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Time for a new pet!


KNelson

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Hey gang!  A couple of months ago my cute, teenie Lil Bastard (aka designer clown) decided to commit suicide in one of the back chambers of my Fluval Edge.  I'm over my morning period and have been researching a cute, colorful addition to my aquarium.  It currently houses a purple firefish (Chickenshit) and a peppermint shrimp (Cannibal).  I was really giving Chickenshit a chance to earn a new name, but I guess the name fits.

 

After (too) much research I've decided on a citron goby.  I'd love another designer clown but I was informed that the company that bred them is no longer in business.  The citron seems to me to be a good fit.  I have mostly softies with a few LPS and a smallish stylo.  I understand he may possibly nip at the stylo and I'm okay with selling it if it becomes a problem.  I will be upgrading this aquarium when I move into a house and can have a true mixed reef with more space. 

 

Now the questions: 

1.  Do you think it's a good fit in my aquarium? 

2.  Do I NEED branching coral for it to be happy? 

3.  Anyone know the difference between the Fiji and Indonesian specimens?

4.  Would it be okay to add the citron and a circus/black bar/full moon at the same time? 

 

Thanks in advance ?

 

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3 minutes ago, KNelson said:

I'm over my morning period...

 

Damn, it takes my wife a whole week. Your husband is a lucky man. 

 

 

 

Im just making fun of your hilarious misspelling. 

  • Haha 2
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A Little Blue

How big is your Edge? I wasn’t aware that there were any back compartments in Fluval Edge series tanks. I’ve been out of the hobby for a while so perhaps they came out with something else.... Or you meant EVO? 

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13 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

How big is your Edge? I wasn’t aware that there were any back compartments in Fluval Edge series tanks. I’ve been out of the hobby for a while so perhaps they came out with something else.... Or you meant EVO? 

12 gallon; the part on the back that hold the filter and hides the wires. 

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A Little Blue
24 minutes ago, KNelson said:

12 gallon; the part on the back that hold the filter and hides the wires. 

Got it. Well back to topic. Circus gobies are (I should say, are more likely to be) shy and reclusive. Circus needs a looooot of rocks, caves, overhangs and places to hide or you will only see it in the morning and before lights out. It’s peaceful but holds his own against other gobies and will give them a chase if needed. Most of the time it swims upside down and stays close to rocks. Good eaters. Citron is more outgoing perching on rocks and corals. Easy and fun little fish. They often find the way to jump out of the tank, into back chambers and occasionally all the way up to return pump propellers. Will they get along? That’s a good question. In 12 gallons with a lot of rock, hiding place and introduction to the tank at the same time..... maybe. My Circus is somewhat active for its kind but there is a ton of LR and caves in my tank. There are also no real bullies to give him a hard time. If it feels threaten in your tank, you will rarely see it. It isn’t easy to make those guys happy. 

Citrus is easy. So there you have it. Just a few things to consider. 

  • Thanks 1
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I've read a bit about the circus goby and my LFS has one in a display that I've been able to observe.  

Here's my 'scape:

20180424_212939.thumb.jpg.3eed8da0b700fd74fbabee97d3b5b3e1.jpg

Corals rearranged and larger, no clown. 

20180424_213012.thumb.jpg.526b1d4bc30c7c542e2c29a1daac14c4.jpg

 

There is a cave, currently inhabited by Chickenshit and Cannibal, a passthrough, and two other levels of ledges/overhangs.  I'm trying to find a coral for the center area, it's pretty dark, even the mushrooms don't like it.  I may go NPS, I've no problem feeding it a couple of times a day.

 

The only bully would be my shrimp.  As for the jumping, I got something to prevent that waiting for me to figure out how to attach it.  

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A Little Blue
4 minutes ago, KNelson said:

I've read a bit about the circus goby and my LFS has one in a display that I've been able to observe.  

Here's my 'scape:

20180424_212939.thumb.jpg.3eed8da0b700fd74fbabee97d3b5b3e1.jpg

Corals rearranged and larger, no clown. 

20180424_213012.thumb.jpg.526b1d4bc30c7c542e2c29a1daac14c4.jpg

 

There is a cave, currently inhabited by Chickenshit and Cannibal, a passthrough, and two other levels of ledges/overhangs.  I'm trying to find a coral for the center area, it's pretty dark, even the mushrooms don't like it.  I may go NPS, I've no problem feeding it a couple of times a day.

