Bicolor goatfish?

[Gator0930]

Does anyone have experience with the bicolor goatfish or pacific red stripe hogfish in a reef tank? I like to keep small fairy wrasse, leopard wrasse from little baby to adults, angels, gobies, jawfish, and tangs. I also keep snails and tiger sand conchs to clean algae. I do not like urchins as they like to eat coral.

 

[Ranjib]

#reefsquad

 

[Diesel]

I have one for years and no problems what so ever.
Remember they need 180 or bigger as they can grow up to 8” in the glassbox.

 

[eatbreakfast]

They get big. Big enough to eat small fairy wrasses. I had one in a large tank that had to be removed because it started eating some of the fish.

 

[Gator0930]

I have one for years and no problems what so ever.
Remember they need 180 or bigger as they can grow up to 8” in the glassbox.

Have you had fairy wrasse in with them? Are you referencing the Goatfish or the Hogfish?

 

[Gator0930]

They get big. Big enough to eat small fairy wrasses. I had one in a large tank that had to be removed because it started eating some of the fish.

Thanx man. Are you referencing the Goatfish or the Hogfish?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Thanx man. Are you referencing the Goatfish or the Hogfish?

I'm referring to the goatfish.

 

[Gator0930]

I'm referring to the goatfish.

Ok. Thanx man. Do you have any experience with the hogfish i mentioned?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Yes. They are jerks to other wrasses.

 

[Gator0930]

Yes. They are jerks to other wrasses.

Oh really? It says they are peaceful. This is why I ask other people. I have decided to forgo the smaller wrasses in favor of 5+ inches except for one that maxes out at 4. The hogfish and goatfish are a no go in this order?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Oh really? It says they are peaceful. This is why I ask other people. I have decided to forgo the smaller wrasses in favor of 5+ inches except for one that maxes out at 4. The hogfish and goatfish are a no go in this order?

What specific species? If the goatfish can't eat them it is peaceful. Bodianus are usually jerks to fairy and flasher wrasses.

 

[Greybeard]

I have a bicolor goatfish now. Great member of the community. He's about 4" now, and growing fairly slowly. Spends the whole day turning over the surface layer of my sand bed, but rarely digs any deeper than a centimeter or so. Doesn't make nearly the mess that most of the sand digging fishes do. Certainly doesn't show any signs of aggressive behavior.

 

[Gator0930]

I have a bicolor goatfish now. Great member of the community. He's about 4" now, and growing fairly slowly. Spends the whole day turning over the surface layer of my sand bed, but rarely digs any deeper than a centimeter or so. Doesn't make nearly the mess that most of the sand digging fishes do. Certainly doesn't show any signs of aggressive behavior.

Do you have smaller fish like small wrasses, jawfish, and gobies in with your bicolor? Also what about snails and conchs

 

[Greybeard]

Do you have smaller fish like small wrasses, jawfish, and gobies in with your bicolor? Also what about snails and conchs

I have a Smith's blenny, and a small ocellarus clown. That's about all for smaller fishes. I have a pair of sand conchs, various snails, a couple different shrimps, hermits, emerald crabs, clams... The goatfish seems uninterested in any of them.

I keep an open top system, no wrasses, sorry. I might add that food aggression is kept to a minimum by feeding often, and in plenty... I like fat and happy fishes.

Now... when that shipment of worms and pods came in from IPSF... now _that_ he was interested in :)

 

[ReeferBean]

I have a Smith's blenny, and a small ocellarus clown. That's about all for smaller fishes. I have a pair of sand conchs, various snails, a couple different shrimps, hermits, emerald crabs, clams... The goatfish seems uninterested in any of them.

I keep an open top system, no wrasses, sorry. I might add that food aggression is kept to a minimum by feeding often, and in plenty... I like fat and happy fishes.

Now... when that shipment of worms and pods came in from IPSF... now _that_ he was interested in :)

Do you still have the Goatfish? How has its temperament been thus far? Any issues? Size? I'm tempted to get one.

 

[Greybeard]

Do you still have the Goatfish? How has its temperament been thus far? Any issues? Size? I'm tempted to get one.

Still have him. No problems so far. He's, what, maybe 4" at this point? Still far from mature.

Had some flatworms get in the tank, he loved that ;) No more flatworms. I've seen him pull bristle worms out and eat them. To the best of my knowledge, he's not bothered any of my corals, snails, conchs, shrimps, crabs... been a model citizen so far.

 

[ReeferBean]

Still have him. No problems so far. He's, what, maybe 4" at this point? Still far from mature.

Had some flatworms get in the tank, he loved that ;) No more flatworms. I've seen him pull bristle worms out and eat them. To the best of my knowledge, he's not bothered any of my corals, snails, conchs, shrimps, crabs... been a model citizen so far.

Thank you! I think I'll try one.

 

[Rudefish]

@Greybeard
i know this is an old thread and hope it is still being monitored.

Did you quarantine your goatfish and if you did, was it using the usual process or was it just for observation? I know it needs a sand bed and I do not use any in my quarantine tank.

 

[Zionas]

He doesn’t but he tries to buy from good LFS and doesn’t order online.

 

[Greybeard]

I don't quarantine... I buy ONLY from trusted local sources, and inspect the fish before purchase.

Kind of a pet peeve of mine... I do not accept that selling sick fish is an acceptable practice, and that the hobbyist should be responsible for quarantining their purchases. IMHO, we need to push that back upstream... demand that the industry deliver healthy livestock, and be willing to pay the price.

As for the goatfish, I no longer have him... he ended up a meal for a carpet anemone. I'd get another, but I'm running bare bottom these days. Not a good match. Cool fish, though.