Leaf Scorpionfish in minibow

[Bear-E]

Hey all,

Just setting up my 7gal minibow reef, my first venture back into reefkeeping since having to sell off my 65gal reef back in college. The tank is still cycling and i'm waiting to get my lights (hopefully today!) and won't be ready for a couple of weeks.

Anyway, was at this store in baltimore called aquarium center and they had one of these leaf scorpionfish, it was about 2" long. Besides the growth (i understand they get to 4", but fairly slow growers) which i will be able to accomodate in the future, as i will be setting up a 30gal cube also, but has anyone tried to keep more of a small predator in a nano before? If regular water changes are performed (there is no skimmer on the tank) will that keep up with the messy meaty diet they require? Anyone had any luck with this species (i believe its Taenianotus triacanthus)?

Any advice is welcome,
Thanks,
Barry

 

[Bear-E]

Sorry for the double post....IE crashed on me as it was posting and i couldn't refresh to see if it posted.

Sorry,
Barry

 

[brandon4291]

That's okay Barry, Ill fix the dp.

I don't have any direct experience with that fish you mention, but in this case I think it's safe to generalize a few characteristics of predator tanks--at least down to the implications of using a nano tank as one.

Many people have frogfish (antennarid) nano aquaria, and prefer them in a nano (5-10g) so they can't hide permanently in the rockwork of a larger setup. These keepers commonly employ oversized skimming and frequent water changes, especially after a meal, to keep the system in check and work against an algae outbreak. The fish and the few corals commonly kept with them in nanos (zo's, some soft corals ect) can adapt to the frequent water changes and seem to do well over the long haul. Take into account the varying degrees of stress tolerance in fish, afforded by heredity and immune system adaptability. This activity may eventually stress some specimens to the point they would develop a secondary infection of some sort and die, but for the most part the fish would be adaptable and remain healthy provided strict tank maintenance is kept.

Do you feel confident in the feeding requirements of your particular fish? Will it require live food or can it be weaned onto frozen food eventually? I think many elements affect the overall outcome of a nano tank, but in general your best bet here would be to match your water change parameters as best you can (temp, s.g., alkalinity/calcium) so water changes are less stress to the tank, while maintaining a fairly simplified aquascape. For this initial setup, I'd stay away from LPS and SPS corals that are trickier to adapt to regular full water changes. An assortment of zoanthids and a few leather corals, for example, should be okay in this kind of setup.

HTH
Brandon M.

 

[Anonymous]

Make sure you have a good assortment of cleanup critters (worms, snails, shrimp), feed sparingly more often (rather than huge meals once a week), and run carbon and do water changes. It should be fine. I think you'll eventually have to move the fish as it grows.

 

[Bear-E]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I'll be sure to run some carbon in my aquaclear...something i've never done in my reefs before. I guess i'll just add a few softies and make sure things settle down and get a good water change regimen down before i add the scorpionfish, if thats what i decide to do.

Thanks again everyone,
Barry