Need help deciding on whether or not a fish is right for your tank? Post here and we'll help!

[willertac]

Damsels in the genus Chrysiptera are generally more peaceful. There are pink ones with yellow head that is a talbot's damsel, a blue one with a yellowtail that is C. parasemena, a blue with yellow belly that is C. hemicyanea, a blue with yellow tail and yellow ventral fins that is C. arnazae and a black and white striped one that is C. tricincta. All of these are excellent choices and are peaceful for damsels, though they will defend "their" space.

Be aware that there are a couple of other species of blue damsel that have yellow bellies in another genus, Pomacentrus, that are commonly sold and not as peaceful.

But this guy was completely pink, like a Pink Smith, but with no blue. I took a picture but it's a little blurry, maybe I need an ID first? When I search for Pink Damsel, very other pinkish Damsel comes up but not this one.

 

[willertac]

"One" good thing about just about all damsels is that they can be caught in a fish trap more easily than say a tang, angel, butterfly or most other fish. Their belligerent behavior makes them want to dart into a trap for food before any other fish can get it. You may even catch a few at a time if you have to get them out. Most damsels have some annoying traits which is why many "seasoned" hobbiests do not keep them except for clowns, which are also not very friendly at times.
All damsels will easily spawn if they are fed correctly and they get more nasty when they are in spawning mode which is their normal mode. This blue devil is over his nest of eggs Circa 1972

I was offered a friend's 2 blue devils and 2 jewels. But research on my end shows jewels are even too aggressive for their own species! We had made a trap and let it sit there for hours and the furthest one of the Jewels went was maybe half an inch into it before deciding it was far enough. Of course the cleaner wrasse she has and the ocellaris went right for the food and were the first fish we caught with everything we tried. In a tank with such fish. And a pre-existing female cinnamon clown. And a yellowtail.

 

[Pagey]

In a high light tank a male P. pleurataenia may take a little longer to acclimate, but if you qt and he starts to expect food when he sees you bright lighting should not be an issue. Also, a male kept singly in bright lighting may experience paler coloration, but if kept with subordinate females will maintain it's coloring. Females are unaffected by light intensity.

The difference of a couple weeks should be all that is needed to get the male settled.

Encouraging news with regards to the P. pleurataenia.

I think this is how I will proceed.

I will establish the MT and begin working on cycle/stability. In parallel to that I will QT the male P. pleurataenia and get him accustomed to feeding etc. Once I think he is eating well and has done his time in QT I will move him to the MT where I have LED light on dimmer banks so I can ramp up the light he receives slowly. Then hope that he stays stable and continues to eat as I slowly ramp up lighting etc. I will not have corals until he is healthy under full light conditions.
I will complete QT process on the females and introduce them prior to ramping up the lights so they get the gradual change also.
Hopefully once it's all done I'll have a healthy colony that accepts the high light and feeds well! I will be sure to start a thread to report on how it all goes.

 

[Cleo642]

Tomini tang.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Encouraging news with regards to the P. pleurataenia.

I think this is how I will proceed.

I will establish the MT and begin working on cycle/stability. In parallel to that I will QT the male P. pleurataenia and get him accustomed to feeding etc. Once I think he is eating well and has done his time in QT I will move him to the MT where I have LED light on dimmer banks so I can ramp up the light he receives slowly. Then hope that he stays stable and continues to eat as I slowly ramp up lighting etc. I will not have corals until he is healthy under full light conditions.
I will complete QT process on the females and introduce them prior to ramping up the lights so they get the gradual change also.
Hopefully once it's all done I'll have a healthy colony that accepts the high light and feeds well! I will be sure to start a thread to report on how it all goes.

Sounds like a good plan

 

[tonyftlaud]

New to saltwater and need advice on stocking a 55 gallon column tank. The tank is 20in x 20in x 31 in.
It will have 75 lbs of live rock and a 2 in sandbed. I will be running a HOB skimmer and possibly a canister filter or reactor. 1/4 in mesh screen. top Goal is a mixed reef.
My stocking list is currently :
3 Blue Green Chromis
Yellow watchman goby / tiger pistol shrimp
Percula or Ocellaris Clownfish possibly a mated pair if I find in LFS
Midas Blenny
Tailspot Blenny
Purple Firefish Goby
if possible in tank one of the following : Yellow Eye Kole Tang, Mimic Lemon Peel Tang or Yellow Tang.
Overstocked? Compatibility issues?
Thoughts, suggestions?
Would a 10 % water change per week be sufficient?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Unfortunately, no tangs will work in a tank with those dimensions. With regards to the rest of your proposed stocklist, you should be fine but about reaching capacity.

Some have noted aggression between a group of chromis, though this has not been my experience.

10% water changes should be sufficient.

The main limiting factor for your tank is it's surface area. Surface area is a main way gas exchange occurs and oxygen is replenished in the water.

