Frequent Aquarium Questions

• I have a little blue spotted stingray. The shop I bought him from told me to feed him chopped crustaceans and fish. How much and how often should I feed him?
  
  
• I have had a spotted pufferfish in my tank for a couple months now. Recently it has become lethargic and spends lots of time at the surface. In addition to this, it has taken on a "sunken in" look behind the main body as it goes into the tail part of the fish. I've checked and rechecked my water levels and they are ok. What could possibly be causing this?
  
  
• Can I put a lionfish in a 20 gallon tall tank?
  
  
• My Yellow Tang has been alone in my aquarium for the last six months. Every time I try to add a new fish, he attacks and kills it. What should I do?
  
  
• Are Percula Clownfish good fish in a fish only tank?
  
  
• What do clownfish eat when no anemone is present?
  
  
• When a dominant female anemonefish is taken out of the anemone, the dominant male fish turns into a female and one of the males turns into a dominant male. How would the anemonefish react when the previously dominant female returns to the anemone? Would there be another sex change?
  
  
• I am having trouble getting a couple of my fish to eat (Coral Beauty & Firefish). Every time I get close to the tank to feed them they swim off and never eat, any suggestions on what I should do?
  
  
• I've had my salt water tank for over 2 years i started out with two damsels then brought those bck got a clown and two chronies. The guy said that the clown fish was in copper water to drain him then add him to my tank and it will be fine then i got another clown fish and bought a shrimp it was pretty expensive i sat the shrimp in the water and waited 15 min then slowly added him in and he started to shake and died. i tested my water and nothing showed up told the guy what happened and he did not know what went wrong. Recently i bought a feather duster and i let it sit or 15 minutes and slowly let it get use to the water... it took like 3 minutes and then it died.where did i go wrong? Could i ahve copper in my water?
  
  
• I would like to have Lionfish, seastars and seahorses in one tank. Is it possible?
  
  

• I have a little blue spotted stingray. The shop I bought him from told me to feed him chopped crustaceans and fish. How much and how often should I feed him?
  
  As long as your blue-spot is eating, feed it just a few pieces of food at a time, two or three times daily. Fish and crustacean flesh are fine foods for this animal, but always make sure it is eating BEFORE you bring it home. The blue-spotted stingray is notorious for refusing to eat in captivity, and should be avoided by most hobbyists.
  
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• I have had a spotted pufferfish in my tank for a couple months now. Recently it has become lethargic and spends lots of time at the surface. In addition to this, it has taken on a "sunken in" look behind the main body as it goes into the tail part of the fish. I've checked and rechecked my water levels and they are ok. What could possibly be causing this?
  
  Chances are, what you have is not a true fresh water puffer. Spotted puffers can include a variety of puffer species, some of which are true freshwater puffers, and many of which do much better in brackish water (water with a tiny amount of salt in it). These brackish water puffers will indeed slowly break down in perfectly good fresh water, eventually wasting away and dying. If it is early enough, you can reverse the condition by simply adding 1 tsp salt/gallon of aquarium water, over the course of a few hours. If there are other fresh water fish in the tank, they may have to be removed, as they will not tolerate the salt.
  
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• Can I put a lionfish in a 20 gallon tall tank?
  
  No. Lionfish grow quite large. They need at least a 55 gallon tank if kept with only one or two other fish.
  
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• My Yellow Tang has been alone in my aquarium for the last six months. Every time I try to add a new fish, he attacks and kills it. What should I do?
  
  Unless you are OK with keeping just the one tang in your aquarium, your best bet will be to remove it from the aquarium. Yellow Tangs are highly territorial, and once established can be very intolerant of any newcomers to the tank (in this case, the fish has claimed the entire tank as its territory). If you really want a Yellow Tang in your tank, try adding a new one after you have established all of the less-aggressive species you wish to keep. It is also a good idea to avoid any other fish with similar coloring and body shape.
  
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• Are Percula Clownfish good fish in a fish only tank?
  
  Absolutely!
  
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• What do clownfish eat when no anemone is present?
  
  Clownfish eat frozen and dry commercial fish foods regardless of whether there is an anemone present or not.
  
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• When a dominant female anemonefish is taken out of the anemone, the dominant male fish turns into a female and one of the males turns into a dominant male. How would the anemonefish react when the previously dominant female returns to the anemone? Would there be another sex change?
  
  The change to female in anemonefish is a one-way trip. Re-introducing the old dominant female will result in a nasty fight that typically will end in the death of the loser.
  
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• I am having trouble getting a couple of my fish to eat (Coral Beauty & Firefish). Every time I get close to the tank to feed them they swim off and never eat, any suggestions on what I should do?
  
  Newly acquired fishes can be difficult to get feeding, and will be frightened at first by the sudden presence of a person outside the tank. Eventually, they should get used to the interruption, and even look forward to it once they figure out that food is forthcoming. Also, try a variety of frozen or live foods to stimulate a feeding response.
  
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• I've had my salt water tank for over 2 years i started out with two damsels then brought those bck got a clown and two chronies. The guy said that the clown fish was in copper water to drain him then add him to my tank and it will be fine then i got another clown fish and bought a shrimp it was pretty expensive i sat the shrimp in the water and waited 15 min then slowly added him in and he started to shake and died. i tested my water and nothing showed up told the guy what happened and he did not know what went wrong. Recently i bought a feather duster and i let it sit or 15 minutes and slowly let it get use to the water... it took like 3 minutes and then it died.where did i go wrong? Could i ahve copper in my water?
  
  Sudden death of sensitive invertebrates could indeed be from copper poisoning, especially if the fish seem unaffected. It could also be salinity shock--the creatures you mentioned are very sensitive to sudden changes in salt levels. The latter problem is solved by a much slower acclimation process, perhaps even a slow drip (a drop per second for an hour or so). The former problem is much more difficult to solve, as copper is readily absorbed by the substrate and rock, and will remain in the aquarium virtually forever. There are resin exchange products that remove copper selectively from the aquarium--most often they are used in a canister type filter, or put into a media bag in your sump or other external filter.
  
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• I would like to have Lionfish, seastars and seahorses in one tank. Is it possible?
  
  Not quite. The lionfish will happily eat your seahorses. Seastars, however, should be just fine with the lion.
  
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