Hi! Newbie Stocking, thinking of only shy fish.

[Fishmanmilex]

Wondering what shy, colorful, and or personable fish I can keep in a 30. I’ve read a pretty extensive article covering just about everything I can think of, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a bunch to learn! Just assume I know the Uber basics, as I’m sure I’m missing something. I know because I’m posting this. Thanks in advance, -milex

[Melfy77]

Firefish are beautiful and shy/skittish 🙂 make sure you have a lid they are jumpers! Blennies are more outgoing and have pretty cool personnalities!

[Fishmanmilex]

thanks! firefish were definitely on my list! the other ones were possum wrasse (tanakas), jawfish and filefish (which i haven't found  beginner one i like yet).

[Fishmanmilex]

any thoughts/ideas?

[Cannedfish]

Possum wrasses, basslets

[Melfy77]

31 minutes ago, Fishmanmilex said:

thanks! firefish were definitely on my list! the other ones were possum wrasse (tanakas), jawfish and filefish (which i haven't found  beginner one i like yet).

Check out the mimic filefish. Looks like the valentini puffer. They look pretty cool IMO.

[Fishmanmilex]

They definitely are! I’m wondering if it would be too much, with 1 jawfish, 1-2 firefish, 1-2 possum wrasses, and 1 blue Macneill’s assessor Basslet as my current plan, thought.

[sublunary]

I gravitate towards peaceful fish too.

 

If you're looking at filefish, I just got a pair of captive-bred white spotted pygmy filefish.  They are great additions so far.  Not the flashiest of fish, but very cute and great community members. 

 

I also really recommend assessors. I have a captive-bred yellow assessor that is also a great community member.  Super chill, and a nice flash of color to the tank. 

 

The stocking list you suggest above has one sand dweller and a bunch of mid-water swimmers.  I'd look at maybe trading one of those out for a perching fish or two, to fill more niches in the tank.  Small blennies like the two spot or tail spot tend to be peaceful.  Small barnacle blennies fit that role. Trimma gobies do too.

 

[Fishmanmilex]

Ok. Maybe a 1-2 clown gobies, 1-2 pygmy wrasses, 1 firefish, 1 blue assessor, and 1 jawfish?

[Melfy77]

9 minutes ago, Fishmanmilex said:

Ok. Maybe a 1-2 clown gobies, 1-2 pygmy wrasses, 1 firefish, 1 blue assessor, and 1 jawfish?

Sounds good. You could also do one blenny (tailspot blenny for exemple) and one clown goby. I dont know much about jawfish but I think they need a deeper sand bed?? How deep were you planning in having it? For bottom dwellers the goby/pistol shrimp combo is a classic and fun to watch (and you don't need that deep of a sandbed, I have a pair of yellow watchman gobies with a randall pistol shrimp and my sand bed is very shallow, like 1/2 inch, they're fine)

[Tired]

1 clown goby, they'll fight. A pair of pygmy wrasse will work. Jawfish need a very deep sandbed (4-5"), so I would second getting a watchman goby instead. They're not aggressive at all, aside from possibly flaring their face if something gets too near their house. 

[Fishmanmilex]

Would a diamond watchman work? They are one of my favorite fish. I’m just worried that a goby might pick on The firefish. Also is there a goby that won’t do that display? I really like the idea of having a tank full of fish that Are shy, aren’t out a lot and are easily spooked. Then they are all out and about, while in a typical aquarium they’d be hiding a lot.

[Tired]

I hate to break it to ya, but shy fish are shy because they're afraid of predators. No aggressive fish will help, but some shy fish will hide even if kept solo. My LFS has a yellow assessor in a countertop display tank, and you never see that thing. 

 

A diamond watchman might work, but they do get fairly large, and I think they need a lot of sand to sift. All watchman gobies will defend their burrow, but, since they won't seek out things to chase, it's not an issue in a peaceful tank. They just puff their face up if something gets too close- half the time the "threat" doesn't even notice it. I'd consider a yasha or antenna goby, they're both very small and very peaceful. 

[Saltysheep]

I have a blue assessor that I am getting ready to more from my 10 gal to my 30 gal that has been cycling for 2 months. He was skittish at first but he swims in the open water 70% of the time. He lived with my diamond goby in peace.

[Tamberav]

Diamond gobies are not shy... Mine is even bossy and rude to other fish at times. He is pretty large and probably not ideal to put one in with shy fish.

 

Other spotted gobies would be an orange spotted shrimp goby or the tangaroa goby. Either one would be an appropriate addition.

 

https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/195/?pcatid=195

 

https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/2112/?pcatid=2112

 

Transparent cave goby is another and this fish is probably shy...

 

https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/1417/cave-transparent-goby?pcatid=1417&c=15+31+1417

[lizzyann]

I chose all shy fish for my aquarium and I love them! Just make sure you're mentally prepared to rarely see your fish. I'm fine with it because I get plenty of enjoyment from watching my coral, but I really don't see my fish much unless I'm feeding. My yellow banded possum wrasse swims around the most, but she sticks to the shady spots around her rock and it tooks months and months and months for her to come out of hiding. My randall's assessor swims in the open very occasionally to check things out (like if I turn off the flow) but usually stays in his cave. My yasha goby hides deep in her cave and ONLY comes out when I feed the fish. 

 

The pros are that I've never had any trouble with aggression and I think it's fun to have more unique fish.

[Tired]

The other pro is that it makes it special to see your fish, when they hide a lot. Though it can be a good idea to pick one more confident one, so you'll always at least have something to watch. A cardinalfish of some sort might work, come to think of it- they're generally not aggressive. Or a clown goby. Again, not shy, but it's a tiny and non-frightening fish that won't bully your others. If you can get a healthy one (sometimes they arrive in pretty poor shape), they're great little fish.

[lizzyann]

Yes that's a good pro too! Love the clown goby suggestion, from what I've read they should probably be out scavenging and resting on coral most of the time instead of hiding so it could be a very good addition to the shy crew. I really want to add one to my tank but am too scared it will eat my sps!

[Fishmanmilex]

Ok... I am planning A new one out, and i want to know what you think(this can actually be potentially larger than 30, that’s just The best outcome): orange spot goby x1, neon goby x2, twinspot goby x2, Pygmy wrasse x2, yellow clown goby x3, and green stripe goby x4.

[Tired]

As a general rule, unless you know you can buy a mated pair of something, you should only buy one of most fish species. Green banded gobies do well in groups, but the rest of your listed fish will likely squabble.

Twinspot gobies are sand-sifters that do best in large tanks, so they can get plenty of food from the sand.