10 gallon with jawfish and goby

[Anonymous]

Ok, so my 12 gallon nano is really a 9 gallon tank...but I will give JBJ the honor of rounding up to 10 for this thread title. :lol:


Now that I see the tank, I'm not going to get the p. brummeri eel (white/ghost ribbon eel). The tank just looks too small for a 40 inch eel. And I'm not sure I want to rig up my reef to support an escape artist down the road.

I also have decided against the twin spot/fu man chu lion....I don't like feeding live animals to other animals due to a bad experience in my childhood involving a box full of rabbits and a 12 foot python. :? The thought of the lion never taking dead food turns me off.



So I'm thinking I will get a blue spot jawfish and a rainford's goby.

Now these two fish will have to go saturday and sunday without food. Sometimes monday too, for a total of 3 days without food.

I figure the goby can pick some food off the 15 or so pounds of LR I'm putting in.

The jawfish will have to tough it out and wait to be fed. I will just over feed him all week and he will have to wait out the 2 day fast.


In the tradition of running things by the crew here, I thought I would post the plan and see if anyone tells me a jawfish will die without food every day or something like that.

Thanks

 

[clippo]

tank sounds very small for a jawfish.... have you got a deep mixed substrate in there too? - why not go for a shrimp goby and pistol of some kind.... sort of combines the two.

 

[Anonymous]

tank sounds very small for a jawfish.... have you got a deep mixed substrate in there too? - why not go for a shrimp goby and pistol of some kind.... sort of combines the two.

Isn't it possible for a pistol shrimp to crack a tank?


As for the size of the tank, part of my plan is to move the fish into my 75 gallon eventually...either when they get full grown, or if I ever have to move the tank from my office. Even so, I don't see anything wrong with keeping a jawfish in this size tank.

I plan on laying down 2-3" of sand and placing a rock with a cave nook facing forward in the hopes that the jawfish will make his burrow there.

 

[clippo]

Isn't it possible for a pistol shrimp to crack a tank?

no - large 'smasher' mantis shrimp can though.

As for the size of the tank, part of my plan is to move the fish into my 75 gallon eventually...either when they get full grown, or if I ever have to move the tank from my office. Even so, I don't see anything wrong with keeping a jawfish in this size tank.

fair enough, but personally I don't think that is good practice. Best to wait to get the big tank - its only fair on the fish!

As an aside, I think it will be hard to maintain good water conditions in this small a body of water, while providing enough food to keep and grow both jawfish and goby. Physical space isn't the only problem here.

Also, I have seen recommendations for substrate to be no less than 5" deep (and of mixed composition).

How is the tank lit?

 

[mattstewart]

if you don't want to rig up your reef for an escape artist that a jawfish might be a bad idea. IME these guys can jump out of the smallest hole to examine the carpet. I think they would be okay in a smaller tank though, they don't like swim to far away from there burrow.

 

[Anonymous]

Isn't it possible for a pistol shrimp to crack a tank?

no - large 'smasher' mantis shrimp can though.

As for the size of the tank, part of my plan is to move the fish into my 75 gallon eventually...either when they get full grown, or if I ever have to move the tank from my office. Even so, I don't see anything wrong with keeping a jawfish in this size tank.

fair enough, but personally I don't think that is good practice. Best to wait to get the big tank - its only fair on the fish!

As an aside, I think it will be hard to maintain good water conditions in this small a body of water, while providing enough food to keep and grow both jawfish and goby. Physical space isn't the only problem here.

Also, I have seen recommendations for substrate to be no less than 5" deep (and of mixed composition).

How is the tank lit?

It's a JBJ nano cube deluxe with about 50 watts of PC.


I already have the 75 gallon reef. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think both of those fish would be fans of each other, and both need to be fed frequently. 5 days out of 7 on a consistent basis won't cut it IMO.

I will once again suggest the swalesi basslet. You can mix them with just about any peaceful fish.

I also used to keep a pair of orchid dotttybacks in a 12 gallon, which worked out well. They ended up spawning when I placed them in a larger tank, which leads me to believe it may have been a bit too small for them.

I also kept 3 yellow assessors (see below) in a 12 gallon at one point, before moving them to a larger tank. They tolerate each other in small tanks, especially if you can give them a lot of little caves to seek refuge in.

All of these fish would be better choices IMO as they can accept a little bit larger meals if you absolutely have to go w/o feeding. Personally I would just set up an auto feeder over the weekend.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think both of those fish would be fans of each other, and both need to be fed frequently. 5 days out of 7 on a consistent basis won't cut it IMO.

