Fish for pico reef

[Xj reefing]

I have just set up a 5 gallon pico tank and am looking for a fish to go in there. What would be my best option. I was thinking a clown goby would work. Would a small damselfish be ok? or what about a goldstipe cardinal?

[Daniel92481]

1 hour ago, Xj reefing said:

I have just set up a 5 gallon pico tank and am looking for a fish to go in there. What would be my best option. I was thinking a clown goby would work. Would a small damselfish be ok? or what about a goldstipe cardinal?

Any one of those would be fine. I would find the smallest one possible. A purple firefish would also be good. 

[Clown79]

A tailspot blenny would be cool.

 

You can do a smaller damsel but it will need an upgraded tank once it gets larger.

[jservedio]

8 hours ago, Daniel92481 said:

A purple firefish would also be good. 

Not really a good fit for a pico, especially if it's cube shaped - they get well over 3" long and are incredibly skittish.

[Daniel92481]

23 minutes ago, jservedio said:

Not really a good fit for a pico, especially if it's cube shaped - they get well over 3" long and are incredibly skittish.

The smaller the better. It takes a long while to get to 3 inches. I have one in my 4.1 that is doing well. I got him at about 3/4-1”. 

[jservedio]

10 minutes ago, Daniel92481 said:

The smaller the better. It takes a long while to get to 3 inches. I have one in my 4.1 that is doing well. I got him at about 3/4-1”. 

They only live 3-4 years - they grow pretty damn fast when they are healthy. They'll do well in a 5g while they are very little and if you've got a tank to move them to when they get bigger (like you do), that's fine. But if you don't, it's not a good fit at all for a pico.

 

Also, just because you are keeping a fish successfully in a small tank doesn't mean it's a good idea or something that is fine in most cases. Hell, I had a melanurus wrasse in a 20g tall for almost 7 years that I got as a fully grown terminal male that happened to be a midget "to hold on to" for a few weeks that turned into the rest of it's long life. It lived well beyond it's natural lifespan, but that doesn't mean I would ever recommend anyone put one in their nano because it's a terrible idea.

[Xj reefing]

I would like a fish that I would hopefully not have to recommend as it grows as my 20 gallon is fully stocked. 

[Ratvan]

I agree with @Clown79 a tailspot blenny would be perfect for a tank of this size and is a real character 

[aclman88]

I keep hearing about these tail spot blennies. I might have to try one someday.  That being said I’m also a fan of clown gobies.  ESP for this size tank. 

[Clown79]

3 hours ago, aclman88 said:

I keep hearing about these tail spot blennies. I might have to try one someday.  That being said I’m also a fan of clown gobies.  ESP for this size tank. 

Clown gobies are cute but far more hit and miss with health, eating, and nothing beats a blenny character.

[Xj reefing]

I live in Australia so I don’t think I can get a tail spot blenny

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

I've got a trio of trimma gobies in my pico. I think they're about the perfect pico fish - they stay small, and are curious fish that will perch and watch you. 

[Clown79]

4 hours ago, Xj reefing said:

I live in Australia so I don’t think I can get a tail spot blenny

Why not?

 

I see stores in Au that sell linear blennies and tiger blennies. you can do 1 of those, same size as a tailspot.

 

 

[Xj reefing]

Tiger blennys are really expensive like 120 bucks

[banasophia]

Well you’ll probably always see me chime in in favor of yellow clown gobies, like my lil buddy Hank in my avatar... only downside is that they can reportedly nip at SPS polyps, so that might be a consideration if you’re thinking of having SPS.
 

I also prefer keeping two fish together so they have a friend, so I’d consider a mated pair of some kind of tiny fish. I had a mated pair of neon gobies in my 5 g. Oh and if anyone is interested, KP Aquatics has a pair in stock:

 

https://www.kpaquatics.com/product/mated-pair-of-neon-goby/

[Xj reefing]

Would a rainfords goby be ok?

[aclman88]

2 hours ago, Xj reefing said:

Would a rainfords goby be ok?

Not really appropriate. Unless you get one guaranteed to eat prepared food it will most likely starve in your tank. I’m speaking from experience of losing one in a 20 gallon. They also move around too much to be happy in that small of a tank.  

[aclman88]

22 hours ago, Clown79 said:

Clown gobies are cute but far more hit and miss with health, eating, and nothing beats a blenny character.

Looks like my next fish is a tail spot. I’ve had great luck with green clown gobies. From what I’ve come across, they are much more reliable eaters than yellow. Plus the coloration is hard to beat.  What is a blenny’s character like?

[Randall S Simpson]

If you can find them outside the US most if not all of the trimma gobies are a great choice.  I have a small group in a 4.1g tank and they are always darting after something.  They eat pods and anything that will fit in there mouth.

 

Normal or micro decorator crabs are great too, just make sure you are not getting the big ones.  They should be no larger than a nickle for a carapace.

 

Pistol shrimp + goby, make sure you research the goby, some get 5"+ or just will not bond with a shrimp.  I have a pistol + pair of gobies that bonded.

 

Probably my favorite bumble shrimp.

 

 

[Xj reefing]

The main problem is even if I can get some fish that would be good in my tank they are going to be very expensive. For example in America 10-30 dollars for a cleaner shrimp in Australia they are 120+. A shrimp and goby pair will cost me 300+. 

[CD_Scapes]

15 minutes ago, Xj reefing said:

The main problem is even if I can get some fish that would be good in my tank they are going to be very expensive. For example in America 10-30 dollars for a cleaner shrimp in Australia they are 120+. A shrimp and goby pair will cost me 300+. 

If you know this then why did you ask for ideas? You know how expensive stuff is where you live and we are giving ideas soo things that can live in a tank your size 

[Murphs_Reef]

On 4/16/2021 at 3:37 PM, Clown79 said:

Clown gobies are cute but far more hit and miss with health, eating, and nothing beats a blenny character.

Yeah they are. I have been very lucky.. mine wouldn't eat anything at all to the point that it became very small and thin. 

It was about lights out as in "good night Mr Tom" and it started eating pods. I was giving it a day max before it started.. now the little bugger is up top on the surface begging whenever I walk past.. I know some people who have watched clown gobies die off of starvation in front of their eyes... Odd little things 

[Xj reefing]

I was asking for ideas of fish because I had know idea at the time of the price of the small bonus and their availability and I also wanted to see if there was anything else I could get if it was in my price range. I will just go to my lfs and make sure that I get a clown goby that is eating.

[Xj reefing]

I would just like to take a moment to notice the high prices of shrimp and goby pair in Australia. This yasha goby and shrimp duo were collected in Australia so very high price tag.

[Xj reefing]

Maybe instead of a fish I could just get a coral banded shrimp?