Fish Compatibility 8/4/05
Would a sixline wrasse and a royal Gramma likely be compatible in a 90 gallon tank?  Thanks.
<Hi Jon... Provided your fish load is low, you shouldn't run into any serious situations with these two particular fish. Both do have the potential to be somewhat aggressive, therefore it would be best if you add them as juveniles simultaneously. - Ali>

Skimmer, missing Gramma
Can a skimmer break down? 
<Yes>
I don't see anything mechanical on it but there is
no separation process occurring just water flowing in and out.
<No separation process? You mean no collectant? Likely not a worry... but a matter of establishment of "balance" in your system... the live rock, substrate organisms taking up, changing many of the phobic molecules that your skimmer used to remove.... As long as air and water are mixing in the units contact chamber, and water level in it are about right... no worries. If you consider that some element of water flow is occluded, you would do well to disassemble the unit, take it to a deep sink or outside area, rinse the affected parts with a dilute, weak acid (like vinegar/acetic), rinse and return to operation>
as a bonus question: would a long nose hawk eat a royal Gramma. 
<Not unless the two are very different in size>
needless to
say my new rg mysteriously disappeared (and I thought the stock market was hard)
<It is my friend. Look around the floor, your smiling cat... tremendous jumpers. Bob Fenner>

Adding Royal grammas
Bob,
I have a 6 yr. old reef tank w/ a 6.5 yr. old Royal Gramma. Would it be
unwise to add 2 or 3 more in hope of them perhaps breeding? Or would my
current Gramma most likely attack the new fish? The setup is a 110g. w/ 2
Chromis viridis,1 Centropyge argi, 2 Gobiidae okinawae and a Halichoeres
(golden / yellow wrasse).
<A semi-tough question... on the one hand, this is quite a good age for a Gramma loreto (in captivity or otherwise)... on the other hand, the tank is likely big enough (and likely has lots of rock, decor...) to accommodate more than one. If it were me, I'd try introducing just one more... during a day when you can observe them closely... and float the newcomer in a perforated plastic gallon jar so they can "get acquainted" w/o getting to each other... and make sure you have provision for removing the new one should there be trouble. Bob Fenner>
Thanks for your input!
G. Ski

How aggressive is a royal Gramma?
Hey Bob,
<You got Steven Pro tonight.>
So, I finally found my Purple back Pseudochromis a new home, seeing as it was making it extremely difficult to get any new fish for my 25 gal mini reef! The little devil already has managed to kill a watchman goby, green Chromis damsel, and was on its way to tormenting to death a Firefish goby that was twice its size! Anyway... so now that its has a new home in my LFS's display tank, I was wondering if replacing it with a royal Gramma (I like the purple yellow color scheme) is a good choice?
<Not much better than the Pseudo.>
Right now my tank has a bicolor blenny, and a Firefish goby, with some yellow and button polyps, and I'd also like to get a 6 line wrasse.
<25 gallons is not very big. Whatever your third fish is, it should be your last. I would get the Six-Line over the Gramma.>
Thanks!! -David
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Royal Gramma
I am reading conflicting information on Royal Grammas. According to Scott W. Michael, author of "Marine Fishes", the Royal Gramma can be kept in groups of one large and several small specimen. The website of AquaLive and a few others suggest to only keep one. Which information is correct?
<I would only keep one in most tanks. I have seen two kept alive comfortably in a 450 gallon tank.>
The reason I ask is I was looking to create a small school of colorful fish. I would like add these fish to a 55 gallon currently containing 1 Tomato Clown, 1 3-striped Damsel, 1 Fiji Blue Damsel, 2 Large Pajama Cardinals and a purple lobster. In the future I would like to add a juvenile Yellowbar Angelfish along with the Royal Gramma. I realize that I might be exceeding my inches per gallon once I reach that point I am willing to remove the Damsels.
My second question is, are two Fluval 304 canister filters and a Sea Life 60 plus 20 lbs. of liverock adequate for a fish only tank?
<I am not familiar with the Sea Life 60 (sounds like a skimmer), but the circulation seems low to me. The canister filters are going to become clogged and the flow slow over a few weeks. I would consider more liverock and a few powerheads.>
Your website is incredibly informative. I am very new to this hobby. I get a 110% more information from looking over your FAQ's than asking questions at the local LFS's).
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you. Carmina
<Glad to be of assistance. -Steven Pro>

