Gobies in a nano?

[abhishek@1985]

Hi friends,
I am just about to complete my cycling of 25 gal system with 15 gal DT and 10 gal sump witha 6 inch DSB in am sump and a skimmer.Donot wanna go for clown or damsels..just wanna know if its suitable enough to introduce gobies as the only species.I am looking towards a yellow watchman goby and a pistol shrimp pair. But I have only 1 inch deep sand bed in my display tank.Can I go for a yellow watchman goby and a pistol pair in my tank? If not what gobies I can go with?Also how hardy are gobies as I am a newbie in saltwater side.

Its gonna be mostly a reef tank for zoas , mushrooms and yumas.:fun2:

[Korrine]

You can still add a bit more sand over what's in there. That would be fine.

Consider a yasha haze goby with a candy cane pistol. I could sit and watch them FOREVER!! I bought them off Live Aquaria's Diver's Den so they were already acclimated to aquarium life. Ate frozen food and pellets from the get go.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg200/kj23502/sw%20tank/PB270373.jpg

Here they were defending their "house" against my clown...lol. The clown paid no attention.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg200/kj23502/sw%20tank/100_7031.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg200/kj23502/sw%20tank/100_6816.jpg

<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid248.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg200%2Fkj23502%2Fsw%2520tank%2F100_6820.flv" width="600" height="361">

[Luiz Rocha]

Nice video, these guys are fascinating to watch. You are lucky they decided to make their home facing the front glass of your tank... I have a yellow watchman goby in my nano, he was the first fish I put in my tank after it cycled about a year ago. Very hardy and interesting to look at. One thing though, some of the yellow watchman lose their yellow color and turn gray, mine is still yellow though.

[Korrine]

Thanks. They weren't always in the front like that. The tank was sitting only 5" off the living floor (THE busiest room in the house) so I was also surprised they took up residence in the front.

[abhishek@1985]

Thanks for the replies.Well I am from India and yasha goby or candy cane shrimps are hard to come by.All I would get is yellow watchman goby.So was just enquiring about whether they can be kept in a 1 inch sand bed.

Any other suggestions from the goby or blenny family will be cordially accepted.

[Korrine]

No, add some more sand. Just make sure the rocks are firm against the bottom so when the pistol digs it won't undermine the rocks.

[samdaman]

My love is Yellow clown Gobies. they are goofy! Get one of those!

[smootie]

You could do two gobies, too, as long as they do not look similar. I had a yellow watchman and a Randall's that were best friends in a 29 gallon.

[wrott]

My yellow watchman goby is in a 120g BB tank and loves it. It used to be in a 65g w/ 1/2"-1" sand bed--no problems either way--they will be fine in cave, and I'm sure the blind shrimp will find a crevice to call home.

[abhishek@1985]

Thanks so much for the replies.Really appreciate your help.Well is it possible to have a goby and a blenny in the same tank.I mean a yellow watchman goby and a bicolour blenny?

[abhishek@1985]

Bad luck guys..didn't get any goby or blenny today.The LFS said it would take months to get either a yellow watchman goby or a bicolour blenny.But saw lovely red and purple firefishes today and also black clowns.

So here's the plan..I would love to go with either 2 red or purple firefishes or 2 black clowns .And then add a blenny or a goby in the future.

Please let me know which is better for my tank? A couple of firefishes or a couple of black clowns..

[Korrine]

If you add those fish then after awhile all you may have is clown fish. When they pair they get extremely territorial. Don't do clowns in a tank so small.

Make sure you have a mated pair of fire fish otherwise that likely won't work out either. A goby added in the future would be fine.

[smootie]

I agree with Korrine. The clowns will get pretty territorial.

Two firefish of the same color will fight in small tank. Sometimes they get along at first, but eventually they get on each others' nerves. I have kept a red firefish and a purple one together sucessfully.

The firefish and gobies won't really cross paths. The firefish stay mid-tank and the gobies are usually on the substrate. Also, firefish are very peaceful, and usually yellow watchmen gobies are, too. They'll do fine together.

If you want two fish, I'd recommend one red and one purple but try to make sure they are the same size. And be aware that firefish are jumpers, so a tank cover would be a good idea.

[wrott]

In a 15g tank, I would not get clown fish at all, for reasons stated above.
What other kinds of fish did the LFS have to offer? They may have a list of fish that they could get sooner.
Take your time and only get what you want, in a 15g tank 1 wrong fish could be a big mistake.

[smootie]

Oh, it IS a 15 gallon tank huh? For some reason I thought the DT was 25. Definitely would not recommend clowns in a 15. Total water volume is ok but not really enough real estate.

(My LFS has had a pair of clowns in a 12G Eclipse for at least five years now, but the fish are smaller than your standard clowns and even they tell people not to try it because no one they know has done it successfully.)

[abhishek@1985]

Ok thanks for all the replies..well all I wanted are 2 to 3 fishes for I would concentrate more on zoas and yumas and mushrooms..as of now the LFS has lots of angels,butterflies,triggers which are of no use to me, royal gramma,firefish(both red and purple),damsels,clowns,wrasses including a flasher.

So was just wondering will be buying any one of these :-
1.Red furefish.
2.Purple firefish.
3.Royal gramma.
4.Flasher Wrasse.

Let me know your views on which one to choose from.

[samdaman]

I have a red firefish he is cool! If he gets scared he darts under a rock!! I will advise you they are fast and love to jump. Mine jumped out of my bucket during acclimation so be careful. Also Keep a lid on at all times!
Here is my Firefish:
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz119/monsieursam/IMG_5165.jpg

Here is My Cool Yellow Clown Goby!:
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz119/monsieursam/SW%20Fish/GobyHostingCandyCane.jpg

[Korrine]

I don't think your tank is big enough for a gramma and def NOT a flasher wrasse.