Hiding Firefish, 3/13/08
Hello Crew,
<Hi>
I am starting a new FOWLR tank. It has been a month since I've started. I have a
48 gallon bow front tank with 50 lbs. LR and 60 lbs. LS. My cleanup crew
consists of 5 hermit crabs, 2 turbo snails, 1 arrow crab, 2 peppermint shrimp,
and 2 cleaner shrimp. My tank cycled perfectly in about 2 weeks, leaving me with
0 ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I currently have, in order of addition to tank,
2 Perculas, 1 one spot Foxface, and 2 Firefish. My question concerns the
Firefish. I added one two my tank 4 days ago. He immediately retreated to a nice
spot beneath one of my LRs and did not show himself again. Out of concern, I
consulted my LFS who recommended that I get a second.
<Its generally a bad idea to add more fish when you think you may have a
problem, however in this case it should be ok.>
The second Firefish seemed to take entry to the tank much more readily, however,
once he found the other Firefish he too does not exit their group haven. Since,
they do seem to come out more often but not more than a few inches from the
haven.
<Normal behavior for this fish.>
I am wondering if this is normal, and they will slowly be more sociable in the
tank, or should I seek to save them and bring them back to the LFS.
<That is pretty much what Firefish do, hang out near their bolt hole and picking
out passing food particles.>
Currently they do not exhibit any evidence of being attacked and still have a
healthy weight. I thank you, in advance, for your incite on my problem.
Thank you,
David
<See here for more
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/wormfishesArt/wormfishes.htm .>
<Chris>
Scissortail gobies... domestic dispute? -
7/20/07
Hi folks, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. My husband's
written to you a couple of times before, but this is my first time.
<We are strangers but once>
We have a month-old 55-gallon tank with a pair of scissortail dartfish in it.
They pair-bonded immediately and have been spending their nights in the same
little burrow under one of our live rocks. They would always be swimming around
together.
<Neat!>
But tonight, I found (I think) the smaller of the two dartfish lying on the sand
outside their burrow. He swam around quickly when I startled him, then went and
laid back down on the sand. He seemed fine earlier today, ate energetically,
etc. Water parameters are all good, and nothing has changed in our tank
recently.
Why would this dartfish suddenly leave his cave and start sleeping out in the
open like this, when they've previously always wanted to sleep under the rocks?
<Mmm, could be a few things... Might be guarding the front (they might have
reproduced!), or could be an internal complaint (a "parasite time-bomb" let's
say), or the cumulative effects of a lack of nutrition (Microdesmids need live
food a good deal of the day... hence our push for refugiums with DSBs et
al....).>
Could the bigger dartfish have started fighting with him, and driven him out of
the burrow?
<Possibly, but doubtful>
Do paired
dartfish ever turn antagonistic towards each other suddenly?
<Not often>
Does this mean he's ill somehow? Or is it just a normal fluctuation in dartfish
behavior and I'm being silly to worry about it? These are our first fish, and
I'm really attached to them...
Thanks,
Laura
<Best to stay diligent, keep offering small amounts of food, frequently. Bob
Fenner>
More scissortail goby questions.
Want To Stop Fish From Jumping But
Worried About Sealing The Tank Up “Too” Tightly – 07/30/07
Thank you for helping me with my Scissortail Dartfish question (I'm the one
whose mated pair of Scissortails seemed to be having a fight.)
<<Hi Laura...I don’t know who helped you before, but I’m certain they were happy
to do so>>
The good news is that they did indeed get over it on their own, and lived
together happily for another week or so; the bad news is that we didn't have the
tank covered well enough and came home to find the larger of the two dead on the
carpet. :-(
<<Unfortunate... And difficult to prevent... I’ve had Bartlett’s Anthias jump
right through the ½” squares of plastic “eggcrate” mesh>>
If you could answer a couple of questions related to the aftermath of this sad
event,
I'd be grateful:
<<I shall try...>>
1) We got some clear acrylic and cut it to exactly match the top of our fish
tank, so now there are only small holes around our tubes and wires and so on.
This should prevent any future deaths by jumping, but we're a little worried
that it's also blocking the flow of oxygen.
<<Proper/efficient gas exchange is my worry as well. Do ensure lots of vigorous
water flow within this tank>>
We have a protein skimmer,
<<Ah...a big help re oxygenation>>
a power head, and the pump outtake breaking the surface of the water, but all of
this action is under the acrylic cover, and it seems like it could just be
recycling de-oxygenated air.
<<Not a worry if the skimmer’s air intake is outside the tank...if not then
perhaps you can connect/run a tube to the outside>>
Is this an unnecessary worry, or should we do something else to our system to
improve the airflow?
<<Adding a sump, and if possible, an in-line refugium, will provide many
benefits to include improved oxygenation of the system and expelling of
accumulated CO2>>
2) We want to get a new scissortail for our bereaved widower. Is there anything
special we could/should do in either selecting or introducing the fish to
improve the chance of their bonding with each other?
