Would a one spot fox face be pushing my luck?

[crazyfishmom]

My system is a 50g display. I currently have a pair of clowns. A tomini tang, a trio of chromis and a royal gramma. I have urchins, emerald crabs, peppermint shrimp, limpets, snails and hermits. My rock work has plenty of nooks and crannies and a lot of places to hide.
The question, could I add a small one spot fox face to my system to help with nuisance algae and everyone live in peace. Also, what are the pros and cons of fox face behavior? I know he will eventually outgrow my system and im ok with trading/upgrading eventually.

You have a beautiful tank!

From a personality and utilitarian point of view a one spot fox face would be perfect however they tend to grow quickly. My current foxy lived in a 48 x 12 x 18, 55 gallon for 3 months and he was clearly unhappy in there. Always on high alert, camouflaging all the time. Moved him to my 72 x 24 x 29 and he’s happy as a clam. He’s one of the guys in there, hanging with the tang gang.

Can it work for a few months? Maybe. Is it possible that some specimens stay small? Yes. But there are other fish that will give you similar bang for the buck without potentially sacrificing their happiness.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Replies like this are what I was hoping for! Thank you for your reply

These threads never have a shortage of the “go for it bro” type posts. Are you here to hear what you want to hear, or the truth?

Consensus of a bad idea does not make the idea any better.

The tank is entirely too small for that fish, peaceful or not. They grow quickly and have no place in a tank that small.

 

[19Mateo83]

Thank you everyone for your advice. Is there anything else that will devour bubble algae other than emerald crabs and pithos crabs?

 

[Dbichler]

I can’t believe all the go for it posts in this thread. I’m no tang police or anything of that sort but wow. Seriously foxfaces grow to 10” that’s nearly 1/3 of this tank.

 

[HorribleParameters]

Was your fox face a one spot?

I think a foxface lo, same same but different

 

[Dburr1014]

I can’t believe all the go for it posts in this thread. I’m no tang police or anything of that sort but wow. Seriously foxfaces grow to 10” that’s nearly 1/3 of this tank.

Very true.
Way to big for a small tank.
Now, people want to "trade" in there fish when it out grows the tank. Personally, I don't get it. Why not buy a fish that will fit the tank and keep it for life?

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I can’t believe all the go for it posts in this thread. I’m no tang police or anything of that sort but wow. Seriously foxfaces grow to 10” that’s nearly 1/3 of this tank.

It has always been my understanding that the one spot is quite a bit smaller than the regular foxface, though I certainly could be wrong.

 

[19Mateo83]

It has always been my understanding that the one spot is quite a bit smaller than the regular foxface, though I certainly could be wrong.

This is my understanding as well.

 

[crazyfishmom]

This is my understanding as well.

My one spot is seven inches long right now and I believe he will likely grow one more inch. That’s still a very large fish for a 36 inch tank.

 

[slingfox]

This is my understanding as well.

One Spot Foxface grows to up to 8 inches in size. Even a 5-6" fish would be too big for a 50 gallon tank.

 

[X-37B]

Tanks to small.
I had one in my 120 and although quite peacefull it chewed the tops of my green slimmer daily and prevented vertical growth. I rehomed it to a fowler 300.

 

[OrionN]

IME, Foxface grow too fast and 1 spot Foxface will outgrow you rank within a year. I recommend a Convict tang. He stays small and you will never see a harder working tang then a Convict.

 

[Dbichler]

It has always been my understanding that the one spot is quite a bit smaller than the regular foxface, though I certainly could be wrong.

I’ve actually seen bigger than 10” not that all get that size just possible. Why risk it, is all I’m saying.

 

[X-37B]

IME, Foxface grow too fast and 1 spot Foxface will outgrow you rank within a year. I recommend a Convict tang. He stays small and you will never see a harder working tang then a Convict.

I had a convict in my 120 and think its to small for it.
I rehomed it to a lfs 500 when I broke the system down and its doing well.
I would not put a convict in anything smaller than a 6' system now.

 

[PharmrJohn]

I agree.....a 50 is way to small for that fish.....especially with the Tang which (can) compete for the same food source.

Yep. Agreed. If you ever get one for a larger tank, be cautious. The spines hold a venom that hurts MUCH more than a bee sting. I'd never have one of these in an open tank with kids around.

 

[Formulator]

Do you see any reason not to put one in my 50 gallon system? Do you think the smaller tank would be an issue? It’s 36x18x18

It does seem pretty small for a foxface, but as long as you plan to get a juvenile and understand that it will need to be re-homed within a couple years, I think it will probably be OK. I really can’t imagine mine being aggressive in any situation… he is just so extremely docile.

The more I think about it, that is probably not the best tank for a fox face. A yellow tang might be more reasonable if you can afford it. Even better, though not nearly as pretty, a lawnmower blenny will help you with your algae and nobody would ever question your tank size for that fish.

 

[Marlyreef]

I'll jump in and add that my one spot foxface outgrew his 80g tank in a little over a year. He's now much happier in a 220g. Having said that, he was the best fish. Very peaceful. Great algae eater. Kept the peace in the tank. Made sure my flame angel and six line wrasse were well behaved. (Without him to babysit any more, they're sometimes a little too bossy and I've had to resort to the mirror trick for the angel. )