What are some fish you want but won't fit in your tank for whatever reason?

[srad750c]

Too many to list, I would need a 30’ x 30’ she’s outfitted with 20 tanks of various sizes. I been keeping aquariums for almost 30 years. But here’s a few that I had and would like to have again.
Miniatus grouper, Niger trigger, Harlequin tusk, Clown trigger, black capped basslet(wild caught), lyretail grouper, Red Sea Fridmani pseudo(wild caught), gold stripped grouper, V-tail grouper, zebra eel, huma huma trigger, flame angel, flame hawk, Pseudo aldabraensis, octopus, nurse shark, bumblebee grouper.....and a group of sea otters. Ok, just give me a part of the Monterey Bay Aquarium

 

[haanstang]

My local sporting goods store has one. I get to visit every month when I preform my monthly inspections.

I saw a full grown one in a 8’ tank and it made that tank seem small.
I may get one and trade it in when it gets big

 

[dmunyon8]

I’ve always wanted a bamboo shark! But they require a huge tank...

 

[dmunyon8]

Or a miniatus grouper, but they eat anything that they can fit in there mouth... like all grouper.

 

[swebb]

Too many to list, I would need a 30’ x 30’ she’s outfitted with 20 tanks of various sizes. I been keeping aquariums for almost 30 years. But here’s a few that I had and would like to have again.
Miniatus grouper, Niger trigger, Harlequin tusk, Clown trigger, black capped basslet(wild caught), lyretail grouper, Red Sea Fridmani pseudo(wild caught), gold stripped grouper, V-tail grouper, zebra eel, huma huma trigger, flame angel, flame hawk, Pseudo aldabraensis, octopus, nurse shark, bumblebee grouper.....and a group of sea otters. Ok, just give me a part of the Monterey Bay Aquarium

I think everyone would like a slice of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

I saw a full grown one in a 8’ tank and it made that tank seem small.
I may get one and trade it in when it gets big

I saw a video of one in a 600-gallon tank that was only 30 inches tall and it still looked cramped.

Or a miniatus grouper, but they eat anything that they can fit in there mouth... like all grouper.

Groupers were the first fish I fell in love with and the fish that started my desire to have a reef tank. A lot of them do get massive and don't play nice, unfortunately.
Blue and yellow grouper

On a similar fish, has anyone browsing had experience with hamlets, they kinda have the look of a grouper without the size. My fish are all too small right now to add one, but maybe once they grow out.
Indigo Hamlet

Shy Hamlet

Barred Hamlet

 

[srad750c]

I think everyone would like a slice of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

I saw a video of one in a 600-gallon tank that was only 30 inches tall and it still looked cramped.

Groupers were the first fish I fell in love with and the fish that started my desire to have a reef tank. A lot of them do get massive and don't play nice, unfortunately.
Blue and yellow grouper

On a similar fish, has anyone browsing had experience with hamlets, they kinda have the look of a grouper without the size. My fish are all too small right now to add one, but maybe once they grow out.
Indigo Hamlet

Shy Hamlet

Barred Hamlet

I have had blue and butter hamlets, great fish but they eat anything half their size and they don’t get huge. I had a couple of them in a 90 gal with Niger trigger, V-tail grouper, snowflake eel and a gold stripe grouper. They weren’t aggressive, actually kinda shy until they know you.

 

[sfin52]

I saw a full grown one in a 8’ tank and it made that tank seem small.
I may get one and trade it in when it gets big

This tank is 16,000 gallon and 2 5,000 gallon sump.

 

[Robink]

Not reef safe? In which way? They don't eat corals.

I have shrimp, crabs and snails. Like my shrimp...

 

[FartyParty]

Marine beta!

 

[FartyParty]

Nice fish, the Look Downs. How much room do they need?

I worked for an LFS in college that had several adult lookdowns in an 800 gallon skinny that spanned the lenth of the "fish only" showroom. They were alive for the full two years i worked there.

 

[cracker]

Nice fish, the Look Downs. How much room do they need?

heres an article on look downs
https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/12/fish

 

[Sistawolf]

Honestly I would love to have a sea turtle lol. But I know that’s impossible seeing as they are endangered.. and obviously would outgrow any tank even if they were not.. but I would love to keep a wrasse.. I can’t because I have a rimless and they jump..

 

[FredsNJReef]

They are active long distance swimmers, so a 6ft tank may not even suffice. It's sad cause they are peaceful and cool!!

 

[Boops]

A cod would be great. But nothing for a reef tank

 

[rockstarta78]

AWw this is a sore subject. Since I only have a 40g breeder, I can't keep any of the bread and butter fish. I kept freshwater tank for good 9-10 years, fell in love with SW tank after seeing all different types of angels and tangs. After all these years I still don't have either angels or tangs. At this point, I'd be happy if I could keep a flame angelfish. But if I had it my way, I'd start with achilles tang, get all sorts of different wrasses, queen angel, emperor angel, humu trigger, niger trigger, clown trigger, a HUUUUGE group of anthias and huuuuuuuuge group of chromis. I need a house build around a tank I guess

 

[rkpetersen]

Since we're being extravagant here, I'd like an aquarium with a squadron of cuttlefish. And big enough that I could dive with them once in awhile.
Interacting with a flashing iridescent cuttlefish on a twilight solo dive in PNG was a singularly amazing experience.

 

[Ryan.631]

Napoleon Wrasse.

And why, well because 7 feet !! (tight squeeze for my Fusion 20 lol)

[emoji23]

 

[Jack Wang]

A big school of Golden Trevallies would be cool. Interrsting reef fish, but gets way too big and ugly as an adult.

 

[MPS]

I duplicated a post in this thread. why can't i delete this one?

 

[Kenny Kirby]

Ive got a couple that I would get if I had the tanks for them

Naso tang
clownfish trigger
porcupine puffer
wartskin frogfish