<<I don’t think it will be much of a problem as this species seems a bit more
tolerant of conspecifics than some of the other Dartfish species. Actually, I
suggest you keep a small “group” of these fish rather than trying to “pair” them
out. A small grouping (5-7) should get along fine and will be more natural/make
the fish more comfortable and less likely to hide...and as long as they aren’t
being harassed/chased by other fishes in the tank, having a small group “may”
reduce their tendency to jump>>
Our surviving scissortail seems to be very stressed on his own (he's gone back
to diving under a rock when he sees me coming, the way he did when I first
brought
him home a month ago.)
<<Indeed...needs more of its own kind around>>
We bought the previous pair from the same tank, so they got along from the very
beginning without our having to do anything.
Thanks for your time and attention,
Laura
<<Happy to assist. EricR>>
More scissortail Dartfish
questions... sys., comp., beh. 8/9/07
Thanks for your patience with me and my Dartfish questions. To recap
quickly, I had a pair of scissortail Dartfish, but my tank wasn't well enough
covered, and one of them jumped out of the tank and died. The other one became
very stressed after that and hid under a rock constantly.
<A quite common scenario>
After sealing our tank cover better, we went back to our LFS and bought three
more Scissortails. When we put them in the tank, our original Dartfish
immediately came out and started swimming with them, and now is eating and
swimming normally again. So I guess it really was depression/stress/loneliness
that was getting to him! However, now we have a new problem. One of the new
Dartfish seems to have disappeared. The last two nights, only three have come
out for feedings. We searched all around the carpet and there have been no more
escapees, so I wonder if it died inside their burrow or something like that.
<Possible>
Soon after that fish disappeared, A) one of the other new Dartfish began hiding
in the burrow most of the time, and B) we noticed our fairy wrasse begin to
bother the Dartfish, scaring them back into their cave frequently. The wrasse
never bothered our original pair of Dartfish, who had already been living in the
tank for a few weeks when we added him, and in fact the surviving Dartfish from
that pair (who I can recognize because his fin is darker than the others) is not
afraid of the wrasse and swims around him with no compunctions. However, the new
Dartfish go whizzing into their cave whenever he comes near them. I'm concerned
that the third one, who is most skittish, may not be getting enough to eat (he
does eat at every meal, but only a little.) I also wonder whether this may have
been what caused the death of the missing fish (though I should say that none of
the new Dartfish were this skittish until one of them disappeared, so their
newfound fearfulness may be the effect of the missing dartfish's death rather
than the cause.)
<A possible contributing cause>
So I guess my questions are these:
1) Is there anything we can do to help the skittish scissortail survive?
<More space, less Cirrhilabrus...>
It's a 55-gallon tank with lots of live rock, holes, sand, different hiding
places, etcetera, but the fairy wrasse does seem to preferentially go over and
swim right around the entrance to their nest. One of the new fish feels
comfortable swimming around the tank as long as the original Dartfish is out,
wrasse or no wrasse, but the other one has been completely panicky since the
disappearance of the fourth guy.
2) Unless the missing fish miraculously turns up alive, we're back down to three
Dartfish. Is that an OK number? The LFS said it ought to be fine when I called
them.
<Is fine>
3) This is the question I feel embarrassed about asking, but I can't help
thinking about it; I've read the FAQ's and online information and entries in our
fish books and everything says that fairy wrasses are NOT fish-eaters like some
other kinds of wrasses, but is there any chance he could have eaten the missing
Dartfish?
<Mmm, perhaps if it were dead, the Cirrhilabrus very hungry... It could well
have harassed the Microdesmid/s in this small volume, particularly if it is/was
solitary... Fairy/Velvet Wrasses are very social animals...>
He never *looks* like he's hunting them-- I mean he never lunges at them or
anything-- and he's only about three inches long, but still, the fact that
they're acting so afraid of him all of a sudden makes me wonder. The Dartfish
are smaller than the wrasse is, maybe two inches long each.
<Just territoriality and lack of other social interaction>
Our water quality's been perfect, if that makes any difference. We've been
feeding them frozen Mysid shrimp and the Spirulina-enriched brine shrimp. Is it
possible we might be underfeeding them?
<Mmm, doubtful. Do they appear thin?>
Thanks for any insights you might have!
Laura
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Angel compatibility and a not so happy purple firefish 5/9/07
Good day/night to whomever may reply to this enquiry from sunny Wales in the
UK,
<Good morrow to you from more than sunny S. Cal. where we are experiencing a
delightful multi-day Santa Ana (the winds reversed from their typical offshore
direction, coming instead from inland, over the desert... warm and very dry>
I shall begin with my new system setup and parameters for you so it may give you
an insight into what maybe going on, I have three tanks co-joined into one. My
main display is a 6ftx2ftx2ft with 80kgs of Fiji live rock and a 3" sand bed of
CaribSea Aragamax, it overflows into a 3ftx2ftx2ft sump which contains 7kgs of
live rock rubble and 10kgs further of Fijian rock and is also host to a
Aquamedic TurboFlotor multi SL 1000 and TMC Vecton 600 UV unit.
