Hawaiian Fish?

[ApoIsland]

Nasos are my favourite tang just feel like it may be squished in a 180 gal but would be my top pick for a tang, also like sailfins and yellow tangs.

If you are talking a 6' long 180g tank then you have plenty of room. A naso only gets to 18'' in the ocean. Can probably cut that in half for our aquariums unless you buy it that big already. They certainly aren't going to grow more than 12 inches in a home aquarium.

Get the fish!!

 

[Chef Mateo]

@Chef Mateo - on Lavender Tang - good suggestion on adding last. I introduced the Scopas and it at the same time early in the tanks upgrade (210 gallon). I should have waited. The fish that it was with it was fine. Matted file fish, Azure damsel, Fox Face, pair of clowns, pair of pajama cardinals. I think that was more or less it. Not a lot and it didn't care. However, all those fish existed before I put the two tangs in.

Anyway hindsight 20/20 I guess.

Yep if I get a tang that may be more aggro I will definitly add last.

If you are talking a 6' long 180g tank then you have plenty of room. A naso only gets to 18'' in the ocean. Can probably cut that in half for our aquariums unless you buy it that big already. They certainly aren't going to grow more than 12 inches in a home aquarium.

Get the fish!!

Will definitely then which is your personal preference blonde naso or just regular naso tangs?

 

[ApoIsland]

Will definitely then which is your personal preference blonde naso or just regular naso tangs?

I have only ever had the blonde naso. Not sure I have even seen the regular naso in an aquarium. I would make sure the fish is eating at the LFS. I failed to get my first two to eat anything but lobophora tank algae and that can't sustain them.

 

[Chef Mateo]

I have only ever had the blonde naso. Not sure I have even seen the regular naso in an aquarium. I would make sure the fish is eating at the LFS. I failed to get my first two to eat anything but lobophora tank algae and that can't sustain them.

Yes my LFS currently has around 7 nasos last time I was there, all blonde nasos. Would get the fish but don't have the tank right now.

 

[mattzang]

the only other hawaiian endemic fish that hasn't been mentioned yet is the red tailed tamarin wrasse, also quite a difficult fish like the potters angel & wrasse

 

[ApoIsland]

the only other hawaiian endemic fish that hasn't been mentioned yet is the red tailed tamarin wrasse, also quite a difficult fish like the potters angel & wrasse

I had this fish. I think the only reason it is listed as difficult is that it eats so slow but requires so much food. I fed the fish in the morning and evening. My gf fed it at lunch and early afternoon. 4 feedings per day and it was fat and happy and growing. When we broke up the 2 feedings per day I could give were not enough and I could see it getting skinnier and skinnier.

 

[ApoIsland]

Can't believe I forgot to mention my favorite Hawaiian fish to see in the wild. The red coris wrasse. As a juvenile it is a beautiful red. I fed very slow so it took 4 years to change to adult color. Absolutely amazing adult coloration. Please look into that fish as well. I just didn't like that it was constantly digging up sand and throwing it on my frags on the sand bed. Buried a couple acans so often they eventually died, then irritated a rock flower into disappearance so I eventually gave it away. If I can ever clear my sand bed of frags and figure out better placement for my rock flowers I'll get another.

 

[ApoIsland]

All this talk about Hawaiian fish makes me want to book a flight to Kona or Lahaina....

 

[Chef Mateo]

the only other hawaiian endemic fish that hasn't been mentioned yet is the red tailed tamarin wrasse, also quite a difficult fish like the potters angel & wrasse

I love tamarin wrasses was considering before I was thinking about a mostly Hawaiian tank, did not know it was native there! All tamarin wrasses are beautiful, but I really really like the red/yellow tail tamarin wrasses.

I had this fish. I think the only reason it is listed as difficult is that it eats so slow but requires so much food. I fed the fish in the morning and evening. My gf fed it at lunch and early afternoon. 4 feedings per day and it was fat and happy and growing. When we broke up the 2 feedings per day I could give were not enough and I could see it getting skinnier and skinnier.

Yep if I had one I can definitly do 3 feedings a day not sure about 4... They are very beautiful love the colour of lack there of

Can't believe I forgot to mention my favorite Hawaiian fish to see in the wild. The red coris wrasse. As a juvenile it is a beautiful red. I fed very slow so it took 4 years to change to adult color. Absolutely amazing adult coloration. Please look into that fish as well. I just didn't like that it was constantly digging up sand and throwing it on my frags on the sand bed. Buried a couple acans so often they eventually died, then irritated a rock flower into disappearance so I eventually gave it away. If I can ever clear my sand bed of frags and figure out better placement for my rock flowers I'll get another.

My only tiff with a red coris wrasse is I'm not too sure about the reef safeness and aggressiveness to other wrasses

All this talk about Hawaiian fish makes me want to book a flight to Kona or Lahaina....

I love Lahaina!! I'm a westside Maui guy so I stay mostly in Kannapali / Lahaina / Napili.

