Fish Suggestion

[morris2]

I am setting up a 10 gal with a 10 gal sump. I am thinking about a royal gramma and a neon goby for my first two fish. I would like one other fish perhaps one that will be more active out in the water column. I don't want a clown.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

 

[Grey Reefer]

I'd skip the Royal Gramma. They can get a bit bossy is smaller tanks. Blennys are great in nanos, tons of personality. I have a Bicolor in my 20g now and he/she is the best fish I've had in a nano. If you want a fish that is going to swim out in the water column I would try a Firefish or one of the more mellow damsels. I have a Cerulean damsel (Chrysiptera Hemicyanea) in with the blenny and he pretty much ignores the blenny, in fact the blenny picks on the damsel ever now and then.

 

[acidlittle]

I second the firefish, that is if you have a good lid on your tank. Maybe an orange lined cardinal fish would be cool!

The gramma will eventually become the tank mom/bully so be weary of that.

HTH
Josh

 

[Poorcollegereef]

Thinking about it, there isnt a lot of free swimming nano fish, maybe for the a reason. I love seeing wrasses swim, but I would not recommend them for 10g. Hummm tough choices, I guess I will go for a firefish even though they are not the best looking swimmers

acidlittle: I was thinking the cardnial too but they are more timid than the firefish

 

[morris2]

I was going to go with the fire fish but my top is open, thats why I picked the royal gramma. What about an assessor?

 

[jellyous]

An orchid dottyback is a neat and colorful little fish, a shrimp goby and pistol shrimp are a cool little pair.

 

[Illuminati]

I have a blue assesor in my 24. As long as he isn't with bullies it would be a great choice, always in the water colum. They do have long fins so fish that are prone to nipping should be avoided. I had a Clarki with him and the Clarki kinda worked over his back fins, took the Clarki out.

If you can find a yellow assesor do that, the blue is a little to dark for me.

Here's mine

 

[Poorcollegereef]

cool fish, i going to have to check him out

 

[GobyJohnKenobi]

Strawberry pseudochromis, red elegant pseudochromis, bicolor pseudochromis.

Chances are good that the gramma would eventually eat the neon.

My gramma hassles my firefish constantly. All bark and no bite, but the firefish is still bigger than the gramma.

 

[Illuminati]

I do have a very peaceful pseudochromis, it's called a blue bar pseudochromis. The only place I've seen them are on www.marinecenter.com (where I got him and the assesor).

100% fish friendly but loves to hang out in the rockwork like 24/7. Really you only see glimpses of him except when it's feeding time and this is in a nanocube!
Also he is a shrimp killer, gone through 7 peppermints. Not sure if all pseudochromis are, might be something to look into.

 

[morris2]

Ok, looks like a blue neon goby, yellow assessor and a more docile pseudochromis. Any other thoughts/suggestions?

I have a sugar sand substrate, doesn't that perclude a goby shrimp combo?

 

[acidlittle]

I like the blue bar psuedo

As for the cardinal, they just hang out, don't swim around much but I have 3 in my 75 gal and they are usually out and about....

 

[Henry22]

I have an orange spotted goby and a candy cane pistol. I really like them, but the goby only leaves the burrow a couple of times a week. I prefer a hi fin red banded goby, but with a pistol make sure your rocks are secure. My pistol has done some excessive excavation under a large flat rock with multiple entrances. I have six line wrasse but that would be too big for a 10.

 

[Illuminati]

I like the goby/shrimp combo for that size tank better than the pseudo. My pseudo is very active, like ADD hyper, loves darting around the rocks. 10 might not be big enough to keep him happy but I have no clue.

 

[morris2]

With a fine sand substrate won't tunnels just collapse?

 

[burton14e7]

Also a fish that seemd to always be out in my 55 was a raindford goby. Not sure on the tank size req's just putting it out there.

 

[MJSavage]

I say Rainford Goby or Orchid Dottyback. The Orchid is mellow and the purple/lavendar color is vibrant and would look cool with the yellow assessor and neon goby.

 

[fishyvet]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9234380#post9234380 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by morris2
With a fine sand substrate won't tunnels just collapse?

You can bury some sections of small PVC pipe in the substrate which the shrimp will use to tunnel. The pipe openings can be oriented towards the front of the tank so you can see it more often.

 

[morris2]

What size pvc pipe & how long?

 

[fishyvet]

Depends on your tank dimensions as to how long... My PVC was added to elevate my LR and I'm not entirely sure the dimensions. My husband does all the building and equipment stuff, I'll ask him in the morning and get back to you as to what I use Here's my shrimp-goby pair using the PVC.