<A very nice unit>
The third tank is 2ft cubed and has a 4" sand bed of CaribSea Fiji live pink
sand and 12kgs of live rock and plays host to some nicely growing Caulerpa, 2 x
Lysmata amboinensis, 1 Centropyge flavicauda and a Nemateleotris decora whom
I'll get back to in a minute.
All results of these tests were taken this afternoon at 3 p.m. using Salifert
test kits and a refractometer and Tunze monitoring equipment.
S.G. - 1.025
Calcium - 380ppm
P.H. - 8.13
Nitrate - 5-10ppm
Temp - 26.3
dKH 6.4 (has been a consistent 8.2 - 8.6 before last weekend's first water
change since the setup)
Phosphate - between 0.00 and 0.1(very difficult to tell with this test kit) it
shows very minimal blue colouration in the vial.
<Ah, yes... and this is fine>
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
I set this up from an old 40 UK gallon system that I have had for a year, from
which I have spent the last four months transferring the rock, water and
eventually the inhabitants from, and is now maturing in another room to start
transferring the inhabitants of another tank into but that's another story.
Livestock in the main display include -
1) 4"dia. Zebrasoma xanthurum.
2) 1 1/2" Zebrasoma veliferum.
3) 1 1/2" Paracanthurus hepatus.
4) 2" Siganus (Lo) vulpinis.
5) 3" Centropyge flavissimus.
6) 4" Calloplesiops altivelis.
7) 4x 1 1/2" Chromis viridis.
8) 4 1/2" Amphiprion frenatus.
9) 2" Orange tailed Chrysiptera cyanea.
10) 3x 1 1/2" female Pseudanthias squampinnis.
<One will become male...>
11) 10" Echidna nebulosa.
12) 2" Synchiropus picturatus who was my 1st fish bought just over a year ago
and survived in the old 40 gallon tank with a few of the above mentioned fish.
13) 2" Anampses meleagrides (I know enough said, although on a good note he does
feed on frozen Mysid and brine shrimp and has been with me for five months now,
crossed fingers).
<Congrats>
All have been added at intervals dependant on shape, colour and size and I have
not seen any aggression whilst feeding and all have nice niches in the tank at
night. No disease has been treated for and all feed extremely well on various
food stuffs which include Cyclop-eeze,Formula one and two, frozen
mysis,squid,krill,plankton
<Spacing of words...>
and San Francisco Bay Brands Marine Cuisine and Angel and Butterfly frozen cubes
which i alternate every three days between meaty items and algae items and then
a mixture of the two. Other additives include LiquidLife USA' product
BioPlankton and Kent marine Garlic extreme and also once a week I add 14 drops
of Warner Marine Research's Lugol's plus Iodine solution. I use RO/DI water for
top off and add Tropic Marin's Re-mineral marine and triple buffer to it, and
apart from that I do not add anything else. My last two investments are going to
be a calcium reactor, however I am receiving mixed opinions for their use and am
seeing some super quick growth with my SPS and also a chiller as I am forever
fighting a battle to cool the tank down due to the intensity of the lighting and
some really hot weather.
I hope I haven't blabbed on too much but I think it may help lead towards a more
informative message from my part so without further adieu i shall ask My first
question is regarding a juvenile Imperator angel who is about an 1 1/2" dia. and
has been kept for me at my LFS for 4 weeks now and is feeding great and looking
excellent. I based the building of this tank on the notion of keeping this fish
and my only concern is my Lemonpeel angel who is quite timid in his temperament
but is quite larger than the Imperator, should I or should I not attempt to give
it a try?
<Mmm, I give you good odds of all working out here... the Pomacanthus is so
small it will likely be looked over/accepted... and grow soon enough to become
the alpha/dominant animal here>
My second is to do with a very poorly firefish whom I moved from an existing
setup 2 weeks ago from another room along with his/her partner, and have had
these 2 together for several months now. I placed them both in the same time in
the 2ft cubed tank, a fortnight after the angel and the 2 cleaner shrimp went
in. Sadly one of the two died while I was on holidays last week and on my return
I found the other is now at the front of the tank constantly just treading water
in the lower corner. He/She has not eaten at all since my return which is now 5
days, He/She shows no sign of skin related infection or fin decomposition, the
colour on the tail end of the body does appear more darkened than the front. I
am getting worried now and am reluctant to move him/her back to the original
home which will induce more stress.
<I would do so... along with adding another individual at the time>
A big thanks goes to your time and effort to respond to this and the many
countless aquarists who face these end of the world type scenarios like myself,
without you and this site most of what I have have achieved in the last 15
months would certainly not be possible.
May I one day greet you all and express my deepest gratitude personally
Jason.
