Candy Basslet- Compatibility + "Is it worth it"

[cdw79]

I'm thinking about a candy basslet for my "showpiece" fish for my 65g display, though I have a few concerns before I'd seriously consider pulling the trigger.

One, as another cave-dwelling fish, I'm not sure if it would get along with my yellow assessor, who can be a big defensive of his cave on one side of the aquarium. It would be a nightmare if I had to try and catch one of them, so I'd want to be sure both would be compatible.

I also worry a little about my longnose hawkfish. He can be randomly territorial- for example, he's definitely been one to chase my assessor or lyretail anthia, albeit very infrequently, but he's got it in him. I know this genus needs a peaceful environment, and while I'd say mine is overall, my lyretail for example was pretty timid for a week before it found its spot in the pecking order it seems.

The last thought I have is about whether it's worth it. Basically, I know they can be cave dwellers, but I've read varying experiences about how it translates to aquarium life. Some seem to say their individual comes out all the time, others that it does to some extent but stays close to the rocks, others seem to say it's very secretive. I assume this has something to do with tank mates, scape, how long it's been since introduced, etc. but even for the potentially very discounted price I could get it for, it doesn't seem ideal to buy such a nice fish just to only get fleeting glimpses of it. I'd love to hear any experiences / what may have made them more active!

 

[blaxsun]

Whenever you get a new fish, behaviour is always a crapshoot whether it will conform to "norms" or to what extent it will deviate.

 

[cdw79]

So I know n two fish are alike, but larger patterns are still worth knowing I feel like. I know some people have gotten their specimens to be a lot more outgoing and visible, and I'm trying to understand what might be a factor to see if it seems worth taking the **** at it

 

[bnord]

never had an assessor - but I did have a Swiss Guard in a mixed reef tank - a CB splendid DB was his only antagonist, but it wasn't too bad.

he was a 1 year survivor - and I loved seeing him in the late evening - seemed mostly nocturnal and concerned by a lot of activity around him.

Found myself feeding very heavily to ensure it got to feed while hiding in its cave.

One day he disappeared - no sign of stress and not sure where he ended - a 180 with lots of scape.

liked it a lot, but would be cautious if the dynamics of the tank are already set.

 

[cdw79]

never had an assessor - but I did have a Swiss Guard in a mixed reef tank - a CB splendid DB was his only antagonist, but it wasn't too bad.

he was a 1 year survivor - and I loved seeing him in the late evening - seemed mostly nocturnal and concerned by a lot of activity around him.

Found myself feeding very heavily to ensure it got to feed while hiding in its cave.

One day he disappeared - no sign of stress and not sure where he ended - a 180 with lots of scape.

liked it a lot, but would be cautious if the dynamics of the tank are already set.

That's great info, thanks for sharing. I do wonder whether the pecking order (which Tok my lyretail about 2 weeks to get "initiated" into) might be a bit much for what is already a cave-dwelling / semi nocturnal fish, great to hear those details about your experience