 

[tonyftlaud]

Thank you TJ
Would having an extra power head pointed at the top of the tank help with gas exchange? Something else for surface agitation?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Thank you TJ
Would having an extra power head pointed at the top of the tank help with gas exchange? Something else for surface agitation?

Yes that would help, the more you agitate the surface the more gas exchange can occur, but it also will cut down on light penetration as well.

 

[Eel Steve]

So I'm probably getting a 72 gallon bowfront tomorrow (or if that sucks in person, there's a 60g cube), and I want to do a snowflake moray as the main piece. I was also thinking a bluehead wrasse cuz theyre cool looking, and eat mantis shrimp which scare me re: aquarium stuff. I want to do a bristletooth tang of some sort (one of the ones that can do a 70 gallon tank) but I'm worried it isn't aggressive enough to hang with the wrasse. Will he be okay, or do I have to get a *dwarf* lionfish as my third?

 

[eatbreakfast]

So I'm probably getting a 72 gallon bowfront tomorrow (or if that sucks in person, there's a 60g cube), and I want to do a snowflake moray as the main piece. I was also thinking a bluehead wrasse cuz theyre cool looking, and eat mantis shrimp which scare me re: aquarium stuff. I want to do a bristletooth tang of some sort (one of the ones that can do a 70 gallon tank) but I'm worried it isn't aggressive enough to hang with the wrasse. Will he be okay, or do I have to get a *dwarf* lionfish as my third?

If you get the 72g all 3 choices of snowflake eel, bluehead wrasse and the small bristletooth, such as a kole or tomini, should work. If you get the 60g the bluehead and bristletooth will have to come off of the list.

 

[Jordan berry]

I am starting my tank now. It's a 90 gallon long tank. These are the fish I'm wanting to add in there slowly.
1 fire fish
1 diamond Goby
1 kole yellow eyed tang
1 blue tang
3 tracey's damsel fish
1 black snow flake clown
1 platinum clown
1 orchid dottyback
2 blue chromis
1 mandarin Goby

Now I know when the blue tang gets over about 6 inches I will have to move it to a bigger aquarium. My questions are... Will these fish get along and what is the best order to get them in and do any need to be paired at the same time. I am also doing a mixed reef and want to make sure they will be ok with corals.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I am starting my tank now. It's a 90 gallon long tank. These are the fish I'm wanting to add in there slowly.
1 fire fish
1 diamond Goby
1 kole yellow eyed tang
1 blue tang
3 tracey's damsel fish
1 black snow flake clown
1 platinum clown
1 orchid dottyback
2 blue chromis
1 mandarin Goby

Now I know when the blue tang gets over about 6 inches I will have to move it to a bigger aquarium. My questions are... Will these fish get along and what is the best order to get them in and do any need to be paired at the same time. I am also doing a mixed reef and want to make sure they will be ok with corals.

The firefish will be the most peaceful fish and also the one most likely to be bullied, particularly by the orchid dottyback and the traceyi damsels. It can still work, though, as long as the firefish is added first.

I also recommend adding the orchid before the traceyi's, because even though they are peaceful for damsels 3 of them really wouldn't really allow a dottyback to settle.

Add the mandarin only after the tank has been set up for 6 months or longer.

Everything else seems like it will work.

 

[iratherBfishing]

How much does a zebra mantis go for.

 

[Eel Steve]

How much does a zebra mantis go for.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/zebra-mantis-shrimp-lysiosquillina-maculata-258873

90 bucks or free from liverock if you get "lucky" ?

 

[Mil26]

Okay well sofar I have 2 clown fish 1 chromis and a cleaner shrimp I was wanting to get 1 more fish and its a royal gramma was wondering if the fish would be okay with my other fish and if I should even add it to my tank its a 20g x high tank

 

[iratherBfishing]

What's a good starter fish for cycling.

 

[Mil26]

What's a good starter fish for cycling.

Shouldn't cycle with any fish you can just throw a shrimp in there from your local market but if you rlly have to people usually use damsel fish (wouldn't do it it's torture ) or you can also just use bio-spira

 

[iratherBfishing]

Bio-spira

 

[eatbreakfast]

Okay well sofar I have 2 clown fish 1 chromis and a cleaner shrimp I was wanting to get 1 more fish and its a royal gramma was wondering if the fish would be okay with my other fish and if I should even add it to my tank its a 20g x high tank

In a 20 high, I would not add a royal gramma to a pr of clowns, as the clowns will defend a territory and a royal gramma will want to stake a claim to a territory, there is just not enough space to go around. If you are set on adding a fish consider a bottom dweller such as a watchman goby.

What's a good starter fish for cycling.

Agreed on not using a fish to cycle. Just "ghost feed", a process where you basically feed pretend fish. The food breaks down to the basic components that the beneficial bacteria will use to reproduce and be able to handle actual fish in the tank.