First fish?

kmhusband

kmhusband

Member
First, just let me say how much I love this site and all of the information I have been able to gleen from it! You guys are awsome!

I am a beginner. I would really appreciate your opinions on your favorite first fish to get your tank off to the right start.
I have a 39 gallon tank and currently have two clowns, two cleaner shrimp, two crabs and two snails.
Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! :happyfish
 
taznut

taznut

Active Member
fuzzy dwarf lion or coral beauty... i vote for the lion (but it might eat your shirmps legs, huh...better ask about that)...
 
lazuruskfp

lazuruskfp

Member
My fav fish for a tank early in its maturation is a sixline wrasse thus far... I have a few fish and alot of inverts and watching my wrasse glide through the smallest of openings in all of my rockwork is something to behold and its probably the most colorful fish you can get that is that small (2-3 inches).
oh and its reef safe if you decide to go that way :) check em out
 
anonome

anonome

Active Member
Lions in my opinion are not a first time fish, and yes, they are venemous, not poisonous. A six line wrasse is a wonderful fish for the beginner. They are very active and stay small. Another good fish is Royal Gramma. Very colorful and animated. Firefish are also good.
 
N

nyx

Guest
I think our first fish. . .besides the damsels we used to start the tank was a mandarin goby. I just love them. Unfortunatly we are on our fourth one. The first one got ich, the second jumped ship, the third pulled a Nemo when we were cleaning the thing at the end of the filter. So far the fourth one is doing just fine, and it has lasted the longest.
 
fsulax1786

fsulax1786

Member
i wouldnt recommend mandarins for a first fish because i think they need a heavy copepod population in order to survive. unless you find one that eats something else. im still a beginner however i could be wrong.
 
cjml

cjml

Member
Hi! Mandarins I think should be in a well established tank-at least beyond 6 months or so - they need pods which take a while to build up-unless they were raised on other foods - I think you can buy pods-but that is their main diet -they will starve without them-your tank is still very new- :happyfish :happyfish oh and something I just recently learned-mandarins are dragonettes(sp?) not gobies...
 
anonome

anonome

Active Member
Originally Posted by Nyx
I think our first fish. . .besides the damsels we used to start the tank was a mandarin goby. I just love them. Unfortunatly we are on our fourth one. The first one got ich, the second jumped ship, the third pulled a Nemo when we were cleaning the thing at the end of the filter. So far the fourth one is doing just fine, and it has lasted the longest.
Not to flame Nyx, I mean no harm, but mandarins in your size tank, kmhusband, is an absolute mistake. They need a lot, I mean a lot of live rock...very mature rock with lots of pods to survive. I really have to wonder why they have died, they are not known to jump, or get ick...if anything they are usually the last to get it. You do not have the right size tank to substain them for any length of time. Too many of these beautiful fish die such horrible, cruel deaths that do not need to happen if research was done first.
 
cymbal67

cymbal67

Member
i am just starting out too, and have a sixline wrasse, and he's pretty cool. and man do they love going in every nook and cranny. cool fish to watch and very colorfull, and he is doing fine in my 11 day old tank. i was lucky and levels got down to 0 pretty quick. today i added some eagle eye zoas and some red zoas, and some cool looking mushrooms. as soon as they hit the water they all opened up real wide. i was pleasantly surprised when my moon lights kicked on, they all glowed real bright in the moonlights. too cool
:jumping:
 
taznut

taznut

Active Member
Originally Posted by Anonome
Not to flame Nyx, I mean no harm, but mandarins in your size tank, kmhusband, is an absolute mistake. They need a lot, I mean a lot of live rock...very mature rock with lots of pods to survive. I really have to wonder why they have died, they are not known to jump, or get ick...if anything they are usually the last to get it. You do not have the right size tank to substain them for any length of time. Too many of these beautiful fish die such horrible, cruel deaths that do not need to happen if research was done first.
yesterday at the lfs the guy tried to talk me into getting a mandrian... i told him that i had a 20gal with ~20lbs of lr which he said would be fine... also tried to get me to buy an anemone with my NH4 at 1.5ppm... i know this is wrong but just to let all the newbies know (im new at this too), take these guys advice and not the lfs employees...
 
kmhusband

kmhusband

Member
Your advice is greatly appreciated!

I've already learned so much and can't wait to learn more.
Please keep the suggestions coming. I have researched each of your recommendations and I feel much more confident in my future choices.
I've enjoyed listening to your favorite fish ideas. Would love to hear some more.
Thanks in advance! :happyfish
 
anonome

anonome

Active Member
I have to agree with Tizzo.....neon gobies are very animated, and a very pretty first time fish. Make sure to buy tank raised ones, they are much more hardier than ocean caught. I have two in my 125 that are very active on the fish, however, they can be a problem in smaller tanks with smaller fish. The small fish don't understand that they mean no harm and usually run from them, but thankfully they accept flake, pellet, and frozen foods. They are very good at getting rid of parasites and dead skin off of larger fish.
In your size tank you could look into a smaller angel. Perhaps a coral beauty, just be sure to offer it algae sheets on a regular basis to keep its color up, and overall health.
 
N

nyx

Guest
Granted we did make tons of mistakes when we first got the tanks, but the mandarin we have now, has been living happily in our tank for almost 9 months. The first ones we had we, didn't know a lot about them at them time, but we do know a bit more about them now. We have a great local shop that breeds and raises them, and that is where we got the one we have now. The first ones we had were but in the tank when it was about 5 or 6 months old. Damsels were the actual first fish we had, but since that is what most people use for starters (at least from what we heard) so I don't really count them. . .even though we still have 4 of the original 8.
 
anonome

anonome

Active Member
Originally Posted by Nyx
Granted we did make tons of mistakes when we first got the tanks, but the mandarin we have now, has been living happily in our tank for almost 9 months. The first ones we had we, didn't know a lot about them at them time, but we do know a bit more about them now. We have a great local shop that breeds and raises them, and that is where we got the one we have now. The first ones we had were but in the tank when it was about 5 or 6 months old. Damsels were the actual first fish we had, but since that is what most people use for starters (at least from what we heard) so I don't really count them. . .even though we still have 4 of the original 8.
I wish you had stated that the mandarin that you now have is a tank raised one. I really meant no harm is stating that mandarins on a general rule are not a first time fish. That is awesome, that the lfs has tank raised ones. This is not normal thing. Most come in starving, and put in an unseasoned tank will only perish a horrible death. Look good one day, gone the next. I too have been "had" by this. Always look at the livestock really good before buying to be sure it is not pinched in, where it should be pushed out. No thin models should be bought here. LOL. Size 12 is just fine for mandarins!!
 
kmhusband

kmhusband

Member
I have been getting all of my supplies and fish from Lubbock! They have a great store and the man who runs it seems very knowledgeable. He helped my brother with his tank quite a bit when my brother lived in Lubbock.
 
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