Eviota bifasciata vs Apogon parvulus

[Anonymous]

Essentially what the title says. Which would be better?

Criteria are: preferably a fish that will demonstrate schooling behavior, even in a small tank with no aggressive tankmates; a fish that will look good and be active in the water column; a fish that is non-aggressive and won't pick at coral; and a fish that is relatively easy to care for.

The cons from my point of view on the A.parvulus is it's not generally sold here. It'd take some tracking down and quite a bit of money to buy a decent group. Also I've heard that they don't travel well and often a few will die soon after arrival. The cons of the E.bifasciata appear to be that it is a short-lived fish and not as obviously attractive as the A.parvulus (though I've yet to see the A.parvulus in person and not completely overwhelmed by its looks either). On the other hand, it's cheap and easily available.

Any opinions?

Eviota bifasciata



Apogon parvulus

Hmm. That picture makes the A.parvulus look damn good. :?

 

[Anonymous]

Just as added info - a school of 25 A.parvulus would cost around $250, exclusive of delivery costs. 20 E.bifasciata would cost around $45. The number of A.parvulus they send for a stated amount of 25 is apparently 30, which says something I guess about how delicate they are.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd have to go with the cheaper fish, but that's just because I'm too broke to pay attention

 

[Anonymous]

I've never kept those eviota, so I can't comment on them. And you already know my feeling on the apogon parvulus, so I won't reiterate it. I'll just add some points....

$250 for 25 redspots is comparable pricing to what they run here. Liveaquaria sells them in lots of 5 for $50. The problem with them isn't so much that they don't travel well as that they don't handle even a few days of not eating well. Fast metabolism, and they really should be fed multiple times per day like anthias (just in smaller amounts). If they survive a week past when you receive them and they're feeding they stop being at all delicate. Usually figure on losing about 10% of a group in the first week, unless you get them from someplace that conditions them while they have them. Mine eat literally anything and have learned to recognize me from across the room, on the off chance I might be walking over to feed them.

Redspots aren't particularly colorful. Their blue stripe is comparable to that of a neon tetras, just not as wide. Given bright lighting it absolutely flashes as they swim, however, as do their blue eyes. I'd imagine the eviotas you're looking at do much the same, though.

25 redspots have about the body mass of one, maybe two percula clown fish. If I wanted a more crowded look in my tank, I really wouldn't think twice about keeping 20 of them in my 20 gallon tank. A 1 per gallon ratio really wouldn't strain a tank's carrying capacity. In your tank you could definitely include some other fish along with them, as long as whatever else you included won't gobble the cardinals up as snacks.

 

[Anonymous]

FWIW the group of 16 A. parvulus I placed in a 24" cube "refined" themselves down to 10 individuals, which seems to be a stable number. My best guess is that they do show a bit of aggression if they're too crowded.

I would get the Eviota just because they're rarer and to me they look nicer. There's no way I could find that many of them for that cheap here.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks all - really helpful advice (although I'm still undecided!). Any arguments for having both? I'm wondering if I could get 15 Eviota and maybe 10 Apogon. Would that be too much for a tank roughly 36"x24"18"h, currently holding one Tail Spot Blenny and one N.helfrichi, with the plan to add a couple of Percs?