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

[blazn]

I have a coral beauty and a flame angel. Both only eat the algae and have been model citizens! They even hold their own against the hawk fish.

I also have a CB and flame angel. After many years without angels, after going reef, I decided it was time to risk it and get some dwarf angels, which I've missed. Everything I've read indicated that the CB & flame varieties were 2 of the least likely to eat corals, and fortunately I like the looks of both varieties. I feed pretty heavily, including black & white worms, and I've not had any issues with them nipping corals, at least up to this point, but I realize that could change over time. One thing I had read is that by keeping more than one, they keep each other busy keeping tabs on each other and they're less likely to be "bored" and start nibbling corals. I'm glad I took the chance and have angels gracing my tank again!

 

[saltybench]

Snowflake Ell! i would love to own one but I'm scared my tank mates would be eaten if not immediately one day when it where to decide its extra hungry

I have a snowflake eel and if you get it small enough and introduce it after and keep it well fed they are generally ok. Mine doesn’t even care about the clown fish or crabs i have in the tank.

 

[S2G]

Copperband butterfly

 

[ReefHorse]

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 have a 20 head colony.....as long as u don't intentionally grab them with your bare hands, I'm thinking you'll be ok

 

[ReefHorse]

Harlequin tuskfish! I had the opportunity to pick one up from a local reefer -- and that's a one-of-a-kind event here -- and then spent the night fretting that it would make several new and unattractive holes in my angelfish. And eat all of my shrimp. And fill up my tank with poop that the skimmer couldn't handle. I ultimately passed on the fish.

I have a 6" Aussie that I purchased from TSM about a year ago. They are much scarier looking than their actual actions. Mine has been a model citizen from day one, and it's the largest fish in a 19 fish 380g tank

 

[WallyB]

I was going to say this!

Boxfish are one of the most comical fish.

I love my Box fish.
Lives in my small 35Gallon Frag Tank, with one clown. I did worry about the Nuke story that why he is not in my DT's

Friendliest nutty fish ever.
He comes to the surface and chases me as I pass by the tank.... like a jetski on water.

If he is hungry or ignored , he uses his round pointy mouth to squirt jet's of water and me or anyone passing by. Freaks visitors out.

 

[Paston1]

not afraid of it harming fish or coral but more the effort needed to keep it. A eel, this isn’t a flake or frozen pellet. Grab a meat, slice it up, toss in tsnk wait to watch it grab it. Hope the shrimp don’t get it first etc. it’s just the effort needed lol.

angels, concerns with coral.

 

[shakacuz]

non-reef safe fish/inverts are my fear.

the reason i joined this hobby was because of the massive assortment of morphs/colors/corals. the fish, for me, are just a plus.

 

[i cant think]

After a while of being in this hobby (Or Atleast a bit longer since my last reply) and researching more, nothing scared me as much, while yes I still wouldn’t trust every fish I think when you look into it more you find more of a backstory to it. I’ve been wanting to try some of the corralivores in the butterflyfish family recently and I have a plan for my dream tank to have about 3 of them (If not all 4). Also, I’ve tried another “Scary” fish;
The tilefish, as easy as any other fish!! I’ve got threads upon threads of me trying to find information on the Flashing tilefish (the species I have got).

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Harlequin tuskfish! I had the opportunity to pick one up from a local reefer -- and that's a one-of-a-kind event here -- and then spent the night fretting that it would make several new and unattractive holes in my angelfish. And eat all of my shrimp. And fill up my tank with poop that the skimmer couldn't handle. I ultimately passed on the fish.

My boss has a young one - very peaceful, and cool, but not sure how they are as they mature. His is around 2" long right now and one of the smallest fish in a 75 gal.

 

[davidcalgary29]

My boss has a young one - very peaceful, and cool, but not sure how they are as they mature. His is around 2" long right now and one of the smallest fish in a 75 gal.

I don't think I'd keep one in a 75g after seeing one in action -- perhaps a 6ft tank would be best. They're certainly beautiful fish, but I like inverts too much to want to keep one.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I don't think I'd keep one in a 75g after seeing one in action -- perhaps a 6ft tank would be best. They're certainly beautiful fish, but I like inverts too much to want to keep one.

Yeah I totally agree - I'd never heard of it before and when he pulled up pics online to show me the adults with the gnarly blue teeth and all I was thinking WHYYY did you get that guy, do you see how big they get? Lol. I think he has a 200+ gallon at home though so must plan to move it there later. At the moment, the most aggressive fish in his tank is a powder blue tang (currently in sump jail since he just got a purple tang today... this should be interesting). I'm not gonna tell him what to do though as I'm new to this (but not fish), and he's had SW tanks for 40 years. To each their own I guess - hope the tusk doesn't eat any of his fish or inverts later on! Very cool looking fish though.

 

[Derrick0580]

Snowflake Ell! i would love to own one but I'm scared my tank mates would be eaten if not immediately one day when it where to decide its extra hungry

Get a smaller one, they really aren’t too aggressive as far as attacking fish unless it is a smaller fish. I’d be more afraid of it going carpet surfing!

 

[Derrick0580]

I personally am scared of any anthias. I have went through multiple female dispars (10-15) and can’t keep them. I currently have a single purple male dispar that has been with me for a while but even other species of anthias my friends have lost many many dollars on!

 

[MinnieMouse2]

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.

Careful Paly toxins are also airborn. Never boil rock, take them out of the tank and make them fussy, or use hydrogen perioxide on the rock. All this can release toxins into the air. It does not need to be on your skin.

 

[MinnieMouse2]

Careful Paly toxins are also airborn. Never boil rock, take them out of the tank and make them fussy, or use hydrogen perioxide on the rock. All this can release toxins into the air. It does not need to be on your skin.

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.

Julian Sprung took palys out of a tank and moved them to another tank and it killed the other tank. He also became very sick. He thinks it was airborne and water toxic released. He had no cuts on his hands.

 

[Labridaedicted]

My biggest holdups are fish that eat inverts and coral.

The other is adding wrasses that fall in the same complexes. I'm reaching a point where I have a member of almost every fairy wrasse complex so I'm being held up there too

 

[i cant think]

My biggest holdups are fish that eat inverts and coral.

The other is adding wrasses that fall in the same complexes. I'm reaching a point where I have a member of almost every fairy wrasse complex so I'm being held up there too

I get that feeling when adding other wrasses too. My wrasse gang is a mix and mash of species that should and shouldn’t get along, every move I take can mess it up but so far it’s going good.