<I look forward to this. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Purple Firefish/Behavior 3/15/07
Hi
<Hi guys>
We are new to the fish world and have become obsessed after buying our daughter
an 250 litre aquarium for Christmas.
<Does happen.>
We have in it now, 2 clowns, 1 Regal Tang, 2 Purple Firefish, 4 shrimp, 2
mandarins, 1 Sea Urchin and 3 pieces of coral. Everything is doing fine and is
healthy and doing lots of reading and buying fish that will get along.
<The mandarins are definitely not a good first fish. Most will only accept live
food in the form of copepods/amphipods. Do read here and related files above on
this fish.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm>
BUT.....
After swimming about the tank very happily with everything for weeks the
2 firefish have suddenly taken up residence in their rock they always go into
at night and rarely come out. One comes out to grab food at feeding time and
appears to be giving it to the other one who does not come out, but is not dead
as we can see it swimming (not floating!!) about in the rock. After being
really friendly with the clowns, 1 firefish just watches from the entrance to
the rock and they don't come out to swim.
<Not unusual in your situation. These fish do best in a specie tank and in
groups of three or more. If mixing them with other fish, it is best to mix with
similarly behaved fish, especially aggressive eaters and fast movers. Do read
here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/wormfishesArt/wormfishes.htm>
Water is perfect and there is no disease, and although we are novices, we
are avidly reading all we can get as we are perfectionists and want the best for
our fish and invertebrates and a happy aquarium. From all our reading as
they are still healthy but keeping to themselves is it possible they are
breeding in such a new tank !!
<Very unlikely.>
If so what do we do ?
<Continue to read/learn, especially before buying. On another note, please do a
spelling/grammar check before sending. These queries must be edited before
posting in the dailies and we just do not have the time available to do
so. James (Salty Dog)>
Any information or advice would be much appreciated.
Kind regards
Colette and Paul (the fish novices)
PS When will the create new account option be available again want to register
now we've found the site, think we'll be regular visitors now we've got the fish
bug.
<I'm not aware that an account is needed to access the site. Bob?> <<Mmm, "Never
had it, never will"... we don't register people, guns or commies. RMF>>
Firefish Gobies Strange Behavior 7/28/06
Good day to you all.
I currently have a 37 gallon tank with 20 lbs. LR, two Ocellaris Clownfish, two
Firefish and one Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp.
All of the fish and the shrimp seem to act normal, stroll the tank and otherwise
look healthy, however the Firefish during the feeding period and far less often
at other times, seem to, and for lack of better words, flick their bodies
against the substrate.
<Mmm, "what they do" to a large extent... in the wild as well as captivity>
Is this a natural behavior, or should this be a notification to me that they may
have some parasitic attackers.
<Likely no problem>
My water temp is 80 deg. F. constant, ammonia and Nitrite 0, and Nitrate 5
ppm. I have not tested iodine yet, and believe that the level is correct as the
shrimp has gone through some molting cycles regularly with no issues.
I look forward to any assistance you could provide me. Thanks in advance...
your site has been wonderful to me so far, keep up the good work.
Erik from Norfolk, Virginia
<I would change nothing here. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
My experience with a Gramma and firefish... behavior 12/17/05
I would like to share my experience with a royal Gramma and a firefish.
I have a 10 gallon setup with sand, about 10 pounds of rock, mushrooms and
a couple other fish which I will not talk about since that makes me
overstocked.
<...>
I bought the firefish and it looked to be full size. Then about 4 weeks
later I bought the Gramma and it was small, maybe half the size of the
firefish. When the Gramma is annoyed by the presence of another fish he
opens his mouth as wide as possible moving towards the other fish hoping
to scare it away.
<Good description>
It rarely attacks. I have seen the Gramma lunge at the
firefish a couple times and the firefish did have a shredded tail once.
Both fish compete for food in the water column but the Gramma will eat
anything, where the firefish is more selective. I do not know what ticks
off the Gramma to take his open mouth stance
<Simple crowding>
but whenever he is annoyed or
wants to protect an area he opens wide. It is interesting to note that the
two are always on one side of the tank very close to each other. It is a
small tank but even so you would think one would be intimidated enough to
find a place on the other side.
<Perhaps both are more "afraid" of something else...>
The only thing I can think of is that the
filter water comes in where they stay and it is there that most of the
food comes down during feeding time so they always hang around there.
<Good reasons>
The firefish's response to the open mouth is interesting. Sometimes he
just turns his tail to the Gramma and at other times he just changes his
angle and the Gramma backs off. Rarely does the firefish actually bolt
from sight as he would when he is spooked. They have been together 9
months and the Gramma is much bigger than the firefish and his mouth opens
verrry wide. Most of the time they just do their own thing and it is
peaceful. The firefish hovers at his 45 degree stance and the Gramma does
some landscaping by scooping up sand from an area he decides should be his
home and he deposits it elsewhere mostly on the mushrooms and rocks. They
are very colorful and that is why I got them. So my guess is that in a
bigger tank you should have no problem.
