[JimmyM]

I have just recently got into saltwater fish after 5 years of keeping freshwater fish. I have a 92 gallon corner tank set up with plenty of live rock, and I've currently got these fish and don't plan to add anymore:

A 5 inch lunar wrasse
Three tangs about 2 1/2 inches each (yellow, purple, and bristletooth)
A 1 1/2 inch Picasso triggerfish
A 1 1/2 inch tomato clown
A 1 inch scooter blenny
A 3 inch volitan lionfish

I just added the lionfish and the blenny two days ago. Despite some of the compatibility charts saying the lionfish doesn't go with clowns or blennies, everyone seems to be getting along well and eating extremely well, and water conditions are very good and I am planning to do 1/4 water changes every 2 weeks (if I should be doing more or less water changes, please feel free to set me straight).

So my questions revolve around the future. I imagine that eventually some of those fish will get pretty big and I'll have a problem with overcrowding, at which point I'll either sell a couple off or move them to another tank in the future. So please tell me what I can expect to happen in the future with these fish and what you more experienced fishkeepers think I'll need to do to keep the fish happy.

Also, I keep finding a lot of conflicting info on the net about how often to feed these fish. For example, two of the shops I frequent say I should only feed them once a day, but then I see on the net something like the Picasso needs to be fed 3 times a day, or the lionfish should only be fed every 3 days. I have no earthly idea how often to feed any of these fish, except that they are always clamoring for food. So any info about how often to feed these different fish is appreciated, especially the carnivores.

[leebca]

WELCOME TO REEFLAND !

Your post contains several subjects. In the future, you may wish to try and post just one subject in the original post. You can post as many different times you need to cover as many subjects as you like.

The aquarium is overcrowded now. It may not seem like that, but it is. You determine the kinds and quantity of fishes for the saltwater aquarium not based upon the adult or larger size of the fish, but what space the fish needs, regardless of their current size. I hope this is clear. What is happening is that some of your fishes are currently suffering from space stress.

You'll not see this stress. What will happen is that your fish will die sooner than they should and they may be less healthy while in your care.

This is a long post, but worth taking some time to read:
Stress (and the Single Marine Fish)

Feeding frequency is covered in this post:
Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition

The Lionfishes are strict predators and are used to eating once a week when they are large, twice a week when they are small. A Triggerfish will like to eat all the time. However, twice or three times a day is good enough. They are 'eating machines' and controlling their intake may be a challenge.

Compatibility of fishes come on a variety of planes. How they eat and compete for food is one of those planes. If the Triggerfish bullies its way to consume the food entering the tank such that other fish don't get their fair share, then the Triggerfish isn't compatible with its tank mates. How fishes behave at feeding is one yardstick as to their compatibility. Compatibility tables sometimes do or don't take this into account. Lastly, compatibility has a connection to the individual fish's personality. There's no accounting for a fish that takes exception to another fish, or likes the company of another fish it should eat or hate!

[JimmyM]

Thanks for the honest assessment, Lee. I have a 55 gallon that's currently a freshwater tank, but I guess I could give away those fish and make it a reef tank and put the tangs and clown in it. Do you think that would that be acceptable, or should I maybe return some fish? I am married to the wrasse and the trigger and the kids love the lionfish so I don't know if I could return him without enormous protest, but I want to do what's right for the fish.

[leebca]

The lionfish isn't so much a hunter and swimmer. It waits for its food to come to it. So it isn't too concened about space. The Triggerfish, Wrasse and Tangs all hunt for their food over a relatively large area of the reef/sea. They would be a fine addition to a 180+ gallon aquarium.

In the 95 I'd leave only the Triggerfish and Lionfish, Anemoemefish and Blenny.

[JimmyM]

Lee, your post about feeding fish was really informative, and I went out and bought my fish some marine vitamins, krill and silversides today because of it. Leaves me with a 10 gallon with minnows in it, but I guess I can use them as occasional snacks until they're gone. The lionfish won't eat the krill but he'll eat the silversides.

I have to admit to hearing conflicting info about the wrasse and tangs, though. Everything I've seen about them on the net says they're OK for tanks even smaller than mine. And this one store I go to that's run by a pretty strict staff who doesn't hesitate to tell you if you're making a mistake said they were fine for my tank and sold it to me. When this tank became available to me, the first thing I did is look up lunar wrasses on the net, and its minimum tank size was given as 70 gallons. I plan on selling the tangs except for the purple because I don't like them as much as I did in the stores and in pictures, but I really really really want to keep the wrasse. So I may not follow your advice about him, but I don't have a problem unloading the tangs.

[leebca]

I think Ninong says it best in this thread:
Huma Huma Trigger Compatibility

You may want to take a look at the above thread for Ninong's post.

Good luck!