The best nano fish for a nano tank! What nano fish do you keep?

[Peace River]

The best nano fish for a nano tank! What nano fish do you keep?

Smaller tanks are going to need smaller fish (and often fewer fish). While the size may vary based on which definition that you use, nano tanks are often considered to be less than 29 gallons or less than 39 gallons. Sometimes these nano tanks are the primary tank that we keep, or they may be in addition to another larger reef aquarium. Whatever size nano tank that you have or whether it is your only tank, fish selection matters for a nano tank. Let us know what type of livestock you have added to your nano tank, and especially share what type of fish that you keep in your nano tank. Additionally, if you are willing to share…we’d love to see pictures!

Photo by @shaner014; Bangaii Cardinalfish


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[vetteguy53081]

I have found ideal fish are the smaller hiders such as basslets (diadema, candy(, gobies such as thomson, firefish), bangaii cardinal as examples

 

[Sump Crab]

I don’t have a nano currently, but I have kept every fish on the list at one point or another.

If I had to pick the best nano fish they would be small and not very aggressive. Watchman goby, basslet, and azure damsel would be a nice trio for a smaller tank.

But here is some eye “candy” appropriate for most nanos (currently lives in my 65):

 

[Shawnman]

My 26 gal. I love my royal gramma, and mandarin. I have also enjoyed a firefish and a tailspot blenny.

 

[Floyd-]

I have 2 firefish in my 25g Lagoon. I might toss in a 6line wrasse and maybe a clown at some point.

 

[MaxTremors]

I currently have a valentini, six line, tailspot blenny, orange spot blenny, and a pinkbar goby in my 28g.

 

[ChiCity]

gobies, specifically trimmas and eviota
for small nano/pico systems

trimma tevegae specifically being an especially good candidate since they are free swimmers in the water column.

 

[SeaShine]

I have a a clown pair, a pink streaked wrasse and a watchman goby in an IM Nuvo 20. Right now, the wrasse and clowns are buddies. My pink streaked wrasse follows the clowns around like a puppy and they seem to ignore him.

 

[shakacuz]

i'm going to cheat, and join as my 40B probably has about the same amount of water volume!

i have 2 firefish gobies, 1 yellowhead jawfish, 1 midas blenny! (and a tomini tang which is getting rehomed and replaced with another nano fish which i'm undecided on for now)

 

[be_ninja_pancake]

I have a 15 gal with a pair of clowns (Tom and Jerry), a firefish goby (Phoenix), and a yellow watchman goby (Simon). I have a soft spot for gobies now because they’re so cute and are generally not aggressive towards each other except if occupying the same territory.

This is a pic of the tank thinking they’re being fed while I was testing water parameters:

 

[reefadam]

IMO clownfish are the “Perfect” saltwater aquarium fish: tank-raised, tons of personality (fishonality??), colorful and huge variety of patterns, peaceful, and don’t need a ton of space as they’re generally site specific (i.e. to their host anemone), not to mention ICONIC. This mainly applies to Occelaris/ Percula varieties, as some of the others can definitely be brutes.

Gobies would be my next choice for most appropriate for a nano, as there is a huge variety with similar traits of compatibility, size and site specificity. A lot of the shrimp gobies come to mind like watchman, Yasa Hase, and Dracula gobies. The diminutive Flaming Prawn is one of my all time favorites, tho they can definitely get lost easily. The circus/ Black Barred convict/ white tiger goby (priolepsis nocturnal) is a super interesting little fish, but very cryptic, probably even more so than the flaming prawn in my experience. I love the Rainford and Hectors gobies as well and feel they’re often overlooked, but they’re great little mini sand sifters! Man I could go on and on about cool gobies!

Out of This list, I feel most Wrasses to be least appropriate for a nano or small sized aquarium, tho there definitely can be exceptions.

 

[Propane]

2 Mollies those guys are sifting sand and picking at the rocks all day.

 

[lem0nsnow]

Two clowns and a tail spot blennie, seems perfect for my evo

 

[steveschuerger]

They live in a 60 now but 2 ocellaris clowns, 2 Bangaii and my Orange spot Blenny all started in a nano. The clowns are my “oldest” fish as they were in my first, a Biocube 16 gallon for a a couple months before going for IM 30l.

 

[Herbie's Reef]

For a Nano I think helfrichi firefish are some of the coolest out there. If you can get away with it and get enough pods in your tank I think a ruby red or mandarin dragonet are the next best. Then just some of my personal favorite smaller fish would be a candy hogfish, a small school of chromis, six line wrasse, and a royal gramma.

 

[vlangel]

At 56 gallons my tank is not quite nano but I still enjoy nano fish. I have an ocellaris clown, a neon goby, 2 masked gobies, a green citron goby, a pajama cardinal and a yellow watchman goby.

 

[saltyhog]

I currently have a Golden Assessor (Assessor flavissimus) and a Possum wrasse in my 25 Lagoon. I'm not a fan of clowns in a nano unless they are the only fish. Every pair I've ever kept in my big tank claimed a space about the size of a 50 gal cube as their own. Thinking about adding a Swissgard basslet and a watchman goby to complete the stocking.

 

[FreshwaterConvert]

I have a 20 gallon AIO with an orange tail damsel and I used to have a smithii mantis shrimp (hence the damsel, only thing I didn’t think he’d get ) but definitely looking now to try and add something with him. So far orange spot goby didn’t go well

 

[crahan]

I’m guessing that 3-4 tangs wouldn’t be received well, even as a joke.

2 Picasso clowns a watchman goby and a pistol shrimp.

 

[zoomonster]

Never really had a "nano" until the 32g I added. Right now just a bunch of RBTA's, a clown and ***TANG POLICE ALERT*** a powder blue. He's way too small for my 200g and putting on some meat in the nursery before he faces gizmo the purple monster LOL.

As a rule I typically like small more colorful fish so I can support more in the tank. That probably comes from the days of LFS telling people 1" of fish per 5g. Much of what I keep would be good for a nano. Clowns, basslets, certain damsels, some wrasses etc. Biggest I have is purple tang followed by bicolor angel and a really fat melanurus.