 

The only bully would be my shrimp.  As for the jumping, I got something to prevent that waiting for me to figure out how to attach it.  

Nice scape. Unfortunately, my prediction is that spot that your chickenshit occupies would be a perfect hangout for Circus goby. They might gonna have to fight for it. I’m surprised your purple keeps hiding like that.... My stays all day n the open.  Did you beat him with a stick or something? 

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1 minute ago, A Little Blue said:

Nice scape. Unfortunately, my prediction is that spot that your chickenshit occupies would be a perfect hangout for Circus goby. They might gonna have to fight for it.

Thanks!  PITA to get that done through a 5x7" opening ?  I'd be okay with him getting evicted. 

 

2 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

I’m surprised your purple keeps hiding like that.... My stays all day n the open.  Did you beat him with a stick or something? 

He only comes out when I have the powerheads off.  I didn't beat him but my clown was quite the "friendly" fellow (hence Lil Bastard), always chased the firefish back into his cave. 

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A Little Blue
2 minutes ago, KNelson said:

Thanks!  PITA to get that done through a 5x7" opening ?  I'd be okay with him getting evicted. 

 

He only comes out when I have the powerheads off.  I didn't beat him but my clown was quite the "friendly" fellow (hence Lil Bastard), always chased the firefish back into his cave. 

I know how crazy working with Edge tank can be. Even the maintenance can be challenging. You made out quite nicely with yours. I remember cleaning it and constant topping off drove me nuts. 

 

Perhaps your Purple went through so much abuse that it might need some time to adjust. It can actually work in your favor to introduce Circus goby now while Chickenshit is still a little paranoid. They might fight it out at first but once he finds out that it’s safe to stay in the open and that there is another cuisine moving into his safe space, he might become a much happier fellow. 

Are you still considering Citrus goby? 

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6 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

I know how crazy working with Edge tank can be. Even the maintenance can be challenging. You made out quite nicely with yours. I remember cleaning it and constant topping off drove me nuts. 

Thank you, it is irritating cleaning the glass - mine the powerheads, try to not knock over the rocks (they are in 2 parts, upper and lower), don't hit the corals.  The topoffs happen every 2 days unless we are having Santa Anas, then it's every day.  It's worth it though, that sleek architectural design...

 

10 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Perhaps your Purple went through so much abuse that it might need some time to adjust. It can actually work in your favor to introduce Circus goby now while Chickenshit is still a little paranoid. They might fight it out at first but once he finds out that it’s safe to stay in the open and that there is another cuisine moving into his safe space, he might become a much happier fellow. 

Good thought.  I've been trying to get one through LA but they backordered it and then didn't get another in for a while.  Then I found the other goby and they were out of the circus.  Then they got the circus and were out of the citron.  Blah.

 

12 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Are you still considering Citrus goby? 

Yes.  And BlueZoo has both of them in stock. 

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A Little Blue

I know that I said to introduce both of them together. However, given your traumatized Firefish situation and effort to get him into the open, I would do Circus Goby first. Get Chickenshit out of his cave and get comfortable. Once that is accomplished, I would go ahead with Citrus. I hope it works out for you. Please let me know how it works out. I like a little drama from time to time. 

  • Thanks 1
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I may only get one then, and I'm more inclined to get the Citrus.  The shipping makes them really expensive fish if I get them at different times. 

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A Little Blue
2 hours ago, KNelson said:

I may only get one then, and I'm more inclined to get the Citrus.  The shipping makes them really expensive fish if I get them at different times. 

You can’t get them locally? That kind of sucks. I don’t like shipped livestock other than CUC or pods.  

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Not from the stores I will shop at, Aquatic Warehouse said they won't carry the clown gobies because they get stuck in the slatted tank separators and die.  I'd imagine this is the same at other places.  The circus seems to be a little more rare to find.  I trust a couple of the online places over the local shops anyway. 

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A Little Blue
15 minutes ago, KNelson said:

Not from the stores I will shop at, Aquatic Warehouse said they won't carry the clown gobies because they get stuck in the slatted tank separators and die.  I'd imagine this is the same at other places.  The circus seems to be a little more rare to find.  I trust a couple of the online places over the local shops anyway. 

