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No caves--->HELP with livestock.


Roansdad

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So I designed my rock work to be very open and bonsai"ish" on my 25gal cube and almost got the look I wanted but now I have an issue.  It's so open that there aren't any caves or hiding places really.  

  Now the issue.   With everything being forced to be in the open what can I get?   I've been throwing around predator only if I could house a few.   Like fu Manchu lion or frog fish    Fish that would group.  I realize schooling and shocking do not happen in a nano   Fish that would swim in the open a lot.  I wanted Toby puffer badly.    My tank is also bare bottom.    

  Even shrimp will be an issue because again no caves just over hangs.   So now i stress about what shrimp and how many   

  It will be a typical mixed reef housing various coral.  

Thanks a lot!!! 

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An assessor might dig that overhang, I don't really have any rock caves in my scape too but my royal gramma didn't have a problem with this  just dug his own little burrow but I have sand... There's always the basic clowns and chromis as options too or even a blenny which would look cool perching on the rocks since you have a very vertical scale. If you're looking for something more unique ORA breeds those nifty little file fish, although they may not be reef safe.

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imo 25g is a bit small for an assessor... you could get priolepsis gobies - they like caves, but they'll like the overhangs, too.

Pygmy wrasses like Wetmorella or the pink streaked ones would be good. Basslets would be good, too. You could get a few schooling cardinals (red spot or blue eyed ones). Shrimp will also be on your overhangs. Personally, i'm a huge fan of microfish (Trimmas, Eviotas, Grissingeri, Aeliops megastigma (they school), White capped gobies... you could fit a ton of them in your 25 - all depends on what you like and how much you want to spend.

If you get a predatory fish like an angler or a lion fish  you won't be able to put much else in the tank.

 

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So kinda leaning towards

possum wrasse/tanaka 

pink streaked wrasse

tailspot blenny

black cap basslet

leopard Toby puffer

 

barebottom so limited on cuc

5 blue leg hermits

5 red leg hermits

mix of some kinda snails 

 

what about a coral banded shrimp?  If not a toss up between a few peppermints or a blood shrimp

 

am I heading in the right direction 

 

 

1 hour ago, 1.0reef said:

Assessors only eat 2.5-3 inches long, a 25 could easily house a pair.

a small group of threadfin cardinals would work.

Do assessors pair up?? It would look pretty cool 

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CUC wise I'd be cautious when it comes to hermits, I had a blue leg hitchhike in with my nassarius snails and so far it has proceeded to kill the two of them so just make sure you have plenty of spare shells because mine likes to constantly switch. I do enjoy him though, I love to watch him crawl around and do his thing.

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14 minutes ago, jesseatam said:

CUC wise I'd be cautious when it comes to hermits, I had a blue leg hitchhike in with my nassarius snails and so far it has proceeded to kill the two of them so just make sure you have plenty of spare shells because mine likes to constantly switch. I do enjoy him though, I love to watch him crawl around and do his thing.

I never had hermits in my last tank for that reason.  So maybe I should rethink them for sure. 

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Derrick1980
On 4/18/2017 at 9:55 PM, Roansdad said:

So kinda leaning towards

possum wrasse/tanaka 

pink streaked wrasse

tailspot blenny

black cap basslet

leopard Toby puffer

I have a 26g, a Toby puffer, two clowns and two chromis.. all get along fine together and I totally understand your desire to get the puffer..

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Derrick1980
Just now, Flexin said:

No shrimp then, correct?  I thought the puffer will eat shrimp.

At the size my puffer is now, she wouldn't be able to really, but yeah no shrimp 

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The puffer is very cool.  If I could I would, but I already introduced shrimp as part of my CUC.  I now enjoy them.  Maybe it's time for another tank :)

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So no chance of shrimp even with a leopard Toby?  Even a blood shrimp wouldn't be safe?   I don't mind replacing some snails and crabs at a buck a piece"ish" but for 30.00 I'd rather be the one eating a  shrimp dinner.   

  Does it matter if I got the puffer when it went in as in if it was first would it become territorial and should be introduced after some other fish??

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Derrick1980
8 hours ago, Roansdad said:

So no chance of shrimp even with a leopard Toby?  Even a blood shrimp wouldn't be safe?   I don't mind replacing some snails and crabs at a buck a piece"ish" but for 30.00 I'd rather be the one eating a  shrimp dinner.   

  Does it matter if I got the puffer when it went in as in if it was first would it become territorial and should be introduced after some other fish??

The puffer will still want to eat the shrimp if it is big enough to.

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