Pairing

[spencer24]

Hey guys I’m new hear so sorry if it’s been asked and I can’t find the thread. Been running my tank for a while now have slowly added fish and inverts, currently have some snails hermits two star fish a crab a shrimp two other fish and then a yellow watchman and a pistol shrimp. As add more to the tank I really enjoy watching and seeing how those two pair up and stay together I find it very cool and intriguing so the question is… is there any other pairs of say fish and inverts or maybe two inverts or two different fish that will pair up and bond like these two do? Or is it possible to add another pair of these two to the tank?

 

[C12]

Hey guys I’m new hear so sorry if it’s been asked and I can’t find the thread. Been running my tank for a while now have slowly added fish and inverts, currently have some snails hermits two star fish a crab a shrimp two other fish and then a yellow watchman and a pistol shrimp. As add more to the tank I really enjoy watching and seeing how those two pair up and stay together I find it very cool and intriguing so the question is… is there any other pairs of say fish and inverts or maybe two inverts or two different fish that will pair up and bond like these two do? Or is it possible to add another pair of these two to the tank?

To best answer this question, I would need to know the size of you tank and a photo would be helpful too (to see the layout of the tank)
Right off the bat though I would not recommend it. People definitely do it, but imo, it's not worth the risk. You can easily run into bad situations with aggression (especially between gobies if they are fighting over a shrimp). You might be able to pull it off it they are both pre-paired, but there's just some risk that comes with that (especially if the tank is smaller) There are a lot of symbiotic relationships in the saltwater hobby, but there are so many, that I would need to know your tank size and the layout to really give a good recommendation. I mean obviously, you can do a pair of clowns and/or an anemone, but there's also slightly more advanced stuff like the long spine sea urchin and the banggai cardinal if you want to maybe get into a bit of breeding and urchin stuff, or there's crabs that have relationships with anemones, but there isn't really anything super similar to the shrimp/goby relationship.

*also, I don't know if you know this, but to try and find previous threads on a topic, you can enter keywords on the specific topic into the search bar on the top right.*
heres a previous thread that might help you out: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/will-two-pistol-shrimp-added-at-the-same-time-fight.752521/

 

[spencer24]

To best answer this question, I would need to know the size of you tank and a photo would be helpful too (to see the layout of the tank)
Right off the bat though I would not recommend it. People definitely do it, but imo, it's not worth the risk. You can easily run into bad situations with aggression (especially between gobies if they are fighting over a shrimp). You might be able to pull it off it they are both pre-paired, but there's just some risk that comes with that (especially if the tank is smaller) There are a lot of symbiotic relationships in the saltwater hobby, but there are so many, that I would need to know your tank size and the layout to really give a good recommendation. I mean obviously, you can do a pair of clowns and/or an anemone, but there's also slightly more advanced stuff like the long spine sea urchin and the banggai cardinal if you want to maybe get into a bit of breeding and urchin stuff, or there's crabs that have relationships with anemones, but there isn't really anything super similar to the shrimp/goby relationship.

*also, I don't know if you know this, but to try and find previous threads on a topic, you can enter keywords on the specific topic into the search bar on the top right.*
heres a previous thread that might help you out: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/will-two-pistol-shrimp-added-at-the-same-time-fight.752521/

It’s a 55 gallon, this thread is going to be all over the place because I have 40lbs live rock do I have to add more everyone seems happy, and if so how much more.
Currently in is is 3 or 6 hermits
10 nassarius
Just added 4 bumble bee
Just added two turbo
Just add 2 astrea
Just added one short and one long spine urchin
One emerald grab
One fire shrimp
Pistol shrimp and yellow watchman
One close
One butterfly
One sand sifting star
One other star
And a long tentacle anemone

So that’s the setup, so I believe off the forums I read I can’t add a lot more but still want to top it off but with what if it’s a pairing of something that’d be great, I do plan for sure to add or a pair of like fancy clowns thank you

 

[C12]