Bicolor Gramma
Bob, I know that bicolor grammas are aggressive to their own species, but what about clownfish?
<All fish are territorial to an extent. There should be no strong reaction between a clownfish and a Gramma or Pseudochromis if the tank is large enough.>
I want to get the bicolor and a flame angel at the same time and house them in my hospital tank. I think they will get along fine.
<If large enough, but better to quarantine separately.>
Thanks
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Compatibility
WWW Crew,
Thank you for all the great service you deliver to aquarists. Presently the problem I have is that my fourline wrasse has apparently intimidated my royal Gramma to the point that "Roy" is completely spooked and rarely comes out of the live rock. I had begun looking for his remains, then I saw him again. And since the wrasse patrols every nook and cranny of LR I don't see how the Gramma can get much comfort there. The royal Gramma is a 5 month resident, the wrasse just 5 weeks, and the problem developed 5 days ago. They live in a 90 gallon tank with lots of LR nooks and caves, total bliss with Bannerfish, yellow tank, a fat and grumpy clownfish, and a well assimilated blue
damsel--then these two have decided to have a spat. I have seen the
wrasse charge--they are of similar size--about 4 inches, but very different swimming styles--a rowboat vs. a torpedo. I am concerned the Gramma will get worried or starved to death,
<Possible>
although I see no physical damage. I've considered the following steps--please advise.
Plan A--Let it go for a while longer (already the Gramma has come peaking out at dinner time)
<A good sign.>
Plan B--try to net the wrasse
<I am guessing this would be extraordinarily difficult with this fish.>
(maybe the barbless fishhook method that Anthony describes)
<I like the method, but with this species and its small mouth I don't know if it would work.>
and isolate it for attitude adjustment and reintroduce it
<Likely to have little effect on its temperament.>
Plan C catch wrasse or Gramma (I love 'em both) sell it back to LFS.
<Probably the best plan>
Any suggestions gratefully appreciated.
<You could always setup another tank!>
Mark in Raleigh NC
<Good luck! -Steven Pro>

Soft Coral and Royal Gramma questions.
Thanks for that. No it's not Dendronephthya sp. <Good! The word cauliflower scares me> Actually we don't see those too often in the U.K. (or at least not in the shops I visit, which is quite a range), which is a good thing. <Yes it is> My coral is most like the Capnella, but without the 'trunk'. The polyps are more 'fluffy' and are very low down, touching the rock, the 'trunk' being only a centimetre or so tall, and completely hidden by the polyps. Anyway I'll do as you say and attach the pieces to small rocks. Apart from falling of the main rock they look healthy enough, and are fully open. <Excellent, I hope you end up with a few extra colonies from this.>
Thanks again. Excellent stuff as always! Brian
P.S. Any views on small shoals of Royal Grammas. Everything I've been told says only one Royal Gramma per tank, and then I see one of your colleagues mentioned how good a small shoal looks. <Hmmm... who was that, I'd be happy to swing this question to them also> Indeed, this sounds great. What constitutes a small shoal in a 5' x2'x2' tank with LR & DSB in sump (plus skimming).
<Grammas hang out in and close to the rocks so you will need plenty of live rock for them. A tank your size with ample live rock could support a nice group of 5-6 individuals. They're very cool, especially when they hang out in a cave upside-down.>
Other inhabitants ... 1 yellow tang, 1 small blenny, 2 common clowns. Presumably a shoal of grammas would all have to be added at the same time. <I would. Good luck! -Kevin>

