Recommended tank mates for fire fish

[debbeach13]

A couple weeks ago my last clown fish passed away, about a month before the other passed. They were at least 7 years old maybe 8 1/2. I have always had clowns in my 27 years of keeping salt water tanks. Right now the only fish in my 20 gallon long are 2 common fire fish. I would like another fish or two. Please share your experience with tank mates good and bad. 

[Aurortpa]

Yellow watchman goby would be a good downstairs neighbor. A bit shy at first but are very peaceful, even tho he may guard his cave, he isn’t very aggressive about doing so.  Doesn’t attack any inverts, actually lives with a golden cbs. He readily comes out whenever he sees the turkey baster, he thinks it’s dinner time.

 

Other choice I got that i recommend is a springerii damsel. By far one of my brightest colored fish and actively swims all over tank. This damsel is particularly known for it’s peaceful nature. 

 

 

 

[Clown79]

Peaceful tank mates because firefish are skittish.

 

Yellow watchman would be good.

[sadie]

3 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

A couple weeks ago my last clown fish passed away, about a month before the other passed. They were at least 7 years old maybe 8 1/2. I have always had clowns in my 27 years of keeping salt water tanks. Right now the only fish in my 20 gallon long are 2 common fire fish. I would like another fish or two. Please share your experience with tank mates good and bad. 

so sorry to hear.  Why not get 2 more clowns?  I keep saying I'm going to get something different,(my 7 yr old clown died 2 yrs ago) but I can't help it, I just love those clowns.

[debbeach13]

Yes clowns are an old favorite. I am ready to try some thing different. 

17 hours ago, Aurortpa said:

springerii damsel.

As long as is doesn't get mean as it matures. I have seen blue devils at their worst. How do I make sure it is a springeril? I have a pistol shrimp in a little 3 gallon. He is in there like a time out because he drags all my ric's and any thing else on the sand bed under the rocks. I am thinking he needs a little goby and a watchman would be a good fit. Then I might put them back in the main tank, might not unless I need the pico for a QT. 

I suppose a lot depends on what the stores actually have. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

A small goby or blenny would be alright. I think Cardinals are quite peaceful as well. 

[KNelson]

 

Very curious and peaceful clown goby.  Mine is a citron.  My purple firefish is still recovering from my overbearing clown that died some months back and he's pretty cool with the citron and a circus goby. 

 

 

[debbeach13]

I do like the look of a citron goby. I am not familiar a circus goby. I will have to look that up. Thanks.  Oh like a barred goby.

[banasophia]

1 hour ago, KNelson said:

 

Very curious and peaceful clown goby.  Mine is a citron.  My purple firefish is still recovering from my overbearing clown that died some months back and he's pretty cool with the citron and a circus goby. 

 

 

Adorable little guy. 💛

[A Little Blue]

1 hour ago, debbeach13 said:

I do like the look of a citron goby. I am not familiar a circus goby. I will have to look that up. Thanks.  Oh like a barred goby.

I like Circus goby  (there are various names for this particular specie) but keep it in mind that it is a very cryptic fish that needs plenty of rocks and hiding places/caves/overhangs.

You won't see it a whole lot so it might not be what you're looking for. I like the fact that my Circus goby is extremely happy and is doing well in my tank. To be honest, I don't even know what it does and when he eats. The only time I see it is when my lights start fading out into a night mode. 

[KNelson]

 

5 hours ago, A Little Blue said:

I like Circus goby  (there are various names for this particular specie) but keep it in mind that it is a very cryptic fish that needs plenty of rocks and hiding places/caves/overhangs.

You won't see it a whole lot so it might not be what you're looking for. I like the fact that my Circus goby is extremely happy and is doing well in my tank. To be honest, I don't even know what it does and when he eats. The only time I see it is when my lights start fading out into a night mode. 

 

My circus / black-barred convict / full moon / tiger goby is similar, but I do see him a bit during the day - I think he's like a cat, just napping often.  He snags a few bites of food a day but not as much as I think he should and my pod pop isn't very big.  I, too, think he's happy and well despite this. 

[jesseatam]

A fang blenny could be a good choice.

[Snow_Phoenix]

7 hours ago, jesseatam said:

A fang blenny could be a good choice.

I have a fang blenny. Great fish and very personable. 

[Nano Nano Boo Boo]

Midas Blenny by a mile. Beautiful fish that changes colors, active, and honestly hilarious. By far my favorite fish in my tank. 

[Aurortpa]

+1 Fang blennies have super personalities

[Nano Nano Boo Boo]

Now I want a fang Blenny...can they be kept with other blennies?

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 hour ago, Nano Nano Boo Boo said:

Now I want a fang Blenny...can they be kept with other blennies?

