Which fish to put in first?

[PaigeTX]

I just got back from the aquarium store to check things out. My plan in about 2 months or so is to get my first fish - a tail spot blenny. My hope is to get this fish established before introducing the more aggressive clownfish. Would you all agree with that? At the store I was told to be careful of any existing fish as the TSB can be fragile but she also said that it may be too shy to eat if there are no fish in the tank. Any suggestions? Would it be better to just go with a baby clown first? 

[Elizabeth94]

Clowns are mean little things. I personally would add the blenny first. Usually I follow the “rule” of adding the most peaceful fish first. 

[BioCube Newb]

agreed, if it were me the most territorial fish goes in last

[PaigeTX]

2 hours ago, Elizabeth94 said:

Clowns are mean little things. I personally would add the blenny first. Usually I follow the “rule” of adding the most peaceful fish first. 

I’ll stick with the original plan then. Thank you for the help!

[Humblefish]

Just a heads up, a Tail Spot Blenny will sometimes nip at the fins of other fish once they are established. Nothing too serious, but they don't like other fish coming too close to their hidey hole.

[PaigeTX]

22 hours ago, Humblefish said:

Just a heads up, a Tail Spot Blenny will sometimes nip at the fins of other fish once they are established. Nothing too serious, but they don't like other fish coming too close to their hidey hole.

Thanks for the heads up! This is the first time I’ve seen this about TSB

[mcarroll]

1 hour ago, PaigeTX said:

Thanks for the heads up! This is the first time I’ve seen this about TSB

Blennies in general are full of spunk.  Some WAAAAY more than others though...you won't find me near a red-lipped blenny.  MEAN.  But they all have spunk...even the meek little nano-sized ones.  If you could see a group of barnacle blennies together 🥳....I imagine midas blennies might be similar, but I've never seen more than one in a tank.  (Both are plankton-eating blennies.)

 

On 9/21/2019 at 9:30 PM, PaigeTX said:

I’ll stick with the original plan then. Thank you for the help!

What are your plans for the tank prior to getting the fish?   

 

This may be more important than the order you add the fish.

 

I would try to have as much life and stability in the tank as possible.   If possible and if it fits with your stocking plans, I would be sure to have some healthy algae growth, a decent cleanup crew and some healthy, growing corals in place before the fish even show up. 

 

And try not to feel like you're in a rush when 2 months shows up if you haven't quite acheived those things yet.....2 months is still an extremely young tank, so it won't hurt anything at all if you don't get around to stocking fish until month 3, 4 or 5.

 

The more stable the tank is, the happier your new fish will be when he gets in there.  🙂 

[PaigeTX]

39 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

Blennies in general are full of spunk.  Some WAAAAY more than others though...you won't find me near a red-lipped blenny.  MEAN.  But they all have spunk...even the meek little nano-sized ones.  If you could see a group of barnacle blennies together 🥳....I imagine midas blennies might be similar, but I've never seen more than one in a tank.  (Both are plankton-eating blennies.)

 

What are your plans for the tank prior to getting the fish?   

 

This may be more important than the order you add the fish.

 

I would try to have as much life and stability in the tank as possible.   If possible and if it fits with your stocking plans, I would be sure to have some healthy algae growth, a decent cleanup crew and some healthy, growing corals in place before the fish even show up. 

 

And try not to feel like you're in a rush when 2 months shows up if you haven't quite acheived those things yet.....2 months is still an extremely young tank, so it won't hurt anything at all if you don't get around to stocking fish until month 3, 4 or 5.

 

The more stable the tank is, the happier your new fish will be when he gets in there.  🙂 

After the tank is cycled for a little over a month the plan is to add the cleanup crew, a few pieces of ornamental macro algae, and easy corals. For cleanup crew I’m thinking cerith and nassarius snails. I’ll see how that fares and if it goes well and things are stable, add the TSB. I’m not in a hurry and the anticipation is half the fun! Lol. I want to make their home nice and comfy. If there’s one thing in common with all of the research I’ve done it’s that patience is the most important. 

 

I saw a midas blenny in the display tank at the lfs store. A beautiful little fish and it was right up front laying on a coral. Looks like the Midas gets too large for my 14 gallon though 

[mcarroll]

Sounds like a good plan!!

 

2 hours ago, PaigeTX said:

I saw a midas blenny in the display tank at the lfs store. A beautiful little fish and it was right up front laying on a coral. Looks like the Midas gets too large for my 14 gallon though 

I wouldn't try one in less than a 75 Gallon or so, but I have opinions like that about fish.  I like to give em space to the extent I can.   When I have a 125 Gallon, I think I can have a small Tang, and a few other small fish (Yellow Tang, Damsel and two black mollies so far).  When I have an Oscar and a Pleco in freshwater, I give them a 75 Gallon to grow up in.  When I only have 50 Gallons or less for a reef, I don't even look at fish larger than a small wrasse, and wouldn't have more than one or two of that size...usually not even that.  Most of the time I would have no fish.  Just corals and inverts.  Mostly corals.  YMMV as the saying goes.  😉

[Humblefish]

^^ Agree; I wouldn't put a Midas or Starry Blenny in too small of a tank. IME; those are two of the most aggressive blenny species.

[PaigeTX]

3 hours ago, Humblefish said:

^^ Agree; I wouldn't put a Midas or Starry Blenny in too small of a tank. IME; those are two of the most aggressive blenny species.

I’ll keep with my tail spot plan definitely