It’s a 55 gallon, this thread is going to be all over the place because I have 40lbs live rock do I have to add more everyone seems happy, and if so how much more.
Currently in is is 3 or 6 hermits
10 nassarius
Just added 4 bumble bee
Just added two turbo
Just add 2 astrea
Just added one short and one long spine urchin
One emerald grab
One fire shrimp
Pistol shrimp and yellow watchman
One close
One butterfly
One sand sifting star
One other star
And a long tentacle anemone

So that’s the setup, so I believe off the forums I read I can’t add a lot more but still want to top it off but with what if it’s a pairing of something that’d be great, I do plan for sure to add or a pair of like fancy clowns thank you

Given your stocking levels and tank size, I wouldn't advise putting much more in the tank. Imo, less is more. Less fish means less maintenance, less chance of aggression, etc. If you are insistent to get another pair in there, you should add more rock (I would say 10-15 more pounds but keep in mind, you will likely have to rearrange the scape a bit to fit the rock. With shrimp and gobies, the more space and cover, the better. It's not necessary to buy more live rock, since your tank is already established, if you put in dry rock, it should seed in no time. I see you plan on a clown pair in the future, if it were my tank, I would either pick a clown pair or another shrimp/goby pair, not both. Just my 2c, hope that helps.

 

[spencer24]

It does thank you! I had a pair and the first one had an aggression problem and got a bacterial infection from a fight wound so now id like to add a nice gladiator clown or a pair of them I know it’ll be risky with one already in there. I really want to add a lion but im worried for my pistol shrimp and goby to add one of them so im thinking not on that, i guess im not set on clowns or a goby shrimp pair. Based off what you are saying im closed to maxed out so I really want something to add vibrancy and like fill the water space not so much the rock and sand floor.

 

[C12]

It does thank you! I had a pair and the first one had an aggression problem and got a bacterial infection from a fight wound so now id like to add a nice gladiator clown or a pair of them I know it’ll be risky with one already in there. I really want to add a lion but im worried for my pistol shrimp and goby to add one of them so im thinking not on that, i guess im not set on clowns or a goby shrimp pair. Based off what you are saying im closed to maxed out so I really want something to add vibrancy and like fill the water space not so much the rock and sand floor.

I get where you're coming from. It doesn't look like you have any corals in there, have you considered those? They would require a special light, and are maybe out of your budget, but they would definitely color up the tank and you could put as many as you want. If you are okay with more water changes, technically, you could do a lot more fish, but for a good balance I would say you could add 1-2 more fish and not have much more maintenance. You could maybe add a coral beauty angel and get a nice blue/purple pop in the tank.

 

[littlefoxx]

It’s a 55 gallon, this thread is going to be all over the place because I have 40lbs live rock do I have to add more everyone seems happy, and if so how much more.
Currently in is is 3 or 6 hermits
10 nassarius
Just added 4 bumble bee
Just added two turbo
Just add 2 astrea
Just added one short and one long spine urchin
One emerald grab
One fire shrimp
Pistol shrimp and yellow watchman
One close
One butterfly
One sand sifting star
One other star
And a long tentacle anemone

So that’s the setup, so I believe off the forums I read I can’t add a lot more but still want to top it off but with what if it’s a pairing of something that’d be great, I do plan for sure to add or a pair of like fancy clowns thank you

Do you have another clown? I only see one

 

[spencer24]

Do you have another clown? I only see one

Currently only have one, the first fish I added to the tank was a clown and got an infection from a wound from fighting, but now I’m at the tough decision of adding a pair of like snowflakes since I want a more unique clown but then I’d be concerned those two would team up on the single I have now

 

[littlefoxx]

Currently only have one, the first fish I added to the tank was a clown and got an infection from a wound from fighting, but now I’m at the tough decision of adding a pair of like snowflakes since I want a more unique clown but then I’d be concerned those two would team up on the single I have now

Yes they would. Rehome the single clown if you want the other kind