• Why not take a moment to introduce yourself to our members?

scumonkey

Goniopora isn't VD!
Location
hells kitchen
Rating - 100%
25   0   0
Just what it says....
anampses_chrysocephalus_redtail_tamarin_wrasse27549.jpg
 

scumonkey

Goniopora isn't VD!
Location
hells kitchen
Rating - 100%
25   0   0
I've never heard much about the difficulties of keeping these fish.....
Are they pink spotted filefish,shouldn't be taken from the sea difficult OR,
are they not much more delicate and harder to keep than most other advanced hobbyest only fish- like cleaner or leopard wrasse.
I've been keeping delicate fish for over 30 years (finding healthy, eating specimens, not collected with [SIZE=-1]Cyanide[/SIZE] seems to be the hardest part for me)

Are the yellow tails any easier to manage?
 
Location
Brooklyn, NY
Rating - 97.4%
74   2   0
I'd put them in the leopard wrasse category. Very, very few survive for long--though in the case of Leopard wrasses, it seems to be getting better ( better handling, better food?????). I believe the yellow tails tend to fair a bit better for whatever reason, but still generally do very poorly. I currently have a Yellow tail that is going on 4-5 months that is doing very well, BUT, IME they often suddenly crap out for no apparent reason around the 6 month mark.

Since you are very experienced, and know what it means to attempt a difficult fish, you are one of the VERY few people here I can endorse giving it a try.... if no one ever tries, advances are never made.

Randy
 

scumonkey

Goniopora isn't VD!
Location
hells kitchen
Rating - 100%
25   0   0
Thanks for the info (and indorsement),Randy! (saw your yellowtail in your gallery- SWEET)!
My Shortnosed leopard wrasse (Macropharyngodon geoffroy,which I got from Michael), seems to be thriving (getting fat as a pig),since It came up outta it's 4 day sand sleep,
He has turned into a puppy......swims up to the glass and follows me when I enter the room. He also nips at my hand for food, which he greedily eats right out of (just gotta watch out for those teeth)!!!
Still has a very limited pallet( amphipods and mysis soaked in selcon and garlic), but I'm sure that will change with time...fingers crossed.
potters.jpg

With all that said.....
I'm still looking for a Red Tailed Tamarin Wrasse!!
Michael......can you get one thats eating?
I know you have no control over how it was collected (so you can't assure me of it's longevity), but if you can get one that's eating something, I'd like to give it a try!!!!
 
Last edited:

jhale

ReefsMagazine!
Location
G.V NYC
Rating - 100%
52   0   0
I've never heard much about the difficulties of keeping these fish.....
Are they pink spotted filefish,shouldn't be taken from the sea difficult OR,
are they not much more delicate and harder to keep than most other advanced hobbyest only fish- like cleaner or leopard wrasse.
I've been keeping delicate fish for over 30 years (finding healthy, eating specimens, not collected with [SIZE=-1]Cyanide[/SIZE] seems to be the hardest part for me)

Are the yellow tails any easier to manage?

I bought a yellow tail without doing the proper research, it lived a week.
After that experience I read up on them and could not find one person that has had long term success with them. with that knowledge why would you want to take that fish from the sea? just because it's pretty and you want a challenge?
 
Location
Brooklyn, NY
Rating - 97.4%
74   2   0
Jon,
I totally understand where you are coming from, but in this case I disagree.
The same could have been said for SPS corals and any number of other things we now are able to keep successfully. I'm the last one to suggest difficult to keep species to most people, but at some point, advanced hobbyists have to try to push the boundaries or there will never be advancements made. In this case, we have a very experienced hobbyist who has attempted and kept difficult species before, and who is going into the endeavor knowing what the deal is.
In my mind, this is quite different than sitting back quietly and letting inappropriately experienced and under-prepared hobbyists buy fish they have no business attempting to keep. Will he succeed? I don't know, but 30 years experience and a track record with difficult animals ( the still premature, but encouraging success with Crinoids, Leopards etc) suggests to me that in this case, we are dealing with one of a very small handful of hobbyists who has earned the right to try.

RD
 

jhale

ReefsMagazine!
Location
G.V NYC
Rating - 100%
52   0   0
Randy, I did not mean to sound harsh by my post.
however I do not agree. I don't think just because someone is experienced
that gives you the right to try to keep an impossible fish. That's my opinion though. If scumonkey wants to try that's up to him.
I know, what's the difference between taking a fish from a reef and having it live ten years or just one day, once it's out of the reef it's out of nature.
so perhaps it does not matter, keeping any reef animal is selfish I guess.
I'm just full of contradictions I know:rolleyes:
 

RareZ

Azad
Rating - 100%
37   0   0
I was over at "Island of Aquarium" few minutes ago. It's located on Utica Ave between Ave I & J I think... but anyway, they have one there. Didn't get to look for the price.. but saw one there.. so if you want you can get it from there. Good luck.
 

scumonkey

Goniopora isn't VD!
Location
hells kitchen
Rating - 100%
25   0   0
I bought a yellow tail without doing the proper research, it lived a week.
After that experience I read up on them and could not find one person that has had long term success with them. with that knowledge why would you want to take that fish from the sea? just because it's pretty and you want a challenge?

NO!
I had friends that successfully kept a red tail back in the middle 70's and,
have wanted one ever since.
Over the years I have found that I have gravitated towards fish labeled as "Expert only" or "Difficult" with much success. I've found Most of the time, it's a matter of good or bad collection and shipping practices that dictates weather or not a fish will live under my care sooo.....
When I hear horror stories I tend to ignore them. I have found most people (not you of course), have a hard time keeping ANY saltwater fish alive- long term!!!
I've done a lot of research and feel, that by the info I've seen, I should have an above average chance at keeping this fish healthy,alive, and happy. I also keep a daily journal so if I do have success, there will be a record of what I did that might help others who want to keep a red tail- or not.....
Just for the record, when I started keeping saltwater fish, Instant Ocean
came with a 2 part trace element solution that you had to mix and add to the salt! Yellow tangs were considered "Expert" only and keeping coral was IMPOSSIBLE!
:lol2:
 

Sponsor Reefs

We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.

Click here to sponsor $10:


Top