But as they say, past performance is no guarantee to the future. And the
two fish that I have may not have the same disposition as the two you get.
<Thank you for writing, sharing your observations. Bob Fenner>
My question is could they be breeding, or what do you think is happening?
I received two purple fire fish on 1/11/00 from ffexpress, for the last 5 days one of them has taken up residence in seashell, I have not even seen it come out to eat, but when I put flake food in at feeding time the other one
seems to "fan" food in to the shell with it's tail. I shine a small flashlight in an see it is still alive. They are about 2 1/2 in. My question is could they be breeding, or what do you think is happening?
>>
Could be... or maybe just one of them is shy... I would try some live and otherwise bits of meaty food turkey baster squirted in their direction occasionally...
Bob Fenner
2 quick questions (microdesmids, Gobiosoma)
Hi Mr. Fenner,
Two quick questions tonight.
First, will the Firefish Nemateleotris magnicifica sometimes, or ever
launch themselves out of the tank, or is it more the Dartfishes?
<Both... launches itself out of the tank all the time, and IS a member of the family Microdesmidae>
Second, does the neon goby Gobiosoma Evelynae always stay bluish with
a yellow head, or can they become like the Gobiosoma randalli, and turn
only with the yellow markings?
<Not as far as I'm aware...>
I ask this because I think one of the
local LFS is selling G. Randalli as a sharknose goby, and is charging
$20.00 more then the G. Oceanops that they also have. Should the
sharknose be more expensive?
Greg N.
<Where's my Gobiosoma specialists when I need them!? Have seen (and yes, identified), G. randalli as G. evelynae (sigh) myself... Think I've finally had them sorted out on the WWM site. The non-oceanops gobies often sell for quite a bit more, not being widely cultured (that is, instead being wild-collected. Bob Fenner>
Purple fire fish
Hiya,
<Oi!>
Love the site, tons of good info. My quick question is this. I have a pair of purple fire fish for several months and they were feeding well, and swimming nicely together. Out in the open. However just a few weeks ago, I noticed one that had
disappeared! To my distress I thought it had died, but just yesterday I saw him pop out of a rock to grab some food. He looked healthy for the few
moments I saw him.
<that answers my first question>
Is this normal? Are the Firefish breeding or something?
<has the secretive one taken up a bolt hole or crevice?...if so, courtship/spawning may be evident. Otherwise less likely if just hiding in rocks>
I was thinking of moving around the rocks to get him to come out and play, but I don't want to stress the rest of the fish out.
<Please don't... with disturb breeding cycle if so>
Recommendations? I really like the look of this fish.
<a real beauty>
Should I get a third one? Or perhaps another pair?
<hmmm... I think that might cause more harm than good if they seem to be pair bonded. If they are not, or were new...then I would say that yes.. a group/shoal is much nicer>
Miguel
<kind regards, Anthony>
Playing With Fire! (Firefishes)
I have been reading up on your Firefish FAQ's.
I have one Firefish who is doing well. I couldn't find another
Firefish in the whole city.... Next time I see one I plan to acquire
it. The questions...
1. So now knowing that they should be paired... is it a "good
idea" to run the risk of buying another that will not pair up? If
they don't pair up they will fight, won't they??
<Usually, one will dominate, and possibly kill the other one. This is not
always the case, but it happens often enough to advise against adding another
one unless the circumstances are right>
Is there a way to differentiate male /females?
<External sex differences are not really known, as far as I'm aware>
2.I have a 90 gallon that is 4ft long and about 2 ft deep... is that
enough surface area??? 2 ft per fish right?
<Yes- on paper, this should be enough room. It depends, really, on how
accepting your current resident Firefish is!>
3.I have about 2" (some parts more some parts less) of live sand in the
bottom with lots of hiding spots in my 90lbs of live rock. Is this
sufficient?
<Sufficient to maintain these fishes-yes. But from a biological maintenance
standpoint, 2 inches is sort of a "no-man's land"; too shallow for
complete denitrification processes to occur, but too deep for long-term
maintenance in many tanks. We always say "1/2 inch or less, or 3 inches or
more", in regard to sand beds...>
They do burrow in the sand don't they or will they just hide in the nooks and crevices?
<In my experience, they tend to retreat to rock work as opposed to digging in
sand (not that they can't, but I personally have never observed this behavior
with these guys). Best to have a lot of rockwork for the fishes to establish
their own territories and retreat to when they feel threatened.
4. Any problems with Firefish and coral banded shrimp, pistol shrimp, or emerald
crab?
<Not in my experience>
My two Percula Clowns were bullying my Firefish upon introduction but have
figured out that he is not food. One tried to sample
him, but my feisty Firefish bit him back... since then they have left each other
alone.
<Sounds quite normal, actually! Just keep an eye on everyone, and intervene
if necessary should the aggression happen again>
So what do I do? Stay with the one? or get another Firefish? Anything
in particular to look for IF I am to acquire another one?
