So I have the itch to get a new fish right now, and I'm debating what to get. LFS has a few choices that I want: A 1.5" Blue Hippo Tang, a 1.5" Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish, and multiple 2.5-3" Dispar Anthias. Trouble is, I want them all and can probably only have one, so I wanted others to weigh in on the matter.
I currently have 2 Ocellaris clowns, 1 Anthias, 1 Longnose Hawkfish, 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Flame Angel, and 1 Lawnmower Blenny in my 40 gallon breeder/20 gallon sump.
I know that I ultimately can't keep the tang or the lionfish forever in my tank, but have no plans for an upgrade. This may change, but I am aware that I will eventually need to upgrade or get rid of either of them, and in fact the larger fish may be the impetus for getting a larger tank. I am also aware that lionfish are highly aggressive and will eat anything that will fit in their mouths, which will be a problem as it gets larger.
What I need is information about relative aggressiveness of dwarf lionfish - I've heard that they are even more so than regular sized ones, and I wonder if that will translate into them hunting and killing even fish that are larger than them. Also, is their sting as bad as their larger counterpart's? I have a lot of rockwork in my tank and I can easily see accidental contact between us if I'm puttering around in there and don't see him.
As for blue hippo tangs, temperamentally I know that they'll fit in my tank. Is there any weird behavioral patterns that I should know about from them, such as aggressiveness towards any other fish or would any of my fish be that way toward them?
Now the Anthias, I've heard conflicting reports about them. I know that they're a schooling fish and the dominant one becomes the male. I only have one now (appears to be some sort of Bartlett's/Evansi hybrid, I dunno...), and I want to know if different types of Anthias can get along together, or is there risk? If I do get Anthias, should I purposefully overstock on them so that they will be able to sort out their hierarchy themselves, or get fewer? How many could I get in my tank, assuming no size upgrade? Would a school of Anthias pick on my other fish?
Sorry for all the questions, but I really don't want to upset the nice balance I have in my tank right now... though I'm willing to do supervision to make sure that everyone is getting along well.
I currently have 2 Ocellaris clowns, 1 Anthias, 1 Longnose Hawkfish, 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Flame Angel, and 1 Lawnmower Blenny in my 40 gallon breeder/20 gallon sump.
I know that I ultimately can't keep the tang or the lionfish forever in my tank, but have no plans for an upgrade. This may change, but I am aware that I will eventually need to upgrade or get rid of either of them, and in fact the larger fish may be the impetus for getting a larger tank. I am also aware that lionfish are highly aggressive and will eat anything that will fit in their mouths, which will be a problem as it gets larger.
What I need is information about relative aggressiveness of dwarf lionfish - I've heard that they are even more so than regular sized ones, and I wonder if that will translate into them hunting and killing even fish that are larger than them. Also, is their sting as bad as their larger counterpart's? I have a lot of rockwork in my tank and I can easily see accidental contact between us if I'm puttering around in there and don't see him.
As for blue hippo tangs, temperamentally I know that they'll fit in my tank. Is there any weird behavioral patterns that I should know about from them, such as aggressiveness towards any other fish or would any of my fish be that way toward them?
Now the Anthias, I've heard conflicting reports about them. I know that they're a schooling fish and the dominant one becomes the male. I only have one now (appears to be some sort of Bartlett's/Evansi hybrid, I dunno...), and I want to know if different types of Anthias can get along together, or is there risk? If I do get Anthias, should I purposefully overstock on them so that they will be able to sort out their hierarchy themselves, or get fewer? How many could I get in my tank, assuming no size upgrade? Would a school of Anthias pick on my other fish?
Sorry for all the questions, but I really don't want to upset the nice balance I have in my tank right now... though I'm willing to do supervision to make sure that everyone is getting along well.
