Any Fish you regret?????

BubblesandSqueak · Mar 28, 2024

Naekuh said:
If that jawfish only sift'd sand id buy one.

But i hear they just dig holes and stay in them all day, you barely see it.
And they always dig the holes somewhere off in the tank you'll never see them at.

But blue spoted jawfishes are very pretty.

mine swims all over. he digs and tosses sand everywhere. and he sleeps at night resting on a rock or in the corner of the tank. not the burrow.

CKW · Mar 28, 2024

reef guy 56 said:
Clown fish really???? Why?

Bullying!!!!

CKW · Mar 28, 2024

Naekuh said:
Nah i have yet to see a cool tang... maybe the larger ones are peaceful, but all the one's ive seen once they declare the tank, the United Colony of Tangtopia, its pretty much GG.

But fish i regret and will never buy again...

1. 6 line wrasse.... dont even get me started on this spawn of hell known as the 6 line.
2. Orchid Dotty... These guys are ONLY cool for existing fish when introduced... after that, its GG, they always feel the need to jump the new guy in some sort of initiation right.
3. C. Rubius, aka the red longfin fairy wrasse... a COMPLETE A HOLE.
4. Chromis in groups... bah, actually Chromis in general because they will kill each other off.
5. All Damsels.... ugh... dont get me started on how nasty these little boogers are.
6. Lyretail Anthias.... these guys are evil as well. There are better and much peaceful Anthias to look at like the Carberryi, and Dispar.

As for Inverts...

1. ALL CRABS... sorry there is no such thing as a reef safe crab, you mean a partially distracted crab, which has not learned to munch on your expensive corals or killed any of your fish.
2. Boxer Shrimp... NOPE... they like to kill fish if they have the oportunity...
3. Cleaner Shrimp... you will NEVER be able to feed your corals with these boogers, once they learn your coral is a slot machine for food if they hit it enough like wack a mole.
4. Nerite Snails... whats the point in a snail if its 90% gonna crawl out of your tank and then commit seppuku.
5. Astera Snails... although i will still buy them, but i wonder how they made it though evolution and NEVER learned to flip themself over right.

So, a empty tank then

doubleshot00 · Mar 28, 2024

Right now 2 years in it would be clown fish. Never again. Mine thought the entire 90 gal was his territory. She now lives by herself with her man and a damsel.

I sometimes have to take him out of the tank and put him in a cup to clean the tank.

landlubber · Mar 28, 2024

jkcoral said:
Six line wrasse. I haven’t owned one in over a decade and will never have another. These are little monsters filled with the anger and hatred of a thousand burning suns.

Once they turn to the dark side, buckle up, because they’ll bully even the largest bully tangs into submission and kill for sport.

its a shame too because they are so interesting. Great coloration, some of the coolest sleeping habits and are one of those fish that seems to float through the display while the other fish swim.

AlyciaMarie · Mar 28, 2024

In my tank, not yet. But when I was a kid, I came home from school one day and our anemone had eaten my crab. I was deeply traumatized. Not only did I regret that my parents had gotten the anemone, but I wanted it exiled from our tank..

I know it's not a fish, but I had to share. I still have trust issues with anemones LOL.

Naekuh · Mar 28, 2024

CKW said:
So, a empty tank then

Nah just run the tank on perm FALLOW.
Then you also don't need to worry about ICH, Velvet, or URO.

Reef By Steele · Mar 28, 2024

Wow, so many listed here that I have and love. Don’t know if my tangs are just not old enough, or if it is because I break the rules and have a school of different families of tangs, only two that are close is my sailfin and desjardini who had to go in the same tank when I did a major reset and the sailfin was so much larger than the others I planned it with. Has never been a problem, but I did see the des nise down brandishing it’s spike at the sailfin last night for the first time ever.

My first adventure into salt in the early 90’s we bought a pair of the cutest little domino damsels. Yes they got huge, ugly and even killed a trigger. So never ever again.

We have a pair of clowns in three separate tanks and have had no problems. Going on 2 1/2 years.

I have lost corals to diamond goby or dragon goby had them both in a tank for quite a while. Lost the dragon 6 months ago.

Love firefish. Did lose a couple jumpers early on (even through the 1/4” mesh, really accurate suckers) but just love the way they hover in a group. Ours are named flitch, glitch, and stitch lol.

