Are there actually any Friendly Damsels? Yes there are .. the related Chromis

[Littorina]

Hi there!

     I'm interested in the blue/green Chromis for my first saltwater tank (possibly deciding on a 30 gallon cube).  I read here that they will kill each other, but I would only have 1 Chromis in my tank.  I looked at the article posted here, and it listed other fish species that Chromis can co-habitate with peacefully. However, clownfish are not in that list.  I plan on having 1-2 Ocellaris clowns in my tank as well, so does anyone know if Chromis and Ocellaris clowns would get along? 

Thanks! 

[albertthiel]

Hi there!

     I'm interested in the blue/green Chromis for my first saltwater tank (possibly deciding on a 30 gallon cube).  I read here that they will kill each other, but I would only have 1 Chromis in my tank.  I looked at the article posted here, and it listed other fish species that Chromis can co-habitate with peacefully. However, clownfish are not in that list.  I plan on having 1-2 Ocellaris clowns in my tank as well, so does anyone know if Chromis and Ocellaris clowns would get along? 

Thanks! 

As you weil know one can never be sure how the interaction between fish will develop as it depends on a number of factors and you mention two of them, which make me think that it may not be a good idea :

1. the tank is only 30 gallons
2. you plan to have two clowns in there

The combination of those two would IMO result in the Clowns chasing that Chromis as Clownfish can be very aggressive especially they have been in a tank for a good amount of time ..

Now since the Clowns are not in the tank already what you could do and what may work is to introduce all three fish at the same time and with all the lights out. Try to get small clowns and a medium size Chromis.

Hopefully in that manner you may not run into the typical problem but as you know their are never guarantees in this Hobby ...

However when a number of fish are added all at the same time and no territories have been established yet, the typical aggression may not happen.

Hope this helps ...

Albert

[Littorina]

Thank you for the advice! 

I don't HAVE to have 2 clownfish in my tank.  I don't actually have a tank yet (I'm in the planning and researching stage), so I'm building my "fish wishlist" and I wanted to make sure which fish were compatible. 

     Perhaps if I did have my heart set on a Blue Green Chromis, it should be my first fish in the tank, followed by the (single) clown.......I'd be buying a small clown regardless - most of the retailers around me seem to stock little clowns. 


Thanks again!  :-)

[albertthiel]

Thank you for the advice! 

I don't HAVE to have 2 clownfish in my tank.  I don't actually have a tank yet (I'm in the planning and researching stage), so I'm building my "fish wishlist" and I wanted to make sure which fish were compatible. 

     Perhaps if I did have my heart set on a Blue Green Chromis, it should be my first fish in the tank, followed by the (single) clown.......I'd be buying a small clown regardless - most of the retailers around me seem to stock little clowns. 


Thanks again!  :-)

Oh I see you don't have the tank yet ... well then give me a list of what your choices would be and I will try to narrow the list down for you and we can always talk when I come to Aquamania in early April ...

Albert

[Littorina]

     Oh, how lovely of you to offer your advice, thank you!!  I was told by another member that you are an expert on nano tanks, and to check out your threads.  :-)    And I am very excited for Aquamania.  It will be my first one!  I'm hoping to attend your lecture actually. 

      I don't want a tank with an external sump (2 small, active kids in the house!), so I'm either going with an 18 gallon CAD Lights tank, or possibly a 30 gallon Innovative Marine Nuvo.  I plan on having a reef tank with a few fish and inverts.  I only recently considered the 30 gallon instead, as I realized how limited the 18 gallon would be to stock.  30 gallons is the absolute maximum size I'd be willing to try as a first tank.  But I'm still on the fence about the size.....

     Corals would be basic LPS - mushrooms, zooanthids, frogspawn or hammer coral, open brain corals...for inverts, I love the banded coral shrimp, but someone recently told me it can eat snails and to avoid it.        Your thoughts?  Otherwise, I guess I'd get peppermint shrimp?  And snails of course, and some hermit crabs - I adore the electric blue hermit crab.  I'd love to have a brittlestar down the road, once my aquarium is established, or a lettuce nudibranch.....but again, depending on tank size, and what's already in there for bioload.

     My top fish choices are Ocellaris clowns, Blue Green Chromis, Kaudern's cardinal, citrine clown goby, green clown goby, yellow clown goby.  The first 3 fish listed are my top 3 favorites, but obviously that would rule out an 18 gallon aquarium.........second choices include some of the colorful dottybacks, maybe like the bicolor dotty, or orchid dotty.....I like the azure damselfish, but I've had several people tell me it's a bit too aggressive.  People have suggested the royal gramma, and wrasses as well.

