Question about adding a certain fish to my tank

[GreenOnions]

Hi there, I have a 55 gallon fish only tank with a 1” ocellaris clownfish, algae blenny about two inches long, 5 hermit crabs, 2 nerite snails, and one turbo. The blenny and clown were purchased together about two months ago along with the hermits and snails. They all get along well but the blenny does pushups and challenges his reflection a lot. I added a small yellow watchman today and he is chasing him and trying to nip at him. The goby doesn’t seem to be too bothered as he keeps coming out and swimming around. My question is, if I get a pistol shrimp would that help the situation in any way or is the whole thing just a bad idea? Do you think the blenny will eventually leave the goby alone regardless? Thanks for reading

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hi there, I have a 55 gallon fish only tank with a 1” ocellaris clownfish, algae blenny about two inches long, 5 hermit crabs, 2 nerite snails, and one turbo. The blenny and clown were purchased together about two months ago along with the hermits and snails. They all get along well but the blenny does pushups and challenges his reflection a lot. I added a small yellow watchman today and he is chasing him and trying to nip at him. The goby doesn’t seem to be too bothered as he keeps coming out and swimming around. My question is, if I get a pistol shrimp would that help the situation in any way or is the whole thing just a bad idea? Do you think the blenny will eventually leave the goby alone regardless? Thanks for reading

The blenny and goby will figure things out. As long as the goby doesn't seem bothered and eats, just give it time.
If you get a pistol shrimp, be prepared to see your goby a lot less... and be prepared for the shrimp to bulldoze your sand at night, cover up any frags on the sandbed, and possibly steal a few to decorate its cave. Ask me how I know, lol.
(They can be a pain, but it's also a cool symbiotic relationship... the choice is yours).

 

[GreenOnions]

The blenny and goby will figure things out. As long as the goby doesn't seem bothered and eats, just give it time.
If you get a pistol shrimp, be prepared to see your goby a lot less... and be prepared for the shrimp to bulldoze your sand at night, cover up any frags on the sandbed, and possibly steal a few to decorate its cave. Ask me how I know, lol.
(They can be a pain, but it's also a cool symbiotic relationship... the choice is yours).

I forgot to mention in my post that the goby started eat within minutes of me putting him into the tank. I got him from a LFS and was told he had been there for at least two months. Thanks for your answer, I might have to rethink the shrimp.

 

[GreenOnions]

UPDATE: I had to remove the yellow watchman goby last night because he was hanging out at the surface and even hiding between the heater and the glass to keep away from the blenny. He was also turning real pale. Luckily , I have an empty cycled ten gallon that I just had to heat up and add salt to. I caught the goby and put him in there with a small piece of live rock last night. He doesn’t seem too happy and is just sitting on the sandbed. My question is: should I just take him back to the LFS where I got him or keep him in the ten gallon alone until he grows enough to add back with the blenny? He is only one inch long and the blenny is about 3-4” long.

 

[GreenOnions]

I just realized I said he was two inches then 3-4 inches. He is about 3 inches

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

My question is: should I just take him back to the LFS where I got him or keep him in the ten gallon alone until he grows enough to add back with the blenny?

Up to you. I wonder if could put the blenny in time out (the 10 gallon) and let the goby establish his territory in the main tank. Then after a few weeks put the blenny back in and he'll be the new guy, hopefully leaving other fish alone.

 

[GreenOnions]

Up to you. I wonder if could put the blenny in time out (the 10 gallon) and let the goby establish his territory in the main tank. Then after a few weeks put the blenny back in and he'll be the new guy, hopefully leaving other fish alone.

I thought about that. I just know the blenny will be incredibly hard to catch but I can give it a try. The thing is though that the ten gallon has no algae buildup since I haven’t had any lights going. So maybe that wouldn’t be a good idea..

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I thought about that. I just know the blenny will be incredibly hard to catch but I can give it a try. The thing is though that the ten gallon has no algae buildup since I haven’t had any lights going. So maybe that wouldn’t be a good idea..

Yeah, there are definitely drawbacks to my suggestion. If you're ok keeping a second tank for a while, you can try to wait until the goby gets larger, but IME, they grow rather slowly. Maybe trade it in for a larger one?

 

[GreenOnions]

Thank you for your help