That one final fish

damselindistress · Oct 17, 2017

Hi, I'm looking for advice on the last fish to add to my 13.5g Evo...it's been up and running for 8ish weeks and currently houses a pair of small ocellaris and a CUC consisting of 3 astrea, 1 turbo, 1 nassarius, 2 scarlet reef hermits and 2 sexy shrimp (just for giggles). And a bubble tip anemone... I know, I know... I should have waited on the bubble tip but he's doing well and eats fresh table shrimp like Jabba the Hut at The Golden Corral. The clownfish (tank raised) have shown zero interest in him but both sexy shrimp have taken up residence in the anemone.

Mods to the tank are an upgraded media basket (In Tank) for improved flow, Koralia 425 powerhead, Aquatic Life 115 protein skimmer - lights are currently stock but on the radar for a future upgrade.

Tank has 15 lbs of Caribsea Life Rock and 10 lbs Nature's Ocean live sand. I used microbacter7 and pure ammonia to cycle and cycle completed in 3 weeks.

Parameters have been 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 5-10 nitrates since cycle completed and I water test every third day using API master test kit (I know it's not the most favored).

I'm looking for one additional fish to complete my livestock and under consideration are a yellow clown goby, a purple firefish, a blue/yellow blenny or maybe even a royal gramma... I'm open to other suggestions as well. At some point down the road when size warrants I'll move the clown pair to a 40+ gallon tank (I know they'll require a bigger space eventually). This is my 1st saltwater tank but I have 5 other freshwater tanks going that run beautifully and are very healthy. Although I'm not experienced in saltwater I am diligent about my aquatic husbandry and dedicate a great deal of time, money and love to my finned friends.

Sorry for the long post, thanks for your time!

sfin52 · Oct 17, 2017

A clown goby is a good one to add they stay small. A royal gramma is also a good choice. Be careful you are extermy close to maxing the bio load. One more thing on the fish. You will want something that isn't a terribly active swimmer. Those fish need more room than what your tank has.

Saltwater fish and creatures like stability. The smaller the tanks the harder it is to maintain that.

I have seen some stunning nano tanks. Good luck to you.

nautical_nathaniel · Oct 17, 2017

Only one on that list that I think would be a good fit and do well in an aquarium that size is the yellow clown goby. The firefish needs a fairly larger tank and the royal gramma requires a good amount of hiding spots and caves to hang out in to curb some aggressive behaviors they can have.

If you do get the 40+ gallon later on down the road, then you would be able to keep all of those fish with no issues.

Some other suggestions for your current tank are neon gobies, or some of the smaller prawn gobies with a peppermint pistol shrimp, such as a yasha goby.

sfin52 · Oct 17, 2017

nautical_nathaniel said:
Only one on that list that I think would be a good fit and do well in an aquarium that size is the yellow clown goby. The firefish needs a fairly larger tank and the royal gramma requires a good amount of hiding spots and caves to hang out in to curb some aggressive behaviors they can have.

If you do get the 40+ gallon later on down the road, then you would be able to keep all of those fish with no issues.

Some other suggestions for your current tank are neon gobies, or some of the smaller prawn gobies with a peppermint pistol shrimp, such as a yasha goby.

Great call on the royal gramma. Didn't even think of that.

WarEaglesReef · Oct 18, 2017

LOL at your Jabba the Hut comment. That analogy was too good.

Don't have any experience with the ones on your short list, but I've got a captive bred rainford goby (named Goby-Wan Kenobi

) with my clowns in my Evo and he's been a great little fish. Drives me nuts sometimes dropping sand all over any coral I put on the sandbed when he picks up mouthfuls to sift through it, but other than that I love him. Gorgeous color and a very chill personality once he got over the new tank shyness. I hear the wild caught ones can have trouble surviving in captivity as they only eat filamentous algae and slowly waste away, but my captive bred one eats pellets like a champ and is super fat and happy.