how many fire fish gobies could I put in my 25g tank

[fishyjoe24]

I'm wondering how many fire fish gobies I could put in my tank.(25g 24x13x20) tank. also what is the general rule of how many gallons per a inch, or inch per a gallon. I know freshwater is one inch for every gallon, but what about saltwater?

 

[spanko]

Welcome to the site.
First off the firefish is not really a goby. They are from the same order but from different families.
Firefish family = Microdesmidae
Goby family = Gobiidae
Next if that would be the only fish in the tank you could get away with three. If you do this get them all at once and add them all together.
There is no rule for how many fish you can have in a volume of saltwater like there is in freshwater. It depends on what fish you are looking to add whether or not your volume of water will be able to handle the bioload.

 

[fishyjoe24]

Thanks. I'm looking at getting the ones that are white in the front with pinkish red in the back. 40 pounds of live sand, and 50-70 pounds of live rock, with a aquaeon 30 power filter for mechincal, and a redsea prizm protein skimmer.

 

[spanko]

Nemateleotris magnifica is the scientific name. This one right?

40 lbs. of sand in that sized tank will give you about a three inch sand bed. IMO I would reduce the amount of sand to 20 lbs. (about a 2 inch sand bed). 3 inches is in between a shallow and deep sand bed and not normally a good place to be. And the amount of rock you are talking about is really a lot depending on whether is is more on the dense side or more porous. Normally we would talk about 1 - 1.5 lbs per gallon of water.
Just some info for you to digest.

 

[fishyjoe24]

yep that is the one I'm talking about what is the common name of them.. and my rock is just normal cured fiji rock. some are big and some are small.

 

[spanko]

I always see them as a "red firefish"

 

[smartorl]

Now I see where the name firefish comes in, the regular ones, not so firey!

 

[chain]

Just be sure not to mix firefish. As you move up the chain from red firefish to purple firefish to helfrichi their temperment becomes a little more aggressive each time. A red and purple might get along for a while but eventually the purple will stress the red until it dies. They just don't do well together at all even in very large tanks with their own space. Get one kind and stick with it. There are other firefish as well. I think they are classified as dartfish, although those three mentioned are the most readily recognizable.

 

[fishyjoe24]

thanks...I'm getting all of the same...

 

[2quills]

Yeah when ever I've seen them in the stores they are kept in seperate tanks. Pretty cool fish though. It's hard to get the true colors to show up on cam but when ever mine pops out of his little cave I notice him from clear across the room because the colors are so vibrant.

 

[fishyjoe24]

cool, very nice fish. I ended up getting them for $10.00 each or 3 for $25.00 I got the 4th one for only 7. so all said and done I got 4 for $32.00 which I think is a good deal. I do have a food question, do I need to make another thread or can I ask here? do saltwater fish eat blood worms, I know they eat brine shrimp, mysis, and flake.. just wondering if they eat blood worms because I have it in my freezer from back when I had freshwater angelfish... but recently the angels got fried by a bad heater..

 

[fishyjoe24]

okay I'm thinking of up grading to a 55g do i need to buy all 80 pounds of live rock all at once or can I set up the tank with just sand, and saltwater then add the live rock little by little as i can afford to get it...

 

[yannifish]

Quote:
Originally Posted by fishyjoe24 http:///forum/thread/384122/how-many-fire-fish-gobies-could-i-put-in-my-25g-tank#post_3367289
okay I'm thinking of up grading to a 55g do i need to buy all 80 pounds of live rock all at once or can I set up the tank with just sand, and saltwater then add the live rock little by little as i can afford to get it...
You can add it in batches, but you'll need to cure each batch to prevent the die off on the rock from poluting your tank.

 

[fishyjoe24]

Thanks, so for a update I got ocean nutrition prime reef flakes the purple container, and some frozen food. still thinking of up grading. how many corals could I put in a 25 with the 4 red fire fish? and would adding a sump mean I could add more fish and corals? . also how offen would I have to do water changes it I added corals to the tank..?

 

[yannifish]

Well, I don't know a whole lot about coral, but I think space is the biggest limiting factor, they really don't add to your bioload (inverts in general don't).
If you have the ability to upgrade to a 55 (get a 75 gallon if you upgrade, I wish I had), do it. It will be easier to maintain (larger system), and will allow you to keep more fish.
Fire fish aren't big swimmers, and don't bother coral. So they will be fine.
As for a sump, they are very nice to have IMO. First of all, a sump provided a place to place equipment out of the DT, such as protein skimmers and heaters. So that makes the DT look nicer. Also, you can incorporate a refugium into a sump, which provides more filtration and a place for copepods to grow. A sump also adds the the total volume of water in your system, making it more stable.
I like sumps, and am glad I have one.

 

[tangs rule]

If you have any of the firefish family - you better have a lid or top cover on your tank - they are AVID jumpers and very likely WILL jump out and die on your floor....I've had more than 2 do it, and currently do not have any of them in my tanks.

 

[fishyjoe24]

Thanks, I do have a lid on the tank on the tank... and the reason I was thinking about corals is because of the coral they add, and my friend has a 4-6 month old t5 ho 24 inch 4 bulb 24w x4 light fixture for sale. $50.00 which I think is a really good, deal.... theupgrade to the 55g. well I already have the stand and canopy. but would still have to look in to getting live rock, more sand, a tank, and lighting and that adds up. how many corals could I put in the 25.00 I was just thinking some kenya trees or xenia, and some zod's.