stocking question 40 breeder

[ahud]

Tank info:
40 breeder
29 gallon sump
Octopus NW 150 skimmer
Corals- All Softies

Can I have a yellow watchman goby/tiger pistol pair and a hi fin goby/red banded pistol in a 40 breeder?

If I can't keep two goby species would the following list work?

Pair of O. clowns (Is there a reason everybody does pairs? Could I just do one?)
Starki Damsel
Yellow watchmen OR hi fin goby with a pistol shrimp.
1 cleaner shrimp
1 emerald crab

If the following list will work, I guess I am fully stocked?

 

[velvetelvis]

I think the YWG might pick on any other shrimp gobies. I'd go with one or the other. Don't have any experience with those damselfish...as far as the question about the clowns goes, I think people keep them together because they're more entertaining that way. It's fun to watch them interact. I also think they do better living with bonded mates (with the possible exception of maroon clowns, which are very hard to pair up). They live in pairs in the wild.

 

[ahud]

Thank you velvet,

I am being pressured to get a clown from the lady friend lol, so I really do not want them to fill up my bioload. I only have room for three our four fish in my tank from what I understand.

Are there any behavior differences in the Hi fin and YWG? I'm having a difficult time deciding between them!

I like that Starki damsel because it looks a lot like a dwarf angel and is reef safe from what I understand.

 

[velvetelvis]

Can you maybe get the lady friend her own nano--maybe a 29--and let her have a pair of clowns? Then both of you get to keep the exact fish you want.

I think the YWG are a little bolder and more outgoing. I've kept the highfin gobies before and they're very shy. They're cute little fish, though.

 

[ahud]

Nah, I just now talked her into keeping her own freshwater tank, we live about three hours apart, but she comes to visit often. I think saltwater would be out of her budget too lol.

So you never see the hi fin or it just hangs near its burrow the whole time?

How do I find out compatibility of fish? I recently started trying to do searches so you guys don't have too repeat information, but it's hard to find information on stocking list.

 

[Korrine]

I think it'd be alright if they immediately went to the opposite sides of the tank and started their burrow. Small chance of that though.

When I put my pair of yasha gobies and their candy cane pistol in my 29g they all lost each other for a few days. They finally came together in one spot...point is they will likely dart somewhere and have to find each other again.

 

[ahud]

I'm probably waaay off here, but I have been keeping cichlids for years.

Would the hi fin not back down and find a territory somewhere else if the YWG got aggressive? Considering you have so much rock, coral, and both fish stay close to there borrows seems to me you could make it work.

Like I said I may be way off, I am a complete salt noob.

 

[gewehermeister]

Those won't be too much bio load on the tank as long as you skimm enough. I have a 40 breeder running for 2+ years with:
Pair red mandarines
3 bar gobies 6in
2 yellow clown gobies
1 solar wrase 3 in
1 6 line 2in
and ~40-50 lbs liverock
20breeder sump
all heavily fed as well 3 times a day lifeline green and mysis and cyclopeeze
GM

 

[ahud]

Man thats a heavy load.

Are you running a fuge?

 

[gewehermeister]

No fuge I dose daily with phyto from reef nutrition to maintain food web and also feed cyclopeeze and nutromar ova but the mandarines will eat mysis as well, I am just lucky for this I would guess.

 

[ahud]

Sorry to bring this thread up again, but I did a search and nobody ever gives a definite answer if multiple shrimp gobies can be kept together.

People that own shrimp gobies/pistol pairs, which species tend to stay near their burrow the most?