When selecting fish for a marine aquarium it is obviously
important to ensure that the chosen specimens get on well together
& don't eat each other or any invertebrates & corals in
the tank. Unfortunately marine fish seem to be rather individual
in their behaviour, so it is hard to give absolute guidance as to
what will or won't be compatible. There are however a few golden
rules which, if followed, should help you avoid any major disasters.
1. Before introducing any live stock into your tank, try and work
out what you would ultimately like to keep. Seek advice on compatibility
from other fishkeepers, and from your retailer.
2. Introduce the smallest specimens first, these will then have
a chance to find all the hiding places and establish themselves
in the aquarium. when the next fish is introduced although bigger,
it will be at a disadvantage over the existing inhabitants because
it won't know the territory.
3. When adding new fish to an aquarium which contains an aggressive
or territorial specimen, add them a few at a time. This way any
aggression will be spread around, and hopefully not directed at
one individual.
4. Keep a list of the fish you have in your tank and take it with
you when you go to buy more, that way you won't forget any when
asking advice of the retailer.
5. As a general rule of thumb, marine fish are more likely to be
aggressive towards fish of similar shape or colour to themselves.
fish that share similar behaviours are also more likely to be aggressive
towards one another. Thus a bottom dwelling fish is more likely
to squabble with another bottom dweller than with a surface or mid
water swimmer.
6. IF IN DOUBT ASK -It's much easier than having
to dismantle all the rock work in order to extract an unsuitable
specimen
Reef System v's Fish Only
A fish only system, as the name suggests, is a tank purely for
fish, without any live coral or other invertebrates. The main
advantages of such a set up are :-
1. Fish that would eat corals or other invertebrates may be stocked.
2. In the event of a disease outbreak, treatments that are toxic
to corals can be used.
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Panther groupers
grow large. They do not actually eat corals, but will eat shrimps,
crabs, etc.
They are therefore best kept in fish only aquariums |
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Puffers such as this one have
powerful beaks for crushing coral, shells etc.
They should only be kept in a fish only system. |
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Most Butterflies feed on coral
polyps & should not be introduced to reef tanks. |
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By contrast a reef system
is one which aims to simulate the appearance of a coral reef. In
such a tank, the fish often take second place to the corals anemones
& other invertebrate life. Fish in such a system are usually
small, and obviously selected not to eat or damage the other livestock.
Reef systems require better lighting than fish only systems, and
other devices such as calcium reactors & Kalkwasser reactors
can be of benefit. On the other hand Fish only systems often require
better filtration than an equivalent sized reef tank, and if bigger
fish are kept then a larger aquarium is also often required. |
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A Flame angel is an ideal
inhabitant for a reef tank. |
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Clown fish usually live in
symbiotic association with an anemone.
They are excellent additions to reef aquariums |
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