Do fish need 'friends'?

[Sk8r]

The short answer in a tank under 300 gallons is probably a resounding NO. Fish are about world domination. Their world is that tank. Rivals upset them, often to the point of killing each other. There are SOME exceptions:
1. fish that arrive as a mated pair. This has its own problems, as a breeding pair can become quite pushy toward other fish.
2. clowns---the smaller ones. Think really, really hard and have a megatank before you think about breeding the larger ones. Clarkiis take about 50 gallons for themselves and maroons are more ambitious than that.
3. damsels will kill each other off over sleeping spots: one of a kind is safer unless you've got a dominant that is going to be The THreat everybody worries about. And do not put chromis with damsels. Damsels as a class take a 100 gallon tank. In a 30-70, stick to one damsel of the quieter sort.
4. firefish, dartfish: prone to jumping and doing each other in.
5. gobies CAN pair successfully and not take the tank apart. Blennies not so much.
6. dragonets: food requirements are really, really hard for a pair, and if they don't arrive mated, the first-in may kill the second.
7. anthias---can be in a group, but you need swimming room and special care.
8. cardinals can be in a small group with enough room.
9. basslets can be in pairs, but again, buy them that way: it's safer.
10. dottybacks: I don't recommend even one in any tank with fish that can't fight back. These are ambush fish, and cause problems with vulnerable fishes.
11. fairy wrasses: can be paired, with enough room.
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The above is my experience---your mileage may vary. If you've had either problems or success with certain situations, feel free to chime in.

 

[pinnatus]

I think my Moorish Idol enjoys attention from human friends. If you don't pay attention to it, he seems to go into depression. Really!

 

[Sk8r]

Lol---my big domino damsel worships my appearance, that's for sure. Piggoletto. I mean food, and if I don't mean food, well, I COULD mean food. She's the tank dominant, and the other fish follow her for any food she might drop, but they don't get between her and a kibble.

 

[BlackTip]

My captive-bred Orchid Dottyback is very timid. She doesn't bother anyone. I was afraid she would be harassed by the fully grown Gramma, but the Gramma is only curious.

I am tempted to add more.

 

[Sk8r]

If the orchid is smaller than the gramma, the tables may turn, over time, but the orchids I have heard are milder than the yellows. Grammas (a basslet) are fairly mild-mannered toward others. You also have a really large tank. Aggression goes down incrementally as tank size goes up. These fish don't necessarily fight in the wild: one leaves: out of sight, out of mind.

 

[Xxero]

And do not put chromis with damsels. Damsels as a class take a 100 gallon tank. In a 30-70, stick to one damsel of the quieter sort.

And for those who are not aware, remember that Chromis are Damselfish and Clownfish are a sub-species of Damselfish. Adding them together in smaller tanks will invite carnage and chaos. They all seem to hate one another. :bigeyes:

 

[yraveh]

The short answer in a tank under 300 gallons is probably a resounding NO.

I am not so sure. My small blue rhino tang was terrified of anything for the 2 months that he was alone. barely dared to come out to eat. as soon as company came along his behavior changed dramatically. it immediately started to sweem in the open and now plays with his buddies especially with the male lyretail anthias.

 

[GimpyFin]

My firefish could definitely be considered buddies. After having a purple firefish for almost 2 years, I decided to add a small helfrichi. I expected some aggression, but there was hardly any. (Helfrichi would hide a little off and on but that's about it.) Now, about 18 months later, they have been glued to each other almost the whole time, even through a move to a new tank. They share a burrow near the front of the tank and are almost always swimming parallel within a few inches of each other throughout the day.

 

[Sk8r]

Re the timid fish: yes, the addition of a 'dither fish' can improve life---a 'dither fish' is any fish that is highly active but non-threatening. In a mostly-small-goby tank I used a chromis, which was about like adding a puppy. In the reef, such fishes dive for cover if there's a threat, and as long as they're up, there are no sharks.

Re the firefish: I've never dealt with the helfrichis. It's a lucky pairing, clearly, whether by species or gender.

 

[GimpyFin]

Re the firefish: I've never dealt with the helfrichis. It's a lucky pairing, clearly, whether by species or gender.

Yeah, extremely lucky I'd say, especially with different types. First time I've seen it happen.

 

[SFish]

I am not a mindless fish eating machine. Fish are friends not food.

 

[snorvich]

The short answer in a tank under 300 gallons is probably a resounding NO. Fish are about world domination. Their world is that tank. Rivals upset them, often to the point of killing each other. There are SOME exceptions:
1. fish that arrive as a mated pair. This has its own problems, as a breeding pair can become quite pushy toward other fish.
2. clowns---the smaller ones. Think really, really hard and have a megatank before you think about breeding the larger ones. Clarkiis take about 50 gallons for themselves and maroons are more ambitious than that.
3. damsels will kill each other off over sleeping spots: one of a kind is safer unless you've got a dominant that is going to be The THreat everybody worries about. And do not put chromis with damsels. Damsels as a class take a 100 gallon tank. In a 30-70, stick to one damsel of the quieter sort.
4. firefish, dartfish: prone to jumping and doing each other in.
5. gobies CAN pair successfully and not take the tank apart. Blennies not so much.
6. dragonets: food requirements are really, really hard for a pair, and if they don't arrive mated, the first-in may kill the second.
7. anthias---can be in a group, but you need swimming room and special care.
8. cardinals can be in a small group with enough room.
9. basslets can be in pairs, but again, buy them that way: it's safer.
10. dottybacks: I don't recommend even one in any tank with fish that can't fight back. These are ambush fish, and cause problems with vulnerable fishes.
11. fairy wrasses: can be paired, with enough room.
-----------
The above is my experience---your mileage may vary. If you've had either problems or success with certain situations, feel free to chime in.

What she said