[John Hamilton]

I am going to put together a nano tank for the following
1.Yashia or Tangora Goby and the corresponding shrimp.
2.Either an Orchid Psuedo, two Firefish or a Secretive Wrasse.
3.Snails, no crabs.
4.Oh, and lets not forget a few very easy soft corals, mushrooms or polyps.
Any ideas for a tank size and set-up?

It was suggested that I put the LR in before the sand so the shrimp does not get squashed digging under rocks but I think I will place the rocks on 1-1/2” x 1-1/2”rings made of PVC with a dado cut out.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by John Hamilton

I am going to put together a nano tank...

What size nano tank? Most people think of a nano tank as something that is 20-gallons or less. There are very few fish that are suitable for the really small nano tanks (10-12 gallons). Twenty gallons does offer more options but here too there are limitations.

for the following

1.Yashia or Tangora Goby and the corresponding shrimp.

Either Stonogobiops yasha (Yashia goby) or Ctenogobiops tangaroai (Tangaroa goby) would be suitable for a nano tank of say 12-15 gallons. The Yashia goby's natural companion is Alpheus randalli. You may have a difficult time finding one of those in the trade. Fishbase doesn't identify which alpheid species is the natural companion for the Tangaroa goby.

2.Either an Orchid Psuedo, two Firefish or a Secretive Wrasse.

Any of these fish require a tank larger than 20 gallons. In fact, I wouldn't put any of them in anything smaller than 40 gallons. The Orchid Dottyback ( Pseudochromis fridmani) is an active swimmer and it would be a shame to put one in a 20-gallon or smaller tank. Same goes for the wrasse. And, of course, both the wrasse (Pseudocheilinus evanidus) and the firefish ( Nemateleotris magnifica, N. decora or N. helfrichi) are jumpers.

4.Oh, and lets not forget a few very easy soft corals, mushrooms or polyps.

Ricordea florida and/or R. yuma would be nice in a nano tank.

Any ideas for a tank size and set-up?

A 20-gal would be a nice size nano tank for a few very small fish (less than 2" TL each). If you are determined to keep any of the other fish mentioned, I would go with a 40-gal breeder.

[John Hamilton]

Originally Posted by Ninong

What size nano tank? Most people think of a nano tank as something that is 20-gallons or less. There are very few fish that are suitable for the really small nano tanks (10-12 gallons). Twenty gallons does offer more options but here too there are limitations.

Hmm, I wanted to stay around the 10 to 20 range with nothing more than 20.

Originally Posted by Ninong

Either Stonogobiops yasha (Yashia goby) or Ctenogobiops tangaroai (Tangaroa goby) would be suitable for a nano tank of say 12-15 gallons. The Yashia goby's natural companion is Alpheus randalli. You may have a difficult time finding one of those in the trade. Fishbase doesn't identify which alpheid species is the natural companion for the Tangaroa goby.

I have seen a few of the Alpheus randalli for sale on the net and a few local dealers have boasted that they can provide it.

Originally Posted by Ninong

Any of these fish require a tank larger than 20 gallons. In fact, I wouldn't put any of them in anything smaller than 40 gallons. The Orchid Dottyback ( Pseudochromis fridmani) is an active swimmer and it would be a shame to put one in a 20-gallon or smaller tank. Same goes for the wrasse. And, of course, both the wrasse (Pseudocheilinus evanidus) and the firefish ( Nemateleotris magnifica, N. decora or N. helfrichi) are jumpers.

The main focus is the symbiotic pair, with another fish for a splash of color. So staying in the 10 15 range without another critter is not a problem. Allthough there are other smaller alternatives.

Originally Posted by Ninong

Ricordea florida and/or R. yuma would be nice in a nano tank.

Thanks, I will look them up.

Originally Posted by Ninong

A 20-gal would be a nice size nano tank for a few very small fish (less than 2" TL each). If you are determined to keep any of the other fish mentioned, I would go with a 40-gal breeder.

I will have to stay 20 or smaller without the fish or find an alternative.


Here are some alts I was looking at.

1. Plectranthias inermis
2. Assessor flavissimus
3. Chromis retrofasciata

What do you think a good filtration system would be? I do have a 175 with great water.

[Ninong]

The Yellow Assessor (Assessor flavissimus) requires a much larger tank, at least 40 gallons. It would be a bad choice for a 12-gal nano tank.

I'm not familiar with the other two on your list, so I looked them up. Plectranthias inermis might work size-wise but it might be too territorial for such a small tank with other fish. Chromis retrofasciata is probably the best choice of the three.

You might try one of the nano tank forums on some of the other boards to see what fish other nano tank owners have kept successfully. I'm not really familiar with the peculiar requirements of nano tanks in the 12 and under category.

As far as filtration is concerned, the most important factor in maintaining a small aquarium is to limit the bioload. A 12-gal tank with live rock and a 1.5-2" fine particle sandbed that has no more than two or three small fish and a few corals can be maintained with regular (weekly) 20% water changes. Obviously you could also have some sort of external filtration but many people keep nano tanks successfully with nothing more than live rock and frequent water changes.