Sweetlips in Less then 300 Gallons?

[Mavrick813]

I've been watching this Tanked show here and their. Not so much for information but for design ideas.

Some things that have me really interested is their Fish selections. One in particular is when they Choose the Spotted Sweet Lips. Since seeing this fish for the first time I was thinking it would be a great looking fish to keep. So I started reading on it.

3' in captivity, & Likes to Hide?
Will eat smaller crustaceans, smaller fireworms, serpent stars, small snails, and polychaete worms?
May be a finicky eater at first, Should introduce to eating with Live Shrimp.

Anyone ever kept one of these?

The guys always fly out to this Fish Place (Exotic Reef Imports) in LA it seems. And wouldn't the guys their be interested in telling the Tanked Guys about these Fish? I'm pretty sure they dropped one in the Milk Truck Tank and the Gumball Tank. Theirs no way that either of those tanks were 300G.

Maybe the information I'm reading is wrong. Anyone got experience with these fish? How fast do they "Really" grow? How hard are they to keep? Anyone else have an opinion on the fish selection practices of these Tanked guys?

Mike

 

[Heathd]

They do grow relatively quickly. 3ft isnt too likely in an aquarium, not many fish ever reach their full maturity size in aquariums. However, I would have the intention of upgrading down the road (or the means to do so) since you are going to need to if you have less then a 200gal.


I will also point out that you are referencing a show that shoved large numbers of damsels into a ~200 gallon phone booth tank.

 

[blacktip]

The thing to remember about the show Tanked is that they maintain a lot of these aquariums in addition to building and installing them. Assuming they survive, they can be swapped out at any time.

 

[Mavrick813]

I will also point out that you are referencing a show that shoved large numbers of damsels into a ~200 gallon phone booth tank.

Absolutely! I seen that as well. But Damsels don't really catch my eye. The reason the Sweetlips did was because the G/F has been begging me to dive into S/W and wants Clownfish. She seen the Sweetlips that got dumped into the Gumball tank (90G) and was like, I want one of those! So I started reading. For people that know NOTHING about Fish, and have no interest in Researching Fish. I can see a lot of Sweetlips dying.

The thing to remember about the show Tanked is that they maintain a lot of these aquariums in addition to building and installing them. Assuming they survive, they can be swapped out at any time.

I suppose some people do look at Aquariums as Decorative Ornaments and that the living occupants can be replaced at will. But still, Shoving a fish that may grow to 3' in a 90G Sphere was pushing it for me. It irritated me more when they did that then when they dumped those 3 boxes of fish in that ray tank because the rays Burrowed.

Mike

 

[Tb86]

yeah they grow fast... i got one 4 months ago at about .5 inches, its now pushing 5 inches.... even in a 350 gallon im starting to get abit nervous if the growth rate continues, i didnt think it would grow out quite as fast as it has... well see where it is in a few months

 

[Kevin8888]

Think of it this way, even if it only gets to 2' long, in a 300 gal (tank around 8-10 foot depending on the other dimentions...) the fish could swim 4 body lengths then have to turn around... hardly enough room in my books... even in a 300... that said... it doesn't mean one couldnt survive in 300 or less... but would it live as long as it should? or be healthy? I donno... just my 2 cents.... but personally I like to have at least 15 "body lengths" for the fish to swim... with ample turning room... but I'm to nice to my fish LOL.

 

[Steveo1987]

15 'body lengths', no way haha?! That would mean I'd need a 17.5 foot tank for my 14 inch Oscar?! Not going to happen! That rule of thumb / principal is alright with modestly sized fish like Clownfish & Damselfish etc, but Sweetlips on the other hand range from 30-85cm (1-2.5 foot)!! Who could manage and afford a tank that's 30 foot long? A Harlequin Sweetlips could be kept very well inside a 10 foot tank no problem imo

 

[Kevin8888]

15 'body lengths', no way haha?! That would mean I'd need a 17.5 foot tank for my 14 inch Oscar?! Not going to happen! That rule of thumb / principal is alright with modestly sized fish like Clownfish & Damselfish etc, but Sweetlips on the other hand range from 30-85cm (1-2.5 foot)!! Who could manage and afford a tank that's 30 foot long? A Harlequin Sweetlips could be kept very well inside a 10 foot tank no problem imo

For inactive fish, I'm not as concerned about it, but with most marines, I feel they need more space (even more so for preds), the ocean is big as you know lol. Also I know at least 2 people that have tanks almost 30' long. Basically my point is, yes it's a beautiful fish, but if I cannot house it comfortably, then I will never keep one.

 

[Zoodiver]

Yeah, the show TANKED is a TV thing that only shows you 1% of ATM. Brett even admits it. Those tanks are for people who see fish as art, not as animals. A lot of the fish get relocated as they grow.


As for the sweetlips, they do get pretty big. I've started with smaller fish in tanks and ended up moving them less than a year to major displays (like 80,000 gallons).

 

[Steveo1987]

Wow, I'd kill for a 30' long tank ha ha!!! There a myth in Ireland. I agree with your inactive fish point by the way, spot on!! Whats your set-up out of curiosity??