NonSequitur Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 So after the unfortunate demise of my mantis shrimp, I'm left pondering what to put in the tank next. Right now I've got a handful of hermit crabs, a cerith snail, a nassirius snail (the only one that didn't get eaten out of the 10 I put in last week), and a mexican turbo snail, in addition to several varieties of coral. Can anyone suggest something relatively easy to care for that would be ok in such a small tank and that is reef safe? I thought about getting another mantis, but trying to maintain a clean up crew was starting to get expensive.. she ate $40 worth of hermits the week before she died. I'd like to do something somewhat unusual if possible, but don't have the experience for something like seahorses. Any thoughts? Thanks, Jeremy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 So after the unfortunate demise of my mantis shrimp, I'm left pondering what to put in the tank next. Right now I've got a handful of hermit crabs, a cerith snail, a nassirius snail (the only one that didn't get eaten out of the 10 I put in last week), and a mexican turbo snail, in addition to several varieties of coral. Can anyone suggest something relatively easy to care for that would be ok in such a small tank and that is reef safe? I thought about getting another mantis, but trying to maintain a clean up crew was starting to get expensive.. she ate $40 worth of hermits the week before she died. I'd like to do something somewhat unusual if possible, but don't have the experience for something like seahorses.Any thoughts? Thanks, Jeremy If you are open to fish, yellow watchmen gobies are easy to care for and do well in Nanos. I miss mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 A banded shrimp goby with a small red banded pistol shrimp would also do real well in there (and won't kill your cleanup crew ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 We're about to do another Vivid Group order and they sell goby/shrimp pairs. I like my watchmen, but he is still a bit of an oddball. He swims back and forth across the top of the aquarium rather than resting on the sand and I sometimes wonder if a shrimp buddy might ground him. Also keep in mind that gobies like to jump out of tanks, so make sure you keep yours covered if you get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonSequitur Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Hmm.. I like the idea of a goby of some sort, particularly one with a pistol shrimp. I'll have to do some research, to this point I've not yet had time to research fish nearly as much as I have inverts. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejaustin Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I have a hi-fin red-striped gobie (also called a barbershop gobie a few places) and a candy cane pistol shrimp. I enjoy them a lot. I did not pay for a matched set, but they paired up as soon as they found each other. They do require an appropriate substrate, though. In addition to sand, the shrimp will want some larger bits to shore up the burrow. I didn't get my gobie and shrimp from Vivid Aquariums, but I did get a wrasse from them in the last buy and he came through fine, in spite of the shipping delay. I think you should also consider what colors and behavior you'd like in the fish. You may be able to find a blennie that fits the bill. Most (but not all) blennies tend to be rock-sitters for the most part. Most (but not all) gobies are more sand-dwellers. If you want somebody who will swim around, you might consider something like a firefish or a royal gramma or one of the smaller basslets (not sure if any are small enough for your tank, though). If you have another tank or are willing to catch and swap fish as they grow, a lot of people like clownfish (although I've read of cases of clowns without anemones hosting in corals, to the coral's detriment). Also think about what else you might like in the tank. For instance, I think brittle stars are cool, but I'd worry if I had one in with my shrimp and my goby, so when I chose them, I made a conscious decision to not add a brittle star. If it's going to be an only fish, you might consider something you can't keep in a community tank. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but maybe someone else can suggest something. It's sad to lose one of our critters. But it's also exciting to plan "what next". I have a 29 gallon tank that housed a lone damsel fish. He was so territorial I didn't want to put any other fish in with him. When he died, I was in a similar position to the one you're in now. So many possibilities!!! ej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 If it's going to be an only fish, you might consider something you can't keep in a community tank. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but maybe someone else can suggest something. I thought of this too. The only things that came to mind are something like frogfish or stonefish. But a 12g is going to be too small for most of them I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Hmm.. I like the idea of a goby of some sort, particularly one with a pistol shrimp. I'll have to do some research, to this point I've not yet had time to research fish nearly as much as I have inverts.Thanks! Vivid has gobies and inverts so you could get in on the group order and get a pair. I think that'd be cool in a nano, esp. if you get one of the smaller gobies that would get lost in a big tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Vivid has gobies and inverts so you could get in on the group order and get a pair. I think that'd be cool in a nano, esp. if you get one of the smaller gobies that would get lost in a big tank. Yeah, I rarely see my orange bar goby and shrimp in my 75g All I see is the handwork of the shrimp moving sand around. When I had a shrimp/goby pair in my 24g, I saw them all the time: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonSequitur Posted May 22, 2009 Author Share Posted May 22, 2009 I think I'm going to go with the goby/shrimp combo. I wonder if any of the local shops would carry them at a fair price.. I don't think RCA had them when I was there yesterday, but I'll check aquatek and aquadome today, and possibly get in on the group order if nobody has them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I've never seen a pair sold @ LFS. You might check Aquadome...they have harder to find items I'm told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Aquadome had both the shrimp and gobies a few weeks back. Unsure on Aquatek (maybe a northerner can comment). Even if you only find a shrimp or a goby, they tend to readily pair up (I had purchased my shrimp 2 weeks prior to the fish, and they pairs up with in days in the tank). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeferMadness Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Aquatek usually has pistol shrimp in stock and on occasion I have seen a goby/shrimp pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonSequitur Posted May 22, 2009 Author Share Posted May 22, 2009 I just went by aquadome on my way back into town, they had quite a few different varieties of gobies, including a pair of yellow watchmen and some pink and blue spotteds, plus a couple of bullseye pistol shrimp. I'll have to go back there this weekend and pick them up. He also suggested a small, black frogfish that isn't supposed to get big, and said he was planning on getting a variety of lionfish that stayed small, but I can't remember the name. I think I'm going to stick with the goby/shrimp combo, though. It seems easier to care for, and likely cheaper to feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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