Looking for fish ideas!

[Kyle Seeley]

Hi, I am currently cycling my new 20 Gallon long and am looking for opinions on the stock list. I know that the tank will be sps dominant and I want the corals to be the main focus, but I want also want something unique as an eye catcher.

I was thinking a single frogfish, but read they can be quite difficult to keep?

As stated above, i am not opposed to keeping only one fish in the tank!

Open to all ideas!!

 

[code4]

If you are willing to hatch brine shrimp every day a male mandarin would be nice.

Shelley

 

[Highgrade]

With SPS you'll want more fish. Their waste will help. 1 fish would be considered ULN system. They're hard to maintain. There are plenty nano size fish- Firefish,Clowns,gobies,blennies,chromis,damsels,etc....

 

[Highgrade]

If you are willing to hatch brine shrimp every day a male mandarin would be nice.

Shelley[/QUOTE
Mandrin would be nice but in a tank that unestablished and small it wouldn't make it just on brine.

 

[code4]

A few bottles of pods from brine shrimp direct would fix that problem. They also would eat nutramar ova, my other fish also will eat it. I have successfully kept a mandarin in a 10 gallon for a year once. The tank was cycled with plenty of rocks and pods. It is a female and has since been moved to my 65 gallon. I also used a Paul B brine shrimp feeder daily. And after several attempts started eating live black worms and then would eat anything as time went on. This is my experience. But I also like Highgrades idea of firefish. In my opinion clowns become very territorial in a tank and would benefit from being the only fish in it. Though my clowns never bother my mandarin pair in the 65.

Either way good luck.
Shelley

 

[Highgrade]

A few bottles of pods from brine shrimp direct would fix that problem. They also would eat nutramar ova, my other fish also will eat it. I have successfully kept a mandarin in a 10 gallon for a year once. The tank was cycled with plenty of rocks and pods. It is a female and has since been moved to my 65 gallon. I also used a Paul B brine shrimp feeder daily. And after several attempts started eating live black worms and then would eat anything as time went on. This is my experience. But I also like Highgrades idea of firefish. In my opinion clowns become very territorial in a tank and would benefit from being the only fish in it. Though my clowns never bother my mandarin pair in the 65.

Either way good luck.
Shelley

It can be done with a Mandrin but without plenty of pods you'll have a hard time keeping it alive in the long run. Trying to train one to eat Nutramar Ova,Brine,blackwoms etc.... is hit or miss. I've seen it all too often. Also not to mention the number of "My mandarin starved to death stories" out weigh the success stories unfortunately. Not trying to discourage anyone from getting one but a majority of them slowly starve to death in most reef tanks.

 

[code4]

I do agree there are many stories of people having them starve to death. Sad. I have only had one that did that. Refused to eat from the very beginning, even pods. I have 3 now. They all eat anything I put in their tanks. But in the beginning, and it could be months to a year, they would only eat pods and newly hatched brine shrimp. I had not planned on them ever eating anything else. They did it on their own at first. It was well over a year after first getting them! And over time they just ate more types of food. My target female comes up to my baster and eats food right out of it. I have had her for several years now. I am very dedicated to them. Mixing them is touchy though. Two females or two males usually does not end well in the same tank. And if not enough food a pair will even fight to the death. I wish all people would do their research before they get any living creature. These beautiful little fish should live a long life.

Shelley

 

[Kyle Seeley]

Thanks for all the quick replies!! But I've been scared off from mandarins for a very long time by just reading about everyone struggling to get them to eat. In my opinion, it's way to beautiful of a fish for me to take a chance on.

I also agree with the fact that more fish would be better for the sps corals but I really just wanted something unique that you don't see everyday.

Has anyone had any experience with the frogfish?

Could I possibly do a pair of clowns and a frogfish?