Tell Me What To Buy!

MeMyFishandI · May 24, 2020

Okay, I have a 25 gallon IM lagoon. The intended habitants unfortunately died before getting to enjoy their new home. So I am in a position where I have a COLR (corals only live rock!) tank. I have been researching what to stock in there, and I am finding conflicting information (chromis, for example). The habitat has plenty of hiding space, soft sand and live rock. So what would you stock? Difficulty: no bengaii cardinals, shark nose or neon gobies (still heart broken) or clowns (meanies).

Born2beblack · May 24, 2020

Blennys are cool i think lol
Dottbacks
Damsiles but some can be bullies

Check out a nano stocking video

David_Carrera · May 24, 2020

Tail spot or lawnmower blenny, yellow watchman goby, fire fish, basslet, jawfish. a court jester goby is a cool looking fish too. Just throwing some ideas.

Victor_C3 · May 24, 2020

Not a fish, but throw in a peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni). He’ll most likely get aptasia before you’ll ever see it.

A peppermint shrimp has always been the first inhabitant in all of my tanks and I have never had an issue with aptasia.

MeMyFishandI · May 26, 2020

Thanks everybody for your input. I did some research, watched A LOT of videos and I think I narrowed it down to the following:
1. Yellow or Blue Assessor
2. Royal Gramma
3. Pink Streak Wrasse
4. Tail Spot Blenny
5. Yellow Watchman Goby
6. Hi Fin Banded Goby
7. Blue or Green Mandarin - I am hesitant to get the Mandarin because it looks like it may cost upwards in $20 per month for food. Thoughts?

In the non-fish category a peppermint shrimp as Victor_C3 recommended and a Pistol Shrimp.

What would you choose out of that line up? I want to have no more than three fish.

Victor_C3 said:
Not a fish, but throw in a peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni).

I read that peppermint shrimp like to nibble on corals. Have you found this to be the case?

Victor_C3 · May 27, 2020

MeMyFishandI said:
Thanks everybody for your input. I did some research, watched A LOT of videos and I think I narrowed it down to the following:
1. Yellow or Blue Assessor
2. Royal Gramma
3. Pink Streak Wrasse
4. Tail Spot Blenny
5. Yellow Watchman Goby
6. Hi Fin Banded Goby
7. Blue or Green Mandarin - I am hesitant to get the Mandarin because it looks like it may cost upwards in $20 per month for food. Thoughts?

In the non-fish category a peppermint shrimp as Victor_C3 recommended and a Pistol Shrimp.

What would you choose out of that line up? I want to have no more than three fish.

I’ve heard that peppermint shrimp will nip at LPS and I’m not sure whether they’ll go after softies as well.

The last time I had a softy tank was in 2006-2007 and I haven’t kept any LPS since 2010, so I don’t have any experience with this issue. They’ve never bothered my SPS.

Honestly, I say put one in your tank and be sure to have a plastic bottle to make a shrimp/crab trap on hand in the event you need to remove him.