20141226 Underwater footage of my 180 gallon reef- Fish point of view

Here is a submerged "fish point of view" to my clam in the middle of my tank. I love it when the sailfin desjardini tang decides to come up close and "size me up"

20141215 180 Mix Reef Video Update!

Here is video to the 180 Mix reef update with the new family members added. All mingling with no aggressions! I love the blue tang's electric blue color and the pyramid butterfly's golden highlights.

One thing surprised me: I was expecting the blue tang to appear "black" under actinic 430nm lighting, however, it appeared to remain sharply blue!

20141214 New fish in my 180 Reef

Added two new family members to my 180 Reef tank today: The gold pyramid butterflyfish, and the Paracanthurus Hipatus blue tang. I need to add the full name for the tang because there is a lot of confusion over the word "blue tang" in the trade.

Shot o my mix reef with the new fish. Lower left is the desjardini. pyramid butterfly in the middle. and the blue tang next to the clarkii clownfish.

My initial fear for adding these two fish were: 1) the pair of flame angel can be aggressive to any new comers regardless of species and size. 2) the desjardini tang being aggressive towards another tang.
The result- I actually also also introduced four blue line cardinal fish at this time, and no one messed with them at all, they joined my existing school right away. When introducing the butterfly, only one of the two flame angelfish came up and sized him up a bit but then left it alone afterward. All other fish completely ignores it. The blue tang went into hiding for 10 minutes and scared himself upon introduction- in my experience, very usual behavior for this shy fish. After 10 minutes it came out and swam around and explore the boundaries. No one bothered the tang at all, not even the desjardini. The blue tang must look so different from the desjardini tang that it they felt no threat to each other at all.

7 Saltwater fishes you should never get part 5

The next fish on my list of "not to keep at home" is the Moorish Idol, featured in Disney hit film "Finding Nemo" (Which by the way the word Nemo drove me crazy while I was working in the aquarium)

Moorish Idol

One of the worst thing about pop culture is to introduce a false image about certain practices. Keeping percula clown fish and/or the Pacific blue tang are usually not very challenging for average reefers. However, even some of the most experienced reef hobbyists have trouble keeping the elegant Moorish Idol alive in captivity.

Because of its need of swimming room and it's diet needs, not only you will need to have an extra large system for this fish to move around, you will also need to "teach" them to accept food in captivity. I have made attempts while working in the store to no success. And for a creature of this beauty to perish is not only a heart breaker, but a shame.

Banner butterfly fish

If you want something that possess the similar elegance as the Moorish Idol while swimming without the difficulty in keeping, the schooling banner butterfly fish is a great substitute. They are not only easier to keep (I have personal experience in seeing them eat like hogs), hardy, but also very robust in the home aquarium. So please spread the word and educate everyone you know to not follow the example of a children's movie and attempt to keep the Moorish Idol in a small system as shown in the movie.

bannerfish schooling