Scary Fish: These fish are too scary for you to keep in your aquarium?

Why are you afraid to keep certain fish in your aquarium?

  • Too Expensive

    Votes: 196 43.8%
  • Too Aggressive with other Fish

    Votes: 210 47.0%
  • Too Fragile

    Votes: 124 27.7%
  • Too Demanding

    Votes: 94 21.0%
  • Too Hit & Miss with Corals

    Votes: 199 44.5%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 31 6.9%

  • Total voters
    447

Ro Bow

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I'm not talking about being afraid that one of them is going to take a chunk of your finger off, which some can, but rather scare you because you are afraid they my not survive your tank or they may eat your coral or may kill other fish etc! Some types of fish traditionally don't do well in home aquariums for various reasons but that doesn't mean that we wouldn't like to give them a try. Let's talk about these fish today!

1. What fish would you like to keep but are afraid to give it a try?

2. Why are you afraid to add certain fish to your aquarium? What are the factors?



Peppermint Angelfish Photo by @LiveAquaria
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blue ribbon eel. Too fragile. I'd love to have one though. The main problem with fish IMO is that they dont fit in my tank. I'd love to have some certain ones, but they need a tank slightly larger :/ Being reef safe is another big thing though. I'd love to have some butterflyfish but they are either too fragile or eat corals :(. Same thing with moorish idols
 

mslabonik

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Will love to add a Gem and Achilles tangs but the current tangs will make life difficult for any new additions. A few angels are on my list but I am worried about eating my corals in the future when I start adding corals.

Angelfish that are reef safe: swallow tails, the regal angelfish, couple of pygmy angels, with caution. My purple tang unfortunately killed the regal i tried in my tank, which is only reason I won't get another.
 

Karen00

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I’d love to imagine of how a fish would react from being taken from a place with a bunch of fish they recognise to being in a tank with fish from the other side of the world, I love tanks like that though because it just adds a bit of every country/continent to the tank whereas a tank like mine adds a part of an Indonesian reef instead of a piece of reef from everywhere in the world!
I’m debating on my nano tank being mainly australian or African, because I have one African wrasse and another one growing out to be in the 4’ tank I’m tempting on doing an australian dominant tank. I have added the idea of the Caribbean too since it’s opposite to Indonesia.
I hope that because my fish don't recognize each other they won't try to eat each other. Haha. They're all tiny but they're still carnivores. I keep thinking they look at each other and say "welcome to my country" not realizing they're all in the neutral zone!! LOL
 

Pistol Peet

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I would LOVE a harlequin tusk but I love my shrimp and corals too much to risk it...
I have a harliquen tusk and is a model citizen. For the last few years and has never ever even looked at a coral.im pretty sure they r reef safe except for the smaller shrimp.
 

Zach B

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I have a harliquen tusk and is a model citizen. For the last few years and has never ever even looked at a coral.im pretty sure they r reef safe except for the smaller shrimp.
That is awesome! Such a pretty fish
 

i cant think

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Also poisonous. I have some green palythoas that hitch hiked on some rock and I become paranoid every time I stick my hands in the tank.
I get paranoid about when I get things like zoas and plays in my tank but I have a Foxface and he chows down on them which I like - I don’t like how I have to be careful and watch where he is at all times when my hand is in the tank though, but a nice fish to watch!!
 

Pistol Peet

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I get paranoid about when I get things like zoas and plays in my tank but I have a Foxface and he chows down on them which I like - I don’t like how I have to be careful and watch where he is at all times when my hand is in the tank though, but a nice fish to watch!!
Your fox face eats your zoa's? That is news to me I would love to see this. And just an fyi he can stick u with his fin but usually just hurts awhile. The 1 that worries me is my massive vaulitin lion fish. Sorry if spelled incorrectly.
 

Mr Cypher

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I've always wanted a wrought-iron butterfly but the price scares me as well as the fact they will most likely eat all my LPS but they are beautiful
 

i cant think

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Your fox face eats your zoa's? That is news to me I would love to see this. And just an fyi he can stick u with his fin but usually just hurts awhile. The 1 that worries me is my massive vaulitin lion fish. Sorry if spelled incorrectly.
Haha, I used to want a lionfish but now it’s like everyone has one and the Foxface can be held it just has to be by its side with your thumb and index finger, I witnessed mine jump when the guy in the not so LFS tried to bag it up. He went after Zoas but nothing else gets nipped at luckily! Most Rabbitfish chew on Zoanthids but few actually do.
 

GillMeister

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I have come so close to adding another trigger to my tank but just can't bring myself to following through with it. I love how curious and smart they are but those characteristics can make them start sampling the tank-mates.
 

Pistol Peet

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Haha, I used to want a lionfish but now it’s like everyone has one and the Foxface can be held it just has to be by its side with your thumb and index finger, I witnessed mine jump when the guy in the not so LFS tried to bag it up. He went after Zoas but nothing else gets nipped at luckily! Most Rabbitfish chew on Zoanthids but few actually do.
Yeah I have a fox face and a scribed rabbit fish they have never nibbled anything but nori and Algae. Didn't know they were coral pickers.. everyone gets lucky from time to time with fish though.
 

i cant think

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I would love basically any Dwarf Angelfish however scared they will eat all my corals.
The most reef safe ones I have the best chance with the the CBA (Centropyge bispinosa) and the flames (Centropyge loricula), but everyone has a different experience to one another.
 
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jcolliii

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1) one of the captive bred mandarins that eat non-live.

2) With the advent of AU sourced live rock I worry that eventually we'll be confronted with fatalities from a blue ring or a cone snail...
 

0scarofthesea

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The most reef safe ones I have the best chance with the the CBA (Centropyge bispinosa) and the flames (Centropyge loricula), but everyone has a different experience to one another.
Yea still don't wanna risk it... plus my favorite DA is lemon peel which happens to be the worst with corals. I was at an LFS once and saw a Midnight and was blown away by its color (it is even darker in person) then I was about to pull the trigger after watching it for like 30 min to make sure it wasn't eating the corals in the tank then some guy bought it. That was a very sad day...
 

jskidds2294

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other: A mixture of aggression towards other fish/inverts, and not being coral safe. I look at fish like my cats, I’m not gonna buy a wolf that will eat them. And coral is too expensive for fish food most of the time for me.
Though I am planning on setting up a frag tank just for corral during a $1-$5 frag sale. That frag tank will supply me with coral for picky eaters that do eat corals like copperband butterflyfish etc.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 73 37.6%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 66 34.0%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 12.9%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 28 14.4%
  • Other.

    Votes: 2 1.0%
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