NYfishies Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Hello all, I was hoping that you could help us select the last fish or 2 for our NUVO 40 gallon. It is a mixed feed tank with the below livestock. We are new to the hobby - about 4 months in. -Fridmani Orchid Dottyback -Pair of Ocy Clowns -Yellow Watchman Goby paired with a Tiger Pistol Shrimp -Yellowtail Damsel -Blood Fire Shrimp -Emerald Crab -Various Hermit Crabs and Snails -3 different Acans -2 different Zoas -Torch Coral -Red Mushroom -2 different Ricordeas -Hammer Coral -Duncan Coral -GSP We have about 35 lbs of live rock and about 30 lbs of sand in the tank. We do weekly 10 gallon (25%) water changes. All levels are good (recent issues with PH, but being addressed). We monitor everything with the Apex system. We feed a variation of pellets, brine and mysis shrimp, and phytoplankton for the pods. We also target feed some of the corals with shrimp and all of them with Fuel. We have a small refugium in one of the back chambers growing chaeto and hopefully providing a home for pods to reproduce. We have also started to create small rock rubble piles for the same goal. Our pistol shrimp somehow manages to move pieces of rock though twice his size. We very much want a mandarin, but do not believe the tank we have is maintainable. We travel and the tank would need to be able sustain a vast population of pods on its own before introducing a dragonet. We are looking to add color and a friendly fish who will fit in with the others. We desperately wanted a Helfrichi Firefish, but ours only lasted 1 week then stopped eating and we have been told that it could have been the Dottyback aggravating it. We also just yesterday returned the original Fire Shrimp that we had as he was way too big for our tank. He actually ate the baby Firefish - we think she was already deceased at that point. Has anybody had issues with their Firefish? We love the Helfrichi, but cannot and will not let another die. We also had a Bangaii Cardinal, but she didn't eat and died rather quickly. We have heard these may not be the best option as they can be fragile. Our tank is well stocked already so we are not in a rush. Thank you for the help and suggestions! Link to comment
magikarp Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 I think the firefish and cardinal are way too timid for your tank. Especially if introduce them last. Dottybacks, damsels (even though yours are pretty mild for their family) and even Occys can get pretty mean. If your confident in your tank handeling the bioload I would go for a Flame Hawkfish, I think at this point I think any fish you introduce will create some tension/aggression in the tank. At least a Hawkfish can handle itself and is different enough from the other fish that it may be ignored Link to comment
NYfishies Posted November 10, 2014 Author Share Posted November 10, 2014 Hi Magikarp, Thanks for your response! What about the Longnose Hawkfish? We have noticed these at the LFS many times. Is 4-5" too big for our tank? Also, is it possible to have 2 goby's in a tank this small? Really like the Green Clown Goby and the Orange Stripe Prawn Goby. The Catalina Goby is amazing, but I believe at 78 degrees it would not last? Might actually do a 10 Gallon NUVO just to have a Catalina Goby and a Helfrichi Firefish. Link to comment
magikarp Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 10 Gallon with Catalina and Helfrichi would be great Never kept a longnose hawkfish but I think it would do OK. They aren't very active, spend more time perching so I don't think they would stress in a 40 gal. And should be tough enough to hang with your present fish. Personally I think both clown gobies and prawn gobies wouldn't go well. Both likely to be victim of the Dottyback. Also not sure how the Watchman would react to a prawn goby? maybe somebody with experience keeping both together can chime in. Link to comment
Tamberav Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Maybe a coral beauty? Beware sometimes they nip at corals but not always. The Catalina Goby is amazing, but I believe at 78 degrees it would not last? Might actually do a 10 Gallon NUVO just to have a Catalina Goby and a Helfrichi Firefish. Catalina's are temperate fish and wouldn't work with a helfrichi. In an ideal world they should be kept 50-60 degrees. Even low 70's will most likely be surviving and not thriving. http://reeftools.com...talina-gobies/# Attempting to keep any fish at the very top of its natural temperature range is going to shorten its lifespan and weaken the immune system. 71 degrees happens to be the top of a Catalina Goby’s temperature range. Link to comment
NYfishies Posted November 12, 2014 Author Share Posted November 12, 2014 Wouldn't my tank be too small for a coral beauty? Live aquara suggests 70 gallons min. Bummer on the Catalina Goby! Link to comment
NYfishies Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 Hey guys, Would a six line wrasse work? Thanks! Link to comment
NYfishies Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 bump on the six line wrasse. thanks! Link to comment
FlamingPrawn Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Possibly. I don't think you want to mix a dotty w/ a six line. I had a Gramma & Six line and they didn't seem to get along. What about a a dwarf angel like you mentioned? Of course they aren't always a guaranteed "reef safe". But a Flame or Coral Beauty would be nice Link to comment
NYfishies Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 Possibly. I don't think you want to mix a dotty w/ a six line. I had a Gramma & Six line and they didn't seem to get along. What about a a dwarf angel like you mentioned? Of course they aren't always a guaranteed "reef safe". But a Flame or Coral Beauty would be nice Seems like we really screwed up by adding the Dottyback when we did... bummer! I really thought that our tank (40 Gallon AOI w/ display around 33 Gallon) is too small for even Dwarf Angels? I have been dying to buy a larger tank just to get a Flame Angel. Minimum Tank Size: 70 gallons Care Level: Moderate Temperament: Semi-aggressive Reef Compatible: With Caution Link to comment