Dave
<Well, Dave- it's really your call here! The tank is certainly large enough
to support two, the layout seems okay, but it all boils down to the fishes
themselves. You do run a risk of problems if you add another one; on the other
hand, lots of hobbyists have done this with a great deal of success...If you do
add another one, I'd try to get one that's slightly larger than the one you
have, to give him/her a little "edge" upon introduction...Once again-
it all boils down to the fishes and their individual personalities...Good luck
with your tank! Regards, Scott F>
Playing With Fire! (Firefishes)
Scott,
Just wanted to let ya know that I did purchase 2 Firefish from the LFS. And boy,
are they awesome!
<They really are beautiful fishes, I agree!>
They immediately started checking out their new digs, ate really well and
snuggled down for the night on top of one another in a little cave in my 20gal.
One is a little larger than the other and it is very obvious that he is very
protective of the smaller one. So much so as to stake out their claim
in the tank and when they ventured out, the bigger one would show the little one
around. You don't see one without the other. Looks like I found quite
a pair at the store.
<There is certainly a possibility that it is a pair! Perhaps the size
disparity will help ensure the peace in your tank. As I have mentioned a number
of times here, every fish is an individual, and the fact that these two guys are
getting along is really encouraging. Usually with Firefishes, the aggression
starts almost immediately, so the good behavior of these two bodes well for a
happy future!>
I will keep an eye out if their behavior changes. What a cool hobby this is. Also,
thanks for the info on the nitrates. Maureen
<Wow, Maureen- you've got me all stoked now! This sure is an awesome hobby!
Good luck with these fishes- do keep me posted on their progress! Regards, Scott
F>
The Odd Couple?
Odd problem (or maybe not):
<Odd is good for me!>
I've had a yellow-headed Jawfish in my 80G tank for over a month now. The
aragonite sand is about 5" deep. I had laid out a slab of LR that has a
nice notch in it a little more than an inch wide . The Jawfish made this the
back of his burrow and has lived happily there since. Judging by the sand piles
around it, he has excavated extensively.
<There's no place like home!>
I added a purple Firefish 2 days ago & it vanished. There are lots of hiding
places in the tank. I couldn't find it with a flashlight and there was no way it
could jump tank. Today I found the Firefish swimming normally a few inches above
the Jawfish. It suddenly darted down past the Jawfish & vanished into the
hole. It's been down there since & I assume it has decided to be the
jawfish's roommate. (Perhaps this is temporary.) I see no obvious signs that the
Jawfish is bothered by this.
<Interesting...!>
I am a little concerned though. Do you think that this is OK or will it be
stressful for the Jawfish? I worry that the Firefish is sitting back there
chewing on his tail. Should I intercede & evict the Firefish? Thanks, Steve.
<Well, Steve, unless you're seeing the Jawfish in obvious distress, I
wouldn't worry about it too much. I think that if you intercede, you may cause
more of a problem than you think that there is! Just enjoy the unusual
behaviour...Only intercede if there is a serious problem. Enjoy! Regards, Scott
F>
Fun With Firefish
Hi crew!
<Hello! Scott F. with you tonight>
I have several queries regarding a new trio of firefish I purchased over a week
ago. I had all 3 in a 10 g quarantine tank and all was going well-the fish were
getting along, all sleeping under the same pvc pipe, eating with gusto until...I
came home to find one of them severely beaten up (I call him shreddy
now) and being bullied/cornered by the largest one (his name is 'crooked'-his
fin is bent now). Shreddy's dorsal flicker fin was torn off, as was most of his
tail.
<Grr.. an all-too-common occurrence with Firefish. Even in large tanks, it seems
like one or two will bully the rest>
I wasn't sure what to do-I knew I had to separate them, but they are so fast,
and it was late so I couldn't pick up a divider for the tank either, so I put
all of them into my 90g display with lots of hiding places, hoping Shreddy could
get some peace. (I didn't know whether to put the 2 into the display and leave
Shreddy in QT to recuperate, only to reintroduce him into the main tank and have
the 2 bully him to death, etc. I had heard that it's always best to introduce
all the firefish at once).
<Well, you're right with the idea of introducing them all at once. However, I
probably would have left them all in the QT for a while, maybe with a divider to
allow "Shreddy" some peace while he recovers. Then, I probably would have placed
this guy in the display first, followed by the others a few days later...>
I know the quarantine time wasn't sufficient (a week) but they all looked very
healthy and were eating well. I have been feeding Cyclop-eeze, Sweetwater
Plankton, Mysis shrimp and a fine chopped seafood mix.
<Excellent, excellent dietary choices for these fishes!>
3 days later and all are eating well (Including Shreddy but he's the shyest and
hides more than the other 2). I thought the other 2 might be a mated pair, but
more than once I've seen Shreddy and Crooked emerge from the same cave! The
trio's relationship is very confusing!
