little goby compatability?

[cwilson]

hello,

im going to be settin gup a tank measuring 72"X14"X14". i plan on having primarily small fish, with the biggest probably being a pair of clowns

i really like the banded gobies and other little similar fish. my question is.. how many could i keep. if i try to keep them in pairs, could i have about 3 pairs and be ok? i would make sure there would be penty of open sand for burrowing and plenty of little rock caves to hang out in

any info or advice would be great. thanks!

 

[seapug]

This can be a great display.
You can keep a lot of small gobies in a tank that size, no problem.

 

[Eklikewhoa]

I would say you are ok.

I have a pair of green banded gobies along with a yashia goby(trying to find it a mate) and they do fine together.

I have recently found a second randalls pistol shrimp for my future yashia pair and even the two pistols have accepted each other.

 

[cwilson]

yeah i LOVE the greenbanded, i would certainly try to get a pair of those

also, i would like to get just one of two pairs of the "regular" orange spotted, and a few shrimp of coarse

here is what im thinking for the rest of the display (fish and inverts)

fish-
2 greenbanded gobies
2-4 orange spotted gobies
sixline wrasse?(ive had him forever, and he was fine with a little bicolor blenny i had)
2 firefish
2 tomatoe or cinnimon clowns

inverts/corals-
1 anemone for clowns (prob a BTA)
1 or 2 clams
vaious zoas and mushrooms/star polyps
"basic corals" (leathers, open brain, frog spawn)
1 colony pulsing xenia (dont worry, theyll be one their own little rock)

clean-up crew/other inverts-
blue leg hermits
snails (astrea, maybe some of those big turbo snails, nassarius)
serpant star?
2-4 cleaner shrimp


keep in mind that the gobies are pretty much priority #1, so if anything will be trouble, they would go before the gobies.
but with that being said......

doe sanyone see any potential trouble?

 

[Eklikewhoa]

I would try and add all the other fish and let them establish themselves before adding the sixline.

 

[seapug]

The BTA is a serious factor to consider. It should be added first so it can find its "spot" so you can arrange the tank around it. If you add it later it may decide to plant itself close to the home of a goby that will quickly become a meal for it.

 

[cwilson]

yeah i was plannign on setting up most of the rocks first. and setting up lights and all pumps/circ. let the tank cycle, add a clean up crew, and maybe a firefish, and then the BTA. ill try to get 'mold' the perfect setup the anemone, but as im well aware of, he'll probably settle in the exact opposite end of the tank, at an angle that cant be seen at all

i also forgot to mention that ill probably have a littel school of BG chromis in the tank too (6 to 8). that or some banghia (sp) cardinals (4ish)