Compatibility Question.

NanaReefer · Mar 20, 2015

Tank is a 40B. 3 established fish ATM. Royal Gramma, Bi-Colored Blenny and a Banggai Cardinal. I'm wanting to add 1 more fish. A Twospot Hog Fish.
LA's chart says with caution, does this mean that the Gramma would be the aggressor?
I am torn as I'm really liking this fish, yet do not want to disrupt the harmony I now have.
What say you all?

fishroomlady · Mar 20, 2015

I would probably go for it. I'm thinking the aggressor would be the gramma

eatbreakfast · Mar 20, 2015

None of your current inhabitants will be aggressive towards him, but rather as he grows he will become the aggressive fish in the tank.

NanaReefer · Mar 20, 2015

eatbreakfast said:
None of your current inhabitants will be aggressive towards him, but rather as he grows he will become the aggressive fish in the tank.

Hmmmm reason I've chosen this fish is due to everything I've read about it being "peaceful" Could you please direct me to where you've found this to be not so?

eatbreakfast · Mar 20, 2015

NanaReefer said:
Hmmmm reason I've chosen this fish is due to everything I've read about it being "peaceful" Could you please direct me to where you've found this to be not so?

Personal experience, I service 20+ aquariums a week and bimac hogs currently are in a few, and in the past a few others. In every instance there has been some aggression, in some cases enough to require removal.

NanaReefer · Mar 20, 2015

Ok. Thank you very much for sharing your experience

Would/could you suggest a colorful peaceful addition?

eatbreakfast · Mar 20, 2015

If you want a yellow fish, Halichoeres chrysus cant be beat. Any flasher wrasse and many of the fairy wrasses would work. You dont have pod competition, so if you found a good leopard wrasse, that would work.

If you didnt want a wrasse of any kind, a yellow assessor, swales basslet, longnose or flame hawkfish, zebra dartfish, or a sunburst anthias, would all be possible choices.

mfinn · Mar 20, 2015

I got one of these 6-7 years ago and I think he is the mellowest fish I have.

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Leopard Wrasse

NanaReefer · Mar 20, 2015

Wouldn't my tank be to small? Especially for a Leopard Wrasse?

mfinn · Mar 20, 2015

I don't think so.
Mine is still only about 3" long.

NanaReefer · Mar 20, 2015

What about a lid. I don't have one. LA says expert only, what exactly do they mean?

NanaReefer · Mar 20, 2015

acox said:
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/r2...-you-could-win-tunze-wavebox-valued-$582.html

Why did you post this here?

mfinn · Mar 20, 2015

NanaReefer said:
What about a lid. I don't have one. LA says expert only, what exactly do they mean?

Not sure about the expert thing.
IMO, they are a pretty hardy fish.
I would buy one if I saw it eat frozen.

When I first got mine, I had it in a open top 50 ( 30" x 20" x 20")
I think your 40 has more swimming room.
It has been in my 233 and my 240 before that for 2-3 years now.

eatbreakfast · Mar 21, 2015

Any wrasse should be in a tank with a.top, they are notorious jumpers.

Leopard wrasses are labeled expert because they do not ship well, in some cases are difficult to get eating aquarium foods, and even if they do often have internal parasites, but once these initial troubles are past can be quite hardy.

mfinn · Mar 21, 2015

eatbreakfast said:
Any wrasse should be in a tank with a.top, they are notorious jumpers.

I am not a expert on wrasses, but have kept a few over the years and all were in open top tanks, and none jumped.
Not all wrasses will jump, and all fish have the potential to jump.

eatbreakfast · Mar 21, 2015

mfinn said:
I am not a expert on wrasses, but have kept a few over the years and all were in open top tanks, and none jumped.
Not all wrasses will jump, and all fish have the potential to jump.

While true that any fish can jump, certain groups have a higher propensity toward it and wrasses have a high tendency to do that.

And though you have been fortunate in not having any wrasses jump, it is really just a matter of probability, even situations of high probability there are exceptions. Think of it this way, there is a high probability you will get in your car and drive to work safely. Now remove your mirrors and black out your rear window and you increase your probability of getting into an accidental. Just because you make it safely the first time, or even the first ten times it is not something most people would keep doing. Just with wrasses in an uncovered tank, you may get awy with it for a month, a year, maybe longer, but in most cases jumping does occur.