My wife @Ocean_Queenie says if I ever get another trigger it will be grounds for a very bad thing to happen to our marriage.

I will never add a “reef safe” angel ever again. Had great luck with them, coral beauty, bi color, and flame in the 90’s, but my cousin decided to get out of the hobby and gave me his entire system tanks, livestock etc. didn’t have a spot for another tank so mixed it all into my three existing tanks. His ebli angelfish he had for better than a year with no issue, found a coral it liked in my tank and then proceeded to eat every coral in the tank. I tried for weeks at night to catch the little bugger but to no avail. Eventually I had to tear down the tank to get it out.

Mabry · Mar 29, 2024

Lemons said:
I regret my hippo... little goober doesnt even come out when any humans are near the tank )))). Not to mention he's the king of the 100gallon, so hides 80% of the time and is a huge jerk

Agreed. Never again will I allow a Hippo to hog my tank. They outgrow a tank faster than any other fish I've owned.

Mabry · Mar 29, 2024

I found that the sequence you introduce different species to the tank can have a positive outcome. Be patient and start with the smaller and less aggressive fish and slowly add larger more aggressive fish during the latter stages of the overall process.
The six line wrasse may be an exception. At first OK, but the tide can turn when you least expect it.

TinnysReef · Mar 29, 2024

AquaLogic said:
Dartfish/Firefish. I have one in quarantine right now and it is so anxious and such a spaz. It has jumped out 3 times now even with me being very careful and having a lid. Their spaz temperament just isn't worth it.

I agree. Firefish are gorgeous but very skittish and I had an issue where I had a school of them doing great, then once other fish grew bigger and became bullies they never came out of the sand. Took a lot of time and a lot of cursing with a fish trap to get the offending chromis trio out. The chromis live in a 3000 gallon tank at a casino now lol and are apparently gigantic but the firefish remained spooked and shy even after they were gone. I also don't think they live very long. 5 years at most from what I've read.

doubleshot00 · Mar 29, 2024

Reef By Steele said:
Wow, so many listed here that I have and love.

We have a pair of clowns in three separate tanks and have had no problems. Going on 2 1/2 years.

I have lost corals to diamond goby or dragon goby had them both in a tank for quite a while. Lost the dragon 6 months ago.

Love firefish. Did lose a couple jumpers early on (even through the 1/4” mesh, really accurate suckers) but just love the way they hover in a group. Ours are named flitch, glitch, and stitch lol.

My wife @Ocean_Queenie says if I ever get another trigger it will be grounds for a very bad thing to happen to our marriage.

I will never add a “reef safe” angel ever again. Had great luck with them, coral beauty, bi color, and flame in the 90’s, but my cousin decided to get out of the hobby and gave me his entire system tanks, livestock etc. didn’t have a spot for another tank so mixed it all into my three existing tanks. His ebli angelfish he had for better than a year with no issue, found a coral it liked in my tank and then proceeded to eat every coral in the tank. I tried for weeks at night to catch the little bugger but to no avail. Eventually I had to tear down the tank to get it out.

Yeah i can see where people are coming from with the tangs as mine are always battling but usually only against themselves.

I assume clowns get mean when they get older. Mines going on at least 5-6 yo. Mine came from a tank break down.

Yeah my firefish never comes out. What a waste of such a pretty fish.

My flame is so chill. But only a year old. I do wish it ate zoas though

Reef By Steele · Mar 29, 2024

doubleshot00 said:
Yeah i can see where people are coming from with the tangs as mine are always battling but usually only against themselves.

I assume clowns get mean when they get older. Mines going on at least 5-6 yo. Mine came from a tank break down.

Yeah my firefish never comes out. What a waste of such a pretty fish.

My flame is so chill. But only a year old. I do wish it ate zoas though

Sorry your firefish don’t come out. They are such a fun fish to watch. I have the orange white in one tank, and the purple in another.

Sal Amadeo · Mar 29, 2024

What about carpet annuities? Mine ate my diamond goby.

LPS Bum · Mar 29, 2024

Tomato clowns (she literally tries to bite off my fingers) and Hippo tangs (they nip at corals when they get big).

Never again.

mlivvy · Mar 29, 2024

2 spot bristletooth tang. I got him pretty small for my 100g then switched him over to my 50g but now he's alot bigger and alot meaner. His joy is to bully fish to jump out of the tank.