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

eatbreakfast · Nov 16, 2016

Adam113 said:
29 gallon cube here. I'm new to saltwater aquariums, and my tank is doing well with 6 snails (astrea and margarita), a peppermint shrimp, two emerald crabs, and a small galaxea frag. Water levels are staying constant and everything seems to be happy.

I'm ready for my first couple of fish, and honestly have no idea where to start. I want some small, colorful, yet hardy fish to start out with. I'd like to get two fish in the next couple of days. What are my options!?

Thank you so much for any input and help.

Firefish, royal gramma, yellow assessor, neon goby, are a few I would consider.

bing_ph · Nov 16, 2016

Hi there!

My 90 gallon tank is almost cycled ( IMO

) and I plan to add the following fishes in time

Pair of clowns
HYT
Bi color blenny
Foxface
6 line wrasse
Banggai cardinal
Mandarin ( if i can populate pods in the fuge)

Will the tank be Over stocked?

TIA

eatbreakfast · Nov 16, 2016

bing_ph said:
Hi there!

My 90 gallon tank is almost cycled ( IMO ) and I plan to add the following fishes in time

Pair of clowns
HYT
Bi color blenny
Foxface
6 line wrasse
Banggai cardinal
Mandarin ( if i can populate pods in the fuge)

Will the tank be Over stocked?

TIA

The bioload should be fine if you add slowly. But sixline wrasses don't make good tankmates for a mandarin.

bing_ph · Nov 16, 2016

eatbreakfast said:
The bioload should be fine if you add slowly. But sixline wrasses don't make good tankmates for a mandarin.

thanks @eatbreakfast ! yup i won't rush adding the fishes and my plan is to add every 2 to 3 weeks spread in between.

oh never thought that the wrasse and mandarin will have complications...need to decide what get if that is the case...i love both those species

eatbreakfast · Nov 16, 2016

bing_ph said:
thanks @eatbreakfast ! yup i won't rush adding the fishes and my plan is to add every 2 to 3 weeks spread in between.

oh never thought that the wrasse and mandarin will have complications...need to decide what get if that is the case...i love both those species

I have found airlines to become problematic with quite a few fish.

Maritimer · Nov 16, 2016

Sixlines and mandarins both eat 'pods. Lots of 'em. Sixlines, being larger, faster, and much more willing to eat the food you drop in for the other fish, can often out-compete the mandarins.

Sixlines, from what I've read and heard via personal communication, can also be surprisingly aggressive for such a small fish. (A shame, really, 'cause they're absolutely gorgeous!)

One of my son's friends recently shut down her tank, and I've inherited her remaining corals and her sixline. He's well-behaved enough in QT, but hasn't been introduced to the fairy and flasher wrasses, or the dragonets, in the DT yet. I've got a 220 gallon tank waiting in the wings, and I'm kind of hoping he won't try to take over the whole enchilada.

~Bruce

bing_ph · Nov 16, 2016

eatbreakfast said:
I have found airlines to become problematic with quite a few fish.

really loved the way six line wrasses plays inside the tank but heard that they don't sit well with other fishes .... :mad::mad::mad:

bing_ph · Nov 16, 2016

Maritimer said:
Sixlines and mandarins both eat 'pods. Lots of 'em. Sixlines, being larger, faster, and much more willing to eat the food you drop in for the other fish, can often out-compete the mandarins.

Sixlines, from what I've read and heard via personal communication, can also be surprisingly aggressive for such a small fish. (A shame, really, 'cause they're absolutely gorgeous!)

One of my son's friends recently shut down her tank, and I've inherited her remaining corals and her sixline. He's well-behaved enough in QT, but hasn't been introduced to the fairy and flasher wrasses, or the dragonets, in the DT yet. I've got a 220 gallon tank waiting in the wings, and I'm kind of hoping he won't try to take over the whole enchilada.

~Bruce

hi bruce (@Maritimer )

whoa! a 220 gallon tank! how i wish i can have something like that too!

with that size of a tank the 6 line wrasse will love swimming all over and forget being a bully! and for sure he will love swimming in and out of the rock works! this i realy want to see!

Maritimer · Nov 16, 2016

Well, I hope so . . .

~Bruce, who thinks a 90 is a pretty sharp tank - every bit a "big" tank, in a more flooring-friendly size!

locito277 · Nov 16, 2016

Maritimer said:
Sixlines and mandarins both eat 'pods. Lots of 'em. Sixlines, being larger, faster, and much more willing to eat the food you drop in for the other fish, can often out-compete the mandarins.

Sixlines, from what I've read and heard via personal communication, can also be surprisingly aggressive for such a small fish. (A shame, really, 'cause they're absolutely gorgeous!)

One of my son's friends recently shut down her tank, and I've inherited her remaining corals and her sixline. He's well-behaved enough in QT, but hasn't been introduced to the fairy and flasher wrasses, or the dragonets, in the DT yet. I've got a 220 gallon tank waiting in the wings, and I'm kind of hoping he won't try to take over the whole enchilada.

~Bruce

Have you see the melanarus wrasse? Beautiful and supposedly peaceful

bing_ph · Nov 16, 2016

locito277 said:
Have you see the melanarus wrasse? Beautiful and supposedly peaceful

no idea on that kind of wrasse...will google it

NanaReefer · Nov 17, 2016

2yr old 40B. Currently home to a Banggai, 6Line and YWG/Pistol. Would love to add 1-2 more fish. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

eatbreakfast · Nov 17, 2016

NanaReefer said:
2yr old 40B. Currently home to a Banggai, 6Line and YWG/Pistol. Would love to add 1-2 more fish. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Perhaps a blenny, such as a midas, starry, or algae blenny, or a flame or longnose hawk.

Tsev03 · Nov 17, 2016

Can you have a red mandarin and a green one if they are opposite sex?
I have a 125 gal

eatbreakfast · Nov 17, 2016

Tsev03 said:
Can you have a red mandarin and a green one if they are opposite sex?
I have a 125 gal

They should be fine together.

Tsev03 · Nov 17, 2016

eatbreakfast said:
They should be fine together.

What about a diamond back goby? Will that be a problem with mandarins?

eatbreakfast · Nov 17, 2016

Tsev03 said:
What about a diamond back goby? Will that be a problem with mandarins?

That will be fine too.

Tsev03 · Nov 17, 2016

eatbreakfast said:
That will be fine too.

Great thank you. I sometimes forget I even have the goby he stays hid so much

Maritimer · Nov 17, 2016

I will say that in my 65 gallon reef, with a female target mandarin established for many moons, adding a green mandarin pair brought out her temper - several weeks later, she still assaults the greens on sight. Hopefully, on moving the whole kit'n'kaboodle a few times and ending up in a much larger (220) tank, she'll settle down some. None of them pay a speck of attention to any gobies.

~Bruce

Adam113 · Nov 18, 2016

eatbreakfast said:
Firefish, royal gramma, yellow assessor, neon goby, are a few I would consider.

Are firefish known to hide out the first few days in a new tank?

I got one yesterday, floated him for 20 minutes, and did a drip acclimation for an hour. Got him in the tank and he darted around a bit. Left the lights off for about four hours and turned them on. About and hour or so being in the tank he just seems to lightly swim forward in one area in front of where the protein skimmer is. I put some food in and he swam to it. Then later on he was in the same area lightly swimming forward every few second and then being pulled back towards the bay that the protein skimmer is. I checked on him this morning and I guess he was hiding out. Couldn't find him.

Is this typical behavior? This is my first fish in the tank, so not sure what's abnormal.

Thanks everyone!