PLEASE check out your intended fish purchases here first!

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by Ulendon

Thank you so much for your help.

I wanted the Gobies for sand sifting, it's my understanding that they help keep the tank clean. So only one sand sifter? What about Blennies then? Could I have one of each, or can I only have one sand sifter period?

I like the idea of a pair of bengai or pajama cardinals, thanks for the suggestion!

So revised list is as follows
Pair of clownfish
pair of cardinals
golden eel added later on
Mandarin added much later
still unsure about the goby/blennies but I would think they would be early tank additions (I'm fine with just one if it's sufficient for sand sifting)

the problem is that sand sifting animals (gobies, starfish) deplete your sand bed of beneficial organisms and starve to death. If you have dirty sand, there are other much better solutions, not the least of which is a better feeding strategy. I think your revised fish list is fine, but I would not do a sand sifting animal. For interest, shrimp/goby combinations are fascinating.

[snorvich]

Oh, remember, for Bangai cardinal fish, they MUST be a M and F pair not just two of them.

[snorvich]

Have I missed anyone?

[Mr. Fish]

Originally Posted by snorvich

Fully stocked. Sorry. Well, after further consideration, a goby/shrimp combo would easily go.

I was thinking about adding a flame hawkfish, would that be too much?

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by Mr. Fish

I was thinking about adding a flame hawkfish, would that be too much?

No. Actually you could probably get away with a pair IF you find a pair. These are incredibly personable fish and in fact may watch you as much as you watch them. The only downside is they eat shrimp (not pistol shrimp). Other than that, highly recommended.

[iheartJMS]

snorvich, could you recommend a good shrimp/goby pair for my 20H? Thanks

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by iheartJMS

snorvich, could you recommend a good shrimp/goby pair for my 20H? Thanks

That is difficult because my taste may not be your taste. I personally like the Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby, also known as the Yasha Haze Goby or Clown Shrimp Goby which is a very unique goby that is not often available in the hobby. A vivid red and white broken striped body with a large dorsal fin and black patch under the jaw sets this fish apart from other gobies. Bright yellow opaque dorsal, anal, and caudal fins make this fish very appealing to most hobbyists. It has the ability to form symbiotic partnerships with most species of pistol shrimp. It provides a watchful eye while the shrimp digs a burrow for them to share.

It is best suited for aquariums that are 30 gallons or larger which have adequate hiding places but I suspect it will do fine in your 20 gallon tank. The aquarium must have a tight-fitting lid to prevent this goby from jumping out. (Most gobies jump) Very passive, this species works well in small groups or as an individual specimen. The Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby is very hardy and adapts well to reef aquariums, as long as they are maintained with passive tankmates. Ideally this goby should be the first bottom dwelling goby added to the established aquarium, so the fish may stake out its territory before other more pugnacious gobies are added. It prefers a bed of fine sand and loose coral rubble to move around and dig its burrow.

Feed the Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby a diet consisting of a variety of fresh or frozen mysis shrimp, vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, and table shrimp that is shredded, perhaps with a cheese grater. It should be fed at least twice per day.

[aquaman05]

I have a 75 gal with 20 sump/fuge.
2 perc clowns, 2 yellow clown goby,pepp shrimp and cleaner skunk shrimp.
Hammer,frogspawn corals,eagle eyes and yellow polyps.

I was wanting a bi color angle. Good or bad idea?

Thanks

[snorvich]

Thought by many to be the most striking of the Centropyge group of dwarf or pygmy angelfish, the Bicolor Angelfish, also known as the Two-colored Angelfish or Oriole Angelfish, is a vibrant yellow on the anterior half of its body and a deep blue on the posterior half. A splash of deep blue extends upward vertically from the eye to the top of the head and the tail is yellow.

A minimum of a 30 gallon tank with lots of hiding places and live rock for grazing will offer an environment in which to thrive. Not a good reef dweller, the Bicolor Angelfish is prone to nip at stony and soft corals (sessile invertebrates) and clam mantles.

It is hermaphroditic, very difficult to breed in an aquarium, and has no distinguishable differences in color between male to female. The Bicolor Angelfish requires a diet of Spirulina, marine algae, high-quality angelfish preparations, and mysis or frozen shrimp.

this is not one of the easier dwarf angels, but if you have the right kind of tank and don't mind that it is not totally reef safe, it should be fine in your tank.

[aquaman05]

Dang seems like I can't keep anything I like....lol

I want some fish color to add to my tank, can you advise some ones that would be a good choice for me?

Thanks alot

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by aquaman05

Dang seems like I can't keep anything I like....lol

I want some fish color to add to my tank, can you advise some ones that would be a good choice for me?

Thanks alot

Well, I certainly would advocate for a pair or harem of flasher wrasses. A possum wrasse, while cryptic, would go well. But dwarf angels, while colorful, are just not reef safe. Some are for a while and seem to have a mental breakdown and eat everything. One of the joys of this hobby is figuring what you can keep that you really like keeping.

[Angler7]

Here are my planned fish don't even have water in the tank yet so nothing is in stone.
CUC
Foxface Rabbitt
2-Clowns- True Percs
Orchid Dottyback
Lawnmower Blenny
2-Flasher Wrasses

Problem is I can't figure out what kind of clownfish to get. I know maroons are very aggressive so i will stay away from them. After that I have no clue what the difference is between true/false perc's, picasso perc's, black percs, ect. Just need some help narrowing down what 2 percs will go well with my other tankmates as well as beginner friendly.