[albertthiel]

     Oh, how lovely of you to offer your advice, thank you!!  I was told by another member that you are an expert on nano tanks, and to check out your threads.  :-)    And I am very excited for Aquamania.  It will be my first one!  I'm hoping to attend your lecture actually. 

      I don't want a tank with an external sump (2 small, active kids in the house!), so I'm either going with an 18 gallon CAD Lights tank, or possibly a 30 gallon Innovative Marine Nuvo.  I plan on having a reef tank with a few fish and inverts.  I only recently considered the 30 gallon instead, as I realized how limited the 18 gallon would be to stock.  30 gallons is the absolute maximum size I'd be willing to try as a first tank.  But I'm still on the fence about the size.....

     Corals would be basic LPS - mushrooms, zooanthids, frogspawn or hammer coral, open brain corals...for inverts, I love the banded coral shrimp, but someone recently told me it can eat snails and to avoid it.        Your thoughts?  Otherwise, I guess I'd get peppermint shrimp?  And snails of course, and some hermit crabs - I adore the electric blue hermit crab.  I'd love to have a brittlestar down the road, once my aquarium is established, or a lettuce nudibranch.....but again, depending on tank size, and what's already in there for bioload.

     My top fish choices are Ocellaris clowns, Blue Green Chromis, Kaudern's cardinal, citrine clown goby, green clown goby, yellow clown goby.  The first 3 fish listed are my top 3 favorites, but obviously that would rule out an 18 gallon aquarium.........second choices include some of the colorful dottybacks, maybe like the bicolor dotty, or orchid dotty.....I like the azure damselfish, but I've had several people tell me it's a bit too aggressive.  People have suggested the royal gramma, and wrasses as well.

To keep this simpler, what I am going to do is send you a free copy of my latest book the "Nano-Reef Aquariums" in e-Version, but to do so I need your email address, so please send that to me at and include your full name and screen name so I know who it is coming from.

You can get an idea of what is in the book by going to www.nanoreefs.info (the book is 448 pages and takes you through everything you should know about the set up, the filtration, etc,  and the fish and the corals and much much more ...)

I will also subscribe you for free to the Newsletter and our web server will send you a login and password message. After you get that go to the drop down menu at the top left. One of the sub menus is called Newsletter archives and you can download them all but only download Volume 2 as I will send you a link to the entire Volume 1 in a single PDF also via Dropbox ... after you read the book esp the first 110 pages or so you will have a good idea of how to set the filtration up and what you can use ... etc ...

I think that will be easier and then after you have read that and have specific questions, post your messages here.

Albert

[Littorina]

Hi there!

     Well, I plowed through your nanoreef book last night and this morning.  Very informative, thank you!  :-)     I was a little overwhelmed with the chapter on various filtration methods - the chemical filtration methods more specifically- but I will continue to read about them and decide what I'd like to do. 

     As for fish stock.....well, looks like if I really have my heart set on a clownfish, or 2,  in a nanotank, I am pretty much looking at stocking clowns only, or perhaps 1 other fish.  I didn't realize they are so aggressive!  Although... since gobies inhabit the sand bed and live in burrows, and clowns swim up in the water column, can they perhaps co-exist a little better?   It sounds like the yellow and green clown gobies are more of a sand bed fish than the citron goby.  Or is this not true?   

     I will certainly take your advice and not stock hermit crabs in my tank. 

Thanks again.  Lots to think about!

[albertthiel]

Hi there!

     Well, I plowed through your nanoreef book last night and this morning.  Very informative, thank you!  :-)     I was a little overwhelmed with the chapter on various filtration methods - the chemical filtration methods more specifically- but I will continue to read about them and decide what I'd like to do. 

     As for fish stock.....well, looks like if I really have my heart set on a clownfish, or 2,  in a nanotank, I am pretty much looking at stocking clowns only, or perhaps 1 other fish.  I didn't realize they are so aggressive!  Although... since gobies inhabit the sand bed and live in burrows, and clowns swim up in the water column, can they perhaps co-exist a little better?   It sounds like the yellow and green clown gobies are more of a sand bed fish than the citron goby.  Or is this not true?   

     I will certainly take your advice and not stock hermit crabs in my tank. 

Thanks again.  Lots to think about!

Indeed the filtration section is quite large because I wanted to include as many options as possible that hobbyists have and can consider, but of course no one needs to use all of them ... one picks the ones that one is most comfortable with.

And on the fish ... if you go with the Clowns then a Shrimp Goby would probably be best ... with its shrimp as they will dig a burrow and remain sat the bottom ... just make sure that you feed them or the clowns will grab all the food you add ... so spot feed them.

The Gobies you mentioned live in SPS corals and are not IMO the ones you want to pick for your tank if you are going to put two Clowns in it.

Albert