<Well, at least there seems to be some form of peace, huh?>
Anyway, back to my main question. It looks like the firefish have some abrasions
on their skin (white patches and skin flapping). It's definitely not ich-but
looks like small blisters almost. Could it be from the substrate (I have crushed
coral not fine sand)?
<Possibly. Do watch these guys very closely>
I'm also wondering if the neon goby could be irritating their scaleless skin.
The neon goby keeps hopping on them in an
attempt to clean. The firefish seem mildly annoyed. Maybe the small
micro-hermit crabs I have are nicking their skin?
<Another possibility.>
Any thoughts would be helpful, thanks.
<Well, at this point, I'd simply observe them carefully and be prepared to take
action if required. If the fish are displaying signs of distress, it may be time
to get them out again for observation and/or possible treatment, if
required...Hang in there! Regards, Scott F.>
Intimidated Firefish 8/2/04
It has almost been two weeks since I introduced a firefish with three
damsels (yellow, yellowtail and 3 striped) into a 30 G tank.
<Ughhh... this was a profoundly ill-advised mix. Firefishes are too passive in
most any tank with damsels... and especially so in a small tank like this.
please read more about this/them in our first issue of CA e-zine:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/wormfishesArt/wormfishes.htm>
Everything seemed to be going fine until today I noticed that the
firefish has a bloated belly; actually I noticed his stomach area has turned a
dark color and is swollen (about half of the swelling
protrudes giving it an unsightly profile!) about the size of bee bee
just behind his dorsal fins.
<try adding 1 TBN of Epsom salt per 5 gallons to the tank. If this does not
improve the fish in 2-3 days, remove it to your waiting quarantine tank for
treatment with antibiotics (Furan-2 or Kanamycin)>
He never eats much since the damsels are far more aggressive about grabbing the
food,
<firefish almost always starve to death slowly (months) in the presence of
damsels. Yours will too sadly if left in with them>
he usually seems content just nibbling at the small amount that floats to him -
rather than going up to the top when its Spirulina or Mysis shrimp. Other than
this nasty appearance his behavior seems typical of what I have seen the last
two weeks. My water conditions are optimal (8.1 pH, 1.022 salinity, 0 ammonia
and nitrites, 81¢ª F) except that nitrates are around 20. Can you offer some
advice? Thanks, Derek
<please do read/research more about compatibility before buying any fishes...
and do so from objective sources. Not merely from the LFS trying to sell you
things <G>. Anthony>
Blacktail Gobies
Dear Bob:
<Bob is out right now, Mike G from the crew here>
I recently came across a few Blacktail gobies (Ptereleotris heteroptera)
available at my LFS.
<Lucky find!>
So, before purchasing, I poked around the Web.
<Always a responsible practice.>
Your website states that they are "rarely seen in the pet-fish trade".
<Indeed they are.>
Also, your general statements for Dartfish state: "most should be kept
in pairs" & "make excellent aquarium inhabitants for reef and peaceful
all-fish set-ups." So, I bought a pair a while back. I have a 55gal
standard glass tank, 40 gal upstream refugium, 65lbs total LR, 75lbs LS,
1 False Percula (Amphiprion ocellaris) and 1 Orchid Dottyback
(Pseudochromis fridmani). After I introduced them to the main display,
I saw them go under the LR. The problem is they have not come out since
being added (10 days).
<Common behavior. I would not worry myself about it. Just give them time.>
I have tried to squirt some food in their
direction, but I have not even seen a head poke out. I just had to
check yesterday by moving the rock, and they were alive and half buried
in the sand. Do you think this particular species will ever spend any
time out in the open?
<Eventually, yes. Immediately, no.>
Is there a way to entice them to come out?
<Not particularly, aside from time.>
Are they just night dwellers (have not witnessed this yet)? Most
importantly, if they do not come out, will they be able to stay alive
without any direct feeding?
<If your tank has a significant 'pod population, I'm sure they could sustain themselves. You could try enticing them with
Mysis soaked in
Selcon or garlic.>
I am glad to be contributing to a
conversation on this species that does not exist on your website. I
guess this is a testament to their rarity.
<It certainly is. Congrats on a good find!>
Stocking Question 06/08/05
Hello Again,
A while back I asked the following two part question,
1a) Can you house more then one firefish or does always "one" come out as the
lone survivor ?
<< Sometimes pairs can be found at a local store. This would be the best way to
introduce them>>
1b) Can you mix and match firefish (magnifica and decora) ?
<< I really would not advise that unless you see them in a tank together at the
store not fighting. All fish have the possibility of fighting so it is really
hard to judge what they will do. A lot of times if this is a large tank and
there are a lot of hiding places then most fish can get along. But you can
never plan on it.>>
And I received a response of ...
<Google search, keyword, firefish, on the Wet Web>
Well I did that, and read a lot of articles and FAQS but I really didn't find my
answer, unless it was "written between the lines".