I've never tried it. I suppose in a very large system of 120G++, it could be done, but otherwise I don't think so. Blennies are quite territorial with other blennies as a rule. There are many types of fang blennies to pick from too. I have a Grammistes and I love him. He's currently MIA but fish have a habit of vanishing in my tank and showing up a few weeks later, so I'm not too concerned yet.

[jesseatam]

On 7/17/2018 at 8:21 PM, Nano Nano Boo Boo said:

Now I want a fang Blenny...can they be kept with other blennies?

Other fang blennies? In a small system, no. With something like a tail spot? Maybe, haven’t done it myself though. If you were going to try it I’d recommend getting two barnacle clusters and placing them on opposite sides of the tank giving them there own little hidey holes away from eachother. Either way I recommend getting a barnacle cluster though, my blackline blenny absolutely loves his.

[12scanlon]

Go with the watchman goby. I have one and he is amazing. 

[Zorya]

I’ve got a purple and red firefish and their tankmates are a tailspot blenny, a clown, and a cherub angelfish. I suspect the angelfish likes nipping the red firefish’s tail, but it doesn’t affect the firefish’s behavior in any way. The tailspot and the angelfish get into a spat once in awhile, but everyone’s doing good in the 20gal. 

 

I might try moving that angelfish to my 30gal cube this weekend tho cause there’s more rock and stuff for him to pick at seeing as that’s all he does all day and night.

[Snow_Phoenix]

9 hours ago, Zorya said:

I’ve got a purple and red firefish and their tankmates are a tailspot blenny, a clown, and a cherub angelfish. I suspect the angelfish likes nipping the red firefish’s tail, but it doesn’t affect the firefish’s behavior in any way. The tailspot and the angelfish get into a spat once in awhile, but everyone’s doing good in the 20gal. 

 

I might try moving that angelfish to my 30gal cube this weekend tho cause there’s more rock and stuff for him to pick at seeing as that’s all he does all day and night.

Do your purple and red firefish fight? Did you introduce them into the tank at the same time?

 

I have a scissortail dartfish. Initially, I wanted to get another pair of scissortails to team up with mine, (I watched easily a dozen dartfish school together at my LFS and it was beautiful), but even the workers there didn't encourage it. An established dartfish will usually fight any newly introduced dartfish, and a lot of folks on NR caution against keeping two different types of dartfish in a nano as a rule. How long have you had your mixed pair?

Also, you might want to check your clownfish instead of your angel. I brought home an Occy around 2 weeks ago, and she likes to nip at all my other fish as well if they swim too close to her. My dartfish doesn't give a sh*t however, and still teases my clown every now and then. 

 

P.S. My tank is a 20G too.

[Zorya]

18 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Do your purple and red firefish fight? Did you introduce them into the tank at the same time?

 

I have a scissortail dartfish. Initially, I wanted to get another pair of scissortails to team up with mine, (I watched easily a dozen dartfish school together at my LFS and it was beautiful), but even the workers there didn't encourage it. An established dartfish will usually fight any newly introduced dartfish, and a lot of folks on NR caution against keeping two different types of dartfish in a nano as a rule. How long have you had your mixed pair?

Also, you might want to check your clownfish instead of your angel. I brought home an Occy around 2 weeks ago, and she likes to nip at all my other fish as well if they swim too close to her. My dartfish doesn't give a sh*t however, and still teases my clown every now and then. 

 

P.S. My tank is a 20G too.

My firefish don't fight.  I had originally ordered a purple one and a red one came in 😕, but it had been through a ton of stress because the shipping was delayed 3 days (3 days in transit?!?!) and only my firefish survived in the box out of thousands of dollars of fish 😢. So I decided to keep it and not send it back (December 2017).

 

A couple months later (Feb 2018), I decided to get a purple one even though I know it says this and that about dartfish compatibility.  The purple one I got in was larger than the red one I got, but they started to swim around beside each other and sleep in the same cave right next to each other.  They don't now because I moved the rocks and the cave is gone, but they are together about 50% of the day swimming around the tank.  It's been like this since Feb when I introduced the purple one.

 

As for the nipped tailfin, I know its the angel cause he's been eyeing up dat ass (haha) and the red firefish is skittish around him.  He doesn't bother the purple, but by far the red one is the most docile in the tank and won't confront him about the issue straight up.  The clownfish doesn't elicit the same reaction from the red firefish.  She is swimming by the firefish pair most of the time and when she's not, she's staring at me when I'm on my computer, or the bettas, or the starry in the other tank... She's more curious about what's going on around the room than in there.  She was also the last one added.

[Saltyfishies]

Hi, i have a black ocellus clownfish and i want to put some other fish in my 20 gal with her. Any suggestions? I was thinking of a purple firefish