Rare fish adding

[fishguy777]

I have a 200 gallon, 7’ by 26” by 26”, heavily filtered. I already have
Hi fin snapper 8”
Naso tang Female 9”
Magnificent foxface 7”
Emperor angel 6”
Polleni grouper 5”
Blue throat trigger 5”
Purple tang 4”
Bi color angel 3
Powder blue tang 3”
Want to add
Achilles tang
Male blonde naso tang
Harlequin tusk
Coral cat shark OR epaulette shark
Sapo puffer
Multiple blue reef chromis
Multiple lyretail anthias
Zebra eel OR banana eel
California ray OR blue dot ray
My skimmer is for up to 800 gallons, and I have a large UV. Algae refugium, and planning on getting the reefmat 1200 instead of the 4 4” filter socks that I currently have. I have a crossflow jebao wave pump for flow. 300lbs of sand, I’d guess 200lbs of rock, I can take out rock if the sharks and rays need more swimming space tho. And I did the Red Sea mesh DIY lid. Probably an inch of space not covered at the back, but not enough space for a decent sized fish to jump from.
It’s worked for me in the past when I heavily stock tanks. That there’s so many fish that there’s no bullying.
Powder blue is still in QT

 

[i cant think]

I have a 200 gallon, 7’ by 26” by 26”, heavily filtered. I already have
Hi fin snapper 8”
Naso tang Female 9”
Magnificent foxface 7”
Emperor angel 6”
Polleni grouper 5”
Blue throat trigger 5”
Purple tang 4”
Bi color angel 3
Powder blue tang 3”
Want to add
Achilles tang
Male blonde naso tang
Harlequin tusk
Coral cat shark OR epaulette shark
Sapo puffer
Multiple blue reef chromis
Multiple lyretail anthias
Zebra eel OR banana eel
California ray OR blue dot ray
My skimmer is for up to 800 gallons, and I have a large UV. Algae refugium, and planning on getting the reefmat 1200 instead of the 4 4” filter socks that I currently have. I have a crossflow jebao wave pump for flow. 300lbs of sand, I’d guess 200lbs of rock, I can take out rock if the sharks and rays need more swimming space tho. And I did the Red Sea mesh DIY lid. Probably an inch of space not covered at the back, but not enough space for a decent sized fish to jump from.
It’s worked for me in the past when I heavily stock tanks. That there’s so many fish that there’s no bullying.
Powder blue is still in QT

Straight away, the Achilles is likely a no go. It’s not often people manage to get them and powder blues to cohabitate with eachother.

The shark and puffers may not do well together as they are quite nippy with fins. This is the same issue when it comes to the rays.

 

[JC1977]

You’ve got all kinds of compatibility issues as stated above. Also keep in mind your tank-while-decent sized-isn’t really that big when we start talking about the species you want to keep. If you’re serious about keeping all these species you need several separate systems and need to think big footprint especially for the sharks and rays.

 

[fishguy242]

Agree way too small for sharks or rays

 

[fishguy777]

Agree way too small for sharks or rays

The shark gets <24”?? Tanks 26” wide, 7’ long, people keep sharks and rays in 125’s and 150’s

 

[Cthulukelele]

The shark gets <24”?? Tanks 26” wide, 7’ long, people keep sharks and rays in 125’s and 150’s

Keeping a shark or ray in a 125 is IMO animal cruelty. Keeping a shark in your tank is also IMO a terrible idea. These are creatures that can live 20+ years in the wild and rarely make it more than a year or 2 in captivity. Their max sizes are 28 inches and 35 inches respectively. A full grown coral cat shark would barely be able to turn around in your tank let alone forage in its natural way.

 

[fishguy777]

Straight away, the Achilles is likely a no go. It’s not often people manage to get them and powder blues to cohabitate with eachother.

The shark and puffers may not do well together as they are quite nippy with fins. This is the same issue when it comes to the rays.

Ill take the puffer off the list, any other compatibility issues?

 

[fishguy777]

Keeping a shark or ray in a 125 is IMO animal cruelty. Keeping a shark in your tank is also IMO a terrible idea. These are creatures that can live 20+ years in the wild and rarely make it more than a year or 2 in captivity. Their max sizes are 28 inches and 35 inches respectively. A full grown coral cat shark would barely be able to turn around in your tank let alone forage in its natural way.

When I looked it up, average max size is 24”, largest they MIGHT get is 28”. Doesn’t it also vary based on the genetics of the fish?

 

[Cthulukelele]

When I looked it up, average max size is 24”, largest they MIGHT get is 28”. Doesn’t it also vary based on the genetics of the fish?

Look if you're going to add a shark to your tank I can't stop you. Nobody here can, but a heavily aquascaped 200 gallon tank with very little open sand space is an environment almost nobody would suggest you stock with any variety of sand dwelling shark.

 

[fishguy777]

Look if you're going to add a shark to your tank I can't stop you. Nobody here can, but a heavily aquascaped 200 gallon tank with very little open sand space is an environment almost nobody would suggest you stock with a variety of sand dwelling shark.

I’m not limited to upgrading, or taking out a lot of rock. I only added the shark and ray to my post to see if there were any huge aggression issues I should be aware of, like how you can’t keep a clownfish with a emperor snapper

 

[i cant think]

Ill take the puffer off the list, any other compatibility issues?