In a nutshell, my setup currently is as follows:
150gal Oceanic RR tank, 160lb LR, 120lb LS, with 5 green Chromis, two fire
shrimp and one cleaner shrimp.
Thanks again for your time and advise.
-Stan <<Good luck.. EricS>>
- Fish Behavior -
Hey guys.
Thanks for your website. I read it quite frequently.
My current setup consists of an Ocellaris Clownfish, Pajama Cardinal, Royal
Gramma, a striped damselfish and a newly added Red Firefish. The firefish is
doing well since I added him last week but he has not been coming out much
because when he does, the other fish chase him it seems like. Then, he just goes
and hides in the live rock for a little while until he decides he wants to make
his appearance once again. Is this a normal situation to have? <Yes, especially
in the first month or two.> I have never seen an instance like this, I have seen
the situation clear up as the other fish become more acquainted with the new
tank mate. <Yes, although the longer fish have been in one place, the more
territorial they get so that any new addition is always at a disadvantage as all
the good spots are already taken, and the newcomer is perceived as competition
for food. Time will tell.> Let me know if there is anything I can do, and tell
me if this is the norm. Thanks, guys.
I do greatly appreciate your help and assistance in matters such as this.
<Cheers, J -- >
Firefish Goby's strange behaviour
Hi there,
<Hello>
Hope all are well. First of all, I have to say thank you to all of your
efforts of running this site. I have been using the site as a guidance and
references ever since I set up my saltwater tank. I have a concern
regarding my firefish goby that I don't seem to find an existing answer from
the site. I have had this firefish for about 4 months now. It has been
doing great but until three days ago, it refused to eat and hide all the
time. It ate the day before. I promptly looked for it and put it in my 10
gallons QT. The setup of the QT is bare-bottom and contains a filter, a
heater and a piece of decor. There are no lights.
<But hopefully a cover... this fish is a great jumper>
The firefish looks
perfect with no white spots. What really makes me worry is that it behaves
like a bottom dwelling goby. Ever since it was placed inside the QT, it
hides most of the time and when it comes out, it only swims around by
resting it body and fins on the bottom.
<To be expected... I would return this fish to your main system>
I have never seen it eating. The
water parameters of the QT are good with PH 8.0, ammonia and nitrite being
zero. As far as the display tank is concerned, the tankmates include 1
small perc. clowns, 1 small pajama Banggai, 2 small green Chromis. The
firefish appears to be the largest in size. The tank is 30 gallons and
parameters are perfect.
<Small world... perhaps the damsels were/are pestering your firefish>
The firefish has been in the QT for 3 days now. I have never seen it eat.
It hides in the decor in the morning and only comes out at night. Sometimes
it sits at one spot (usually the corner) for a long time. It does not seem
to breathe heavily. It is still very alert because it is aware of my
existence. I am not treating it with any medications. My question is
whether I should keep it in the QT or put it back to the main tank.
<Return it>
Hope I have gathered all the information you need.
Thanks,
Aaron.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Firefish goby
I have a 25 gallon tank with 8 gallon sump and 4 gallon hang-on-back
refugium. This tank has 4-5" of sandbed, live rock, assorted corals and
a pearly jawfish, citron goby pair, a Rainford goby, a crocea clam, and
a cleanup crew of assorted snails, a brittlestar, 2 small blue-legged
hermits, and a pair of peppermint shrimp. The tank has been established
for 8 months or so and everything is thriving.
I had a bi-color blenny in there until recently, and removed him because
of aggression against his tankmates and tendency to nip at my clam. To
take his place, I thought this setup would be ideal for two firefish
gobies, and I have always admired the beauty of these fishes. I reasoned
the citron gobies had a territory in the rock pile on the right, where
they lay eggs regularly, and would let someone else live in the rock
pile on the left (the jawfish occupies open sand in the middle). I
thought wrong, apparently, because when I tried to introduce the
firefish, they were harassed by the citrons and, although the tank was
covered, apparently it was not good enough, and one firefish expired on
the rug. The other one is back in quarantine while I seek advice/figure
out what to do.
<Get a larger system>
The dealer does not accept returns, and the firefish would be unhappy, I
believe, in my community 75 gallon tank.
<What is in the 75?>
Is the firefish doomed to spend
the rest of its life in the quarantine tank (not a prospect I relish, as
I had planned to take that tank down soon), or do you think I could get
the citrons to accept it by removing them, putting the firefish in, then
reintroducing the citrons later?
<Not likely in this case... they will reclaim "the whole tank" as their
territory>
Would my chances of success (and fish
happiness) be increased if I were to replace the firefish that jumped
so that I had two?
<Mmm, no, not in the smaller tank, but yes in something of adequate size,
composition>
Or should I give up and conclude the citrons were
there first and will never accept the interloper(s)? Any advice on how
to deal with this would be appreciated.
<Appears to me you're aware of your choices... choose. Bob Fenner>
