Final Fish Choice

[harpham]

So I was thinking about one final fish to add to my Red Sea Max Nano and wanted some thoughts.

I currently have:
- Clownfish pair
- Firefish
- Neon Goby (tiny little thing! )

I was originally planning for a Royal Gramma, however since having the Firefish, I feel that I’d have too much “long & thin” fish in the tank.

Do you have any other recommendations? Anything that stays small and a more round shape?

I was potentially thinking Yellowtail Damsel? However hear that they could be a little aggressive?

Any other thoughts?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

How many gallons? Do you have a lot of rockwork?

 

[harpham]

How many gallons? Do you have a lot of rockwork?

20 gallon / 75litre

I used about 7.5kg of live rock when I kicked off.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I agree I would avoid the RG, the color is too similar to the firefish and might cause aggression.

I would pass on any damsel in that size tank.

Other potentials are a cardinals. Blennies are very personable - I like tailspot and flametail. A couple of cute clown gobies would be nice. Any kind of watchman goby with a shrimp pair. Hectors goby is very active. If you want a basslet how about a yellow bass or a black cap? These are both gorgeous.

 

[Should I]

candy basslet

 

[kevgib67]

I second a tailspot, smallest fish in my tank with the biggest personality, not round though. Oh, how about those eye lashes!

 

[harpham]

I agree I would avoid the RG, the color is too similar to the firefish and might cause aggression.

I would pass on any damsel in that size tank.

Other potentials are a cardinals. Blennies are very personable - I like tailspot and flametail. A couple of cute clown gobies would be nice. Any kind of watchman goby with a shrimp pair. Hectors goby is very active. If you want a basslet how about a yellow bass or a black cap? These are both gorgeous.

We did originally get a Cardinal after the clownfish, but it got stressed out and died unfortunately!
As much as I love them, I don’t want to get another.

Shame about the damsel. Will it grow too big?

Thank you everybody for all the other suggestions.

Quite like the black cap basslet. Totally different colour to anything else in the tank, which is what I’m keen on too - Get as many colours in there.

 

[Peter Houde]

Damsels are notoriously aggressive. All the yellowtails I've ever had, and there have been quite a few, have broken the rule and have been good tankmates and always the low man on the totem pole whenever in a skirmish with a similarly sized fish. If you were going to go with any kind of damsel, then yellowtail is your only choice. It's not a question of whether a yellowtail damsel will grow too big. Mine have never gotten much bigger than 3cm in a 125 gallon tank. But mine find mates and establish and defend nesting territories about the size of your tank. Your clowns will probably do the same. They are, afer all, damsels themselves.

 

[betareef]

Shame about the damsel. Will it grow too big?

No, but they need personal space. My story - 4 ft tank about one third full of reef/coral hiding places, half a dozen big fish, and I then added 5 yellow tailed blue damsels - one of the least agressive. After 6 months (or less) I had three left - the others dead - like a game of musical chairs for marking out territory.

Those three were fine for, literally, years

 

[harpham]

That’s good to know. Thank you!

From the suggestions above, I’m liking the look of the Blackcap Basslet. Will certainly add a different colour to the setup!

 

[Lineatus]

Damsels are notoriously aggressive. All the yellowtails I've ever had, and there have been quite a few, have broken the rule and have been good tankmates and always the low man on the totem pole whenever in a skirmish with a similarly sized fish. If you were going to go with any kind of damsel, then yellowtail is your only choice. It's not a question of whether a yellowtail damsel will grow too big. Mine have never gotten much bigger than 3cm in a 125 gallon tank. But mine find mates and establish and defend nesting territories about the size of your tank. Your clowns will probably do the same. They are, afer all, damsels themselves.

I agree! I've kept a number of yellowtails in small nanos and haven't had the slightest of issue with aggression

 

[Zionas]

I think a Royal Gramma or Black Cap Basslet would be a nice addition.

 

[harpham]

I agree! I've kept a number of yellowtails in small nanos and haven't had the slightest of issue with aggression

I read that the yellowtail were the least aggressive.

My biggest concern with them was for
In the very far future, if something died & I was adding a new fish, a damsel would not allow it.

 

[Zionas]

@harpham You could also consider an Azure Damselfish. Many people keep them in community setups and they are known to be fairly mellow as far as Damsels are. Basically the difference is a yellow tail and belly vs just the tail for the Yellowtail.

 

[Reef Breeder 2013]

How long have you had the tank? I have a Mandarin in 20 gallons without any problems (I have even kept it in 10 gallons), and in my experience you can add the Mandarin after 6 months. Everyone will have a different opinion on this, but what I am saying is based on experience.

 

[harpham]

How long have you had the tank? I have a Mandarin in 20 gallons without any problems (I have even kept it in 10 gallons), and in my experience you can add the Mandarin after 6 months. Everyone will have a different opinion on this, but what I am saying is based on experience.

The clowns have been in about 2 months now, so the tanks been running just over that.

Mandarins look cool as anything, but I don’t think they’re for me unfortunately. Aren’t they meant to be mega difficult to feed too?

(Note - I’m doing this research now, however not planning to add another until next month at the earliest)

 

[Zionas]

Even the captive bred Mandarins, given enough pods, seem to revert to their microfauna diet. And despite claims of them taking frozen and even pellets from what I gathered it’s not guaranteed. There is a breeder in Thailand called Atoll Farm who also successfully bred the Mandarin Dragonets for a while (not sure if he still does), and he said he had difficulty getting many of his tank bred ones onto pellets (his own brand, IIRC).

So, for a CB one I would still wait and ensure a good amount of pods. TBH a nano is on the small side and probably won’t have enough to sustain the diet of one for long.

I’d play it safe and pick something else. Not everyone has a suitable setup or the patience for the upkeep of a Mandarin.

 

[Reef Breeder 2013]

The clowns have been in about 2 months now, so the tanks been running just over that.

Mandarins look cool as anything, but I don’t think they’re for me unfortunately. Aren’t they meant to be mega difficult to feed too?

(Note - I’m doing this research now, however not planning to add another until next month at the earliest)

Well, I recommend at least another 3-4 months before adding a Mandarin. Regarding the diet of Mandarins, you have 2 options, buy a captive bred Mandarin, or try to accustom one to live food with a coral feeding pipette. But I recommend that you have a tank at least 6 months old to be able to introduce a Mandarin, because its main diet is microfauna. You may be able to make an exception for the 6 months if you get a Mandarin bred in captivity, but if you are from Mexico or Latin America in general, it will be an almost impossible mission. And if you still think they are not for you, believe me, you will love them for their incredible personality. In fact, mine sits in a corner of the tank waiting for brine shrimp to feed on it, and it is wild caught. You're going to love them.

 

[phillyb614]

Tailspot Blenny. Peaceful, pretty, lots of personality, eats algae, etc.