25 gallon stocking

[MinnReef]

Getting a macroalgae/soft coral tank running soon and have a short list of fish that I have my eyes on:
Fish/inverts I am planning

• Pair occy clowns (1 darwin & 1 normal)
• Orange spotted blenny or Starry blenny
• Fire shrimp

Fish shortlist

• Pair bangaii cardinals
• Springeri damsel

Unlikelies

• Watchman goby w/pistol
• Geometric hawkfish
• Sharknose or yellowline gobies

What do y'all think?

 

[RMD_4]

I definitely like what you have on your want list for fish/inverts! I personally would reconsider the watchman and pistol combo. I think they are a super cool pair solely because it’s unusual for a fish and a shrimp to bond! Plus, I enjoy watching mine dig tunnels, bury themselves in for the night, and start all over on the tunnel the next day! Warning though: make sure your rock structure is pretty secure on the tank base, they can cause it to shift during tunnel making

 

[MinnReef]

I definitely like what you have on your want list for fish/inverts! I personally would reconsider the watchman and pistol combo. I think they are a super cool pair solely because it’s unusual for a fish and a shrimp to bond! Plus, I enjoy watching mine dig tunnels, bury themselves in for the night, and start all over on the tunnel the next day! Warning though: make sure your rock structure is pretty secure on the tank base, they can cause it to shift during tunnel making

That's the main reason I'm not looking at them 100% as well as the fact that the shrimp could mess with some of the macro "roots" or move macros around

 

[OrangeCountyReefer]

I have clowns/cardinals/pistol shrimp and goby pair in my 25 gallon. So definitely good choices

 

[supernanoguy]

Blenny will die in a new tank. Needs to have pods already active in it. You could try feeding it directly but it usually doesn’t work that way.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

Getting a macroalgae/soft coral tank running soon and have a short list of fish that I have my eyes on:
Fish/inverts I am planning

• Pair occy clowns (1 darwin & 1 normal)
• Orange spotted blenny or Starry blenny
• Fire shrimp

Fish shortlist

• Pair bangaii cardinals
• Springeri damsel

Unlikelies

• Watchman goby w/pistol
• Geometric hawkfish
• Sharknose or yellowline gobies

What do y'all think?

I wouldn’t get a damsel in a 25. Most of them are complete but heads. I have a four stripe in my 32gal with a 2ft (ish) engineer goby and my goby is terrified of my damsel (he’s 2” long). They are the meanest things that have ever existed. Don’t get me wrong, I love mine, I can’t keep anything else for fear of it getting eaten by the sea monster or a goby. But still.

I would also watch putting very timid fish like the cardinals in with clowns. Clowns can be as aggressive and belligerent as a damsel under the right circumstances. I had Madagascar clowns that bullied a green corris wrasse I loved to death because he was too timid. If I were you I’d do the goby/pistol shrimp pair and some cardinals. They’re super easy going and would allow you to add a moderately small/non aggressive fish. I’d check into an orchid dottyback. MAKE SURE it’s an orchid: they’re super chill and absolutely gorgeous. But there’s another species that looks almost identical that is the Devil.

 

[MinnReef]

I wouldn’t get a damsel in a 25. Most of them are complete but heads. I have a four stripe in my 32gal with a 2ft (ish) engineer goby and my goby is terrified of my damsel (he’s 2” long). They are the meanest things that have ever existed. Don’t get me wrong, I love mine, I can’t keep anything else for fear of it getting eaten by the sea monster or a goby. But still.

I would also watch putting very timid fish like the cardinals in with clowns. Clowns can be as aggressive and belligerent as a damsel under the right circumstances. I had Madagascar clowns that bullied a green corris wrasse I loved to death because he was too timid. If I were you I’d do the goby/pistol shrimp pair and some cardinals. They’re super easy going and would allow you to add a moderately small/non aggressive fish. I’d check into an orchid dottyback. MAKE SURE it’s an orchid: they’re super chill and absolutely gorgeous. But there’s another species that looks almost identical that is the Devil.

Might just throw all of this out and get Caribbean fish from a special supplier instead