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Everywhere I’ve seen, the minimum recommended tank size is only 55 gallons for a fish that grows to 8 inches. I think it’s an absolutely stunning fish and I would love to have one in my tank. However, the fact that my tank will only be 3 foot long, and that in the foreseeable future I can’t see myself upgrading to anything more than 4 foot, makes me worried that this fish will feel suffocated. A lot of people who’ve kept this fish say it’s hard to get it to start feeding as it’ll only take live foods at first, but then the general consensus seems to be that once it starts eating a variety of foods it’s one of the most bulletproof fish out there. Since it’s a grouper I’ve also heard it can live for a really long time. It’s quite peculiar to me as normally a fish of this size would need a tank least a 5 foot tank (150+ gallons), but why do many sites say 55 is enough?
What I am worried about when it comes to this fish is that despite its slow and reclusive behavior it is a predatory species. Many articles say that it will eat small fish and crustaceans, which makes me uneasy. If I do get one of these, I’ll try to get it as small as possible.
I’m trying to carefully plan my stocking list to possibly accommodate one of these. Here’s what I have in mind so far:
x2 Ocellaris Clownfish (captive bred)-I might even consider a pair of Tomato, Fire, or Cinnamon as they grow a bit larger than the Ocellaris (I can find them captive bred in China)
x1 Flame / Falco / Coral / Blood Red Hawkfish
x1 Royal Gramma / YWG+Pistol Shrimp
x1 Yellow Assessor / dwarf angel (most likely one of the Pygmies)
x1 Comet
I’d love to hear suggestions and experiences related to this fish. I am thinking of as the first fish I’ll introduce to my tank, as the only fish or maybe I’ll introduce it along with my pair of clowns.
Will I be overstocked? My tank is 36”x24”x24”.
The rest of my fish will be no more than 5”.
For those of you who have one and who had trouble getting them to accept non-live foods, what did you do? Would even freshwater shrimp / krill / small fish work?
What I am worried about when it comes to this fish is that despite its slow and reclusive behavior it is a predatory species. Many articles say that it will eat small fish and crustaceans, which makes me uneasy. If I do get one of these, I’ll try to get it as small as possible.
I’m trying to carefully plan my stocking list to possibly accommodate one of these. Here’s what I have in mind so far:
x2 Ocellaris Clownfish (captive bred)-I might even consider a pair of Tomato, Fire, or Cinnamon as they grow a bit larger than the Ocellaris (I can find them captive bred in China)
x1 Flame / Falco / Coral / Blood Red Hawkfish
x1 Royal Gramma / YWG+Pistol Shrimp
x1 Yellow Assessor / dwarf angel (most likely one of the Pygmies)
x1 Comet
I’d love to hear suggestions and experiences related to this fish. I am thinking of as the first fish I’ll introduce to my tank, as the only fish or maybe I’ll introduce it along with my pair of clowns.
Will I be overstocked? My tank is 36”x24”x24”.
The rest of my fish will be no more than 5”.
For those of you who have one and who had trouble getting them to accept non-live foods, what did you do? Would even freshwater shrimp / krill / small fish work?
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