Question about aggression in fish

[Katweet]

The plan for my new 29g fowlr (10g sump, 30lbs LR) was a single percula or cinnamon clown, a royal gramma and EITHER a striped dottyback or sixline wrasse. My only previous marine experience is a failed 10g with two perculas.

I've been told the gramma and clown will be model citizens unless something swims near their cave/anemone, respectively. I don't want an anemone. I've heard the clown may be a hog at feeding times. I've heard sixlines can be real jerks and dottybacks can be pretty mean, too.

What I want are some more opinions and to know what exactly is meant when one says sixlines are jerks or dottybacks are mean. Will they chase and threaten (no big deal) or are they out to kill? I also want pep or skunk shrimp, so is a dottyback a better choice than the wrasse, who I've heard will kill shrimps?

I plan to add the clown first, since there are plenty at my lfs, then order the gramma and dotty/wrasse at the same time to cut down on shipping. Is this a good plan?

 

[ReefTankRebel]

Dotty backs are mean with maybe the exception of an orchid dotty back. and yes wrasse will eat those shrimp up lol

 

[Katweet]

Okay, so the wrasse may be out. Are the dotties mean to the point of harming or stressing my other fish or will they just chase them around a bit?

 

[ReefTankRebel]

I had a Mandarin once and the dotty back wouldn't let him get to one half of the tank and it starved because that reason. But mine was a bicolor dotty. I hear the orchids are nicer and am about to get one myself.

 

[Katweet]

No word on the striped dotty? I love the orchid's colors, but I also like the variation in color in the fish I had chosen. The orchid looks just like the gramma, sans-yellow.

 

[Katweet]

I just found a source that tells me striped dotties are actually rather peaceful and live in colonies, naturally. Can my biofilter support a pair of them, plus the clown and gramma?

 

[Triggreef]

I disagree with some of these comments. I've had neon Dotty with no issues as well as springeri and orchid which I currently have together. That said, I've never had such a small tank. And if you add shrimp first, you won't have to worry about them eating the shrimp, especially a small wrasse like a six line. You could also look into a cooler wrasse like a four line, or a pink streak. Or even a possum wrasse.

Also, I have over a dozen wrasse, including a half dozen halechoerus wrasse and a large green coris. I have skunk cleaners, peppermints, banded, and a harlequin.

 

[Tahoe61]

In a small tank chasing leads to stress, aggressive posturing leads to stress, stress leads to disease. I had the six line in a nano and would never do that again. Everything might be fine for months, once the fish mature there will not be enough territories for all of them. A Cinnamon clown is just as aggressive as a Maroon, Tomato or Clarki.

I have had several Royal Grammas over the years and never had an issue with aggression.

 

[grim1reaper72]

Dottybacks are aggressive to fish even larger than them, I had a neon and he terrorized the whole tank. I have had royal grammars in the past that were aggressive but not to the point I had them removed.