Nano docile fish mid-water choices?

[i cant think]

I have a very small Panda Goby, which is a clown goby, but thanks for the suggestion.

These are not true clown gobies!
These belong to the genus of paragobiodon and are the only one in their genus. These are also VERY hard to keep long term, they’re basically mandarins and need mature (18 month old) tanks to thrive best in.

 

[Tamberav]

springers damsel... the only damsel I would trust

a royal gramma is usually peaceful.. just opens mouth wide.

 

[i cant think]

Isn’t there an amblyeliotris orange spot goby? That one would pair.

I keep forgetting about Amblyleotris, yes there is Amblyleotris guttata which does pair with pistols however it’s only a certain pistol if I remember correctly which is Alpheus randalli. Also only 3 species are actually common in the hobby, Amblyleotris randalli, Amblyleotris wheeleri and Amblyleotris aurora. A. guttata is a rarer species to find over here (UK).

 

[rmorris_14]

I keep forgetting about Amblyleotris, yes there is Amblyleotris guttata which does pair with pistols however it’s only a certain pistol if I remember correctly which is Alpheus randalli. Also only 3 species are actually common in the hobby, Amblyleotris randalli, Amblyleotris wheeleri and Amblyleotris aurora. A. guttata is a rarer species to find over here (UK).

I just wanted to say I'm really impressed by your fish knowledge.

 

[Sharkbait19]

springers damsel... the only damsel I would trust

a royal gramma is usually peaceful.. just opens mouth wide.

Royal gramma is a good one, they do hide at least half the time though. When out they are all over the place. One of my favorite fish.

I keep forgetting about Amblyleotris, yes there is Amblyleotris guttata which does pair with pistols however it’s only a certain pistol if I remember correctly which is Alpheus randalli. Also only 3 species are actually common in the hobby, Amblyleotris randalli, Amblyleotris wheeleri and Amblyleotris aurora. A. guttata is a rarer species to find over here (UK).

A bit more variety over in the US, but yeah those are the 3 I’ve seen most. Randall’s has actually been hard to find lately too.

 

[Tamberav]

I keep forgetting about Amblyleotris, yes there is Amblyleotris guttata which does pair with pistols however it’s only a certain pistol if I remember correctly which is Alpheus randalli. Also only 3 species are actually common in the hobby, Amblyleotris randalli, Amblyleotris wheeleri and Amblyleotris aurora. A. guttata is a rarer species to find over here (UK).

It will pair with a tiger pistol too... in the wild it is with Alpheus orchrostriatus

I think in our artificial reefs they all just make due and pair with whats available.

 

[i cant think]

I just wanted to say I'm really impressed by your fish knowledge.

Thanks, I’ve learnt scientific names are the best things to use but also keep a VERY close eye on the common fish and the uncommon fish and when they’re in/out of season. I also watch how different fish behave singularly and in groups both in my own tanks and my LFS.

 

[i cant think]

It will pair with a tiger pistol too... in the wild it is with Alpheus orchrostriatus

I think in our artificial reefs they all just make due and pair with whats available.

I didn’t actually know that - Thought they were a heavy Randalli pairing genus. I’ve actually found “pistol shrimp” gobies will only pair with the shrimp they’re found pairing with in the wild. So stonogobiops will only pair with A. randalli and Cryptocentrus will prefer to pair with the tigers.

 

[Tamberav]

@i cant think

Now you want to see something weird? My ruby years ago hung out in the burrow of the pistol (he didn't have a goby). She slept in there with the pistol. I guess the pistol decided that the dragonett has eyes to see predators so better then nothing lol I can only assume the scooter... since they sleep in the sand... found the burrow and thought it was a pretty convenient hidey-hole.




NEATURE BE WEIRD!

 

[rmorris_14]

Thanks, I’ve learnt scientific names are the best things to use but also keep a VERY close eye on the common fish and the uncommon fish and when they’re in/out of season. I also watch how different fish behave singularly and in groups both in my own tanks and my LFS.

