Top Ten List of Things I Wouldn't Put in My Tank

Chitownpw · 02/18/2019, 04:38 PM

Based on personal experience, below is a list of the top ten things I wouldn’t put in my mixed reef tank if I could do it over again. I realize people are going to hate, but these are just my views.

1) Green star polyps. While this coral is easy to care for and can add a unique (relative to other corals) look to your tank, it grows like a weed and is noxious to other coral species around it. I had this coral in each of my tanks. Realizing it has a tenacious desire to grow and move towards the top of the tank, I tried to isolate it from my main rock structures but it still found its way over.

2) Pulsating Xenia. This coral is interesting for about five minutes until (like the green star polyp) it starts growing like a weed and irritates the hell out of everything around it. To get it out of my 90 gallon, I had to treat it like some sort of evasive species and take extreme measures.

3) Mushrooms (primarily, Discosoma). Like the corals above, these are good beginner corals but they spread uncontrollably. I find they like to colonize next to my most expensive SPS and irritate them, and they are extremely difficult to remove.

4) Long-spined black sea urchin. Good workers but just didn’t make sense in my tank. Constantly knocking things over, and I kept forgetting how close they were whenever I stuck my hand in my tank.

5) Green / Blue Chromis. I like the fish and have one in my tank. They made this list because they have a tendency to bully the hell out of each other until there is only one left – hence the reason why I only have one – the sole survivor.

6) Foxface. These are generally good workers, but they are extremely skittish and other tank inhabitants cue off it. Plus, I had one that decided to start eating all my LPS.

7) Powder Blug Tang. Love the fish but extremely susceptible to ich. Plus, 9 times out of 10 they are true bullies. This is one fish, however, I likely would put into a larger system.

8) Mandarin Dragonet. Like the PBT, I love this fish; however, they just don’t really seem compatible with your typical home reef tank. I’ve never been able to keep these fish alive for more than a couple of years, even when I kept a good supply of a live food source.

9) Conchs. Like them but they don’t seem to live long.

10) Filter Socks. Just because I hate cleaning them.

What would you exclude if you could do it over again?

outssider · 02/18/2019, 06:17 PM

Stylophora….all birdsnest…...they both grow too fast

pocillopora ….will pop up all over the place

Xenia and star polyps can be controlled/eliminated with very low nutrients

Jason9488 · 02/18/2019, 06:23 PM

Never had an issue with anything you listed. Need to learn how to control.

fijisrfr · 02/18/2019, 07:15 PM

I would disagree with the conch, I’ve had mine goin on 8 years. The socks are easy, just don’t use them. I gave up socks years ago and that removed my most hated chore.
To answer your next question, I notice no difference in water clarity!

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Uncle99 · 02/18/2019, 07:41 PM

Crabs, all, banned completely!

Cancun · 02/18/2019, 08:15 PM

Hi! Here is my list I learned over the years!

1. Six line Wrasse - gets way to agressive, never again!

2. All hermit crabs

3. Blue headed Wrasse or any other in the Thalasoma species - get large and eventually bully everything.

There's probably more.....lol....

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Zalick · 02/18/2019, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle99

Crabs, all, banned completely!

+100

2. Australian Sea Apple - I had one in my very first tank in the late 90s. Had no idea what I was doing. Kept the tank going wonderfully for 3 years. One night the sea apple died, got sucked in a power head and nuked the whole tank.

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billwill · 02/18/2019, 11:50 PM

Great list! I agree with all of these except the crabs. I love emerald crabs. I would add galaxea and hollywood stunner, both of which kill anything with 10” of them. Nobody’s going to list shark eggs? Thinking back I can’t believe how much I saw those at pet stores.

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alton · 02/19/2019, 06:35 AM

I love Emerald, Porcelain, Scarlets, Hawaiian Zebra Crabs, I hate red and blue leg. There is a reason why they are cheap.

Sugar Magnolia · 02/19/2019, 07:37 AM

Clove polyps.

billdogg · 02/19/2019, 02:33 PM

Along with everything listed above, I'll add pseudochromis, green "coris" wrasse, and palythoa sp., especially the green "texas trash" palys.

Dmorty217 · 02/20/2019, 10:55 AM

Clown and Sohal tangs, though they are stunning fish they almost always end up killing all tank inhabitants with maturity

marinelife · 02/20/2019, 11:44 AM

Blue Ridge Coral, It's taking over!!!

cody6766 · 02/20/2019, 06:40 PM

GSP
Xenia
crabs of all kinds
starfish
large urchins
most palys, especially the green trash palys
almost all mushrooms (ricordea are a strong exception to that rule)
clove polyps
pseudochromis
....and probably a few other things I"m forgetting that cause problems more often than not.

no1bubba · 02/20/2019, 07:31 PM

Kenya trees, polyps, GSP, palys, Xenia AND my hands after using hand lotion

fijisrfr · 02/20/2019, 08:32 PM

Un cured silicone

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cap11885 · 02/20/2019, 10:02 PM

Why all crabs?

homer1475 · 02/21/2019, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cap11885

Why all crabs?

