Bad choice turned out to be great.

[Mark Novack]

I have an 800 liter reefy fish tank. Softies for corals, their majesty is stunted by daily nips from Angel's and others.

Anyhow, I have blueface angel, Xanthometopon, and when I finally got a Queen Angel, Ciliaris, the Xanthometopon was harassed to really ragged form. The worst stopped but the queen reigned and the Xanthometopon spent most of the time hiding out. The Angel themed tank looked out of reach, the Ciliaris too aggressive.

So, at one of my favorite fish stores there was this Imperator. One, two, more and more visits, the Imperator is still there looking better and better. I know that placing it into my aquarium will be a disaster of combat and territoriality and risk losing lots, but after 4 months I cracked and bought the fish.
I'll shorten this story. Placed it into the tank and nothing, just the Xanthurum tang flanking it a bit. That stopped, the Ciliaris has been humbled, the Xanthometopon swims liberally, and all three are living in peace. I call the Imperator Annikan Skywalker for bringing balance to the aquarium. I managed to get all three together for a photo.

 

[Auquanut]

Awesome looking tank. Does the Picasso Trigger bother the corals or inverts at all? I'd love to have one, but when I was diving often they would periodically attack viciously. Kinda makes me nervous to keep one.

 

[Mark Novack]

My Picasso is well behaved but does taste the lobophytums and sarcophytons as do the Angels. Clean up crew is a non issue with only the largest conical snails surviving the omnivores and the sand stars are OK too. The worst thing about the Picasso is how it hits my fingers while I'm feeding and startles me. I also have been aggressed by this fish in the ocean but only by the full adults with nesting sites. They swim at my mask and turn away at the last moment, only biting when I turned to depart.

I am slowly finding the correct corals that thrive with these non reef safe fish. The tank also has a 30 inch Zebra moray and a 16 inch Snowflake. They are both reef safe as long as they get their frozen shrimp. When they leave their hideouts and swim I feed them, about every 10 days.
Mark

 

[Quietman]

Lovely tank there. Always very impressed with the larger saltwater fish and nice you've gotten a group that's balanced.

Good luck and hope he lasts longer as a peacemaker than Anakin did.

 

[Mark Novack]

Lovely tank there. Always very impressed with the larger saltwater fish and nice you've gotten a group that's balanced.

Good luck and hope he lasts longer as a peacemaker than Anakin did.

Exactly my thought. Anakin today, Vader tomorrow. He's tough but not nasty. And he's keeping his colors nicely. I hope it stays as is.

 

[Quietman]

Exactly my thought. Anakin today, Vader tomorrow. He's tough but not nasty. And he's keeping his colors nicely. I hope it stays as is.

I don't think it turned out so well for Vader's boss either. Better watch putting your hand in that tank and avoid reactor shafts that for some reason are open ended in Death Star throne rooms when it's around.

 

[El_Guapo13]

I have an 800 liter reefy fish tank. Softies for corals, their majesty is stunted by daily nips from Angel's and others.

Anyhow, I have blueface angel, Xanthometopon, and when I finally got a Queen Angel, Ciliaris, the Xanthometopon was harassed to really ragged form. The worst stopped but the queen reigned and the Xanthometopon spent most of the time hiding out. The Angel themed tank looked out of reach, the Ciliaris too aggressive.

So, at one of my favorite fish stores there was this Imperator. One, two, more and more visits, the Imperator is still there looking better and better. I know that placing it into my aquarium will be a disaster of combat and territoriality and risk losing lots, but after 4 months I cracked and bought the fish.
I'll shorten this story. Placed it into the tank and nothing, just the Xanthurum tang flanking it a bit. That stopped, the Ciliaris has been humbled, the Xanthometopon swims liberally, and all three are living in peace. I call the Imperator Annikan Skywalker for bringing balance to the aquarium. I managed to get all three together for a photo.

I would just like to point out that Anakin eventually turned to the darkside and killed younglings. Just sayin.

 

[Jase4224]

I have an 800 liter reefy fish tank. Softies for corals, their majesty is stunted by daily nips from Angel's and others.

Anyhow, I have blueface angel, Xanthometopon, and when I finally got a Queen Angel, Ciliaris, the Xanthometopon was harassed to really ragged form. The worst stopped but the queen reigned and the Xanthometopon spent most of the time hiding out. The Angel themed tank looked out of reach, the Ciliaris too aggressive.

So, at one of my favorite fish stores there was this Imperator. One, two, more and more visits, the Imperator is still there looking better and better. I know that placing it into my aquarium will be a disaster of combat and territoriality and risk losing lots, but after 4 months I cracked and bought the fish.
I'll shorten this story. Placed it into the tank and nothing, just the Xanthurum tang flanking it a bit. That stopped, the Ciliaris has been humbled, the Xanthometopon swims liberally, and all three are living in peace. I call the Imperator Annikan Skywalker for bringing balance to the aquarium. I managed to get all three together for a photo.

Beautiful tank, I love your selection of fish. Which corals do you find don’t get picked on?

 

[Mark Novack]

Anything discasomas is good. Sinularia Dura works well. Kenya tree great but neospongeodes were eaten. I have two Sinularia Flexibilus, one untouched, the other gets nipped. One may not be a Flex but a Digitalus? Fungia and Heliofungia stay healthy. Anemones thrive. Gorgon ventalina thrives. I will be trying Catalaphylia as it's stingy and brilliant green. Euphylia may work also. The lobos and sarcos are not dying but they never extend fully anymore and open just a bit at night to stay alive. Some are obviously better tasting than others as the bite marks show. I'll get some photos of the whole tank to show what's doing well and what just survives. The fish act like me at a finger food buffet.

 

[Braves Fan]

Awesome tank ,, beautiful fish ,, it doesn't get any better than this

 

[Mark Novack]

Note the damage to certain pieces but then there is a little green lobophytum between the dura and the colt coral unscathed. The Colt gets nipped but doesn't care. It retracts and extends rapidly. Then the coralinmorph reef and gorgonia are doing really nicely. And the Nebulosa says hello too.

 

[Mark Novack]

Looking at my pics I didn't realize that it was so dirty. I'm going to do a big blow and water change in the next few days.