Fish compatibility...

[xxbrian29xx]

I just added a purple firefish to my tank. I currently have a yellow tang, royal gramma, and a manderin. As soon as I added the firefish the royal gramma attacked! The yellow tang also went at him when he saw him. Is this normal or am I going to have to get rid of the firefish? I rather lose the royal gramma if thats the case.

Brian

[Ninong]

What happened to the damsels, did you return those? It's hard to predict whether certain fish will be hostile to newcomers or not and, if so, whether it will pass or not. A lot depends on the size of the tank. In your case, your 29-gal is a bit small to house a tang. These fish need larger tanks. Chances are that a yellow tang in a 29-gal tank will be aggressive.

The royal gramma is a good size fish for your tank but the yellow tang is going to cause problems. The mandarin is another fish that does better in larger tanks. They are not the best choices for tanks as small as yours. Their natural diet consists of almost nothing but copepods and they really need a lot of live rock to thrive.

You may want to observe the interaction for a few days to see if the royal gramma decides to accept the firefish. Maybe. Maybe not. Also, firefish are jumpers, so you need to plan for that. You really need to consider trading in the yellow tang for credit or something.

Good luck,

[xxbrian29xx]

Thanks for the reply. Yup, the damsels were taken back to the petshop. I guess I'll consider trading the yellow tang. I really wish I would of known about this forum before deciding on my choices of livestock. Thats what I get for listening to the people at my lfs. As far as the firefish goes it has been hiding in the live rocks for about a day. What are some fishes that would do well in a 29g tank?

Thanks
Brian

[Ninong]

Check out the "Fishes, Index" pages on this site: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm

That should give you some help in choosing your fish. There are lots of possibilities but the most important thing to take into consideration is the size of your tank. That will be a big limiting factor.

I have an orchid dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani) that I like a lot but I don't think I would want to try one in a tank of your size that already has a royal gramma. Because your tank is only 29-gallons, I think it would be wise to avoid trying to add a dottyback or a wrasse to your existing Gramma loreto.

[almostdiva]

Thanks for the reply. Yup, the damsels were taken back to the petshop. I guess I'll consider trading the yellow tang. I really wish I would of known about this forum before deciding on my choices of livestock. Thats what I get for listening to the people at my lfs. As far as the firefish goes it has been hiding in the live rocks for about a day. What are some fishes that would do well in a 29g tank?

Thanks
Brian

Your firefish should come out in a few days, once you get rid of the tang. They are REALLY shy. I keep a pair in my 55g. It takes them 2-3 weeks to settle in and really be out in the open. Have you looked into any of the clown gobies? They are shy, peaceful fish that will not intimmidate your firefish. Do you like any of the hawkfish? You could try an arc eye or a long nosed. How about any of the fairy wrasses? All of those are mild, quiet fish that will get along wtih your firefish.

Rebecca

[Elmo18]

I agree with Rebecca that firefish are shy. They are also very skittish, so almost anything will fright them, especially when they are first introduced. Did you turn off all the lights...for a day when you first introduced your new fish?

A yellow tang in a 29 gallon is too small, agreed as well.

- Elmo

[xxbrian29xx]

When introduced I let the bag float for about 15min. Then little by little I added half a cup of my tank water into the bag every ten min. Once the bag was full I took a small net and took the fish out and put him in the tank. All this was done like around 6pm with the lights off. The lights didn't come back on till about 10am the next day. That was last sat. I got a small peek of the fish yesterday. But it quickly dashed under a rock when it saw my royal gramma. I was thinking of trading in the the yellow tang for a small percula clown. I also wanted to trade my manderin for some green chromis. I would hate to see him starve. Well thanks for the advice everyone. I'll keep you posted if I finally see the firefish out in the open.

Brian

[almostdiva]

When introduced I let the bag float for about 15min. Then little by little I added half a cup of my tank water into the bag every ten min. Once the bag was full I took a small net and took the fish out and put him in the tank. All this was done like around 6pm with the lights off. The lights didn't come back on till about 10am the next day. That was last sat. I got a small peek of the fish yesterday. But it quickly dashed under a rock when it saw my royal gramma.

Brian

Brian -- it took mine over 3 weeks in a 55G tank to really come out in the open. And that was after 4 solid weeks in a 29G quarantine tank. Be patient with your firefish, they definitely take a while to acclimate. Just keep peaceful fish. A pink skunk or an orange skunk might be a "milder" clown than a percula also.

[xxbrian29xx]

My fire fish finally came out!!!




The yellow tang and the royal gramma fianlly stopped picking on him!

[almostdiva]

My fire fish finally came out!!!



The yellow tang and the royal gramma fianlly stopped picking on him!

CONGRATS!!! He's fabulous looking! Let's hope everyone continues to "play nice"

Rebecca

[vtec si]

He looks nice and health!

Martin