# hopeful fish



## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

I GOT A BOOK OLD SALT :evil: :lol: 
i made a list of the fish i would like to try to keep, i was just gonna run it past all of you to see what you thought. im gonna have to check around all my lfs to see what is available, i was just looking for comments about compatibility and such. and im definatly not trying to put ALL these fish in my 46, these are just what i narrowed it down too.

flame angel
royal gramma basslet
a couple of clowns
bicolor blenny
flame hawkfish
a small wrasse 

these are maybe fish:
domino damsel (i know they are "bad fish")
mandarin fish
a goby
some kind of firefish (i liked a few different ones)

and id also like some shrimp, crabs, and some snails... do i need different lighting to keep any of these inverts? or live rock/sand?


i really want to thank everone again, ive learned so much about salt in a couple of weeks, im gonna start this just after christmas, and i plan on keeping a photo journal on here to let you all know how its going.


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

I'd say go with a pair of clowns, flame hawkfish, firefish, some sort of goby, and I think that would be it. Maybe you can add one or two fish later on but for right now that's enough or over enough for your tank. Yes I know the one bad thing about sw is the number of fish you can keep lol. Just make sure to add them slowly, mabe one or two once a week or longer.

For your inverts you want: they don't need special lighting. Go with power compact though, tank loooks better and if you plan on soft corals or any other somewhat low lightiing photsynthetic critters than you'll have the lighing already on your tank.If some critters o come on your live rock it may be beneficial to them (the lighting) if you get some corals or whatever.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I've seen hawks rip dartfish(firefish) to shreds, however I've also seen them co-exist. Its a risk so you may want the small wrasse instead.
I'd go with the Flame angel, 1 Clown, Firefish, Royal Gramma, and maybe the wrasse depending on the species.


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

When I saw the hawkfish they were pretty peaceful and made me laugh when they tried to swim.

Oh well.. im not too good on suggesting tankmates or whatver lol.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Like I've said, I've seen them coexhist with firefish... but I've seen some nip the firefishes fins.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

Fishfirst said:


> Like I've said, I've seen them coexhist with firefish... but I've seen some nip the firefishes fins.


 well ive been keeping cichlids for a while, so nipping and over stocking are in my blood, thats a big obstical im gonna have to get over. if the hawkfish has problems with the dartfish, wouldnt it be better just to go with a flame angel? i was just looking for something around that color, is it bad to mix gobies and blennies? ive read that gobys fight among themselves, but these fish seem very similar to me.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

They call them Hawkfish because they are predatorial ambushing beasties, like hawks. They aren't peaceful in the slightest, only sneaky. If a hawkfish sees something it thinks it can maybe eat, it will attack. That's just what hawkfish _do_. Just a little something to consider. Hawks should only be kept with fishes larger than themselves for best results.

Blennies & gobies can be mixed just fine most of the time, but they will squabble over hidey-holes if you don't provide enough.

The cichlid overstocking trick does NOT work with marine fishes. Get that idea OUT of your blood right now if you want to have any hope of success.

That book you got, the old Blasiola one... It's okay. Actually, among the "cheap" saltwater books, it's one of the best, even though it's 15 years old and thusly full of things we've since learned to be wrong. It'll do for starters.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

TheOldSalt said:


> The cichlid overstocking trick does NOT work with marine fishes. Get that idea OUT of your blood right now if you want to have any hope of success.
> 
> That book you got, the old Blasiola one... It's okay. Actually, among the "cheap" saltwater books, it's one of the best, even though it's 15 years old and thusly full of things we've since learned to be wrong. It'll do for starters.


 yea i know its gonna be tuff not to jam 15 fish in my tank, haha jk. its just gonna look so empty. but yea i know that book isnt the greatest. but between it and most of you friendly folks, im learning enough to start a simple tank, then get bigger and better books, to help me along. that might be the backwards way to do it, but thats how i work best.


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## N1z (Nov 21, 2005)

dont hawkfish eat crusteacens... just a thght cos i thght a long nose does.

i personally definalty go with the clowns dude and royal gramma but not a mandarin


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

hawks will eat inverts you are correct N1z


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

well thats nice to know, guess i just ruled that one out all together, isnt the biggest problem with mandarin fish is their diet? i thought it was hard to get them to eat. if i can find the right fish, make sure the stores are right with what they are feeding it. i might try it because it sure is a pretty little bugger.


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## N1z (Nov 21, 2005)

very true they are nice mandarins, but as uve seen they are hard to feed like copperband butterflys, but i did get mine to feed but had flukes so i took him back. but also u need perfect water all the time for those guys so one slip they wont forgive you and in the end he/she will be fine for a few months if eating but will waste away if not in perfect conditions and tank size etc etc the list goes on!

i would say in your tank, go with:

clowns
royal gramma
gobys
shrimps (gr8 characters as mine does a sprint down the tank when he see's food)
a dwarf angel of any type
and a few others from your list but that get on , the thing uve also got to take into account is look up the sizes of tank the fish needs other wise they get stressed in crampted places causing the stress to make their immune system drop leading to ich and other parasites or deseases. 

try www.liveaquaria.com i was shown to there and it gives u all the info u need and also theres a chart that shows wot they get along with!.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

N1z said:


> very true they are nice mandarins, but as uve seen they are hard to feed like copperband butterflys, but i did get mine to feed but had flukes so i took him back. but also u need perfect water all the time for those guys so one slip they wont forgive you and in the end he/she will be fine for a few months if eating but will waste away if not in perfect conditions and tank size etc etc the list goes on!
> 
> i would say in your tank, go with:
> 
> ...


haha thats exactly where i got my list... i did look into size of tank and all that. i did alot of research before making that list as far as what i thought i could take care of, size of tank, and compatibility, i thought the mandarin would be pushing it, but i like a challenge. i probably wont go that route for years. but sadly i had to leave a heap of stuff off my list that i really really wanted. like a panther fish. i love those, but unless i get the 220 ive been drooling over at my lfs. it will never happen. one more thing. how easy would it be to mix 2 different angels? one being the flame and the other another dwarf.? do these commonly do ok together?


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## N1z (Nov 21, 2005)

LOL, um no u cnt mix 2 dwarfs as ive found out also, they will just kill each other sadly so best stick with one m8, but i will say they are nice buy my half black mix is well cool she/he come out all the time wizzing around and is a fat nacker towards feeding time lol


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