# What about this Fish Combo?



## Marinero (Oct 24, 2008)

I have a 75 gal. FOWLER tank and I despite recommendations to the contrary, I have the following fish in it for the last 5 weeks with NO problems so far.
1) 3" Niger Trigger
2) 3" Blue Throat Trigger
3) 3" Maroon Clown
4) 3" Yellow Tang
5) 3" Panther Grouper

The Niger Trigger and Clown were added together, then the Grouper, Blue throat, and Tang were added a week later. They all swim peacfully around each other with NO aggressivness, even during feeding time. The last fish I plan on adding is a clown trigger, probably in the next week or so. The fish will be in the 3" range and hopefully will settle in with the rest of the tank inhabitants nicely. I know I'm pushing my luck, but I feel that I have beaten the odds so far. Hopefully as they grow these fish will remain peacefull toward each other. By then I plan on upgrading my tank to at least a 125gal. to accomodate the larger fish. 
I try to maintain a healthy system with a 15-18 gal. weekly water change with RO water. All levels are reading zero across the board with the exception of Nitrates which are about 10ppm.

I just thought I would pass this info along so that others might feel more inclined to try different combinations of fish without the preconceived fears.


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## dallops_of_polyps (Feb 19, 2008)

hmm it should work since you have triggers already in there and they are not showing aggression.


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

Since you do plan on getting a 125G, then I would say a small Clown Trigger, with the rest of the fish, should be fine for a while.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

wait until they grow.


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## Marinero (Oct 24, 2008)

onefish2fish said:


> wait until they grow.


 I know this is the only problem I forsee. However, I believe by then I will have the larger tank set up, and hopefully if I have to sell one or two of them, or even give them away, I will be able to find a good home.


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## karaim (Aug 28, 2008)

I don't think adding another trigger is a good idea. Triggers do not get along with each other. You do have one of the mildest triggers (the Niger), but you also plan on getting one of the most aggressive (the Clown Trigger). NOT a good idea. I think it's only a matter of time before one of these Triggers snaps. It's not IF, but WHEN.

Oh and 5 weeks is not a lot of time at all.

Also, a 125 for the Clown Trigger is too small. These guys get HUGE.


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## Marinero (Oct 24, 2008)

karaim said:


> I don't think adding another trigger is a good idea. Triggers do not get along with each other. You do have one of the mildest triggers (the Niger), but you also plan on getting one of the most aggressive (the Clown Trigger). NOT a good idea. I think it's only a matter of time before one of these Triggers snaps. It's not IF, but WHEN.
> 
> Oh and 5 weeks is not a lot of time at all.
> 
> Also, a 125 for the Clown Trigger is too small. These guys get HUGE.


thanks for the advice, I will most likely follow it, at least for now!


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

The real question is why you would risk the lives of your fish, despite the fact that experienced hobbyists are telling you these combinations don't work in the long term? There is simply no need to try this for yourself. Even worse is that you are encouraging people to ignore the advice of those with more experience and try these combinations for themselves. 

Success in the marine hobby is judged by long term health. These animals are not capable of thriving in this environment. You will learn this lesson the hard way. You will wake up one day, or perhaps come home from work, and every fish will be dead with the exception of your Blue Throat Trigger.

How do I know this? Because your experience is not unusual. Every year there are dozens of people who post these type of threads. And every year these people come back a few months later and say they learned their lesson. Time and time again these animals die for no reason. I can't begin to tell you how many time i've had this exact conversation.


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## Marinero (Oct 24, 2008)

Pasfur said:


> The real question is why you would risk the lives of your fish, despite the fact that experienced hobbyists are telling you these combinations don't work in the long term? There is simply no need to try this for yourself. Even worse is that you are encouraging people to ignore the advice of those with more experience and try these combinations for themselves.
> 
> Success in the marine hobby is judged by long term health. These animals are not capable of thriving in this environment. You will learn this lesson the hard way. You will wake up one day, or perhaps come home from work, and every fish will be dead with the exception of your Blue Throat Trigger.
> 
> How do I know this? Because your experience is not unusual. Every year there are dozens of people who post these type of threads. And every year these people come back a few months later and say they learned their lesson. Time and time again these animals die for no reason. I can't begin to tell you how many time i've had this exact conversation.


 I appreciate your position on this topic, and perhaps I am being a bit naive, but in the short term this has worked for me. You mention the long term and this not working, but I have had experience with this exact combo of fish about 12 years ago in a 55 gal. aquarium. They were living and thriving for over 5 years together. I finally had to break the aquarium down and sell the fish to a local FS because I was temporarily moving into a small apartment and could not take the tank. So I have had experience with this combo before. Perhaps it was an exception that they all thrived, but I was willing to try it again. Although I am fairly new to this Forum and my latest tank set up is only a few months old, I have had extensive experience in this hobby. My fish are well cared for, fed properly, and water changes performed every week. I follow ALL the rules of the hobby to the letter. I believe in providing the best care for animals that I chose to purchase, by sparing no expense. Since I believe that this Forum is a way that we can all learn from one another by sharing knowledge and experiences, I chose to share my experience with this Fish combo. Perhaps some of the "myths" of this hobby can be dispelled by people "pushing the envelope" a little. My intentions are not to put my animals in danger in any way. I monitor them constantly and have noticed NO aggression from any of them so far. Thank you for the responce and I look forward to a continued dialogue on this subject.
Rich


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i just find it hard to believe you are out for the best in the fish when you housed so many large fish in a 55 gallon tank for 5 years. all of them except the maroon would not be able to turn around in a 55, then we subtract the space the live rock takes up and your looking at very little room.


