobiesox clingfish
- Smaller Hogchokers
- Green spotted puffer (can be acclimated to saltwater)

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hmm, I always thought those guys all got over a foot.
I won’t argue lol.

Now, that grouper in the wild- that’s a dinner for 4 adults LOL
UNDULATED is super nasty, will remove the tip of your finger. Had one in a 180 2+ years and reached maybe 4” - the rest went to its beer belly

 

[nereefpat]

@lion king will have some ideas.

Triggers, tangs, and groupers in a 40 breeder is laughable

 

[JumpingFlea]

Wartskin frog fish maybe. Correct me if I’m wrong

 

[Bribo12]

How about one of the larger angler or frogfish species?

 

[JumpingFlea]

I’m not sure how anglers do with other fish but if you are ok with a fish or two it should be a good choice.

 

[dvgyfresh]

Snowflake eel, banana moray lol it’s the mini one

 

[lion king]

The 40B will be a good tank for a mantis shrimp or an angler, either of these should be kept alone. You can have alot fun setting up a mantis tank. A wartskin angler if properly sized can be kept with a fu manchu or other appropriately sized scorps. The fu manchu is really the only lion that will not outgrow a 40B; if you keep any of the others long enough, they will need at at least a 55g, while I recommend a 75g. You can keep the yellow spot scorp and the leaf fish in trios, or pair them with a fu or other appropriate sized scorp. A dwarf Hawaiian eel or a chestnut eel(even though you'll never find one of these) is really the only eels that will be ok in a 40B. I keep a flame hawk that hunts live food in my small pred tank. You just have to size things appropriately so that one doesn't eat the other. Anglers will eat something their own size, while scorps and lions will eat slender fish easily and about 2/3rd their size. There is a dwarf octopus or cuttlefish, but this would be a bold endeavor. A lot of research on their specialized care, and hatching and raising cuttlefish is not cheap and is high maintenance,

You want to find out more about predator tanks and the care of predatory fish, click my name and "find all threads".