True. I have few issues with my LFS as well. Especially with corals getting bombarded with common pests and sick fish. Fish that they still offer for sale and won’t stop ppl from buying them. Therefore, I am super careful when shopping around for livestock of any kind. But I also got burned more than few times by online retailers. There are few that I would trust and buy from due to quarantine process they use and rare corals they offer. Other then that, I have few hobbyists I get my corals from. I still dip them and put them in hospital tank for observation. Yes, Circus gobies aren’t that common and finding one in LFS can be challenging. If you trust your online source, by all means go for it.  

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Your LFS can’t special order them for you? You could set it up that you can be there when the shipment arrives and take possession as it is unloaded. It never hits their tanks and never has a chance to die in their slats, but you should save on some shipping costs. For that matter, can they  place some kind of screen over their slats for a day until you can pick it up?

 

Another option is to see if there are any local reef clubs by you that has someone who is willing to tack your goby on their order to get free shipping. 

  • Like 2
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On 4/24/2018 at 8:46 PM, KNelson said:

Hey gang!  A couple of months ago my cute, teenie Lil Bastard (aka designer clown) decided to commit suicide in one of the back chambers of my Fluval Edge.  I'm over my morning period and have been researching a cute, colorful addition to my aquarium.  It currently houses a purple firefish (Chickenshit) and a peppermint shrimp (Cannibal).  I was really giving Chickenshit a chance to earn a new name, but I guess the name fits.

 

After (too) much research I've decided on a citron goby.  I'd love another designer clown but I was informed that the company that bred them is no longer in business.  The citron seems to me to be a good fit.  I have mostly softies with a few LPS and a smallish stylo.  I understand he may possibly nip at the stylo and I'm okay with selling it if it becomes a problem.  I will be upgrading this aquarium when I move into a house and can have a true mixed reef with more space. 

 

Now the questions: 

1.  Do you think it's a good fit in my aquarium? 

2.  Do I NEED branching coral for it to be happy? 

3.  Anyone know the difference between the Fiji and Indonesian specimens?

4.  Would it be okay to add the citron and a circus/black bar/full moon at the same time? 

 

Thanks in advance

 

The problem that you are going to be dealing with a 12 gallon is that many fish will be just like your firefish and although be colorful, will spend a lot of time hiding.  You may want to consider a Possum/Pygmy Wrasse as they are both colorful and active and will work in a small tank:

 

http://aquarium-fish.liveaquaria.com/search?w=possum wrasse😀

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, we do what we want and, that, I did.   I got them both.  BZ kept them for almost 2 weeks in quarantine but both arrived healthy and are settling in well.  The citron has found a few corals it likes to perch on, mainly irrigating the alve.  He's pretty stinkin' cute.  The circus goby is beautiful.  I can't get any good pictures of him but his fins are big and crazy.  The 2 of them are often near each other and are totally cool with it.  Chickenshit is, well, more chicken.  He barely comes out at feeding time but I'm sure that will get better.  Speaking of feeding time, the citron is already testing out the food but I'm not sure how to go about feeding the circus.  Should he get a special feeding time before I go to bed or will he train to eat when I feed the others (usually 6:30pm just before the daylights ramp completely down and the blues come on)?

 

20180509_191646.thumb.jpg.7d69f94b94bd30aa933fa5c82e14f67d.jpgVideoCapture_20180511-211224.thumb.jpg.07ffd6636f9d32e479ccf6fec21b6a76.jpg

 

Hanging out together

20180511_210807.thumb.jpg.33cd51d7df917b2a08646f7f5ef984b1.jpg

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A Little Blue

Circus will come out and join the others during regular feeding time but, this might take a little time. Your tank is new to him and he needs some adjustment. Circus usually gets more active with dimmed lights and lights completely out. He will come out more often after settling in. After he arrived in my tank, I haven’t seen him eat for several days and start to wonder if he will make it..... but that seems to be a normal occurrence so don’t freak out. He will eat just about anything and he’s not too picky.

Congrats on getting these guys. Sounds like you are excited. 😏

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27 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Circus will come out and join the others during regular feeding time but, this might take a little time. Your tank is new to him and he needs some adjustment. Circus usually gets more active with dimmed lights and lights completely out. He will come out more often after settling in. After he arrived in my tank, I haven’t seen him eat for several days and start to wonder if he will make it..... but that seems to be a normal occurrence so don’t freak out. He will eat just about anything and he’s not too picky.

Congrats on getting these guys. Sounds like you are excited. 😏

Okay great!  He's only been in there 2 days so I'm not too worried about eating I just wasn't sure what to expect so thank you!  I am super excited 😁

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