Ideas for species tank 12 gallon

[Kremis]

Hi all

I currently have a 12 gallon long set up with no fish in it yet. It has been running for a while with just macroalgae and a few hermits. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for cool fish to keep in it?

For reference, here are some fish I have kept in the past:
Orange spotted filefish
frogfish
bluestripe/dragonface/banded etc pipefish
mandarins/scooter blennies etc
coral croucher
seahorses
garden eels
rainbow basslet

I am more looking for weird, challenging or rare fish to keep here. no ocellaris clowns or firefish for this tank. I currently have another tank with shrimpfish in it, also open to ideas with what to put in with them as well (34 gallon). I attempted cuttlefish for this tank but they all died, didnt really work out too well. I then tried a small octopus but he was too annoying so i brought in back to the store.

Here is what i am currently thinking about doing:
Angler of some kind. Leaf fish, frog fish etc
Try cuttlefish again
Classic seahorse/pipefish combo

Open to suggestions! Willing to consider anything, I have had a lot of experience with difficult fish, no fish is too challenging. Also, this tank does have an open top. No jumpy fishies please!

 

[lion king]

Even though I usually recommend at least a 20g for a warty(wartskin angler), the length of this tank may work. The warty would be only angler/frogfish, any of the larger ones wouldn't work, and the pygmy's are hard to come by and really don't live long. A leaf fish may be pushing it; a leaf fish/warty combo is a fun set up. Pipefish, the same, usually requiring a larger tank but again, the length of your tank is a plus. Seahorse's really only do well in taller tanks. You could use that tank to hatch out cuttlefish, it would be a stretch to keep one in that tank, and definitely no more than one. Cuttlefish might jump though, fish that propel can easily go over the edge.

 

[Kremis]

Even though I usually recommend at least a 20g for a warty(wartskin angler), the length of this tank may work. The warty would be only angler/frogfish, any of the larger ones wouldn't work, and the pygmy's are hard to come by and really don't live long. A leaf fish may be pushing it; a leaf fish/warty combo is a fun set up. Pipefish, the same, usually requiring a larger tank but again, the length of your tank is a plus. Seahorse's really only do well in taller tanks. You could use that tank to hatch out cuttlefish, it would be a stretch to keep one in that tank, and definitely no more than one. Cuttlefish might jump though, fish that propel can easily go over the edge.

Ya if I were to do an angler it would def be the warty. I previously had seahorses in this tank for a year, which is why i am considering them again but would rather do something i havent done yet. Do you think you could keep two wartskins in the same tank? My work gets them in really small, like under an inch sometimes. Worst case scenario i just bring them back to work if they get too big

 

[lion king]

It's really not about getting too big they are very sedentary, They can eat fish up to their own size, and will attempt anything even close. It almost always ends badly for those that have tried to keep more than one in the same tank, it may go well for a while, then one day you lose them both. When they do eat prey too large, they almost always die.

Anything housed with an angler must be larger. Why the leaf fish makes a tank mate with a warty; they are also sedentary with the same feeding habits and needs, they have small mouths which can not eat a warty, and if sized appropriately larger(doesn't have to be too large as their body shape helps out) than the warty, the warty can't eat them. Thought I would mention it since you have options to rehome.

 

[Mr_Knightley]

You could try housing something like a slipper lobster/reef lobster. I plan to set up a similarly size tank for either one of them. Both play relatively nicely with CUC (the slipper would probably be better in this regard), and both stay pretty small. A reef lobster would probably fit into the tank better. Slipper lobsters are really hard to find consistently, you may have luck finding them at Asian fish markets. If you're lucky, you can find a species with an ornate pink shell that stays under 5". A slipper would probably also like cooler temps, probably around 73f.

 

[Pale Morning1]

I am a big fan of the flaming prawn goby. From what I have read would work perfectly in that size.

 

[Tamberav]

Hi all

I currently have a 12 gallon long set up with no fish in it yet. It has been running for a while with just macroalgae and a few hermits. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for cool fish to keep in it?

For reference, here are some fish I have kept in the past:
Orange spotted filefish
frogfish
bluestripe/dragonface/banded etc pipefish
mandarins/scooter blennies etc
coral croucher
seahorses
garden eels
rainbow basslet

I am more looking for weird, challenging or rare fish to keep here. no ocellaris clowns or firefish for this tank. I currently have another tank with shrimpfish in it, also open to ideas with what to put in with them as well (34 gallon). I attempted cuttlefish for this tank but they all died, didnt really work out too well. I then tried a small octopus but he was too annoying so i brought in back to the store.

Here is what i am currently thinking about doing:
Angler of some kind. Leaf fish, frog fish etc
Try cuttlefish again
Classic seahorse/pipefish combo

Open to suggestions! Willing to consider anything, I have had a lot of experience with difficult fish, no fish is too challenging. Also, this tank does have an open top. No jumpy fishies please!

Yellow stripe clingfish. They are fun little dude.

 

[Kremis]

You could try housing something like a slipper lobster/reef lobster. I plan to set up a similarly size tank for either one of them. Both play relatively nicely with CUC (the slipper would probably be better in this regard), and both stay pretty small. A reef lobster would probably fit into the tank better. Slipper lobsters are really hard to find consistently, you may have luck finding them at Asian fish markets. If you're lucky, you can find a species with an ornate pink shell that stays under 5". A slipper would probably also like cooler temps, probably around 73f.

Yeah i was thinking about doing some type of crusteacean, if I did I think i would want a mantis. We get slipper lobsters in often enough, weird looking little guys.

I am a big fan of the flaming prawn goby. From what I have read would work perfectly in that size.

Yeah I considered doing a goby/shrimp pair. I would probably go this route if i decided to do a peaceful tank, like pipefish or something etc. The flaming prawns are nice, just pricy...

Yellow stripe clingfish. They are fun little dude.

I tried one of those. never ate. not even live foods. couldnt figure it out

 

[Kremis]

Something I could also do would be a rock flower tank with like... sexy shrimps or something and maybe a bluetripe pair? that might be cool

 

[damsels are not mean]

Radial filefish + xenia... Like a sort of bizarro clownfish.

 

[damsels are not mean]

I like the little nano gobies biota has been breeding. Such creatures weren't really available before since they rarely shipped well from the wild.

 

[Tamberav]

Yeah i was thinking about doing some type of crusteacean, if I did I think i would want a mantis. We get slipper lobsters in often enough, weird looking little guys.


Yeah I considered doing a goby/shrimp pair. I would probably go this route if i decided to do a peaceful tank, like pipefish or something etc. The flaming prawns are nice, just pricy...


I tried one of those. never ate. not even live foods. couldnt figure it out

They eat eggs/ova. I kept a pair for awhile and there is a thread somewhere with someone who bred them. They can be trained to eat out of clam shells. I would cut the pumps off and put the ova in the empty clams.

Yellowstripe clingfish--Diademichthys lineatus Breeding

In February I saw two of these fish at my LFS. I did a little research on my phone while there and didn't come up with too much other than they live with Diadema urchins or branching corals and eat the tube feet of the urchin and also the copepods and the eggs of a commensal shrimp. They also...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Max The New reefer]

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