Need help deciding on whether or not a fish is right for your tank? Post here and we'll help!

[Raven8]

Looking for some advice on stocking.

Current setup: 29g Biocube with upgraded lighting and filtration.

Fish:
Yellow clown goby
Green clown goby
Orchid dotyback

Inverts:
Scarlet skunk cleaner
Three Bubbletip anemones
Several hermit crabs
A few Margarita snails

Corals:
Three small toadstools
Small piece of pavona
Several mushrooms
Zoas

Tank Breakdown:
Despite what may seem like a red flag, the orchid dotyback is actually a very unagressive fish. If something is swimming around too quickly he will rush up and just look, but never nips or does anything to bother anything. The yellow clown goby is MASSIVELY friendly and tends to swim right up to my hand whenever I'm feeding/doing maintenance. He will occasionally share the dotyback's hole. Green clown goby is timid. He tends to sit by the glass at the front of the tank, but darts if anything gets too close. Scarlet skunk is happy to clean anything/everything that comes close and CONSTANTLY steals food from my bubble tips...

My thoughts:
Neon cleaner goby, pair of percula clowns, forktailed blenny... honestly, my main concern is keeping what I have now safe. I am a bit hesitant with percula clowns as I know that they can get around 3-4 inches and may pose a threat to my gobies. Honestly, I am open to ideas, as I've only been in this hobby for about 7 months and only have a small knowledge-base of appropriate fish.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I really only want to add like 1 or 2 more fish. Not looking to over-stock.

Thanks very much!

 

[eatbreakfast]

Looking for some advice on stocking.

Current setup: 29g Biocube with upgraded lighting and filtration.

Fish:
Yellow clown goby
Green clown goby
Orchid dotyback

Inverts:
Scarlet skunk cleaner
Three Bubbletip anemones
Several hermit crabs
A few Margarita snails

Corals:
Three small toadstools
Small piece of pavona
Several mushrooms
Zoas

Tank Breakdown:
Despite what may seem like a red flag, the orchid dotyback is actually a very unagressive fish. If something is swimming around too quickly he will rush up and just look, but never nips or does anything to bother anything. The yellow clown goby is MASSIVELY friendly and tends to swim right up to my hand whenever I'm feeding/doing maintenance. He will occasionally share the dotyback's hole. Green clown goby is timid. He tends to sit by the glass at the front of the tank, but darts if anything gets too close. Scarlet skunk is happy to clean anything/everything that comes close and CONSTANTLY steals food from my bubble tips...

My thoughts:
Neon cleaner goby, pair of percula clowns, forktailed blenny... honestly, my main concern is keeping what I have now safe. I am a bit hesitant with percula clowns as I know that they can get around 3-4 inches and may pose a threat to my gobies. Honestly, I am open to ideas, as I've only been in this hobby for about 7 months and only have a small knowledge-base of appropriate fish.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I really only want to add like 1 or 2 more fish. Not looking to over-stock.

Thanks very much!

Any of the fish you're thinking about will work. Clownfish aren't too territorial to perching fish.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

48G tank used to be FOWLR for more than a year.
Current stock:
Reef Octopus HoB 2000 skimmer rated for 125G tank
60 lbs rocks
2 Fire Shrimps
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 Percula Clownfish
1 Diamond Goby
1 Sebae Anemone
This tank under 10% water change 3 times a week (Nitrate is always below 10 ppm).

I'm planning to get few more fishes
1 Royal Gamma
1 Yellow Spotted Goby (this one I'm concern about my old Diamond Goby might kill it).
1 more P. Clownfish (I'm not sure if the old one will fight or harass the new one, it's still small around 1.5 inch)
1 Mandarin Goby (This one won't be added to the tank until I get enough copepods colony culture to keep it happy)
I'm thinking to get few easy care coral mushrooms if it will get along with Sebae Anemone.

Any concern about my stock? Any tips would be great. Thanks in Advance!

 

[eatbreakfast]

48G tank used to be FOWLR for more than a year.
Current stock:
Reef Octopus HoB 2000 skimmer rated for 125G tank
60 lbs rocks
2 Fire Shrimps
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 Percula Clownfish
1 Diamond Goby
1 Sebae Anemone
This tank under 10% water change 3 times a week (Nitrate is always below 10 ppm).

I'm planning to get few more fishes
1 Royal Gamma
1 Yellow Spotted Goby (this one I'm concern about my old Diamond Goby might kill it).
1 more P. Clownfish (I'm not sure if the old one will fight or harass the new one, it's still small around 1.5 inch)
1 Mandarin Goby (This one won't be added to the tank until I get enough copepods colony culture to keep it happy)
I'm thinking to get few easy care coral mushrooms if it will get along with Sebae Anemone.

