Putting Orchid Dottyback in peaceful tank?

[Jeremy1988]

Hello everyone...I think I already know the answer to this question but feel compelled to ask anyways.

I have a 90 gallon 36*24*24 reef tank. Its 3 feet long looking at it from the front and obviously the sides and height at 2 feet. I have lots of LR, ledges, caves, overhangs, etc etc. Also having a mid to mid high area that is open for free swimming.

I have a scissortail dartfish (HUGE), and yellow clown goby, Tanaka Pygmy wrasse, Blue Assessor, and Rainford goby, and soon to be Tomini Tang (Tang police please stay off my back about the tank being too small and not long enough).

I am considering adding a orchid dottyback into the tank. Now...I read on the forums that they are for the most part the most laid back of the dottybacks, minus the sunrise. I also from researching forums think that this is realitvley speaking around tank mates unlike mine and that are more on the semi-aggressive side. Fish like clowns, 6 line wrasses etc etc. I called Bluezoo aquatics and asked them there thoughts...they recommend me not do it...they were actually more concerned over my high dollar defenseless blue assessor more than anyone. I want you guys thoughts...I don't feel comfortable getting one after what Blue Zoo said and I think I will get a fat head sunburst anthia and be finished with my fish stocking for good

 

[Fiver]

I added an orchid dottyback to my 4-foot-long 33 gallon tank that already had two clowns, a YWG and a lawnmower blenny. No problems so far. It's been at 3-4 months, I think.

My dottyback is pretty mellow, but it doesn't have much competition for space/territory. It loves to dart in and out of the smallest holes in the rockwork. The clowns tend to swim out in the open and hang out under the rock outcroppings or with their anemone. The blenny does swim through the rockwork and shares one rock structure with the dottyback, but they're fine with each other.

Based on what I've observed from watching blue assessors (cool fish, btw!), they might share similar territory/behaviors with a dottyback. But I have no personal experience.

Good luck.

 

[argi]

I agree 100% with BZ. I have kept orchid dottybacks for years with many different fish combinations and they are for the most part peaceful but I would worry about the Blue Assessor. All the other fish shouldn't be an issue with it but those two are just too similar. In one tank I had mine mixed with a 6 line wrasse, who kept the dottyback hiding all the time. The 6 line jumped in to the overflow and all of a sudden the dottyback was out and about and couldn't care less about any other fish in the tank (small or large).

 

[Jeremy1988]

Hey thanks guys! Yeah...I think the Blue Assessor is the nail in the coffin so to say on my decision. Honestly IMO they are a hard fish to get ahold of, and also there expensive especially if you have to get them shipped like I did. I agree with you guys, the blue assessor and the dottyback for one sort of look similar in shape and I think would be sharing the same space. Glad I did more research and posted this question...just because people say there laid back for a dottyback in most forums that was not based on mostly or completely passive tankmates.

 

[ThRoewer]

Yes, in hindsight I would not have added my yellow Assessors to my 100 gallon tank. They can't even hold their own against Grammas.
While orchids are fine with pretty much every other fish, I would not add them to a tank with Assessors.

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