Mixing Tropical and mediterranean fish !

[CoMMaNdeR]

I am wondering if anyone ever mixed the species of both seas?
Is this a good idea, if you acclimate them to the right condition.. Mediterranean is a bit more salty but if you reduce the salanity gradually I am sure they can live with tropical fish. I am saying this because I made it in the past..

I was thinking to add a painted comber to my reef, small size approximately 1 inch long.. Will he be safe with corals ?

[philter4]

Most people already mix fish and inverst from different seas, so as long as the comber will live at tropical temps they should be fine. For instance anyone with a royal gramma or black cap basslet usually don't only keep caribbean fish. And anyone with atlantic reef fish like blue chromis usually have corals from around the world as atlantic corals are usually not available and are not as colorful as pacific corals.

[ozadars]

Painted comber is an extreamly aggressive fish and get really big.

[seapug]

Temperature is a bigger concern. Many mediterranean animals won't survive long at tropical temps, and vice versa.

[CoMMaNdeR]

I had in the past with no problems, I asked the question to see what is your opinion on this issue. I unerstand that temperature could be a problem, and I didn't know that If I keep them always in a tropical temperature their lifespan will be shorter..

Ozadars, the painted chomber is not aggresive. It is a peacfull fish, maybe aggresive to it's own kind but not to other fish.. Even on other sites you can see this..

Does anyone here had ever mixed fish? Or do you know someone?

[seapug]

Catalina Gobies are commonly sold as tropicals, but are come from a sub-tropical "mediterranean" zone in the Pacific a few miles away from Los Angeles. They typically don't live for more than a few months at tropical temps, even if healthy and eating.

I'd really just research the native habitat of the fish you want to keep and see if they hail from cooler or warmer water areas. Seeing how and where they live in habitat is a good clue for captive needs.

[ozadars]

I have kept Mediterranean animals with tropical ones. Some species do not tolerate the high temperatures and effects of high temperature can be seen in the long run for some others.

Serranus scriba is not aggressive towards bigger fish but a very greedy one and will eat any small fish or mobile invertabrate.

[Vili_Shark]

Im not sure about the temps Catalina Gobies have in their habitat all year round.
Temps in the east mediterenean can go higher than Red Sea for example, in the summer.

There are many Red Sea species that migrated and are now found for many years in the mediterenean , some never do, but every year they find new species that migrated.

Usualy it is Red Sea fish that pass the Suez Canal to the medititerenan and not the other way.

[CoMMaNdeR]

Thanks guys for the usefull information,

Ozadars did you have success mixing the species ?
They look very nice together. I always mantain the temperature around 28C, and since now never had any problems.

But are the mediterranean community fish like some gobies, blennies, chromis and more reef safe ?

[ozadars]

Mixing the species is not an issue if the species are compatible. 28C is quite high. I would lower it to at least 25 but 24 is much better. Apogon imberbis, Balistes capriscus, Chromis chromis, Coris julis, Gobius bucchichi, Salaria pavo and Serranus scriba are some of the mediterranean species that can live up to 26-27C degrees, sometimes higher. Although they can tolerate, I would not keep Mediterranean species in a tank with such high temperature all year long since the water is so cold in Mediterranean in winter.