Anyone else here think this is crazy?

[weez1959]

I realize that they don't recommend that anyone should atempt this but 60 large angels tangs and triggers in a 250 gallon tank is a bit much isn't it?

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[leebca]

It seems too much.

What we are not there to see is how the fish are interacting and where they 'sleep' at night. Most of those fishes want to find a 'hole' or niche to sleep in. I don't see enough of these to accommodate the fishes.

When the fish are awake, it would not be too uncommon for them to be so confused by being packed in so tight that they may not pick on any one single fish (or if they do, their attention is soon diverted). So interactions could be lowered in a crowded tank.

Keeping fish in not-too-low hyposalinity is something a few public aquariums are experimenting with. There are no verified long-term negative effects of continuous hyposalinity on ornamental marine fishes, however in food fishes it was abandoned since Marine Ich is the only parasite that is killed by this kind of treatment, and at the low salinity, some Marine Ich parasites are 'learning' to adapt to the lower salinity.

Fish physiological processes depend upon a few hundred years of adapting to NSW conditions. Professionals and advanced marine aquarists agree that keeping fish at an extreme water chemistry parameter is not good for the chemical process going on inside the fish.

We will probably never know:
1) When the fish was put in (exact date);
2) When the fish died (exact date); and
3) How many fish are being 'cycled' by being replaced.

I can imagine -- will the aquarist even notice that a fish has died in the rocks, out of sight? Is the aquarist counting them daily?

I like some of the other things being done, like the frequency and size of feedings.

Things always look good in new setups, but what happens in the long haul will tell the tale.

[Ninong]

I agree with you that a 250-gal tank is really too small for the 66 fish he has listed but according to that article, the owner of the tank agrees with us on that.

"Many of the exotic fish in the Angelfish tank can reach adult sizes well in excess of 12 inches and the 250-gallon community tank is by no means the final destination for such specimens. Although all of the fish are doing well at their current level of occupancy, that may not remain the case as the juvenile fish begin to reach maturity, and their owner is preparing larger accommodations to deal with that eventuality. And, since Travis is not a typical hobbyist, he is currently contemplating a closed-system home aquarium of up to 4000 gallons total capacity for this purpose. That's a whopping 16 times larger than the 250-gallon community tank! The more spacious home aquarium will be set up in much the same manner as the 250-gallon aquarium but will have all of the elbow room even a fully grown 18-inch Queen Angelfish or football-sized clown Triggerfish needs to be comfortable."

I think it would have been better to hold off until after the new tank is up and running but this sort of thing happens a lot. I don't think it's as bad as the 100-liter (26-gal) reef tank that is pictured in one of The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium volumes with 7 yellow tangs, plus several other fish and lots of live rock and corals. I still can't figure out why Fossa and Nilsen included that tank in their otherwise excellent series.

[FireEater]

You can see the same thing in the thread on the Rainforest Cafe tank. Every time I go in there I am amazed at how many fish are crammed in there for our viewing pleasure. It really doesn't look like a lot of fish until feeding time. Once they bunch together, then you can see the full scope of the fish.

It's good to see that he has a plan for a larger tank for when the fish mature. Hopefully that plan will stay on schedule or he will have to find other places for the fish as they mature.

[leebca]

The concept of 'when the fish are small it is okay to jam them in' and then to get a larger tank later is, IMO, wrong. Space stress begins when the fish, whatever size, is unable to swim distances it needs or is used to. Those distances are not always size related.

Those fishes will not live their naturally expected lifespan in captivity. But, the aquarist who is not used to fishes living 12+ years in captivity doesn't usually 'see the results' of space stress.

If I keep a 4" Blue Line Angel (which I see he has in that tank), it belongs right off in an aquarium of no less than 300 gallons with the properly quantity of tankmates. ;;

[carlc]

It is pretty appalling to me! This is a person who obviously has the money for a larger tank judging by some of the species being kept.

What I find even worse is WWM publishing the article. So many new fish keepers are directed there to learn. I guess they don't see anything wrong with learning the wrong way of doing things.

Carl

[leebca]

Actually Carl, you hit on something I had thought about, but didn't want to write about.

When such systems are published and then people come to forums, such as Reefland, for recommendations and advice and we basically advise against this, we sometimes get the feedback, 'But I saw it done. . .' It is then our credibility that's called into question.

Where are the Righteous Police when you need them?

[FireEater]

Where are the Righteous Police when you need them?

Hold up at the donut shop with the Tang Police!

[weez1959]

That's just tooooo funny!
I can almost hear the conversation!