I will once again suggest the swalesi basslet. You can mix them with just about any peaceful fish.

I also used to keep a pair of orchid dotttybacks in a 12 gallon, which worked out well. They ended up spawning when I placed them in a larger tank, which leads me to believe it may have been a bit too small for them.

I also kept 3 yellow assessors (see below) in a 12 gallon at one point, before moving them to a larger tank. They tolerate each other in small tanks, especially if you can give them a lot of little caves to seek refuge in.

All of these fish would be better choices IMO as they can accept a little bit larger meals if you absolutely have to go w/o feeding. Personally I would just set up an auto feeder over the weekend.

I thought about the auto feeder.

Any suggestions on a brand? As you know, there isn't much room between the surface of the water and the light guard on a nano cube...not sure where an auto feeder would fit. :? edit: it can fit under the front hatch if it is a small device.


I've pretty much fallen in love with the jawfish. My LFS has one in a nanocube on the counter and the blue spots are spectacular...I also like the behavior of the fish.

Assuming I could rig an auto feeder to take care of the feeding problem over the weekend, would there be a problem with the jawfish?


Not that I'm against the basslet, but there are other fish I like better.


I might even just go with a firefish before an assesor or basslet. I had one for over 2 years before it vanished...I assume it died of natural causes since I read they don't live for more than 2-3 years. Other than its short lifespan, it was an excellent fish.

 

[Anonymous]

Look at this fish

8)

 

[Anonymous]

Jawfish are great, but they will not be happy with a firefish in the same tank. Go for a midwater swimmer like a royal gramma or (hint hint) the assessor. I'm sure you know a very deep sand bed is a necessity already.

You can drill a hole in the canopy over the 'sump' and place an auto feeder there.

 

[Anonymous]

Jawfish are great, but they will not be happy with a firefish in the same tank. Go for a midwater swimmer like a royal gramma or (hint hint) the assessor. I'm sure you know a very deep sand bed is a necessity already.

You can drill a hole in the canopy over the 'sump' and place an auto feeder there.

I meant a firefish alone...instead of the jawfish. But your input and warnings are always appreciated and heeded by me. So thanks


Call me John Kerry, but I'm flip flopping again and I'm thinking of a pistol shrimp/shrimp goby pair now. The highfin shrimp goby stays very small and if that's the only fish in the tank, the bioload should be low.

Input?

Thanks

 

[Meloco14]

I think that would be a great idea. I've considered that for my nanocube as well. If the highfin goby is the small thin white goby with the black stripes and kinda yellow head (Stonogobiops nematodes), I had a pair of these in my nanocube and they were great. However, one day one of them went missing and I couldn't find it for months. I assume it died in a place I couldnt see. Then the second disappeared and again, was gone for months. I assumed it died too and they were just unhealthy from the LFS. Then one day I was cleaning the tank and I saw one swimming in the tiny sump area in the back of the tank. To this day I have no idea how he got back there. But I got him out and put him back in the display. That lasted about a week and he was back in the sump. So I had to take him and put him in my other tank. So be aware if you get these guys, they might like to take a trip to the sump every now and then.

 

[Anonymous]

If you get a shrimp goby get a Stonogobiops spp. for sure. They all stay small, and they'll get along with firefish if you want to add one. I used to keep that pair of fish in a 6 gallon tank with SPS so it can be done.

 

[Anonymous]

I think that would be a great idea. I've considered that for my nanocube as well. If the highfin goby is the small thin white goby with the black stripes and kinda yellow head (Stonogobiops nematodes), I had a pair of these in my nanocube and they were great. However, one day one of them went missing and I couldn't find it for months. I assume it died in a place I couldnt see. Then the second disappeared and again, was gone for months. I assumed it died too and they were just unhealthy from the LFS. Then one day I was cleaning the tank and I saw one swimming in the tiny sump area in the back of the tank. To this day I have no idea how he got back there. But I got him out and put him back in the display. That lasted about a week and he was back in the sump. So I had to take him and put him in my other tank. So be aware if you get these guys, they might like to take a trip to the sump every now and then.

That's the one.

Thanks for the warning. Whenever I've had a fish go missing in my main tank, I usually do an overflow and sump search right after searching the floor around the tank. I will do the nano "sump" search in this case. Good advice.

 

[Anonymous]

If you get a shrimp goby get a Stonogobiops spp. for sure. They all stay small, and they'll get along with firefish if you want to add one. I used to keep that pair of fish in a 6 gallon tank with SPS so it can be done.

Thanks Matt