Anymore fish for my tank??

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ivanfj

Guest
I only have a 20 gallon FOWLR right now and the fish I have are a tomato clown and a blue damsel. I am currently very happy with what I have right now but I just wonder if I can add a small fish to my tank and if yes, any suggestions.
 
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ivanfj

Guest
Any other fish suggestions?? I had little luck with a six line before so I am a little afraid of keeping one. I would love to get the purple firefish.
 
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ivanfj

Guest
But isn't a rasberry basslet or magenta dottyback can get really territorical?? I wanna choose very carefully in fish since it could be and probably will be my last fish for this tank.
 
flamehawk

flamehawk

Active Member
Ii THINK THE BLUE DAMSEL W/B A PROBLEM W/ WHATEVER SMALL FISH YOU ADD. I'd remove him and add a royal gramma . After 2 weeks I'd return the damsel. All s/b fine then. Good luck.
 
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ivanfj

Guest
I don't have much concern about the blue damsel honestly because he is the one who got chased all over the place by the tomato. But I guess if that is the case, any fish will be chased around by the tomato.:( :(
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Yeah, I am a bit worried about that. It is telling that the damsel is on one side, and the tomato is on the other :D. I am worried about the fish that might try and fit in between those two. That is a tough call. If you go with something docile, they will both beat up on it...if you go for something more aggressive, it could be an unpleasant thing to watch too. Tough call.
What sort of issues have you have with a sixline in the past?
Nice looking tank, BTW!
 
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ivanfj

Guest
It's just a lousy little tank. The six line I had I really don't know why he died but I am a little scared of giving a second try on the same species.
 
dazed1

dazed1

Member

Originally posted by Articuno
you'll never know if you don't try

Some people are advicing here because they have tried or have experience from other's who have tried !!
Please PLEASE do not give advice like the one's you give!
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member

Originally posted by Articuno
dazed
I am so tired of you, must I explain everything.... If anyone has a valid point i would be delighted to hear it
Yes. One line answers do nothing to help. Snide comments do nothing to help either. It is much more helpful to explain where you are coming from. And there have been many valid points expressed, in this thread, and in others. Good to gloss over those. :rolleyes:
People are trying things, and frankly, this has nothing to do with water quality at this time. What it has to do with is the personality of certain fish in a small tank. Water quality may be an issue, but personality/territoriality may override that. Some people would prefer not to risky the lives of animals just so that they can have more. Some people prefer to learn a lesson, or ask for advice and listen to it. Some people are controlled by patience, discipline and respect for the animals.
There is no clear answer here, meaning, that there is a good chance no other fish will work. Personally, I would probably add more interest with various inverts, rather than with other fish. Neither a tomato clown, or a blue damsel, are particularly friendly fish. It is a toss up whether to go with another territorial fish, or with a passive fish.
FWIW, let me be the first to thank ivanfj for demonstrating quite a good deal of patience and restraint, in addition to seeking advice before tossing something in there. He lost one 6 line, and is hesitant to try another. Patience and hesitation earned from a tough lesson. There is something to take from this thread, I think.
 
wrassecal

wrassecal

Active Member
Both the blue damsel and the tomato clown can be very aggressive and territorial. You may have to worry about the damsel also, could be that the tomato was just meaner and bullied the damsel, but they both are risky when adding another fish. I also think that one more fish that won't get very big would be nice in your tank. My tomato was the biggest bully in my tank. The best thing I can recommend is if you do add another fish is to turn out the lights, acclimate well, introduce in darkness and don't turn the lights back on until the next day. Sometimes this will keep aggression down. Do you have a q tank? Another thing you can do is put the clown there for the first few days the new fish is in the tank and then re-introduce the clown. Or you can re-arrange your live rock a little so the clown and damsel won't have the same "territory" staked out. Just some things I've done in the past when adding a fish to cut down on problems. HTH
 
blueface

blueface

Member
You have to be careful w/ dottybacks i've had a couple different species that at my cleaner shrimp & hermits.
 
balistidae

balistidae

Member
i have cycled my tank twice with a tomato and it is always almost nearly impossible to add another small fish once the tomato becomes dominant
 
stig

stig

Member
I also have a very small setup right now; 15g with 6 fish. This system has been up for 3 years and is doing fine. I have a maroon clown, a cherub angel, a wrasse, a puffer and 2 gobies. Please don't flame me, I'm only here to tell what I have learned.
Some things I have learned about keeping a small system:
(1) Avoid damsels, except maybe chromis.
(2) If you want to have a clown, get a percula. Avoid tomotoes or maroons.
(3) Avoid putting a wrasse and a goby together.
If I were you, I would get rid of both your clown and your damsel. The damsel will almost certainly give you a headache eventually and the clown will when it gets bigger. If you are happy with just these 2 fish, then fine, but after a few months you will probably think it looks a bit empty and want something more.
You may just have been unlucky with your 6-line wrasse. I have also been unlucky with this fish in the past. You could get a percula, a wrasse, another small fish and maybe a cleaner shrimp.
My favorite fish is my puffer - a saddled or valentini toby. This fish is fine in a small tank. Completely unaggressive and chilled out.
Just my 2c worth. If you have any specific questions about combinations of fish in a small system, just let me know.
Stig.
 
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ivanfj

Guest
Honestly I oppose the idea of getting rid of fish but sometimes it's necessary I guess. Couple of reasons that I don't really wanna get rid of my clown and the damsel. First, if I get some new fish to my tank, I have to worry about them eating and stuffs. If they don't eat, that's trouble. And now I don't have to worry about my fish eating since they are all like starving every day. Also, they both are very hardy fish so I don't have to worry about losing them the next day (touch wood). Second, they are my first ever fish and I feel I've already had some connection with them.
I've posted before to ask if I can ask a cherub angel in my tank when I had only two fish but a lot of people out there opposed the idea of having an angel in a 20 and they've convinced me not to get one so I decided to wait until I upgrade to a 45 or larger sometime later.
Anyway, it's really nice to hear from people who has a small tank. Thank you for your sharing. :D :D
 
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