 

[Tiki Reef Joshua]

Helfrichi fire fish 100%. Small but a great addition to any tank. Beautiful fish, but super expensive. Mine is an open water swimmer. Always out. It’s everyone’s favorite who visits.

 

[ApoIsland]

I love tamarin wrasses was considering before I was thinking about a mostly Hawaiian tank, did not know it was native there! All tamarin wrasses are beautiful, but I really really like the red/yellow tail tamarin wrasses.


Yep if I had one I can definitly do 3 feedings a day not sure about 4... They are very beautiful love the colour of lack there of


My only tiff with a red coris wrasse is I'm not too sure about the reef safeness and aggressiveness to other wrasses


I love Lahaina!! I'm a westside Maui guy so I stay mostly in Kannapali / Lahaina / Napili.

I used to stay in Lahaina because I liked the nightlife but would always make the short drive up to Kaanapali for snorkeling out in front of those resorts and farther up in those bays. Just awesome.

Red coris is plenty reef safe. The aggression was a non issue with any fish already in the tank, even wrasses. The problem was with any fish added later which was smaller than him, not just other wrasses. I added a 1 inch panther grouper and he beat the crap out of it so bad I had to take the grouper out and put some size on him before I could add him back.

 

[ApoIsland]

Helfrichi fire fish 100%. Small but a great addition to any tank. Beautiful fish, but super expensive. Mine is an open water swimmer. Always out. It’s everyone’s favorite who visits.

I just had to look that up. It is awesome!! With the rate that I kill regular fire fish though I would never be able to pay $200 for one no matter how nice it looks.

 

[pcon]

the only other hawaiian endemic fish that hasn't been mentioned yet

Can’t forget personatus, roa excelsa, long fin anthias, there are a few Tosanoides, and deep water chromis that are endemic too. But all those fetch very high prices.

 

[Tiki Reef Joshua]

Mine was 95 bucks. Still a lot I know. I had 2 firefish bail on me until I settled on this and took a gamble. My first 2 were regular guys... one jumped through my screen or when I was cleaning and one didn’t make it through tank acclimation. I tried the Helfrichi because it’s a tad bigger and couldn’t get through lid as easy. Totally glad I did. I feel they are hardier.

 

[mattzang]

Can’t forget personatus, roa excelsa, long fin anthias, there are a few Tosanoides, and deep water chromis that are endemic too. But all those fetch very high prices.

well he said his upper limit was $200 so

 

[pcon]

well he said his upper limit was $200 so

just add 2 zeros and we are in the ballpark

 

[Chef Mateo]

Helfrichi fire fish 100%. Small but a great addition to any tank. Beautiful fish, but super expensive. Mine is an open water swimmer. Always out. It’s everyone’s favorite who visits.

Helfrichi fire fish are definitely the best firefish. Also like the lower bioload and they look nice in groups!

I used to stay in Lahaina because I liked the nightlife but would always make the short drive up to Kaanapali for snorkeling out in front of those resorts and farther up in those bays. Just awesome.

Red coris is plenty reef safe. The aggression was a non issue with any fish already in the tank, even wrasses. The problem was with any fish added later which was smaller than him, not just other wrasses. I added a 1 inch panther grouper and he beat the crap out of it so bad I had to take the grouper out and put some size on him before I could add him back.

I'm the opposite I mostly stay in Kannapali but frequent Lahaina often. I normaly go a little bit north to snorkel closer to Napili.

I will take a look at red coris wrasses it would be the last wrasse I would add if I get one.

Can’t forget personatus, roa excelsa, long fin anthias, there are a few Tosanoides, and deep water chromis that are endemic too. But all those fetch very high prices.

The nicer ones are always more expensive I was going to mention the masked angelfish as noone had mentioned them.

Mine was 95 bucks. Still a lot I know. I had 2 firefish bail on me until I settled on this and took a gamble. My first 2 were regular guys... one jumped through my screen or when I was cleaning and one didn’t make it through tank acclimation. I tried the Helfrichi because it’s a tad bigger and couldn’t get through lid as easy. Totally glad I did. I feel they are hardier.

My LFS has them for $140 so not too bad, would be nice to get a couple of them.

 

[Angel_Anthias lover]

Theres also chaetodon fremblii, the whitespot toby puffer, and ostracion whitleyi, if you like box and puffer fish. If i remember correctly pseudanthias bicolor is endemic to the hawaiian islands too, or is at least native there.

 

[Dana Riddle]

Too bad the Hawaiian fishery has been shut down. I lived in Kailua-Kona for 18 years and could buy juvenile Chevron Tangs for $25 from Bill Stockley.

 

[14 foot reef]

the only other hawaiian endemic fish that hasn't been mentioned yet is the red tailed tamarin wrasse, also quite a difficult fish like the potters angel & wrasse

the red tail is an awesome wrasse and the juvenile female in the harem, when the male changes, becomes the Psych Head Wrasse one of the prettiest wrasses in the world.