Small fishies

[jdog123]

hey im looking for a small and active fish to put in my 8 gallon bio cube. i dont really want a goby that just sits on the rocks and such. i want a fish that will actually swim around like a fish should. however i was looking at a clown goby, do they normally swim or perch? i dont want a clown fish seeing as everyone has a nemo. cardinalfish arent my favorite either. im just looking for a small active fish. i kinda like the jaw fish also.

[DudE31]

if you only want one fish get a domino damsel ... awesome looking and active

[MDeth]

clown goby just sit

 

Please don't put a jawfish in a 8gal They need a DSB and more room.

 

People may disagree with me, but a Royal Gramma or a Chalk Basslet are cool and would be ok IMO in an 8. I HATE damsels....I'd avoid them like the plague if you don't like getting nipped at.

[kkyyllee]

dominos get way too big anyways

 

what about a firefish, or a pair of neon gobys?

[eklikewhoa]

Yeah my clown goby just sits there but he sits at different corals from time to time.

[jdog123]

i heard firefish hide all the time so i dont think i want one of those. i guess all gobys are out considering they all seem to just sit. hmmm what about a rainfords goby? also if worst comes to worst could i put a clown fish in there? i really want a beautiful fish that swims around or is at least active. thanks for the suggestions so far.

[eklikewhoa]

Rainford's require a good deal of real estate to graze on....I am finding out the hard way.

[kkyyllee]

if the firefish is the only fish in the tank it wont hide

[DudE31]

get a crazy clown like a snowflake or picasso

[MDeth]

$150 for a clown? IMO a lineatus fairy wrasse is worth the $250 but those ORA picassos are ridiculous! They are pretty for damsels...but they still will NIP at ya

 

I still vote gramma ftw

[this1fish]

shrimp goby pair would be your best pick...most interesting thing that i have added to my tank by far...

[jdog123]

ok well im leaning more towards the shrimp and goby pair. im looking at the wheelers watchman goby and a skunk cleaner shrimp. will they pair up well? would it be too much of a load on the tank to add a neon goby and a clownfish to the tank as well? thanks a lot.

[Uhuru]

yellow tail damsel!! if you can disregard the fact that they are used by many newbs to cycle their tanks, here's what I love about mine:

 

1) swims actively at all levels of the tank, in and out of the rocks

2) not shy, always comes out when he sees you

3) under good lighting, his color is more brilliant than any coral

4) excellent at catching most of the food that you feed, whether it's on the surface or falling to the bottom. no need to turn off pumps. this is a really important consideration for a pico-reef.

5) picks algae off of glass, rocks and bottom, as well as pods - also another important consideration for minimizing the amount of nutrients you have to add to the tank

6) since there will be no other fish - aggressiveness is a non-issue

 

oh yeah, and

7) very hardy - this is great because fishing a dead fish out of a small reef is a major PITA, not to mention the amount of pollution a single dead fish can create

[Uhuru]

show the yellow tail some love:

 

 

[this1fish]

ok well im leaning more towards the shrimp and goby pair. im looking at the wheelers watchman goby and a skunk cleaner shrimp. will they pair up well? would it be too much of a load on the tank to add a neon goby and a clownfish to the tank as well? thanks a lot.

they will not pair up....you will see the cleaner shrimp clean it but it is no where close to the relationship that the goby will have with a pistol shrimp which is the shrimp the you are suppose to pair the goby up with.

[jdog123]

i really like the jaw fish a whole lot. if i were to add more sand to my tank would it be ok to put a jaw fish in there? i really would like one of those a lot.

[kkyyllee]

they need more space than that

[jdog123]

grr what a hard decision haha. well i guess im gonna go with a goby of some sort then seems like those are the best bet for a small tank like mine. thanks for all the suggestions.

[MDeth]

I'd research any of the 'prawn' gobies or 'shrimp' gobies. These will all readily pair with a tiger or randall's (candy) pistol shrimp.

I have a randall's goby and hes cool (my avatar), but I also like the blue/pink spotted watchman gobies, and the yasha haze.

 

 

I would advise against a bullseye pistol shrimp! They are huge, and usually mean to their goby symbiote

[this1fish]

I'd research any of the 'prawn' gobies or 'shrimp' gobies. These will all readily pair with a tiger or randall's (candy) pistol shrimp.

I have a randall's goby and hes cool (my avatar), but I also like the blue/pink spotted watchman gobies, and the yasha haze.

I would advise against a bullseye pistol shrimp! They are huge, and usually mean to their goby symbiote

they as far as i know they won't pair with gobies at all.

[MDeth]

I've heard two success stories (one being Cesar77 although they beat up on the grissingeri goby the whole time and I forget about the other.

 

But yeah...don't do it...they can easily get 3" and bigger

[jdog123]

im thinking about getting a green clown goby. i think they are the closest to the jawfish i can get. i just like the way they look with the big heads haha. would it go ok with a neon blue goby as well? could i put a shrimp in there if those two were to get along or would that be pushing it. thakns guys.

[MDeth]

shrimp have little to no effect on bioload. throw as many in as you feel can roam the tank w/o being in eachothers way.

 

the clown and neon goby would be fine...I'd even say throw 2 neons and a clown

 

What type of shrimp are you looking at?

 

BTW, heres almost every shrimp goby

 

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=1852

[jdog123]

i was just looking at getting a skunk cleaner shrimp. they seem to be the most like active out of the bunch. i really like hte red fire shrimp but it says they hide most of the time. ive had a peppermint before, and i dont want another one. so what if i were to do a clown goby, a neon blue, and a wheelers watchman goby? would that bee pushing it on that 8 gallon? thanks a lot.

[kkyyllee]

that would be pushing it and the watchman needs a bigger tank