Need help stocking new nano

[Warthur]

Hey guys,
I am looking to stock a new 13.5 gallon nano whose dimensions are 22x12x15. I have had trouble deciding what to stock it with. I am considering a golden dwarf moray that I would eventually move into my 40 though I have no idea whether or not it will eat smaller fish in the 13 as I have heard mixed reviews. Thoughts on the eel and possible tankmates? Also I have heard wet pets Hawaii has great prices on them but I can't find where to contact them. If anyone has their contact I would appreciate it as well.

 

[Mike N]

I have the Fluval Evo 13.5 which I assume you're referring to.
Liveaquaria says the smallest purchase size of the golden dwarf moray eel is 5". I personally wouldn't feel comfortable putting that in 13.5g tank. I suggest you find something better suited for a small tank.

 

[Katrina71]

Get a Blenny. They are fun to watch.

 

[Tahoe61]

I have the Fluval Evo 13.5 which I assume you're referring to.
Liveaquaria says the smallest purchase size of the golden dwarf moray eel is 5". I personally wouldn't feel comfortable putting that in 13.5g tank. I suggest you find something better suited for a small tank.

Water quality man!!!

Forgo the eel, you might be able to keep a Fu Manchu dwarf lion for awhile.

Other wise clown fish pair.

Welcome to R2R.

Fire fish.

Citron goby.

 

[Warthur]

Would a clown be okay as an adult in that small of a tank? Yes it is the fluval evo. I figured the eel would be fine if I add pvc paths underneath pretty much the whole way around. Considering its no thicker than a pencil at full grown I thought it would be okay. If that still doesn't work would a carpenter's flasher wrasse be okay with a clown and maybe a small jawfish?

 

[Warthur]

Didn't think that small of an eel would pose such a problem with water quality... I know they are messy but didn't figure it wouldn't be that bad. Wouldn't the fu Manchu outgrow the tank? A 4 inch lion fish would mean nothing else in there

 

[Mike N]

I figured the eel would be fine if I add pvc paths underneath pretty much the whole way around. Considering its no thicker than a pencil at full grown I thought it would be okay. If that still doesn't work would a carpenter's flasher wrasse be okay with a clown and maybe a small jawfish?

They grow to 2 feet fully grown. Plus, like Tahoe mentioned, it would wreak havoc on the water quality in your tank.
Liveaquaria recommends 125 gallon at MINIMUM. Fully grown clown or a pair would be fine. Different varieties of gobies as well.

Edit: keywords from Tahoe's post regarding fu manchu: "...for a while"

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I have a golden dwarf moray in my 75g. While he spends 90% of the day in his caves, he does like to get out and swim a bit. His other tank mates are a full grown pair (3.5" and 2.5") of black Ocelaris clowns, a 3.5" Atlantic blue tang, a 1.5" six line wrasse and a 1" coral shrimp. I did have a 1" coral beauty angel in there until my female clown made it her personal goal to kill it. It's now in my 14g nano, but back to the point, the eel bothers NO ONE. He is the best "fish" in the tank. HOWEVER, I would not put him in anything smaller than a 40 breeder. I'd say a 75 is probably the smallest to keep any eel for life. They are messy eaters and put a huge bio load on your tank. They also only eat once every few days, so the bio load swings around and a small tank can't handle those swings. If you have a larger system I say pull the trigger, they are wonderful additions to a reef, just not for nanos.

Meet Ruyjin.

 

[Mike N]

I have a golden dwarf moray in my 75g. While he spends 90% of the day in his caves, he does like to get out and swim a bit. His other tank mates are a full grown pair (3.5" and 2.5") of black Ocelaris clowns, a 3.5" Atlantic blue tang, a 1.5" six line wrasse and a 1" coral shrimp. I did have a 1" coral beauty angel in there until my female clown made it her personal goal to kill it. It's now in my 14g nano, but back to the point, the eel bothers NO ONE. He is the best "fish" in the tank. HOWEVER, I would not put him in anything smaller than a 40 breeder. I'd say a 75 is probably the smallest to keep any eel for life. They are messy eaters and put a huge bio load on your tank. They also only eat once every few days, so the bio load swings around and a small tank can't handle those swings. If you have a larger system I say pull the trigger, they are wonderful additions to a reef, just not for nanos.

Meet Ruyjin.

Thanks for sharing your experience. How long is Ruyjin?

 

[Warthur]

True, the golden moray is 2 feet and 125. LA doesn't carry the Hawaiian dwarf (what I'm looking at) except on divers den occasionally. If I recall correctly it's 30g minimum though it's been a while since one was posted on there. I think he is right about water quality though... I probably could only keep one if it was the only fish in the tank along with a much larger skimmer than the one I have. Pair of clowns and a goby/pistol would be fine though?

 

[cmcoker]

Carpenter wrasse would not work in a 13.5g, it would work in the 40g assuming compatible tankmates. Wrasse like to swim, they also like to jump which could lead to spinal injuries with the plastic top.
A Wetmorella species would be a more appropriate wrasse for the 13.5g. I would wait until the tank is more mature (9-12m) as they like to eat the microfauna, like pods and worms.

 

[Warthur]

Thanks Robin. Based off of that I'm not sure it would be right even in my 30 cube. I'm probably just going to go for a pair of clowns and a goby or jawfish in the 13

 

[SashimiTurtle]

He's about 9-10" long and about as big around as a Sharpie marker. You can see him here telling me he was hungry at fish feeding time. He has tons of personality. The 2 liter bottle was a home made social acclimation cage for the coral beauty. It's gone now.

 

[Warthur]

I will definitely consider the wetmorella down the road, they are awesome little fish

 

[Warthur]

Beautiful eel Robin. Do you think one would be fine in a 30 if I get it at 7"?

 

[CalebWBrink2000]

I keep a clown, royal gramma, and a single chromis in my IM 14gal. Many gobies and blennies should be fine too. Potentially a six-line wrasse, but I would worry about it jumping and/or decimating the microfauna population. I've also seen a successful 10 gallon reef featured on ReefBuilders with a toby puffer in it, so there's that.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Beautiful eel Robin. Do you think one would be fine in a 30 if I get it at 7"?

A 30 would be ok. Not ideal but you could keep one happy in there with the right preparations.

They are picky eaters, and the only thing I can get mine to eat is squid tentacles. But he absolutely loves it and when he's hungry he attacks them. I feed a piece this size every two or three days.

I offer food every two days. He lets me know if he's hungry before then, or he just won't take the food from me if he's not hungry.

They need several areas they can hide in. Rocks need to be stacked so they can't tip over when they dig under them. Yes these eels will dig the sand or from under rocks so make sure they are stacked on the glass. They also are escape artists, and the smaller the tank with fewer hiding places, the more likely they are to escape. Small 1/8" mesh screen tops and covered overflow boxes are highly recommended!

 

[CoralReefer1019]

firefish, gobies, blennies, clownfish, flasher and fairy Wrasse are my favorite

 

[Warthur]

Sounds good. I'll take that into consideration. How much did you buy yours for. The place that has them available online has them up for $225 + 25 for shipping. Did you find yours for less, if so where?

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Sounds good. I'll take that into consideration. How much did you buy yours for. The place that has them available online has them up for $225 + 25 for shipping. Did you find yours for less, if so where?

zoacollector.com
$150+60 shipping. Not sure if that's still his price or not, should be, bought him about two months ago. You more than likely have to send an email because they usually sell out before he can put them on the website.