What should I get from Biota?

[Atherial]

Last year for Christmas my husband got me a $50 Biota gift card. I was going to use it to get an angelfish but I've found a place to get those locally who quarantines. So I'm still figuring out what to do with the gift card.

I'd like a Mandarin goby eventually but my tank is only about 5 months old. I did add some tigger pods but I can't really see them. Can I keep one of the Biota bred mandarins alive even without a large pod population? I can feed fairly often.

I was also looking at some of the other goby and blenny species that they have. I've got a 90 gallon tank though and most are meant for much smaller tanks. I'm worried that the fish would disappear into the rocks and I'd never see it again. I'd like one that is fairly active and would swim around. My short list: starry goby, court jester goby, forktail blenny, striped blenny, upside down goby, yellow trimma goby, and the cosmic nano goby. Of those the court jester goby and the cosmic nano goby seem the prettiest to me.

Other tank inhabitants: 2 clowns, 1 fairy wrasse, 1 foxface, and 1 firefish. I will be getting two dwarf angelfish soon. I'm also planning to get a black sailfin blenny at some point.

Please help me spend this gift card

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Last year for Christmas my husband got me a $50 Biota gift card. I was going to use it to get an angelfish but I've found a place to get those locally who quarantines. So I'm still figuring out what to do with the gift card.

I'd like a Mandarin goby eventually but my tank is only about 5 months old. I did add some tigger pods but I can't really see them. Can I keep one of the Biota bred mandarins alive even without a large pod population? I can feed fairly often.

I was also looking at some of the other goby and blenny species that they have. I've got a 90 gallon tank though and most are meant for much smaller tanks. I'm worried that the fish would disappear into the rocks and I'd never see it again. I'd like one that is fairly active and would swim around. My short list: starry goby, court jester goby, forktail blenny, striped blenny, upside down goby, yellow trimma goby, and the cosmic nano goby. Of those the court jester goby and the cosmic nano goby seem the prettiest to me.

Other tank inhabitants: 2 clowns, 1 fairy wrasse, 1 foxface, and 1 firefish. I will be getting two dwarf angelfish soon. I'm also planning to get a black sailfin blenny at some point.

Please help me spend this gift card

Love Court Jester Gobies, but found 2 of same species do not get along in my 180 gallon.

Vote mandarin though be prepared for the smallest baby fish you can imagine LOL... pods are easy to culture - you probably have a plastic tote or picnic beverage container you can scavange around the house, go to health food store (or online) and buy powered spriulina, buy banana and toss tiny bit of peel into tote/container's saltwater, now ready to add starter bottle of pods from Reef Nutrition. Buy brine shrimp tiny nets to scoop out your pods, and each day scoop out pods to feed your baby mandarin. Here is my post:

raising tig pods - tiny 2.5g tank experimental culture #2

2nd attempt at raising tig pods is officially underway. Original attempt was outdoor lazy banana leaf method I found online - that is still underway but seems to be failing. Suspect Texas temperature and full day direct sunshine is too much, but that pod culture experiment still underway. 2nd...

forum.dfwmas.org

 

[nuxx]

Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse when they are ready

 

[MelancholyBlenny]

If you don't have any pod predators you probably have a lot of tigger pods, they hide in the rocks during the day. Try holding a flashlight over the top of the tank an hour or so after lights out. You will probably see tons of them swimming in the water column.

 

[Atherial]

Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse when they are ready

Yeah, no, can't afford that.

If you don't have any pod predators you probably have a lot of tigger pods, they hide in the rocks during the day. Try holding a flashlight over the top of the tank an hour or so after lights out. You will probably see tons of them swimming in the water column.

I'll take a look. I have seen my fairy wrasse go after something on the rocks but not sure what.

Vote mandarin though be prepared for the smallest baby fish you can imagine LOL... pods are easy to culture - you probably have a plastic tote or picnic beverage container you can scavange around the house, go to health food store (or online) and buy powered spriulina, buy banana and toss tiny bit of peel into tote/container's saltwater, now ready to add starter bottle of pods from Reef Nutrition. Buy brine shrimp tiny nets to scoop out your pods, and each day scoop out pods to feed your baby mandarin.

I think that culturing pods out of the tank might be a bit more than I can handle right now. But I am considering it.

 

[FourPawz]

Pick up a tuxedo urchin for $45. I just bought one of there yellow tangs yesterday. It should arrive tomorrow!

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Yeah, no, can't afford that.


I'll take a look. I have seen my fairy wrasse go after something on the rocks but not sure what.


I think that culturing pods out of the tank might be a bit more than I can handle right now. But I am considering it.

When it had 'lazy easy' in directions - I was sold... this is pod culture totally different than the clean sterile phyto culture method...

I am all about easy, I am all about lazy

 

[Atherial]

I did decide to get a Mandarin dragonet. It will arrive Friday. I've bought the food for it that Biota recommends so we'll see how it goes.