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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ike" data-source="post: 348767" data-attributes="member: 513">Fish That Require Huge Aquariums (200 gallons or more): Cartilaginous Fishes (Sharks, Rays, Skates): Require tanks much larger than 200 gal. and should just be left out of home aquaria, Nurse sharks can grow to 14ft. long!, repeating this one so it sinks inGroupers & Seabass (various genera): Especially take note of the cute little Panther Groupers commonly offered in the trade as they can attain over 2' in lengthSnappers (Family Lutjanidae): Those little Red Emperor Snappers seen in the trade get over 3' longUnicorn Tangs (Naso spp.): They will even outgrow common size aquariums such as 125 gal. and 180 gal. Moray Eels (Family Muraenidae): Do your research as many are not suitable for home aquariumsSquirrel and Soldierfish (Family Holocentridae): Some of these are borderline, do your researchBatfish and Spadefish (Family Ephippidae): Probably best left to public aquaria Twinspot Wrasse (Coris aygula): Take special note of this one as they're often offered as small attractive juveniles, they get very large and very mean, up to 4' longRed Coris Wrasse (Coris gaimard & Coris frerei): Sold as tiny juvenilles they can grow up to be 2' beasts, beware the size of most Coris wrasses, though the common Yellow Coris Wrasse is actually a smaller fish from not in the genus Coris but belonging to the genus HalichoeresDragon Wrasse (Novaculichthys taeniourus): Offered as very small juvenilles they grow to be about a foot long and are known to flip aquarium decorations and rocks when adultsFlounder (Paralichthys spp.): Rarely suitable for aquarium life, also becoming increasingly rare due to overfishing as a food fishTassled filefish (Chaetoderma pencilligera): Often offered when cute and tiny but grow quite largeAngelfish (various genera): When purchasing any angelfish that isn't Centropyge be sure to check their ultimate size, take special note of the French, Gray, Blue, and Queen which are often offered as small juvenilles ang will outgrow most aquariumsTriggerfish (various genera): Most will be fine in large aquariums of around 100 gallons, but there are a few that would be unsuitable for all but the largest home aquariums, do research on their ultimate size and temprament before a purchase is made Venomous and/or Toxic Species:Stonefishes (Synanceia spp.): Believed to be the most venomous fish in the worldScorpionfishes/Rockfishes (various genera): Rhinopias has gained in popularity recentlyToadfish  (family Batrachoididae)Lionfish (various genera)Rabbitfishes/Foxfaces (Siganus and a sub-genus Lo)Coral Catfish (Plotosus lineatus): These also get up to a foot long and become more solitary as they growBlue Ring Octopus (Hapalochlaena spp.)Fang Blennies (Meiacanthus spp.): Venomous bites that can be painfulFlower Urchins (Toxopneustes pileolus): Rare in the trade, but outside the trade there are reported deaths from this speciesBlack Longspined Sea Urchins (Diadema spp.): Can inflict painful wounds, some debate exists whether or not they are really venomous, but it's wise to handle all urchins with careCone Shells (Conus spp.): Rarely encountered in the aquarium trade, can be deadlyStingrays (familly Dasyatidae): Many have venom associated with the spike on the tail which they use in self defense, fatalities are very rareSea Snakes (various genera): I know you're not going to try to add one to your reef aquarium, but included for good measureBox Jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri): Quite deadly but of no concern to aquaristsHell's Fire Anemone (family Actinodendronidae): While all anemones are capable of stinging, this is the one of the few to be concerned about, very painful stingsHydroids: usually just cause skin irritation if anythingFire Coral (Millepora spp.): See hydroidsSea Mat, Button Polyps, Zoanthids (family Zoanthidae): Some of these can contain Palytoxin which can be quite dangerous, they're quite frequently harmless but if you want to err on the side of caution rubber gloves are a good idea when handling them, as are goggles when fragging themExtremely Aggressive Species: Undulated Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus): Perhaps the meanest aquarium fish available and one to avoid unless you don't mind having a large aquarium with one fish Queen Triggerfish (Balistes vetula): Not quite as bad as the Undulated, but pretty close and what they lack by comparison in aggression they more than make up for in sizeClown Triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum): Pretty similar in demeanor to the above twoBlueline Triggerfish (Pseudobalistes fuscus): Not so bad when young, but a beast once it grows, probably the least aggressive of the four triggers mentionedPasser Angelfish (Holacanthus passer): Probably the meanest of all Angelfish, some of the larger Angels may look like delicate beauties, but some can be quite aggressiveDamselfish (family Pomacentridae): They're not all bad, but ounce for ounce some of them are the meanest fish around, think long and hard about adding them as some of your first specimensMaroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus): Females get quite large and they can take over medium size tanks, they're also probably the least tolerant of other clown speciesSohal Tang (Acanthurus sohal): Much hardier than the Clown Tang but just about as mean, probably best to keep them as the lone Tang, and if you must keep one in a community reef tank make it your last fish additionBicolor Pseudochromis (Pseudochromis paccagnellae) A lot of Pseudochromis get a bad wrap, but this isn't one of those cases, very nasty fish, P. porphyreus, P. diadema, and P. aldabraensis are others to be weary of    Special Notes: Clownfish (Amphiprion spp.): Various species often acclimate poorly to aquarium life and suffer greatly from collection stress, I've seen estimates that as little as five percent of those collected live to be in home aquaria, when possible buy tank raised specimensBangaii/Borneo Cardinals (Pterapogon kauderrni): Rather limited in range and rumors of an unsustainable population if the current rate of collection continues, there are also stories of poor survival after collection, buy tank raised when possibleTangs (various genera) Should have larger aquaria to provide them with plenty of swimming room, no a tang is not suitable for your nano or 29 gallon tank, when small 3'-4' aquariums can be suitable for short periods of time or smaller species, though bigger is recommended by manyAngelfish (various genera): Their compatibility with corals and clams is often brought up and debated, outside of Geniacanthus there really is no such thing as a "reef safe" Angelfish and even those have the odd exception, before purchasing one consider how difficult one would be to catch out of your display tank after it decides your corals and favorite clam are delicious, they can be model citizens but there is always a risk associated in reef aquariums</blockquote>

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