How many gobies/blennies can I get away with in a 25g?

[Daniel@R2R]

I've got my new office tank getting ready to be stocked. I'm planning to have a clown pair and a nem, but i want to add some gobies/blennies in their too. How many can I get away with in a tank that size and which ones do you recommend? These would be the only other fish in the tank.

Obligatory pic of a midas blenny. Photo credit @Eva Rose.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

3.141592653589793238462643383279. In all seriousness, it really depends on the system. I would have four fish total, maybe five with the standard filtration for your tank, but if it will be hooked up to your future 225, as many as you can provide habitat for.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

3.141592653589793238462643383279. In all seriousness, it really depends on the system. I would have four fish total, maybe five with the standard filtration for your tank, but if it will be hooked up to your future 225, as many as you can provide habitat for.

It'll be a completely separate system from the 225. They're too far away to connect. FWIW, I do NOT plan to have SPS in the tank. It'll be the nem and LPS.

 

[FishyFishFish]

What types?

I’m not an expert but I’m guessing you could have a lot more Trimma gobies than engineer gobies.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

What types?

I’m not an expert but I’m guessing you could have a lot more Trimma gobies than engineer gobies.

Well...that's kind of my question. I'm looking for a recommended stock list. I do agree with your point. I'd like to have 2 or 3 at least (if that's doable).

 

[Daniel@R2R]

@i cant think @Reefahholic which ones would you guys recommend?

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Here is an example stock list that I came up with. This is what I might do if it were my tank.


1x Midas Blenny
1x Yasha Goby
1x Royal Gramma
1x Tailspot Blenny
1x Springeri Damselfish

 

[happyhourhero]

The neon or blue line are small and have great personality. I am sad I overlooked them for so many years. Everyone loves it. The pistol and goby pair is super awesome in a tank that size. You can kind of predict where the caves will be if you plan out your rocks. I loved my captive court jester but I don’t think a nano is right for them. Mine took pellets and still starved. Just try and not overlap niches between the fish too much and you’ll be ok.

 

[Dbichler]

I would bet 3 would be max before territory issues try one for the sand bed and two for mid level of the tank.

 

[FishyFishFish]

I would recommend several smaller ones if it was me!

My Sharknose Goby is great. The neon goby is similar in personality but not as colourful (but still cool). I have a red-head goby which is a character. I’m also looking at Biota Eviota gobies for my pico tank.

I have a war paint clown goby but he hides most of the time. If I was to get another clown goby I would try a different type instead.

Edited to add: I have 2 13gal Evo tanks. One has the Sharknose and Clown goby, the other has the Neon and red-head. I think that both of these tanks would be fine with 3 of the small gobies in it.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

If this was my system:
2 Clownfish (unsure if you're doing ocellaris or perculas)
2 Red Headed Goby (Elacatinus puncticulatus)
2 Sharknose Goby (Elacatinus evelynae)
2 Yellow Clown Goby (Gobiodon okinawae)
2 Green Banded Goby (Tigrigobius multifasciatus)
2 Trimma Goby (Trimma spp.)
2 Antenna Goby (Stonogobiops nematodes)
2 Helfrichi Firefish (Nemateleotris helfrichi)
2 Candy Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus randalli)

I have to admit I stock tanks much heavier than a lot of other people though, and prefer keeping fish in breeding pairs if possible. Realistically the majority of those gobies add very little bioload to a system. Just be ready to regularly supplement copepods.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Bumping this back up for more discussion!

 

[FishyFishFish]

I think the question might be getting limited response as the question is too open-ended.

A shrimp/goby pair, a Mandarin, a Panamic Barnacle Blenny, a Trimma goby are all so different. Asking which goby/blenny to get is almost just like asking what fish to get (IMO).

What is it that you are looking for and why have you specified blenny/goby? Is there a specific characteristic of the blennies/gobies that you are looking for?