FlamingPrawn Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I've seen Flame angels in a tank that size. I think you'd be fine... as long as there is some swimming room. Buy small Link to comment
NYfishies Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Hi all, So we really want a Wrasse. Is it possible? Our current fish population is very happy. They are living together great. While I feel we can certainly handle the additional fish from a bioload point of view I am not sure about whether adding another fish will disrupt the harmony in the tank. Any help is very much appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment
Daveluce Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I think a wrasse would be ok with the fish you have. I have a mccoskers wrasse and he's very peaceful. Link to comment
jambon Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I tend to like wrasses... I just got a yellow barred possum wrasse. the tanka wrasse looks nice also and so far the possum is pretty laid back. There are some interesting variations of the 4 lined wrasse also. Link to comment
NYfishies Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 I am equally concerned with the Wrasse being intimidated by my other fish (this happened to our Helfrichi Firefish and she stopped eating after a week) as I am the Wrasse doing the intimidation. Can the Wrasse stand their own ground? Link to comment
jambon Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 IMO they can take care of themselves. They are fast. The dottyback sounds like the most aggressive fish... or maybe the damsel fish. usually the amount of food available gets the new er fish over the first stress. I don't think wrasses are as timid as some other choises. Look for a healthy and well fed specimen. Link to comment
RC1313 Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 A dwarf angelfish would be fine in a tank that size, however they aren't always the best with corals and can turn to eating them if they aren't well fed. A wrasse would be okay too, as long as you checked the temperament, they aren't always timid. I once bought a fairy wrasse that terrorized my Potter's Angelfish. Finding something that will be okay with the dotty back aggression might be difficult. I would probably say your tank is semi-aggressive with the dottyback, clown pair, and damsel, so see if you can find something that wouldn't be beat up constantly in your tank. Link to comment
NYfishies Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Thanks for the awesome feedback! RC1313, do you have any suggestions? On LA all of the dwarf's range from 55-70 gallons. I would love to get a sixline wrasse. Link to comment
jambon Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Another nice candidate may be a candy bars letter. Nice color, fairly peaceful and they pop out of the rock work occasionally... they love the rock work and little caves. but I have Sean a few nice small 6 lined wrasse before! Decisions decisions! Another nice candidate may be a candy bars letter. Nice color, fairly peaceful and they pop out of the rock work occasionally... they love the rock work and little caves. but I have Sean a few nice small 6 lined wrasse before! Decisions decisions! I would avoid the pygmy angel. Very tempting for me but the large tank is a must. I flushed a flame angel or two in my day for that reason. Link to comment
Chief Reef Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Im also for the flame hawkfish myself, very hardy, Colorful, tons of personality. and Definitely tough enough to handle aggression from any of your current inhabitants. Have one in my 40 breeder and i cant imagine having a tank without one now, Link to comment
NYfishies Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 The Flame Hawkfish seems like a good choice. Besides my Blood Red Fire Shrimp I do not have any red in the tank. Link to comment
NYfishies Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 All, So yesterday we went to one of our LFS where we typically would buy fish. They had a few Flame Hawkfish, but after listening to what we have in the tank they advised against it. The main concern is that it may go after the Pistol Shrimp or Blood Fire Shrimp. Can you guys comment on that? I have looked it up and it sounds correct. They definitely eat Cleaner Shrimp and while the Goby may keep the Pistol alert I would think that the Hawkfish would torment them to the point where they would not come out as much. We then moved on from there to a Possum Wrasse which is really cool looking and seems to be an active swimmer. After deciding to go with it the guy helping us asked for another opinion and they said no. Apparently our ORA Orchid Dottyback is going to prevent us from getting pretty much any free swimming fish according to them. We did wind up picking up a Red Scooter Dragonet (believe its a female). She was eating bloodworms well at the store so we are hopeful that she will eat today some brine or mysis shrimp. The tank is also recently stocked with pods from reef-cleaners.org. As a reminder/update we have the following livestock in this tank: - Pair of Ocy Clowns (Thelma & Wilson) - ORA Orchid Dottyback (Audrey) - Yellowtail Damsel (Charles) - Tiger Pistol Shrimp & Yellow Watchman Goby (Buck & Walter) - Red Scooter Dragonet (Maggy) - Blood Fire Shrimp (Garcon) - Emerald Crab (Emerald) - A ton of Hermits and Snails - Mixed Reef (no SPS... yet) - 35-40 lbs of Live Rock - 40 lbs of Live Sand Thanks for your help! Link to comment
NYfishies Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Hi guys, Any suggestions? Thanks! Link to comment
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