Stock List

[archbishop]

alright everyone, its about time i start thinkin bout what to put in my tank. i have a 12g nano cube. so far ive decided on 2 small clowns and a fire shrimp. then i was thinking about a sixline because i want something that is going to be very active.
does this seem good?
and does anyone have a spike fin goby? im kinda curious about those after i saw then on this site.

 

[perfectdark]

Sounds cool, you may find people telling you that youll be over stocked. I think although you may have more maintanence to do you should be ok. At full size you are peaking if not slightly higher than the inch of fish per gallon ratio, I use 1" per gallon.
That spike fin goby looks awesome, another you may want to look at is the Midas Blenny, very cool very active.

 

[clay12340]

I'd personally avoid adding any other fish with the clowns. Bio-load aside clowns can be very aggressive and in 12 gallons the other fish has no place to escape them.

 

[perfectdark]

I have found that juvenille false perc's are not aggressive at all but if that concerns you, then wait and add the clowns last. That way they are being introduced to a tank already inhabitied by another fish. I did that with my 2 clowns, I put my Royal Gramma in first and 4 weeks later added 2 False Perc's they love each others company.

 

[clay12340]

Juveniles turn into adults which are territorial fish. They'll attack anything that comes near their home and there is no guarantee that they won't muscle out inhabitants in an already established tank.

 

[archbishop]

thanx dark.
i do plan on doing a lot of water changes, probably a gallon every other day.
i used to have a 55gal reef with some clowns and i think they should be fine with another fish. territorial as they are, i think if i give them a few choices of corals to host they should be ok and a sixline should be smart enough to stay away from that specific area of the tank. but i might be wrong.
anyone else have any input about the clowns? or overstocking?
and anyone with more info about the spike fin?
thanx in advance

 

[archbishop]

also, i do like the midas blenny - i thought it might be too big though?
and are there any other options for a 3rd fish? i want somthing really cool lol

 

[perfectdark]

Royal Gramma is cool, a pygmy angel too, awesome fish they stay real small too.
I understand that juveniles turn to adults, however I have personnaly seen clowns coexisting with a mirid different fish, in their adult stages. I think that there is always the risk of a fish getting territorial in any tank. Try it and see how it works out. I bet there are more success storys than failures.
Sixlines can get pretty big too if I am not mistaken, but the blennys look like they have a more slender body even though they may get as long.
Good luck.

 

[clay12340]

I've got a spike fin goby and it isn't something I would recommend without a very very specific habitat.
If your tank has no caves or tunnels in the rockwork and all or nearly all of the hiding places available will leave the fish visible then the little fish would make a great addition(but may potentially be extremely stressed from lack of hiding spaces). If you've got normal rock it will have enough hiding places that you'll almost never see the fish.
I've seen mine maybe a half dozen times in the last month and even then it was usually only a glimpse, before the fish went back into hiding. My girlfriend or any visitor has yet to actually see the fish. They are an extremely beautiful(even cooler than the pictures), but extremely secretive fish. Mine seems healthy and happy in my 12 gallon, so it has been a good fit for my tank. Sadly, I can't say it adds anything to the tank as I pretty much never see it.
As far as gobies go I'd look into some of the smaller shrimp gobies. The Yashia is beautiful, the tangora, or the barbershop are also quite nice looking and from what I've read tend to be a little more visible. If I could keep my tank under 75* all the time I'd get a catalina goby. Their colors are absolutely stunning, but they tend to die quickly in tropical temperatures.

 

[archbishop]

i looked up the Yashia Goby, and ive decided that that would be a really nice fish to have.
i couldnt find to much info on it, but is there any reason not too get one?
any info on a Yashia Goby would b great.
3rd fish options:
sixline wrasse
midas blennie
yashia goby

 

[clay12340]

I can't think of any reason not to get a yashia. It will probably be my next fish. The only potential downside I could see would be if you had other shrimp gobies in the tank they can be aggressive towards other conspecifics. Since you don't they should make a great fish.
Although they are a burrower and will spend most of their time perched at the edge of their burrow and not swimming in the water column. So they'll probably not be as visible as something that stays higher in the water column.
They will also pair with some pistol shrimp. If that interests you, then you should try to add them both at the same time as I've read that it increases the likelyhood that they will pair.

 

[archbishop]

well, how do u think this sounds...if i get the clowns, they should be near the upper region of the tank, the goby and the shrimp would be near the bottom, and if i could still get a fire shrimp, it should be in the middle most of the time. ( if everything goes according to plan

) which should make the tank look very full and active...i hope?
so right now that sounds like the best way to go...is there any problem with getting both shrimp?
and does this sound like a colorful, entertaining tank, or is it too much?

 

[perfectdark]

I think you would be ok as far as stock goes. As for the clowns staying toward the top of your tank? I dont know, my 2 are all over the place never favoring one place to the other.
Some of the blennys and gobys will stay towards the bottom but some are very active, as the Midas Blenny will paruse the tank like a baracuda.
I have 2 shrimp in my tank right now a cleaner and a fire shrimp. The get along just fine. The fire shrimp although is bigger is very shy and usually stays behind the LR. The cleaner is very very forward likes to jump on my hand when I put it into the tank.