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

My personal favorite goby that is good for nano tanks is probably a black bellied eviota goby. My LFS has several in a display tank, and they are really tiny. We can state measurements in inches all we want, but that just doesn't convey how tiny these gobies are. I can only imagine that their bioload is essentially non-existent, so much so that I would put one for every gallon of water with no other fish. I would have a school of five in my current nano, but my royal gramma would eat them. They are just that tiny. They are captive bred, too.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

My personal favorite goby that is good for nano tanks is probably a black bellied eviota goby. My LFS has several in a display tank, and they are really tiny. We can state measurements in inches all we want, but that just doesn't convey how tiny these gobies are. I can only imagine that their bioload is essentially non-existent, so much so that I would put one for every gallon of water with no other fish. I would have a school of five in my current nano, but my royal gramma would eat them. They are just that tiny. They are captive bred, too.

Those are some little guys!!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I think the question might be getting limited response as the question is too open-ended.

A shrimp/goby pair, a Mandarin, a Panamic Barnacle Blenny, a Trimma goby are all so different. Asking which goby/blenny to get is almost just like asking what fish to get (IMO).

What is it that you are looking for and why have you specified blenny/goby? Is there a specific characteristic of the blennies/gobies that you are looking for?

The reason for it is a few different things.

• Personality - gobies and blennies typically have some awesome personalities and are fun to watch.
• Tank requirements - a lot of times these guys don't require a lot of tank space which seems to make them strong candidates for a diverse nano tank community.
• Community fish - they seem to get along well as community fish, so aggression wouldn't be an issue (if the stock list is well planned)
• Variety - as you mentioned, there's a solid variety in these fish. Some are bottom dwellers, some flit about the tank, and others are more prone to be active in the water column.

So I'm trying to find a good compatible mix of these guys that will be fun to watch and will be reasonably comfortable in my 25g tank.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

What about


1x Springeri Damselfish
1x Helfrichi Firefish
1x Yasha Goby
1x Tailspot Blenny
3x Eviota Gobies

or

1x Royal Gramma
1x Randall's Assessor
1x Yasha Goby
1x Flaming Prawn Goby
1x Upside-down Goby?

Both of these are example of what I might do if I had a tank like yours, but everyone's preferences and systems are different.

Going through the process of making stocking plans is one of my favorite parts of setting up a new tank. 80% of the time stocking plans fall through, of course, but it is always good to have a plan. Gobies are some of my favorite fish, and I think that few tanks are complete without them.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

What about


1x Springeri Damselfish
1x Helfrichi Firefish
1x Yasha Goby
1x Tailspot Blenny
3x Eviota Gobies

or

1x Royal Gramma
1x Randall's Assessor
1x Yasha Goby
1x Flaming Prawn Goby
1x Upside-down Goby?

Both of these are example of what I might do if I had a tank like yours, but everyone's preferences and systems are different.

Going through the process of making stocking plans is one of my favorite parts of setting up a new tank. 80% of the time stocking plans fall through, of course, but it is always good to have a plan. Gobies are some of my favorite fish, and I think that few tanks are complete without them.

I wouldn't stock a royal gramma with an assessor in a tank this small. The royal would probably bully the assessor. He also already has a pair of clowns for this system, so those would need to be included in the bioload.

To the OP: Definitely look at the helfrichi firefish though! Gorgeous fish that would be perfect for this system!

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Oh, whoops! Didn't see the clowns. My royal gramma has never really been a bully, it just flares when it's angry. Of course, every fish is different. It would probably be best to avoid the assessor in retrospect, just in case the royal gramma has a problem with it. Maybe a geometric pygmy perchlet instead.

 

[jazzfisher]

Yes, agree with lots of above. I love gobies and I would suggest:
Yasha goby pair with Randalls pistol shrimp (or the high fin goby) don’t take up much space.
Yellow clown Goby ( tiny)
Yellow banded possum wrasse (sorry not a goby or blenny)
Green war clown goby
Tail spot Benny great fish!
Geometric Pygmy hawkfish (sorry not a goby or blenny)
firefish
I don’t keep clowns any longer because I can have more small fish Instead!