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## Marinero (Oct 24, 2008)

onefish2fish said:


> i just find it hard to believe you are out for the best in the fish when you housed so many large fish in a 55 gallon tank for 5 years. all of them except the maroon would not be able to turn around in a 55, then we subtract the space the live rock takes up and your looking at very little room.


 The point I was trying to make was that they all can get along together. The fish I had were all purchased as juveniles, less than 3" and the only one that outgrew the tank was the Panther Grouper, which I gave to a friend with a larger tank after 2 years. This fish was housed in a 150 gal. tank and was still thriving 2 years after I broke my own tank down. Without knowing me, no one should question my level of commitment, or my care for my fish. ALL Tanks, no matter how large, are still limiting for fish. If you really want to get down to basics, why take ANY of them out of the ocean and confine them to a tank. I'm sure most tanks are NO larger than 150 gal., and the largest percentage falls well below that capacity. You can make the argument for specific fish being housed in "larger" tanks because they grow larger and therefore have the extra space needed to thrive, but they are still confined. Only they are confined in a slightly bigger environment. As before all my fish are juveniles and no one knows what the future holds for them, including the "experts." However, as they get larger, I have ways of dealing with their growth, by selling or giving them to people with "larger" systems. The point is, none of us should be hypocritical about housing these animals. When you come right down to it, they are all basically in "prisons" for our enjoyment, no matter how large or small.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i buy captive bred fish way more often then i buy wild caught actually i dont think i have purchased a wild caught fish my entire life. i still find it hard to believe, the tang itself should have reached close to full size in a year and that itself is big. the minimum tank size for one of these animals is a 75 gallon tank. panthers i believe the minimum is a 150 and you housed multiples of large growing animals in a 55. subtract the room taken from the live rock and your looking at 40 gallons tops.

what im saying is, your not looking at long term success. you plan to "try" this out and if it doesnt work to bail, and when they grow to large to bail. this would not, IMO that is, be success. i disagree that fish are in "prisons" if they are housed properly. you are correct, they are confined when compared to the ocean but if you house the right fish in the right size tank they will thrive. i guess what im saying is you cant put 2 triggers, a panther grouper, a hammerhead shark in a 55 gallon tank and start handing them away when things get bad, now thats like a prison ( "when over population hits we'll just give them the electrical chair, or send them to another prison")


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I agree with OneFish on this issue. 

And, by posting on the internet, you are asking for the opinions of other people. You are certainly entitled to your opinion. It is encouraged. However, I will personally strongly draw the line when other people are encouraged to follow your ill advised example, by expressing my equally important and opposite opinion.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

correct, i encourage your opinion as well. every has there views but as you have asked for advice like pasfur said i am offering my opinion. please dont see this as an attack or threat but as help to do things right. keep in mind live animals are at stake here and the wild caught species are being over harvested as it is.


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## Kellsindell (Sep 15, 2008)

Onefish... Pasfur...

All i have to say is...






























:notworthy:

But seriously, you need to reevaluate you decision on the livestock you are planning to get or already have. The lack of space in the tank will encourage the fish to become more aggressive as they have less space to set up territories. Also, don't forget, every fish has its personality, while yes you may have kept them in a smaller tank before, you were perhaps extremely fortunate, but if you happen to get an extremely aggressive Trigger? or even Tang? not all fish are the same as we learn time and time again.


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## Marinero (Oct 24, 2008)

onefish2fish said:


> correct, i encourage your opinion as well. every has there views but as you have asked for advice like pasfur said i am offering my opinion. please dont see this as an attack or threat but as help to do things right. keep in mind live animals are at stake here and the wild caught species are being over harvested as it is.


 Guys, I sincerely appreciate all your opinions and view points. While I do agree with some of them, I disagree with others, and I guess thats what makes this Forum work. When I posted this fish combo, it was worded as a question where it probably should have been posted more as fact. Although I did not initially expect such opinions on the subject, they are certainly welcome. However, my post was more of a challenge if you will, not to the size requirements of certain fish, but to the misnomers of certain species of fish being able to be housed together. I do agree that a 75 gal. tank is too small for these animals as they continue to grow, but I do plan on upsizing my tank, as previously stated. So in this way I did think about the long term for these fish, albeit in a round about way. IMO too many times we have just listened to the so called "experts" and failed to determine certain things for ourselves. Yes, like people, all fish have their own unique personalities so we they can't be painted with broad strokes of a brush. However, maybe someone with a larger capacity tank, who always coveted having a couple of different Triggers, with a Tang, etc., will read my post and try it themself. Maybe they will say, even though the "experts" say it can't be done, this guy achieved success in a smaller tank, so maybe I can try it in a larger tank. That was the whole point of my post, to dispel any preconceived notions that are out there. I will admit that the fish I have in my tank should NOT be kept long term in anything smaller that 125-150gal. I plan on kepping them only about a year in my tank and then moving them to the larger system.
Once again, guys thanks for all of the advice and opinions. Believe it or not, I do value them all!


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I will agree with you to a degree. There is a lot of bad advice out there about compatibility, because far to many people do not understand how to make compatibility decisions. I wish more people would spend time learning the behaviors of the different Genus of fish, so that they could use this information for compatibility purposes.

On your point of Triggers, I have no idea why people say you can't mix Triggers together. The simple truth is that they go fine together, provided you have a large tank. But the fact that they are Triggers and that the family of Triggers is generally aggressive, has very little to do with their behavior in an aquarium when mixed together. 

These problems arise because people make these mistakes in smaller sized aquariums, often without paying any attention to which species of fish they add first.


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## Kellsindell (Sep 15, 2008)

I second that! Well put Pasfur.


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