A List of Good Beginner Fish

If you have a tank under 50 g, don't get a diamond goby: you'll be much happier with a yellow watchman, imho. The diamonds move an incredible amount of sand---they're the ones that tend to starve in a small tank. The yellow watchman will eat most anything that you toss in, as well as feed himself off detritus while you're out of town for 3 days.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10314149#post10314149 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lydo
Lots of great info there Peter, thanks for the post. I need to start adding some fish to my tank so I think I might take up a goby.

I saw one at the store that would take a mouth full of sand and let it come out it's gills. I foud that was cool but I was always scared that it would move too much sand.

Maybe I'll try him out.
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As sk8r eluded to not all Gobies are created equal. The sand sifting Gobies of the genus Valenciennea can be tricky and often starve to death in home aquaria. They're the fish most commonly found sifting sand at the LFS and find out exactly what fish it was that you observed at the LFS before pulling the trigger on a purchase.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10314215#post10314215 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Psychojam
You didn't mention the flame angel (unless I missed it), where does this fish fit into the mix? (BTW: Nice post Peter, thanks for taking the time and effort!)
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They're usually pretty hardy. A few things things that keeps them off the list...

1.) They seem to be more commonly caught using drugs. Purchasing one that comes from Hawaii will greatly eliminate the chances of getting a improperly collected specimen.

2.) They're a little more sensitive to water conditions than the Coral Beauty.

3.) They tend to be a little more demanding diet wise IMO.

4.) They're usually a little meaner than the Coral Beauty.

5.) They're fairly expensive, and I was trying to not include many pricey fish here.
 
I want to point one thing out about the original post... The Larabicus quadrilineatus is a wrasse often called the four line wrasse and is NOT suitable for any aquarium with corals. The other Four line wrasse, Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia, is almost identical in care and demeanor to the Six Line wrasse, and all the fish in that genus can get a little mean but are quite hardy.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10315542#post10315542 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
If you have a tank under 50 g, don't get a diamond goby: you'll be much happier with a yellow watchman, imho. The diamonds move an incredible amount of sand---they're the ones that tend to starve in a small tank. The yellow watchman will eat most anything that you toss in, as well as feed himself off detritus while you're out of town for 3 days.
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I have a 90g tank with about 3in of sand. When he does that, what exactly is he taking out of the sand? Are they eating pods, or simply the algea on the sand?
 
They eat pods out of the sand. If you keep a diamond goby I suggest feeding it several(3-5) times daily. They eat a lot.

Great list, Peter. Another great dedicated post! I say sticky the list and lock it.. Keep the debate open in the regular threads.
 
Thanks. I wanted to determine that as I do want to put a maderine in my tank but I don't want anything to compete with it for the live pods. So the diamond goby is out of the question.
 
I also keep a mandrine in the tank. I feed him selcon soaked mysis in a bottle in the tank. He goes in and eats till he's content. Only him and the diamond goby fits in there so I raise it above the rock work so the goby isn't tempted to go in after it.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10322490#post10322490 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MTB
They eat pods out of the sand. If you keep a diamond goby I suggest feeding it several(3-5) times daily. They eat a lot.

Great list, Peter. Another great dedicated post! I say sticky the list and lock it.. Keep the debate open in the regular threads.
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I agree to a sticky, I wish I had a list to work off when I started lol, I went after a powder blue and it died.... This list would help beginers get the basics and than slowly move up.
 
Re: A List of Good Beginner Fish

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10293535#post10293535 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Peter Eichler
Wrasses

Six/Four Line Wrasse (can get mean much like the Pseudochromis, but also requires a sandbed to borrow in, sometimes these will consume undesirable flatworms)
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The 6 line burrows in the sand? My numbskull parks himself in the rocks every night. Should I have a talk with the little fellow? :D
 
Re: Re: A List of Good Beginner Fish

Re: Re: A List of Good Beginner Fish

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10434216#post10434216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishyvet
The 6 line burrows in the sand? My numbskull parks himself in the rocks every night. Should I have a talk with the little fellow? :D
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Sixlines seem to have a mind of their own quite often. Someone recently posted about one using an anemone as a host... :lol:
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10492452#post10492452 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by porthios
no hawk fish?

<sniff>..
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I seriously considered them, but their likelyhood to jump and how delicious they can find ornamental shrimp made me leave them off.
 
what about a Gold Headed Sleeper Goby? what are your impressions about them? i have one and the little schmuck keeps getting sand all over my rock, but not my lonely little frogspawn, Yet. i keep having to Turkey blast my LR almost daily. but he is fun to watch.
 
All I can say is Loosecannon is a real idiot for not respecting Peter Eichler. DO YOU KNOW WHO THE HELL HE IS? And who the hell are you, disrespecting and flaming him for? From the way you write, I can tell you're probably a young punk who THINKS he knows a lot. Peter probably think the same but he's just more diplomatic than I am. Yes I'm flaming you.

You are a GREEN noob and you need to **** and pay homage to Peter and say sorry for your ignorance and lack of education. It says SO all OVER your GRAMMER, SPELLING, and disrespecting Peter's request to have a paragraph in your response -- in the exact same manner as what HE TOLD YOU NOT TO. Like Al Pacino in Scent of the Woman -- "Take the f--king WAX out of your EARS!!!"

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=10291463#post10291463

I know I'm a little late in my response after 8 months but when I ran into this, I just can't help but respond to such injustice!
 
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whosjohnny, exactly who are you speaking to? maybe i missed something nut i am not sure who you are talking to. please clarify for me.
 
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