I wonder the same thing. The larger emeralds and their likes I can understand, but tiny little hermits?

I've had the same handful of red and blue leg hermits in my tank since me coming back into the hobby about 5 years ago now. Not a one has murdered a snail for a shell, ate a dying/sleeping fish(and yes I have fish that sleep in the sand), killed each other for their shells, or any of the other things people seems to recall their hermits doing that puts them on that list.

Don't get me wrong, I realize every ones experiences are different, and every inhabitant can act differently in different tanks, but any red or blue leg hermit I have seen is a model citizen and a great part of the CUC.

Some of the other colored hermits I will agree on, murderous bastards!!

In my list:
GSP
Green palys
blue clove polyps(threw away 100lbs of LR from that crap)
mushroom of any kind with the exception of ricordia
frogspawn, Not typically considered invasive, but they grow so fast if conditions are right they smother any other coral it gets near.

journeyman · 02/21/2019, 09:15 AM

Blue ochtodes. They took over like a weed.

Cleaner shrimp. They take food away from anemones and kill them.

6-line/8-line wrasse. Too aggressive.

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jjencek · 02/21/2019, 09:33 AM

Fish without QT

Acros without QT

64Ivy · 02/21/2019, 10:36 AM

Discosoma mushrooms, Pseudochromis, Copper.

ironlungz · 02/21/2019, 12:16 PM

GSP & Discosoma

Great to start off a tank. Sucks when you want to add more coral later on and all the good spots are stolen by these guys

dkeller_nc · 02/21/2019, 06:07 PM

Just about any additive that doesn't completely list its chemical composition in detail.

ca1ore · 02/21/2019, 08:33 PM

Green hairy mushrooms - a scourge (and nothing eats them).

Daddi0 · 02/21/2019, 08:50 PM

Urchins - they have killed more frags in my reef by dropping them behind the rock work, Hollywood stunner chalice
Cheers! Mark

02/18/2019, 04:38 PM	#1
Chitownpw Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Chicago Posts: 218	Top Ten List of Things I Wouldn't Put in My Tank Based on personal experience, below is a list of the top ten things I wouldn’t put in my mixed reef tank if I could do it over again. I realize people are going to hate, but these are just my views. 1) Green star polyps. While this coral is easy to care for and can add a unique (relative to other corals) look to your tank, it grows like a weed and is noxious to other coral species around it. I had this coral in each of my tanks. Realizing it has a tenacious desire to grow and move towards the top of the tank, I tried to isolate it from my main rock structures but it still found its way over. 2) Pulsating Xenia. This coral is interesting for about five minutes until (like the green star polyp) it starts growing like a weed and irritates the hell out of everything around it. To get it out of my 90 gallon, I had to treat it like some sort of evasive species and take extreme measures. 3) Mushrooms (primarily, Discosoma). Like the corals above, these are good beginner corals but they spread uncontrollably. I find they like to colonize next to my most expensive SPS and irritate them, and they are extremely difficult to remove. 4) Long-spined black sea urchin. Good workers but just didn’t make sense in my tank. Constantly knocking things over, and I kept forgetting how close they were whenever I stuck my hand in my tank. 5) Green / Blue Chromis. I like the fish and have one in my tank. They made this list because they have a tendency to bully the hell out of each other until there is only one left – hence the reason why I only have one – the sole survivor. 6) Foxface. These are generally good workers, but they are extremely skittish and other tank inhabitants cue off it. Plus, I had one that decided to start eating all my LPS. 7) Powder Blug Tang. Love the fish but extremely susceptible to ich. Plus, 9 times out of 10 they are true bullies. This is one fish, however, I likely would put into a larger system. 8) Mandarin Dragonet. Like the PBT, I love this fish; however, they just don’t really seem compatible with your typical home reef tank. I’ve never been able to keep these fish alive for more than a couple of years, even when I kept a good supply of a live food source. 9) Conchs. Like them but they don’t seem to live long. 10) Filter Socks. Just because I hate cleaning them. What would you exclude if you could do it over again?

02/18/2019, 06:17 PM	#2
outssider Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Reseda, Ca. Posts: 1,717	Stylophora….all birdsnest…...they both grow too fast pocillopora ….will pop up all over the place Xenia and star polyps can be controlled/eliminated with very low nutrients __________________ Please don't feed the bears because the bears will become dependent on free handouts and forget how to take care of themselves …... Current Tank Info: 75 Gal. Mixed reef mostly sps

02/18/2019, 08:15 PM	#6
Cancun Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Saint Louis Missouri Posts: 527	Hi! Here is my list I learned over the years! 1. Six line Wrasse - gets way to agressive, never again! 2. All hermit crabs 3. Blue headed Wrasse or any other in the Thalasoma species - get large and eventually bully everything. There's probably more.....lol.... Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk __________________ Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL...I love wrasses....have leopards....several Coris....China Wrasse, Dejardini and purple tang... Current Tank Info: Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL

02/19/2019, 07:37 AM	#10
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Clove polyps. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

02/19/2019, 02:33 PM	#11
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	Along with everything listed above, I'll add pseudochromis, green "coris" wrasse, and palythoa sp., especially the green "texas trash" palys. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

02/18/2019, 06:23 PM	#3
Jason9488 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2018 Posts: 152	Never had an issue with anything you listed. Need to learn how to control.