At least now I know who to direct my fish questions to lol

 

[i cant think]

@i cant think

Now you want to see something weird? My ruby years ago hung out in the burrow of the pistol (he didn't have a goby). She slept in there with the pistol. I guess the pistol decided that the dragonett has eyes to see predators so better then nothing lol I can only assume the scooter... since they sleep in the sand... found the burrow and thought it was a pretty convenient hidey-hole.




NEATURE BE WEIRD!

That is interesting! I’ve heard of pistols pairing with fish that aren’t known to pair with them like firefish and amblygobius species.

 

[nitereefer]

I keep forgetting about Amblyleotris, yes there is Amblyleotris guttata which does pair with pistols however it’s only a certain pistol if I remember correctly which is Alpheus randalli. Also only 3 species are actually common in the hobby, Amblyleotris randalli, Amblyleotris wheeleri and Amblyleotris aurora. A. guttata is a rarer species to find over here (UK).

We are very fortunate to live in Central Florida, so we have access to a lot of things that are not generally found in some other places.

 

[nitereefer]

These are not true clown gobies!
These belong to the genus of paragobiodon and are the only one in their genus. These are also VERY hard to keep long term, they’re basically mandarins and need mature (18 month old) tanks to thrive best in.

And this is a big part of what I have had to learn the hard way. LFS workers are great, but frequently give really bad advice, at least to me. I had one suggest a diamond goby for my wife with a 30 gallon oolite bottom tank, a mandarin to me with a 16 gallon, a neon dottyback the same day I got the panda goby, and they assured me that the panda goby was just like the regular clown gobies, only smaller.

 

[Sharkbait19]

It will pair with a tiger pistol too... in the wild it is with Alpheus orchrostriatus

I think in our artificial reefs they all just make due and pair with whats available.

Tell that to my tiger and aurora lol
Been since august and nobody’s pairing…

 

[Tamberav]

Tell that to my tiger and aurora lol
Been since august and nobody’s pairing…

Lol sometimes **** just doesn’t work. Like clowns hosing a powerhead instead of the nem!

 

[shrimped]

Idk if these are already mentioned but heres some options. They should be actively swimming mid level of water column for most of the time:
Masked Goby trio / 1 male 2 females. Get up to around 1".

ORA Yellow Cardinal or Red Spot Cardinal trio / 1 male 2 females. Feed least 2 times per day. Bad shippers. Get up to around 1.25"

Yellow Assessor or Randalls Assessor / Very peaceful basslet. Get up to less than 3".

Blue stripe pipefish / Must be on frozen food for your tank. Feed 2 or more times a day. Up to 3".

Smaller species of Jawfish (Pearly, Yellow Head, Moustache, chain, dusky) / Burrows but will spend a lot of the time swimming above its burrow once established. Up to around 2.5" - 3.5" depend of species.

ORA White Spotted Filefish / Very active swimming fish. 99.99% reef safe, havent heard anyone report of these to bother coral. They may lock their jaw on a gorgonian when they sleep but this shouldnt affect a healthy coral's health. Up to 3"

Stippled Clingfish / Very active fish but not swimming very often. Some of my friends have it and says the personality of them is that of a puppy. Up to 3"

Wetmorella Wrasse or Pink Streak Wrasse / Not very active but will start swimming and exploring the tank near mid-high level water column once established with lower flow setup and peaceful, smaller tankmates.

Ptereleotris uroditaenia or Ptereleotris grammica / Similar to firefish / around 3.5"

 

[bnord]

Royal gramma? Mine is pretty docile and swims in the water column quite a bit.

I love a gramma in this build, for attitude and altitude if you can get a small one - and if you have a re-home destination in a year or two if you get one that's wants to be big...

 

[bnord]

springers damsel... the only damsel I would trust

a royal gramma is usually peaceful.. just opens mouth wide.

I have just tried a couple of Staghorn Damsels, mild mannered and small - not too colorful through

 

[nitereefer]

Here is a picture of my little panda. He’s pretty cute.

 

[nitereefer]

A sad update yesterday. Unfortunately, the little panda sumped himself overnight and we found him dead. I really hate that. Nothing was picking on him and he seemed healthy but he got into the back chamber and didn't make it out. Finding Nemo was a lie...