Fish compatibility question

[Mike Arnold]

My 75 gallon tank with deep sand bed is coming to the end of its nitrogen cycle: diatom and cyano. I'm planning to create a mixed reef system, but I haven't put a lot of thought into the types of fish I would be caring for; I was more interested in building a system that would support corals: lps, sps, softies, etc.. I had always assumed that I would be caring for clowns, tangs, puffers and such, however, I've recently been thinking about more aggressive fish; eels and lion fish for example. I'm more interested in their beauty than their aggression.

I'm looking to engage the community in a general discussion about the do's and don'ts of fish compatibility.

I recently saw a tank in one of the forums that had a couple of lion fish, an eel, and a pair of clown fish. The tank was beautiful and the cohabitation looked peaceful enough.

Maybe I could get some advice on what kinds of eels and lion fish to look for or stay away from; or maybe I should stick with the more docile fish and stay away from eels and lions.

Thoughts?

 

[Maritimer]

I've seen a situation where a lionfish devoured a blackedge moray about one and a half times its own length . . . and then died within a week or two.

Lions and eels _can_ live together, so long as one doesn't decide the other will fit in its belly.

(Then again, I'm not an expert! Perhaps there's a reliable way to make it work . . . )

~Bruce

 

[fishroomlady]

lionfish are beautiful imo but very dirty in terms of nutrients - I would thing certain types could be put together - hopefully Renee' will pop in for advice on this

 

[eatbreakfast]

Lionfish will consume anything motile that is about the size of their body minus fins, but with the right tankmates can be great in a reef.

Besides the fact that they can accidentally bite tankmates in the search for food, there are a few good eels. Melatremus, snowflakes, and zebras are all relatively safe except for motile 'verts.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

One thing you have to remember is that lionfish are docile. They always get lumped in with the aggressive ones because of their "dietary habits". They can be bullied. Even though they use their spines defensively, they won't just jump into a fight. Some have more patience than others, however.

As far as eels, I would house a Gymnomuraena zebra (Zebra Moray) with a medium to large lion. They aren't really fish eaters, but in our captive environments they have been known to enjoy a sushi treat. They will eat all your snails, shrimp and such, just so your aware of that.

I would pair a dwarf lion with a Gymnothorax melatremus (Golden Dwarf Moray). Yes, they are known to eat fish, but their mouths are small and couldn't take down an adult dwarf.

You just have to be aware of size differential. Sometimes you have to house them in separate tanks until they grow to their adult size. If you put a tiny fuzzy in with the eel, for example, the eel will eat the lion. An adult fuzzy, no.