Any concern about my stock? Any tips would be great. Thanks in Advance!

As long as the new clown is a juvenile or male, it will be fine being added to your existing one.

Diamond gobies usually leave watchman gobies alone if there is enough territory with each. Pairing a watchman goby with a pistol shrimp can also help.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

As long as the new clown is a juvenile or male, it will be fine being added to your existing one.

Diamond gobies usually leave watchman gobies alone if there is enough territory with each. Pairing a watchman goby with a pistol shrimp can also help.

Don't you think a pistol shrimp will kill and eat other shrimps? I saw a video that pistol shrimp hunted down cleaner shrimp with 1 shot.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Don't you think a pistol shrimp will kill and eat other shrimps? I saw a video that pistol shrimp hunted down cleaner shrimp with 1 shot.

I take care of fish tanks, and have done so for the past decade. Never once have I had a pistol shrimp bother anything except another pistol shrimp.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

I take care of fish tanks, and have done so for the past decade. Never once have I had a pistol shrimp bother anything except another pistol shrimp.

Thank you, I will give that combination a try.

 

[BigJohnny]

Can I QT a helfrichi firefish with a midas blenny in a 20g QT or are they too similar in shape?

Thanks!

 

[eatbreakfast]

Can I QT a helfrichi firefish with a midas blenny in a 20g QT or are they too similar in shape?

Thanks!

As long as there is enough cover they will be fine together.

 

[BigJohnny]

As long as there is enough cover they will be fine together.

Ok. Thanks

 

[Instigate]

I currently have a Tailspot Blenny in a 10 gallon QT and wondering what fish might make a good addition to him. Thinking a Neon Blue Goby. This is the current stock list I'm planning on putting in the tank and in order I'm planning on adding. Nothing is in the DT and only have the Tailspot right now.

Tailspot Blenny
Neon Blue Goby
2-3 Zebra Barred Dartfish
2 Banngi Cardinal
2-3 Blue/Green Chromis <-- Maybe
Hi Fin Red Banded Goby and Red Banded Snapping Shrimp
Long Tentacle Anemone
2 Ocellaris Clownfish
Hoeven's/Melanurus Wrasse
Coral Banded Shrimp and Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Green Mandarin Dragonet <-- Maybe
Azure Damsel
Dwarf Flame Angel or Coral Beauty Angel
Yellow Eye Kole Tang and Yellow Tang (Might try a Powder Blue Tang also)
Tridacna Clam
2 Schooling Bannerfish
Blue Throat Trigger

Clean Up Crew:
-As Needed-
Trochus Snail
Cerith Snail
Nassarius Snail
Peppermint Shrimp
Emerald Crab


Corals:
-First-
Zoas
Hammer
Frogspawn
Torch

-Later-
Birds Nest
Montipora
Other Acropora
Probably a bit of everything.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I currently have a Tailspot Blenny in a 10 gallon QT and wondering what fish might make a good addition to him. Thinking a Neon Blue Goby. This is the current stock list I'm planning on putting in the tank and in order I'm planning on adding. Nothing is in the DT and only have the Tailspot right now.

Tailspot Blenny
Neon Blue Goby
2-3 Zebra Barred Dartfish
2 Banngi Cardinal
2-3 Blue/Green Chromis <-- Maybe
Hi Fin Red Banded Goby and Red Banded Snapping Shrimp
Long Tentacle Anemone
2 Ocellaris Clownfish
Hoeven's/Melanurus Wrasse
Coral Banded Shrimp and Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Green Mandarin Dragonet <-- Maybe
Azure Damsel
Dwarf Flame Angel or Coral Beauty Angel
Yellow Eye Kole Tang and Yellow Tang (Might try a Powder Blue Tang also)
Tridacna Clam
2 Schooling Bannerfish
Blue Throat Trigger

Clean Up Crew:
-As Needed-
Trochus Snail
Cerith Snail
Nassarius Snail
Peppermint Shrimp
Emerald Crab


Corals:
-First-
Zoas
Hammer
Frogspawn
Torch

-Later-
Birds Nest
Montipora
Other Acropora
Probably a bit of everything.

You don't give dt size, but if the tank is 125g or above I don't see an issue with fish compatibility. The only concern is the clam with Angel and banner fish.

 

[Instigate]

You don't give dt size, but if the tank is 125g or above I don't see an issue with fish compatibility. The only concern is the clam with Angel and banner fish.

