Replacement fish suggestions

[hawk82]

I have a 40 breeder right now with a Melanurus wrasse. I have in my QT tank a Clown, Banggai cardinal, and Royal Gramma. I did have a Firefish, but found him on the floor just now. So looking for something to replace him with, open to suggestions...

 

[Leslie Tabor]

What about some gobies?? Or a blenny??

 

[MoreReefPlease]

Wrasses and Firefish are prone to jumping. If you keeps these species you need a cover. Until you have one, look for something like perhaps an orchid dottyback which hide in the rocks instead of jumping. Without a cover it's not proper husbandry for those species.

 

[hawk82]

I have a glass top on my 40, and I had the QT covered, but it had a few little spots open on the ends around the filter, he must of got out that way. I dont think a dottyback would work with the gramma.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Blenny, another firefish (as they are peaceful/colorful/hardy -great jumpers) or basslet. A glass or screen type cover is a must in this hobby.
Slows evaporation, prevents foreign matter from entering tank and suicidal citizens.

Strawberry basslet:

Bi-color dottyback:

Diadema basslet:

Clown Goby:

catalina Goby:

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

You could get another firefish. You just need to cover the holes in the lid. What about a hawkfish or a blenny or goby? You are correct that a dottyback with your gramma would be a bad idea.

 

[MoreReefPlease]

I have a glass top on my 40, and I had the QT covered, but it had a few little spots open on the ends around the filter, he must of got out that way. I dont think a dottyback would work with the gramma.

I've kept basslets and dottybacks together but it really depends on the fish.

 

[hawk82]

You could get another firefish. You just need to cover the holes in the lid. What about a hawkfish or a blenny or goby? You are correct that a dottyback with your gramma would be a bad idea.

I was looking at a Falco Hawkfish, would that work with the fish I have listed? I dont want to risk another firefish, plus I think the gramma was kinda a bully to him. The firefish was very shy, and the gramma would chase at him and make him dart into the rocks.

 

[MoreReefPlease]

I was looking at a Falco Hawkfish, would that work with the fish I have listed? I dont want to risk another firefish, plus I think the gramma was kinda a bully to him. The firefish was very shy, and the gramma would chase at him and make him dart into the rocks.

I believe Flaco's are also known to be aggressive so it should be able to hold its own provided the gramma is around the same size or smaller.

Also, about the Catalina: From LiveAquaria

This temperate species thrives in water temperatures between 60° F and 70° F. The Catalina Goby may be tolerant of warmer, tropical temperatures in most reef aquariums but only for a short time. If exposed to tropical temperatures for too long, the Catalina Goby can experience decreased resistance to disease and a shorter lifespan.

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

I think a falco hawkfish would be fine. I don’t have any experience with them, I’ve only ever had a flame hawk. I’ve heard that they can be somewhat aggressive though.

 

[Dragon52]

Go with a Jawfish

 

[OrionN]

I would get a pair of Yasha or Randal shrimp goby with their pistol shrimp, or 1 or a pair of yellow head Jawfish.
Also if you have a good screen top you can look for two flasher wrasse. Here are few that I have. Tight screen top is a must. Glass top will often cause spinal injury to wrasse. They can hit it with such force at it break their spine.
Carpenter Flasher

McCosker Flasher

Diamond Tail Flasher

 

[ecexotics]

sorry for your loss, they are incredible jumpers. i lost my exquisite wrasse last week when it jumped out when i was doing a water change. makes me remember how unpredictable the animals are in the tank and now i installed a lid on every one of my tanks. it doesn't always have to be aggression for the fish to just decide to jump

 

[Bo.]

I have a 40 breeder right now with a Melanurus wrasse. I have in my QT tank a Clown, Banggai cardinal, and Royal Gramma. I did have a Firefish, but found him on the floor just now. So looking for something to replace him with, open to suggestions...

Replace him with a screen top.

 

[hawk82]

Eh, I just ordered a replacement Firefish. I like them and they are cool. Any tips on how to make sure this one dosent jump? I have a glass top, but some of the spots around pipes and cords are open, see pics.

 

[OrionN]

They don't randomly jump up but aim for the opening. You just got to close the gaps using whatever material you can use to cover the openings. You have a large area to cover.

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

I cut out cardboard or thick paper in the shape of the holes and tape it over the holes. It doesn’t look great, but the fish stay in the tank with it on.

 

[kyleinpdx]

Eh, I just ordered a replacement Firefish. I like them and they are cool. Any tips on how to make sure this one dosent jump? I have a glass top, but some of the spots around pipes and cords are open, see pics.

A few ideas:

• egg crate/light diffuser from homedepot/lowes/etc
• smoked (or other color) acrylic, dont use clear because of what @OrionN mentioned, the tinted/colored acrylic should dissuade they from jumping in that area.
• mesh netting like this

I have made my whole screen lid out of that mesh from amazon, and some window screen aluminum channel and 90* bends.

 

[MoreReefPlease]

I cut out cardboard or thick paper in the shape of the holes and tape it over the holes. It doesn’t look great, but the fish stay in the tank with it on.

Likewise, you can run down to your local hardware store and pick up thin sheets of acrylic and cut them into the desired shape so that they can still provide light transmission.

The thin acrylic still provides some flexibility when a fish jumps into it but it's not as safe as screen mesh.

You can also purchase window screen kits which will allow you to design a screen that will conform to the shape desired relatively inexpensively.

 

[hawk82]

I cut out cardboard or thick paper in the shape of the holes and tape it over the holes. It doesn’t look great, but the fish stay in the tank with it on.

Thats a good idea, didnt think of that. Seems like a good temp fix for now.