02/18/2019, 07:15 PM	#4
fijisrfr Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 594	I would disagree with the conch, I’ve had mine goin on 8 years. The socks are easy, just don’t use them. I gave up socks years ago and that removed my most hated chore. To answer your next question, I notice no difference in water clarity! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

02/18/2019, 07:41 PM	#5
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	Crabs, all, banned completely!

02/18/2019, 11:50 PM	#8
billwill Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Oregon Posts: 244	Great list! I agree with all of these except the crabs. I love emerald crabs. I would add galaxea and hollywood stunner, both of which kill anything with 10” of them. Nobody’s going to list shark eggs? Thinking back I can’t believe how much I saw those at pet stores. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/19/2019, 06:35 AM	#9
alton Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Zuehl, Texas Posts: 4,460	I love Emerald, Porcelain, Scarlets, Hawaiian Zebra Crabs, I hate red and blue leg. There is a reason why they are cheap.

02/20/2019, 10:55 AM	#12
Dmorty217 Saltwater Addict Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Vandalia OHIO Posts: 11,624	Clown and Sohal tangs, though they are stunning fish they almost always end up killing all tank inhabitants with maturity __________________ Fish are not disposable commodities, but a worthwhile investment that can be maintained and enjoyed for many years, providing one is willing to take the time to understand their requirements and needs Current Tank Info: 625g, 220g sump, RD3 230w, Vectra L1 on a closed loop, 3 MP60s, MP40. Several QTs

02/20/2019, 11:44 AM	#13
marinelife Registered Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Union, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,590	Blue Ridge Coral, It's taking over!!! __________________ I'm a SaltGeek are You? All LED since 2010. Current Tank Info: 375 Gallon Reef with siporax, all LED lighting, and Red Dragon 3 and Abyzz A200 on 2 closed loops.

02/20/2019, 06:40 PM	#14
cody6766 Super Best Friends! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: OKC, OK Posts: 3,772	GSP Xenia crabs of all kinds starfish large urchins most palys, especially the green trash palys almost all mushrooms (ricordea are a strong exception to that rule) clove polyps pseudochromis ....and probably a few other things I"m forgetting that cause problems more often than not. __________________ "The moral is the chosen, not the forced; the understood, not the obeyed. The moral is the rational, and reason accepts no commandments." - John Galt Current Tank Info: Cadlights 60G Arisan II mixed reef with 2x MP40s and 24" ATI

02/20/2019, 07:31 PM	#15
no1bubba Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Lancaster PA Posts: 405	Kenya trees, polyps, GSP, palys, Xenia AND my hands after using hand lotion

02/20/2019, 08:32 PM	#16
fijisrfr Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 594	Un cured silicone Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

02/20/2019, 10:02 PM	#17
cap11885 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 278	Why all crabs? __________________ 250dd, icecap 48xl sump, skimmer, 4 koralia pumps w/controller, 2x hydra 52HD, Apex controller. Oldest fish 14 years. Current Tank Info: 250 mixed

02/21/2019, 09:15 AM	#19
journeyman Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca. Posts: 357	Blue ochtodes. They took over like a weed. Cleaner shrimp. They take food away from anemones and kill them. 6-line/8-line wrasse. Too aggressive. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

02/21/2019, 09:33 AM	#20
jjencek Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Prague, Czech Republic Posts: 366	Fish without QT Acros without QT

02/21/2019, 10:36 AM	#21
64Ivy B'rer Reefer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Greenwich, CT Posts: 3,194	Discosoma mushrooms, Pseudochromis, Copper. __________________ Be Kind To The Elderly. Life Without Parole Means Nothing To Us. ToTM 3-03 Current Tank Info: Between tanks. Searching for a home

02/21/2019, 12:16 PM	#22
ironlungz Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Orange County Posts: 38	GSP & Discosoma Great to start off a tank. Sucks when you want to add more coral later on and all the good spots are stolen by these guys

02/21/2019, 06:07 PM	#23
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	Just about any additive that doesn't completely list its chemical composition in detail.

02/21/2019, 08:33 PM	#24
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	Green hairy mushrooms - a scourge (and nothing eats them). __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

02/21/2019, 08:50 PM	#25
Daddi0 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Redwood City Posts: 1,354	Urchins - they have killed more frags in my reef by dropping them behind the rock work, Hollywood stunner chalice Cheers! Mark __________________ 2x 65g displays with a 30g cryptic refugium and 30g sump - 55g reef 30g Bio-cube reef - I.M. 30g reef - 45g freshwater