Top 10 Nano Fish from an LFS Employee

[dimitrinivo]

Hi guys, I work at my LFS and I'd like to share my top 10 Nano Fish for aquariums 30 gallons or under. This list will include both reef safe and non reef safe fish, enjoy!

10. WARTSKIN ANGLER: The wartskin Angler is the perfect nano predator fish, it can thrive in a species only aquarium of atleast 20 gallons and will likely need live ghost shrimp or mollies before it can be trained to frozen food.

9. OSCELLARIS CLOWNFISH : An absolute classic! The reason it's not further up on this list is because of how mainstream it is. There's a type of clownfish for everyone, with all the different patterns and designs available. A 10 gallon is suitable for a single specimen while a pair is better off in a 20 gallon.

8. YELLOW CLOWN GOBY: You'll never get tired of these little guys, perfect for a pico reef tank of 3 gallons or more!

7. PEARL TOBY PUFFER: Technically this spot could count for any canthigaster puffer, they stay small and only need about 30 gallons, they have plenty of personality and are a great pick for a nano FOWLR tank.

6. PYGMY FILEFISH: One of the coolest nano options you'll find! These guys are captive bred, stay small and are reef safe! They do best in pairs in a 15 gallon or larger tank.

5. ROYAL GRAMMA: An absolute stunner, royal gramma's are super bright and make a great addition to a reef tank of 30 gallons or more.

4. FIREFISH DARTFISH: Firefish are one of the most peaceful fish you can find, they have stunning coloration and amazing behaviour, a MUST for any community reef 10 gallons or up with a tight fitting lid.

3. YASHA GOBY: How could I not include a shrimp goby on this list? Everyone needs to witness their symbiotic relationship with pistol shrimp at some point in their feeding career, the Yasha Goby will provide hours of entertainment for any tank 10 gallons or up.

2. BANGAII CARDINALFISH: This fish grabbed my attention at a young age, it's not the most colorful but it's unique shape, big cute eyes and interesting behaviour makes it my second pick in a nano reef tank of 30 gallons or more.

Honorable Mention
FLAME HAWKFISH: The flame Hawkfish is a beautiful bright red fish with a boat load of personality, a great option for a semi aggressive tank with no shrimp.

1. BLUESPOT JAWFISH: I'm yet to find a nano fish in this hobby that is more stunning, or with more personality than the Bluespot Jawfish, the only downside is their price tag ($300CAD), however they are worth every penny. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid or yours will fly out of your tank like mine did. This fish is shy, a great engineer and a great tankmate in a peaceful tank, they can even be kept with seahorses. A jawfish is the perfect showpiece fish in any 30 gallon or larger reef tank!

 

[GoReefin]

To add to the list these guys are also great for nano aquariums.

Possum wrasse

Pink streak wrasse

Pygmy hawkfish

 

[dimitrinivo]

To add to the list these guys are also great for nano aquariums.

Possum wrasse

Pink streak wrasse

Pygmy hawkfish

Absolutely

 

[Cheeze]

Thank you for this list! I'm cycling my tank and have been thinking about a fish stock list, so this is perfect (and a huge help)!

 

[dimitrinivo]

Thank you for this list! I'm cycling my tank and have been thinking about a fish stock list, so this is perfect (and a huge help)!

Absolutely! Stay posted for my other lists

 

[i cant think]

Hi guys, I work at my LFS and I'd like to share my top 10 Nano Fish for aquariums 30 gallons or under. This list will include both reef safe and non reef safe fish, enjoy!

10. WARTSKIN ANGLER: The wartskin Angler is the perfect nano predator fish, it can thrive in a species only aquarium of atleast 20 gallons and will likely need live ghost shrimp or mollies before it can be trained to frozen food.

9. OSCELLARIS CLOWNFISH : An absolute classic! The reason it's not further up on this list is because of how mainstream it is. There's a type of clownfish for everyone, with all the different patterns and designs available. A 10 gallon is suitable for a single specimen while a pair is better off in a 20 gallon.

8. YELLOW CLOWN GOBY: You'll never get tired of these little guys, perfect for a pico reef tank of 3 gallons or more!

7. PEARL TOBY PUFFER: Technically this spot could count for any canthigaster puffer, they stay small and only need about 30 gallons, they have plenty of personality and are a great pick for a nano FOWLR tank.

6. PYGMY FILEFISH: One of the coolest nano options you'll find! These guys are captive bred, stay small and are reef safe! They do best in pairs in a 15 gallon or larger tank.

5. ROYAL GRAMMA: An absolute stunner, royal gramma's are super bright and make a great addition to a reef tank of 30 gallons or more.

4. FIREFISH DARTFISH: Firefish are one of the most peaceful fish you can find, they have stunning coloration and amazing behaviour, a MUST for any community reef 10 gallons or up with a tight fitting lid.

3. YASHA GOBY: How could I not include a shrimp goby on this list? Everyone needs to witness their symbiotic relationship with pistol shrimp at some point in their feeding career, the Yasha Goby will provide hours of entertainment for any tank 10 gallons or up.

2. BANGAII CARDINALFISH: This fish grabbed my attention at a young age, it's not the most colorful but it's unique shape, big cute eyes and interesting behaviour makes it my second pick in a nano reef tank of 30 gallons or more.

Honorable Mention
FLAME HAWKFISH: The flame Hawkfish is a beautiful bright red fish with a boat load of personality, a great option for a semi aggressive tank with no shrimp.

1. BLUESPOT JAWFISH: I'm yet to find a nano fish in this hobby that is more stunning, or with more personality than the Bluespot Jawfish, the only downside is their price tag ($300CAD), however they are worth every penny. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid or yours will fly out of your tank like mine did. This fish is shy, a great engineer and a great tankmate in a peaceful tank, they can even be kept with seahorses. A jawfish is the perfect showpiece fish in any 30 gallon or larger reef tank!

I know this is relatively old however I’d like to point out a few things I’d personally like to mention after working in a few LFSs.
One small issue, the jawfish needs a cooler water temperature than most corals can be kept at which is much more commonly known now than it once was. A jawfish that’s a good replacement is the pearly/yellow head jawfish.

Another issue is how the flame hawk is actually a more aggressive species of hawk. It can also be kept with larger lysmata shrimp however any small ornamental species will be eaten.

The final issue is how Cagnathister are a dirtier species so keeping them in a nano is generally quite hard unless the owner was to keep ontop of maintinence. They also need to be fed clams every so often to trim the teeth down so they’re a more needy fish than normal. They’re also rather more active than most expect, same with the flame hawk.

in an LFS holding tank a fish behaves differently as it’s most likely stressed from the move from the ocean into a small glass box.