Which fish?

[Bishopsnet]

Hello everyone,

I will be setting up my JBJ 28g intermediate in the next month. I've been doing a lot of research about what fish and coral to start out with. I have narrowed my fish choice down and need some advice for the final decision.

I want a maximum of 4 fish and that's the dilemma. I want a clown fish but hear they are better in pairs and I should get an anenome. If this is the case I feel maybe I should wait until I have a bigger tank. Also I want to make sure the other fish I'm thinking about will get along. Here is what I am looking at:

Clown or Banggai Cardinal

Lawnmower or tail spot blenny

Royal Gramma

Firefish.

Will I be ok with one clown or should I avoid it until I have a bigger tank? I want variety so 2 clowns leave me with less variety of fish. thanks for the advice.

 

[scooter31707]

Looks ok, but in that size tank, be careful with the Clown or Cardinal. I suggest some of the peaceful Clowns. Cardinals can be real jerks.

 

[uncleL]

I have a 29 gallon bowfront stocked with two clarkii clowns, maroon clown, bubble tip anemone, skunk cleaner, 6 snails. I'll be adding a lawnmower blenny to top it off.

 

[farfromsea]

You definitely don't *need* an anemone for the clownfish. I would just get one clown instead of a pair. Once they start mating/breeding they can be more aggressively territorial.

 

[Buddy55]

Consider a stary Blenny. Getting one clown is okay. They can get aggressive if/when they nest. An anemone is not needed. Infact if you want a reef tank I would skip the anemone all together.

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[snorvich]

Hello everyone,

I will be setting up my JBJ 28g intermediate in the next month. I've been doing a lot of research about what fish and coral to start out with. I have narrowed my fish choice down and need some advice for the final decision.

I want a maximum of 4 fish and that's the dilemma. I want a clown fish but hear they are better in pairs and I should get an anenome. If this is the case I feel maybe I should wait until I have a bigger tank. Also I want to make sure the other fish I'm thinking about will get along. Here is what I am looking at:

Clown or Banggai Cardinal

Lawnmower or tail spot blenny

Royal Gramma

Firefish.

Will I be ok with one clown or should I avoid it until I have a bigger tank? I want variety so 2 clowns leave me with less variety of fish. thanks for the advice.

The four fish listed will get along fine. Clownfish, once sexually mature, will want to control a minimum of 25 gallons with the least aggressive species.

 

[Bishopsnet]

What about wrasses? The local LFS said get a six line wrasse but there is much debate on their aggressiveness. I'd like to add some diversity if I can. Here is the updated list.

Tank bred clown to start
Tail spot blenny
Royal gramma
Sand sifting goby
Maybe a wrasse, hawk fish or something else cool.

I'm not real big on the look of the fire fish for some reason.

Also, could I add a clown goby with a sand sifting goby?

 

[ssick92]

I think a six-line would be OK in that tank, but be wary of them because it is like a 50/50 chance whether you will get a docile or aggressive one. I have gotten lucky in my tanks with having very friendly wrasses, but I have seen many tanks where the six line won't let any other fish get comfortable.

I would stick with just 1 type of goby, but I haven't tried have a clown goby with a sand goby.

 

[Bishopsnet]

I think a six-line would be OK in that tank, but be wary of them because it is like a 50/50 chance whether you will get a docile or aggressive one. I have gotten lucky in my tanks with having very friendly wrasses, but I have seen many tanks where the six line won't let any other fish get comfortable.

I would stick with just 1 type of goby, but I haven't tried have a clown goby with a sand goby.

I'm going to add him last. Hopefully that gives me a better chance

 

[farfromsea]

I thought a six line needed a tank much larger than 28 gallons? Seems to me its potential aggression would certainly be amplified in a small-ish tank like that.

 

[Joshua I.]

Don't do a sand shifter after awhile they usually starve

 

[2smokes]

You can keep just a single clown and with no anemone.Buy it juvenile and if the clown wil have no payr then it will remain male and verry small.If you add 2 clowns then one will turn to female and will get double or triple in size than the male,will eat more than the smaller male and will be agressive.Firefish tend to jump and they have short lifespan like 2 maximum 3 years.Royal gramma its beautifull fish but might chase the firefish until the firefish jumps from aquarium.Blennyes are usually not reef safe,they might nip LPS corals .You can keep one or a payr of thoose cardinals with the clown too.Instead of a blenny i would better choose a yellow watchman goby maybe with a pistol shrimp.Six line wrasse and damsels are verry agresive and you could keep a six line in your aquarium but maybe with a clown and a bangaii cardinal.No firefish because it wil get stressed by the wrasse and it will commit suicide by eyther jumping from the aquarium or if you have the aquarium covered then he will smash his head on the glass until it dies.