Ya 135gallon dt

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

I added the Pistol Shrimp and fed it right away to keep it full to avoid trouble, and it still made the fire sound at my fire shrimp, it doesn't kill the fire shrimp yet but sound scary cause the sound even louder than my peacock mantis shrimp hitting the clam shell.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

I take care of fish tanks, and have done so for the past decade. Never once have I had a pistol shrimp bother anything except another pistol shrimp.

I'm not blaming you and I know each shrimp has its onw personality so this is just a learning, adding information to the data base that Pistol Shrimp don't actively goes out and hunt but they do major damage to cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp. When these shrimp wander near it burrow or rock cave near the pistol shrimp then it will come out fire shots at them, 1 of my fire shrimp lost it front leg (i knew it will regrow next molt), and sometime the fire shrimp got a shot then lost its control (I can see clearly that the fire shrimp total lost it control and move around like a drunk dude in circle for few minutes), the cleaner shrimp got shot and total lost its control and got carry away by the water flow and this one was unlucky it landed pretty much on top of the carpet anemone and become food for the carpet. Also, I don't know why my Diamond Goby don't pair up with the shrimp but their burrow is next to each other.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I'm not blaming you and I know each shrimp has its onw personality so this is just a learning, adding information to the data base that Pistol Shrimp don't actively goes out and hunt but they do major damage to cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp. When these shrimp wander near it burrow or rock cave near the pistol shrimp then it will come out fire shots at them, 1 of my fire shrimp lost it front leg (i knew it will regrow next molt), and sometime the fire shrimp got a shot then lost its control (I can see clearly that the fire shrimp total lost it control and move around like a drunk dude in circle for few minutes), the cleaner shrimp got shot and total lost its control and got carry away by the water flow and this one was unlucky it landed pretty much on top of the carpet anemone and become food for the carpet. Also, I don't know why my Diamond Goby don't pair up with the shrimp but their burrow is next to each other.

They will defend their burrow, butall the cleaner and bloods I have dealt with learned to avoid the pistols burrow and never had an issue.
Carpet anemones will prove to be quite predatory to healthy motile livestock, like shrimp and fish. Shrimp will often try and get food that lands on the carpet and get caught and stung.

Diamond gobies will never pr with a pistol shrimp because they are not a watchman, they are a sifter species.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Diamond gobies will never pr with a pistol shrimp because they are not a watchman, they are a sifter species.

Thanks, I learned something new today.
Anyway, I hope my fire shrimp pair will learn to avoid the Pistol Shrimp, these fire shrimps already knew not wander around or get too close to the carpet anemone location. I'll set a trap to get the diamond out and look for a yellow watchman goby, thanks for the information.

 

[zachxlutz]

120 Gallon Display + 55 Gallon sump = 140-ish gallons total water volume.

Check out my tank in the link in my signature.

Currently dosing nitrates and phosphates to the system... I need more fish load! Don't you wish you had my problems?

Current Fish List:
2x Wyoming White Clowns
3x Bartlett's Anthias
1x Magnificent Foxface Rabbitfish (biggest fish in the tank)
1x Bluestripe Fairy Wrasse (Temminckii "Threadfin")
2x Leopard Wrasse (one male, one female)
1x Kole Tang
1x Diamond Goby

Future Fish:
1x Yellow Clown Goby (cute! possibly concerned about polyp nipping though)
2-3x Pajama Cardinals (I'd enjoy watching them breed)
2-3x Firefish (looking for some more smaller fish to fill in the gaps)
1x Tailspot Blenny (or similar blenny-type algae grazer)
1x Yellow Tang (or similar tang that would work with the existing Kole tang)

Total fish:
18-20

What do you guys think of my future fish stocking plans? Thoughts? Changes?

 

[Dl0reef]

Hey fellow reefers I was wondering if all of these fish can fit in a future 50 gallon cube:
2 clowns
1 red stop light cardinal
1 yellow striped cardinal
1 royal gramma basslet
1 mandarin goby
1 cleaner shrimp
Some nassarius snails

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Hey fellow reefers I was wondering if all of these fish can fit in a future 50 gallon cube:
2 clowns
1 red stop light cardinal
1 yellow striped cardinal
1 royal gramma basslet
1 mandarin goby
1 cleaner shrimp
Some nassarius snails

Should be fine but make sure you have enough copepods in your tank or rise your own copepods colony to keep your Mandarin alive and healthy, even if it can eat frozen food it won't able to compete with other fishes for it share of food and die later of malnutrition, starvation.