Stocking Question

[HumuhumuFan]

I currently have a 75 gallon tank with a 2.5" rectangulus trigger and a cleaner shrimp. Long term, I'd like to setup a 180g. Since my tank has been setup I've had a good amount of setbacks including rampant aiptasia outbreaks and mysterious fish deaths. The fish I would like to have are the trigger, a yellow tang, and a melanurus wrasse.

How long can those 3 fish reasonably expected to cohabitate in the 75g or am I just playing with fire? IE, should I keep the trigger by himself until I get the 180g. Brutal honesty is fine from anyone but I'd really like input from anyone has experience with humus, be it rectangulus or Picasso.

 

[El_Guapo13]

When you say "mysterious fish deaths"... how do you mean? Cause my initial thought would be that the trigger beat on them. Second guess would be the presence of a large aggressive hitchhiker that you are unaware of.

That said, I have no experience with these three fish tou mentioned wanting to keep, so let's bring in the experts #reefsquad.

 

[Hemmdog]

Wait on the blue throat until the 180. A juvi YT will be good in a 75 for a year, maybe a year and a half.

 

[HumuhumuFan]

When you say "mysterious fish deaths"... how do you mean? Cause my initial thought would be that the trigger beat on them. Second guess would be the presence of a large aggressive hitchhiker that you are unaware of.

That said, I have no experience with these three fish tou mentioned wanting to keep, so let's bring in the experts #reefsquad.

Before I had the current trigger there was a melanurus wrasse and yellow tang that lived for about 3 years and then died from what seemed to be a sudden onset of wasting compounded by flukes. Prior to that I had a triggerfish that went blind and died, also at around the 3 year mark. Sometimes I feel like the tank is cursed. Since I got the tank in 2015 no fish has lived past 3 years. I've explored many possibilities (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/strange-rock-possible-poison.578625/) but one that I'm certain isn't it is trigger aggression since the previous tang and wrasse died with no trigger in the tank.

 

[saltyhog]

Did you QT any of your fish? If so just observation or was there any other treatment? Were the flukes seen after a fresh water drip?

Internal parasites could certainly present as slow wasting and death.

Not sure how long the trigger would be ok as my only trigger experience is with a blue throat. The rectangulas certainly carries a reputation for aggressiveness but at that size I wouldn't think would be too bad for a YT and a melanurus. I don't know how fast he would grow though.

 

[HumuhumuFan]

Did you QT any of your fish? If so just observation or was there any other treatment? Were the flukes seen after a fresh water drip?

Internal parasites could certainly present as slow wasting and death.

Not sure how long the trigger would be ok as my only trigger experience is with a blue throat. The rectangulas certainly carries a reputation for aggressiveness but at that size I wouldn't think would be too bad for a YT and a melanurus. I don't know how fast he would grow though.

I quarantine all of my fish (and now I treat with Prazi), the really strange thing about the last wrasse and YT was there hadn't been a new animal added to the tank in about 2 years.

 

[lion king]

These mysterious deaths may not be a fault of the tank, they could be from previous meds, cyanide, or other possible poisoning. I've had a few fish go blind, including 3 triggers; I always was able to track back to previous copper treatment. My last blind fish, a niger trigger, I predicted a year earlier when he went through 2 copper treatments for velvet. Cyanide has also made a strong comeback and is a very dirty secret, cyanide has also been known to cause blindness and sudden death in otherwise healthy fish. Copper treatment and antibiotics likely cause internal damage to many fish.

The humu grows very slowly so a 75g can be a temporary house for quite a while. Depending on his current size I have seen some live comfortably for as long as 5 years. You will need to rehouse him at about 4 to 4.5".

 

[nereefpat]

humu grows very slowly so a 75g can be a temporary house for quite a while. Depending on his current size I have seen some live comfortably for as long as 5 years. You will need to rehouse him at about 4 to 4.5".

I agree. Slow growers, but when they get to adult size...

A tang and a wrasse are actually good tank mates for a trigger, IMO. I don't think either the tang or trigger will care about the other two, and the wrasse and tang can easily get away if needed.