Hi fin goby in a 5g

[Catherine]

Hello,

 

I’m looking into keeping a 5 gallon reef tank and I’ve heard people recommend single gobies in a 5 gallon. Are there any types of hi fin gobies that can be kept in such a small tank? Or would I be better off with inverts and a goby? I’m new to saltwater and have only previously kept freshwater aquariums so any fish/invert recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!

[M. Tournesol]

😬 5 gallons seems to be too small for a hi fin goby. Some did it, but a 10 gallons would be better. I had mine with his shrimp in a shallow 7 gallons before he decided to do some carpet surfing. 

 Look at the guide for other idea :

 

[Tired]

Whether that's enough space would probably depend on the shape of the tank and how you scape. High-fins are a shrimpgoby, so they aren't very active. 

 

I'm not much of a fan of that guide, as it recommends fish for a half-gallon tank. That's too small to keep a fish in, both in terms of space and in terms of parameters. A lot of the fish listed for most of the other tank sizes are iffy at best, too. 

 

Any of the trimma gobies are just fine in a pico tank, or you could get a clown goby. If you can find one for sale (check KP Aquatics), a roughhead blenny is a very cute and somewhat unique option, as long as you don't mind your fish sitting in a hole all day. Granted, high-fin gobies also sit in a hole all day, but they're a bit easier to spot. Really, any perching fish that only hits 1.5" or less should be fine. Except possibly neon gobies- those can be kinda lively. 

[Catherine]

1 hour ago, Tired said:

Whether that's enough space would probably depend on the shape of the tank and how you scape. High-fins are a shrimpgoby, so they aren't very active. 

 

I'm not much of a fan of that guide, as it recommends fish for a half-gallon tank. That's too small to keep a fish in, both in terms of space and in terms of parameters. A lot of the fish listed for most of the other tank sizes are iffy at best, too. 

 

Any of the trimma gobies are just fine in a pico tank, or you could get a clown goby. If you can find one for sale (check KP Aquatics), a roughhead blenny is a very cute and somewhat unique option, as long as you don't mind your fish sitting in a hole all day. Granted, high-fin gobies also sit in a hole all day, but they're a bit easier to spot. Really, any perching fish that only hits 1.5" or less should be fine. Except possibly neon gobies- those can be kinda lively. 

 

1 hour ago, Tired said:

Whether that's enough space would probably depend on the shape of the tank and how you scape. High-fins are a shrimpgoby, so they aren't very active. 

 

I'm not much of a fan of that guide, as it recommends fish for a half-gallon tank. That's too small to keep a fish in, both in terms of space and in terms of parameters. A lot of the fish listed for most of the other tank sizes are iffy at best, too. 

 

Any of the trimma gobies are just fine in a pico tank, or you could get a clown goby. If you can find one for sale (check KP Aquatics), a roughhead blenny is a very cute and somewhat unique option, as long as you don't mind your fish sitting in a hole all day. Granted, high-fin gobies also sit in a hole all day, but they're a bit easier to spot. Really, any perching fish that only hits 1.5" or less should be fine. Except possibly neon gobies- those can be kinda lively. 

Would a longer tank be better for a hi fin? The tank I have is a cube 

[Tired]

For active fish, longer tanks are better than cubes, yes. But a high fin is a burrowing and sitting fish, so length matters less. Mostly you want surface area. The majority of fish don't go up and down very much in the tank, they go back and forth, so you want a lot of back-and-forth space. I wouldn't put a high fin in one of those portrait tanks, as an example, since those are very tall. They're OK for trimma and clown gobies, which will use vertical space as they find new places to perch. 

[jambon]

This is an opinion before I start ... I think the high fin goby paired with a peppermint shrimp.would work fine as far as room goes. You will need a suitable substrate for the shrimp to build with. I dont think the fish would be stressed as it will spend most of the time near it burrows.

   Spot feeding may benefit so you dont have a lot of uneaten food laying around. 

   Another nice fish would be a yasha goby

Which is about the same size as the high fin banded goby. 

   The rockwork is another issue, there should be spaces under the rocks to allow the shrimp to clear spaces . I would add the rock before the gravel and the shrimp will dig in . A 1 inch shrimp.can move small pea sized gravel as they are constantly digging.

   

[Matteo]

You said you're thinking about getting a 10g. Ditch the 5 and go with the 10.

[M. Tournesol]

1 hour ago, jambon said:

high fin goby paired with a peppermint shrimp

An error slipped into your message, peppermint shrimp is not a pistol shrimp 🤣.

 

On 5/21/2021 at 10:12 PM, Catherine said:

I’m looking into keeping a 5 gallon.

Do you have a constrain of space or weight? if not, a 10g would not cost you much more in price and would make live easier (more place and more stable).

 

[jambon]

19 hours ago, M. Tournesol said:

An error slipped into your message, peppermint shrimp is not a pistol shrimp 🤣.

 

Do you have a constrain of space or weight? if not, a 10g would not cost you much more in price and would make live easier (more place and more stable).

 

My bad.. I meant the red and white pistol shrimp. They stay small 

[Tired]

That's a candycane pistol shrimp, so I can see why you called it a peppermint. You'd want to have plenty of rockwork for it to go under, but a candycane pistol should in fact do fine in a pico. 

 

I'll... second? third? whatever-number the recommendation to get a 10gal if you can. It'll make the tank much more stable, parameter-wise, and will allow you to get two or three tiny-to-small fish instead of just one tiny fish.