Nano Tank Stock Possibilities

[The Saltwater Kid]

I have a 14g Biocube and would like 3 or 4 small fish for it. Right now all I have are corals and while they are fascinating to me my young son would get much more enjoyment if he saw movement in the tank. I'm looking for fish with a 2" max size or under, I would also like bright, active swimmers over say fish that hover or perch. Of course they also have to be coral friendly (at least to zoas/palys)...any ideas?

 

[Airickj]

I have a 14g Biocube and would like 3 or 4 small fish for it. Right now all I have are corals and while they are fascinating to me my young son would get much more enjoyment if he saw movement in the tank. I'm looking for fish with a 2" max size or under, I would also like bright, active swimmers over say fish that hover or perch. Of course they also have to be coral friendly (at least to zoas/palys)...any ideas?

You could try an ocellaris, a firefish, or a pygmy wrasse. I think just 2 fish of that size would be your limit. Most fish that are under two inches are probably going to be some sort of goby and you said your looking for an active swimmer over fish that hover or perch so that narrows down your selection a little.

If you have a deep enough sandbed, you could also get a goby that pairs with a pistol shrimp, they are certainly fun to look at.

 

[DustyReefer]

You could try an ocellaris, a firefish, or a pygmy wrasse. I think just 2 fish of that size would be your limit.

I agree that 2 fish would probably be your limit, and if you went the route with the clown then maybe even one due to the clown being very territorial in that small a tank. Pygmy wrasses would do well in the tank although they aren't exactly active swimmers or bright and colorful. My pink streaked wrasse is quite reclusive, but none the less one of my favorites.

 

[angelfish boy]

pygmy angelfish?

 

[Airickj]

pygmy angelfish?

14g is to small

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

pygmy angelfish?

No, much too small of a tank. Pygmy angels generally require 40-50 plus gallons.

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

Have any of you heard or have experience with a Yellow Stripe Cling Fish? It's definitely a unique looking fish, almost eel-like and eel's have fascinated me so this is probably as close to an eel as I'll ever get for a 14g.

 

[aandfsoccr04]

What about a pair of clowns with a small blenny or firefish?

 

[SushiGirl]

What about a pair of clowns with a small blenny or firefish?

In a 14 gallon tank it wouldn't be too long before the clowns killed any other fish in there. You could do a small goby/pistol shrimp combo & a firefish (provided the tank is covered) or pygmy wrasse.

 

[aandfsoccr04]

So if you put clowns in there, nothing else can go in there?

 

[SushiGirl]

You could try, but it's really not going to be much room with rock in there. I've heard of them taking over 20s easily.

 

[Cloudburst2000]

In a 14 gallon tank it wouldn't be too long before the clowns killed any other fish in there. You could do a small goby/pistol shrimp combo & a firefish (provided the tank is covered) or pygmy wrasse.

In our 14g biocube, we have a clown, a tailspot blenny, and a yellow watchman goby. They all do fine together. I wouldn't suggest three fish for this tank though. The fact that we have three is a fluke. And the tank supports the three fish because it is a well-established tank of over 3 years old. Anyhoo, I got the tank from my brother-in-law when they moved. He thought he only had two fish in it...the clown and blenny. He had the goby for a long time but it disappeared so he thought it died snd replaced it with the blenny. Lo-and-behold, the goby was discovered in the overflow when moving the tank...alive and well if a bit on the thin side. It was placed back in the main tank so viola, three fish. The goby, however, is a percher, but when paired with a pistol shrimp, they are really cool. Just put a new pistol in the tank a few weeks back and he is building little tunnels everywhere. Really neat to see the shrimp carrying and dumping the sand out of its burrows. Your son might like the pistol so perhaps a pistol paired with a shrimp goby? The clown is fine (occelaris) but the star of the tank is the tailspot blenny. It's one of my favorite nano fish. Tons of personality and cute to boot. I would add a small barnacle cluster to the tank if you get one. They like the dart in and out of the barnacles. Other good nano fish...barnacle blenny, yellow-striped cardinal, swissguard basslet, court jester goby or Hectors goby (both are neat but can be hard to get to feed in some cases), and the tried and true firefish. My favorite all time nano fish is the yellow-banded possum wrasse. They can be shy and should be the first fish added to the aquarium. They get much more brave once they have gotten used to the tank. I have one in my other 16g Nuvo and he is out all the time now. They should also only be housed with other docile fish.

 

[SushiGirl]

A single clown usually works fine with other fish (most of them, anyway), it's when they pair up that they get aggressive.

 

[Irma]

I would look at the Court Jester Goby or the Greenbanded goby and one firefish (If the tank has a canopy) with one clownfish.

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

I guess I should add that this is a skimmer-less tank...nothing but natural biological filtration (live rock/sand) and a refugium mod done to the middle rear chamber with some live rubble rock and some chaeto. I want to keep this tank simple with the only maintenance being scraping the sides of algae and water changes. That being said...some people mentioned the Yellow Banded Pygmy wrasse and I was actually thinking about the White Banded Pygmy wrasse (red with white stripes)...does anyone have these or any experience with these?

 

[Matt1351]

I have a pair of clowns a pair of Banggai and a royal gramma.. All fish have been in there over a year and happy.

 

[rssjsb]

Have any of you heard or have experience with a Yellow Stripe Cling Fish? It's definitely a unique looking fish, almost eel-like and eel's have fascinated me so this is probably as close to an eel as I'll ever get for a 14g.

Yes, they are cool. Unfortunately, their survival rate is abysmal. They usually do not eat prepared food and end up starving - not a pretty picture for the kiddo. (Or for you.)

Possum or pygmy wrasses are nice, but cryptic. Not sure how much you'd see it in that size tank. On the other hand, if it's the only fish, it might be out and about once it's acclimated. The tanakas have better color. The ones you see offered most often are kind of mauve (better to blend into the live rock). Pink-streaked wrasses are about the same in behaviour, but have prettier colors.

If the tank is covered, a tailspot blenny is also adorable.

 

[CAPSLOK]

You could add a cleaner shrimp with anything you're considering - they are pretty cool to watch and your son would probably enjoy one.

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

Well, I added an Ocellaris (Nemo) Clown, a Springeri Damsel (supposedly the least aggressive damsel) and a Skunk Cleaner Shrimp. My son is only 2-1/2 but he already has noticed the fish in the tank and he's very excited about the new additions...I can't wait until he sticks his hand in the tank and the cleaner shrimp cleans it .