 

[Maritimer]

If you're looking at a wrasse, take a look at one of the Wetmorella genus of possum wrasses. Small and peaceful, if cryptic.

~B.

 

[madweazl]

6 Lines arent worth the risk (nor are they all that attractive compared to other options). Shrimp goby/pistol pairs are enjoyable to watch (some gobies are more reclusive than others but the Randall's tend to stay out frequently). Firefish have a unique flicking posture as they hang out in the tank and are also beautiful. The clowns undulating movement contrasts nicely with this. My cardinal (Kaudern's) is very docile; he will posture to other fish but nobody pays him any mind. Lots of great nano fish out there.

 

[Betaktical]

I've got just one Bangaii cardinal and 2 clowns and the cardinal tends to hang with the clowns. Never a fight between the 2


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[ssick92]

You can keep just a single clown and with no anemone.Buy it juvenile and if the clown wil have no payr then it will remain male and verry small.If you add 2 clowns then one will turn to female and will get double or triple in size than the male,will eat more than the smaller male and will be agressive.Firefish tend to jump and they have short lifespan like 2 maximum 3 years.Royal gramma its beautifull fish but might chase the firefish until the firefish jumps from aquarium.Blennyes are usually not reef safe,they might nip LPS corals .You can keep one or a payr of thoose cardinals with the clown too.Instead of a blenny i would better choose a yellow watchman goby maybe with a pistol shrimp.Six line wrasse and damsels are verry agresive and you could keep a six line in your aquarium but maybe with a clown and a bangaii cardinal.No firefish because it wil get stressed by the wrasse and it will commit suicide by eyther jumping from the aquarium or if you have the aquarium covered then he will smash his head on the glass until it dies.

I have to disagree with most of this comment...

First, that tank could easily keep a pair of clowns AND an anemone. Second, I have never had a Blenny that picked on any corals and I have had a Starry Blenny, Horseface Blenny, Ember/Stigmata Blenny, Tailspot Blenny, Canary Blenny, Lawnmower Blenny, and a few others as well over the course of my multiple tanks. Third, Six-Lines are only sometimes aggressive, and even then I had 1 in my 30g with 2 clowns, banghaii, and firefish with zero issues so it definitely can be done.

 

[Bishopsnet]

One thing I've learned in this hobby so far is that there are varying opinions based on individual experience in this hobby. The LFS guy told me to get the six line. He has 28 years experience. I think it's a gamble no matter what you decide. Anenome, six line, blenny. It will work or it won't. Fish relationship status: it's complicated.

 

[Bishopsnet]

I kind of wonder about is feeding and placement. Seems like I hear people say, "add that fish last" or "make sure it's well fed". Seems like maybe some of the issues arise when certain rules aren't followed. And maybe sometimes you just have bad luck. It's part of the hobby

 

[Half Vaped]

The only problem I see on your list is the Lawnmower Blenny.

I've had one in my 150G for over 20 months now, but I have never seen it eat any prepared foods or even the nori that the rest of the tank goes nuts for. However, it may may be the hardest working member of my CUC, constantly eating algae off the rocks and glass sides. It's a little over five inches, maybe close to six, and very fat.

Maybe not all Lawnmower Blennies are like mine, but I don't believe mine would have thrived if my 150G wasn't so great at growing algae. I'm not sure if a 28G nano could possibly grow enough algea for it.

I have a JBJ 28G myself and I keep a Midas Blenny and Blue-Dashed Blenny, along with a Banggai Cardinal, Flameback Angel, Tanaka Possum Wrasse and Wheeler's Goby with Tiger Pistol Shrimp. Yes, it's high maintenance to keep all those fish happy in the 28G, but they're all thriving.

The Midas Blenny never touches algae, but the Blue-Dashed Blenny definitely munches on it here and there. And it also eats prepared food no problem. Plus neither of them are nearly as massive as a Lawnmower Blenny.

 

[Bishopsnet]

Half vaped I'll be getting a tail spot blenny instead