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by Angler7

Here are my planned fish don't even have water in the tank yet so nothing is in stone.
CUC
Foxface Rabbitt Excellent algae eater but add last so the tank is mature
2-Clowns- True Percs
Orchid Dottyback The least aggressive dottyback
Lawnmower Blenny
2-Flasher Wrasses A harem would be even more interesting

Problem is I can't figure out what kind of clownfish to get. I know maroons are very aggressive so i will stay away from them. After that I have no clue what the difference is between true/false perc's, picasso perc's, black percs, ect. Just need some help narrowing down what 2 percs will go well with my other tankmates as well as beginner friendly.

I do not advocate maroon clowns; they are gorgeous but very aggressive. The remainder of the A. percula varieties are pretty much what you decide you like and how much you want to spend. I am not big into the designer clowns and in fact do not keep clowns at all any longer

[aquaenthusiast]

I currently have a 29 gal Biocube with a purple firefish, some snails, one crab, a torch coral, and some zoas.

I would like to get:

Flame Hawkfish
Flame Angelfish
Cherub Angelfish

Any comments or concerns are most definitely welcomed!
Thanks,
Steve

[Toddrtrex]

First, thanks to Steve for all the help/advise he gave in this thread --- I help when I can and was out of town all weekend.

Originally Posted by aquaenthusiast

I currently have a 29 gal Biocube with a purple firefish, some snails, one crab, a torch coral, and some zoas.

I would like to get:

Flame Hawkfish
Flame Angelfish
Cherub Angelfish

Any comments or concerns are most definitely welcomed!
Thanks,
Steve

I personally wouldn't put 1 dwarf angel in a bio-cube, let alone 2. But, if you had to put one in there, the Cherub (( C. Argi )) would be better, since it stays smaller.

Any shrimp planned? The hawkfish and shrimp don't mix.

[aquaenthusiast]

[/QUOTE]I personally wouldn't put 1 dwarf angel in a bio-cube, let alone 2. But, if you had to put one in there, the Cherub (( C. Argi )) would be better, since it stays smaller.

Any shrimp planned? The hawkfish and shrimp don't mix.[/QUOTE]

I knew that hawkfish like to prey on shrimp and had already planned on not having any. It's seems like the personality on flame hawkfish is really awesome. I would like to debate on having a dwarf angelfish in the tank, I've seen more than a handful of successful nano tanks with dwarf angelfish... But I do also understand that flame angels can grow to about 4-5 inches so going with a pygmy angel fish (max 3-4inches) instead, doesn't seem like it would do any harm.

[iheartJMS]

So I've pretty much decided against the azure damsel, and I went ahead and got my royal gramma Reading online, just about everywhere says the gramma and percula/ocellaris clowns have peaceful, nonaggresive temperaments... Would it be safe to have the two together in my 20H? I would also plan on adding a coral for the clown to stay in/around...

You mentioned earlier that both fish I am wanting can be agressive, but everything Ive read says otherwise...so I'm just wondering! Thanks a lot

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by iheartJMS

So I've pretty much decided against the azure damsel, and I went ahead and got my royal gramma Reading online, just about everywhere says the gramma and percula/ocellaris clowns have peaceful, nonaggresive temperaments... Would it be safe to have the two together in my 20H? I would also plan on adding a coral for the clown to stay in/around...

You mentioned earlier that both fish I am wanting can be agressive, but everything Ive read says otherwise...so I'm just wondering! Thanks a lot

Well, rather than reading, I have kept these fish; that is the value of this thread, actual experience. Also, realize we aren't selling fish. A mated pair of clowns is not peaceful by any stretch of the imagination; they will try to control 25-30 gallons of which you only have 20. In a 20 gallon tank, they will harass any fish. Clowns will not associate with your choice of "home"; they will pick what they want be it rational or irrational.

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by aquaenthusiast

I knew that hawkfish like to prey on shrimp and had already planned on not having any. It's seems like the personality on flame hawkfish is really awesome. I would like to debate on having a dwarf angelfish in the tank, I've seen more than a handful of successful nano tanks with dwarf angelfish... But I do also understand that flame angels can grow to about 4-5 inches so going with a pygmy angel fish (max 3-4inches) instead, doesn't seem like it would do any harm.

It is not a size issue. These fish are grazers, very small tanks provide insufficient food. But we are not here to debate; both Todd and I give our best opinions based on 20 years of keeping fish which you are most welcome to ignore.

[iwishtofish]

I'm setting up a 75g, and have always wanted a six-line. I know they can be a real PITA...are there any fish of similar size they won't bother? Would they harass a small (ie bristletooth) tang?

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by iwishtofish

I'm setting up a 75g, and have always wanted a six-line. I know they can be a real PITA...are there any fish of similar size they won't bother? Would they harass a small (ie bristletooth) tang?

Normally, six line wrasses will not notice tangs. But as you said, they can be a PITA towards similars such as other wrasses.

[Toddrtrex]

What other fish do you have in there, and/or planning?

A bigger tank would help, but like Steve mentioned, could be an issue with another wrasse.

[LordVega]

Little to late for me but i have:
6 Green Chromis
2 clark clownfish
1 yellow eye tang
3 margarita snails
4 hermit crabs

30gal tank
powerhead running on the back bottom
30lbs of live rock
30 lbs of sand

[Toddrtrex]

Originally Posted by LordVega

Little to late for me but i have:
6 Green Chromis
2 clark clownfish
1 yellow eye tang
3 margarita snails
4 hermit crabs

30gal tank
powerhead running on the back bottom
30lbs of live rock
30 lbs of sand

All of that in a 30 gallon tank?

The only time I would keep a tang in a 30 gallon tank is if it was a QT.
IME (( and numerous others )) those 6 Chromis will become 1, the chances are even greater of this because of the size of the tank.

The Clarkiis will, most likely, claim the whole tank as their own when/if they start spawning.

[snorvich]

Yes, Todd is correct. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Wish you had checked with us first.