Stocking Order

[debincalif]

I need some advice on stocking my tank... and in what order I should introduce my fishy friends.

Right now I have a neon blue goby (great little fish!). I was advised by one person that I could only have one in my tank... but thought I'd get more opinions. LFS says I could have two or three. I have about 35 lb LR with lots of hiding places. Thoughts/opinions?

Other fish I will be adding will be two small black ocellaris clowns (getting them small so they will pair up), a cherub pygmy angel, and another goby (either another neon or two or a different one... not sure). I was thinking I would put the goby in first, then the clowns, then the angel. Does that sound like the right order?

 

[Rapide]

That's what I would do
Just remember when picking the clowns to get one that is a bit bigger than the other. Just to make sure they pair up better. I'm sure you already know, that the bigger ones are more likely to be/become females and the smaller ones are males...

 

[trinidiver]

watch out for those black clowns. They get very territorial ........... and then again its a 29gal along with an angel. I have 2 black clowns about 1"-1 1/2" long in my 200+ gal tank and i had real issues with them and other fish in their area. Took them out and put in regular ocelaris. no issues so far

 

[debincalif]

In my previous tank I got a pair of ocellaris that paired up... so was going to do that again. I really like the look of the black ocellaris, so was going to go with them. I've inquired around, and everyone has said that their personalities are just like regular ocellaris. Interesting that yours are so territorial.

 

[pstank1]

I can second trinidivers experience with black ocellaris. They are more terratorial once they reach sexual maturity and pair up than the normal ocellaris. My female eventually badgered my mandarin to the point where it stopped eating. Even when i moved it the fuge all by itself. It'd just watch the pods go right by it and never try to catch them. That was after 3 1/2 years in the same tank. The past year they got increasingly territorial. They're now in a cube by themselves until i figure out what to do with them.

 

[debincalif]

Wow, ok... good to keep in mind.

Do you know if your black ocellaris were wild caught or tank bred?

 

[Vince272992]

Ya that's a good order do goby, clowns, then angel and it will be good

 

[pstank1]

Mine are tank bred. They won't go out of their way to attack other fish, but any fish that got near their anemone was fair game. Unfortunately the area around the anemone was pod heaven so the mandarin would always hang around there.

 

[rssjsb]

Right now I have a neon blue goby (great little fish!). I was advised by one person that I could only have one in my tank... but thought I'd get more opinions. LFS says I could have two or three. I have about 35 lb LR with lots of hiding places. Thoughts/opinions?

I think that unless you've got a pair, they'll fight in that size tank. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a way to sex them, so adding a new one would be a risk.

Just for balance, my spawning pair of ocellaris have never been that obnoxious. That could be because they're in a bigger tank, but they started out in a 40-gallon and I don't recall them being as bad as others have described. So your mileage may vary.

 

[debincalif]

Thanks for the feedback.

I guess I'll stick with my one neon blue goby... and maybe add a bottom-dweller. I like the look of the Tangaroa, but never see those at the LFS.

As to the clowns, now I'm back to being confused as to whether I should get black ocellaris or regular. I suppose I'll just decide when I get there and see how the fish look.