Still the issue with angels possibly nipping fins of both sharks and rays, the Achilles and powder blue issue, Chromis being taken out by larger predators (I.e. Sharks, Snappers etc) and so on.
Rays also need a huge amount of open sand - The best way I’ve found that someone’s actually had a ray was through a floating scape. It leaves enough room for the rat to hang out in the sand and not get potentially damaged via scraping against the rockwork.

When I looked it up, average max size is 24”, largest they MIGHT get is 28”. Doesn’t it also vary based on the genetics of the fish?

A maximum size depends greatly on the species, every species has the chance to get to the maximum average size recorded. Most specimens get to 80% of their maximum wild size however as with everything, there’s exceptions.

 

[i cant think]

The shark gets <24”?? Tanks 26” wide, 7’ long, people keep sharks and rays in 125’s and 150’s

That’s 2 inches of open turning room, that just shows how small your tank is. It would only just manage to fit lengthways if it stayed under 24” - and no, these aren’t fish that stay under 24”. I work around an Epaulette that is 3’ at least and a juvenile 1.5-2’ Coral Cat. They are truly fish that need large tanks.

 

[fishguy777]

Still the issue with angels possibly nipping fins of both sharks and rays, the Achilles and powder blue issue, Chromis being taken out by larger predators (I.e. Sharks, Snappers etc) and so on.
Rays also need a huge amount of open sand - The best way I’ve found that someone’s actually had a ray was through a floating scape. It leaves enough room for the rat to hang out in the sand and not get potentially damaged via scraping against the rockwork.

A maximum size depends greatly on the species, every species has the chance to get to the maximum average size recorded. Most specimens get to 80% of their maximum wild size however as with everything, there’s exceptions.

The chromis get 5” long, so too big to be eaten. I’m not able or experienced enough to make a floating scape, but I can definitely take out a lot of rock. I can build pillars at the bottom, then have all the rock above. And then for the angelfish, when I’ve added large fish in the past, they hide from them, like the naso and snapper, they are scared of them, and often avoid them. If I get a 15” shark, I would have to assume that the angels would be terrified, especially if he’s coasting around the tank.

 

[fishguy777]

That’s 2 inches of open turning room, that just shows how small your tank is. It would only just manage to fit lengthways if it stayed under 24” - and no, these aren’t fish that stay under 24”. I work around an Epaulette that is 3’ at least and a juvenile 1.5-2’ Coral Cat. They are truly fish that need large tanks.

Still, they grow the most in the first 1-2 years of their life, I will have time to upgrade to a large pond in my basement by then.

 

[Cthulukelele]

The chromis get 5” long, so too big to be eaten. I’m not able or experienced enough to make a floating scape, but I can definitely take out a lot of rock. I can build pillars at the bottom, then have all the rock above. And then for the angelfish, when I’ve added large fish in the past, they hide from them, like the naso and snapper, they are scared of them, and often avoid them. If I get a 15” shark, I would have to assume that the angels would be terrified, especially if he’s coasting around the tank.

You'd be surprised how brazen fin nippers can be. Angels and puffers "taste" everything.

 

[fishguy777]

You'd be surprised how brazen fin nippers can be. Angels and puffers "taste" everything.

If they did start to nip at the shark and ray, how quickly would it start? Would I have enough time to catch the angels out and re home them? I can’t see the bi color do anything to harm them, he’s only 3”, he’s last in line for an aggressor.

 

[Cthulukelele]

And I'd actually be more worried for them killing the shark (puffer or large angel) than the inverse. Both sharks you listed aren't very adept at hurting any free swimming fish especially larger ones like full sized angels and puffers

 

[College_Reefer]

Honestly seems like you wanted someone to justify the objectively highly poor decision you wanted to go through with. It doesn’t seem like you want to hear it so not super sure why you’re asking. These sharks are BIG. Whether 20” or 28” they’re way too big. If you have the ability to build a pond like you said you did, then what’s the huge deal in just waiting till you can put that pond together? If you care about the fish and livestock you keep, this shouldn’t even remotely be a debate.

 

[JC1977]

You'd be surprised how brazen fin nippers can be. Angels and puffers "taste" everything.

Agreed I had no clue how aggressive angels could be until I watched my 6” queen angel kill a scribbled mapa puffer smh. I would never try to keep rays or sharks with any large angels.

 

[i cant think]

If they did start to nip at the shark and ray, how quickly would it start? Would I have enough time to catch the angels out and re home them? I can’t see the bi color do anything to harm them, he’s only 3”, he’s last in line for an aggressor.

It often starts fairly early on but if you’re lucky it’ll start later down the line. It’s just not something you should be willing to risk.

The chromis get 5” long, so too big to be eaten. I’m not able or experienced enough to make a floating scape, but I can definitely take out a lot of rock. I can build pillars at the bottom, then have all the rock above. And then for the angelfish, when I’ve added large fish in the past, they hide from them, like the naso and snapper, they are scared of them, and often avoid them. If I get a 15” shark, I would have to assume that the angels would be terrified, especially if he’s coasting around the tank.

5” against some of your 1’ long predatory fish is nothing. Snappers can easily take out a 5” fish, rays pin their prey against the glass - same can occur with sharks.

Angels wouldn’t be scared of a shark, in fact they’d be more intrigued. The sharks you want as said above are not well adapted to take out large open water swimmers but instead smaller fish (Chromis, Clowns, Blennies, Gobies) when sleeping in the rocks.

Why the need to go for these fish now? Why not wait? Nothing goes right when you rush everything. And it’s unlikely anyone is going to justify this stocking idea.