The Final Resident (Adding A Royal Gramma)
Hi, Hope things are going well for all of you there.
<Couldn't be better! Scott F. here today!>
I have a 75 gallon F/O tank with the following inhabitants:  2 clowns, 1 butterfly, 1 dwarf angel and a flame hawk.  I was thinking of adding a royal Gramma, but wanted to know if you think the others would cause trouble.  I know fish are supposed to be added according to their aggressiveness and I should have added the Gramma before the angel and hawk. If you think It is all right to add him, would you recommend moving the decorations around? Thanks for your help, James
<Well, James, the Royal Gramma is one of my favorite fishes, and I think that it would do pretty well with the other fishes that you have. My only concern might be the hawkfish, if it tends to be a bit overzealous in protecting its turf. Your idea of rearranging the decor would be most helpful in diffusing any potential territorial disputes before they get out of hand....After adding the 'Gramma, I'd consider the system fully stocked, and hang the "No Vacancy" sign on the tank! Have fun! Regards, Scott F> -- James Hall

- Livestock Question - 
Hi, I hope all is going well for you there. I have a couple of questions, please. First of all, I have a 75 gallon F/O tank with the following inhabitants: 2 false perculas, 1 lemon butterfly, 1 coral beauty angel and 1 flame hawk. I want to add a royal Gramma. I know fish are supposed to be added in the order of their aggressiveness and should have added it sooner. Do you think there would be any problems with adding one now? <Provided all these fish have plenty of places to hide, get out of the way of others, I think the Royal Gramma will be fine.> Also, I have 2 types of flake food I feed the fish in addition to frozen. The containers are large (5.5 ounces). I have heard that it is better to buy smaller size containers to ensure freshness of the food. Will the food lose its freshness and/or nutritional value if not all used up quickly? <It will lose its freshness, but personally am not a big fan of flake food - if you look at the price you pay per ounce, it's a rip off never mind the fact that it's just not as nutritious as the frozen foods.> Thank you for your help.  James 
<Cheers, J -- > 

ADDING A ROYAL GRAMMA
I have a 75 gallon F/O tank with a pair of clowns, 1 butterfly fish and
1 coral beauty angel.  If I add a royal Gramma will it cause problems
with the angel?    I know the angel likes to stay mostly in my rocks and
I know the royal Gramma likes rocks also.  Please advise.<There should
not be a problem with adding the royal Gramma...enjoy!, IanB>  Thank you,
James

Another Gramma? 3/13/04
Greetings!  I love your FAQs, very, very good for this hobby!
My tank: 75g with 30g refugium / 15g sump.  Total water 'space' 120g.  About 100 lbs LR in main, 20 lbs LR in refug.  Up and going for 1 year this month. Am 0, trites 0, trates, 5.  In inhabitants (some moved from an earlier tank): SPS, brains, and clams.  2 Clarkii clowns (2 year old and 2 month old), 2 Royal Gramma (1 year 3 months), 1 Foxface (6 months), Lawnmower Blenny (3 months), Mandarin (2 weeks, plenty of pods with the refug I hope ... watching), Serpent Star (1 year 6 months), 2 Cleaner Shrimp and a cleaner crew.  *takes a deep breath*
<All sounds good!>
The Gramma, 1 male (3 1/2") and 1 female (2") (I think this because they got along for 5 months in a nano tank together).  The male has his nest and I only see him at feeding time.  He is fat and energetic when he is out.  He and the female will 'yell' (open mouth about 1/2 inch away) every few days.  The female has an area of the tank she hangs out in (about a 1 foot cube area).  Does my assumption on their sex sound right?
<Hard to say.  I could not find any info on the difference between sexes, or if they make pair bonds or only associate during mating season.>
What's the chances, or things to look for, that they are breeding.  I know the male will keep the babies in his mouth, but he's not seen that often.  I've read that one male can have several females (talking the Gramma's here obviously ... I can barely handle my wife!).  With all the fish I have already would it be a stretch to add another Gramma if I can either get a female or one that hasn't decided yet?  Any advice to try to get these little cuties to procreate?
<My hunch is that your tank is big enough and has enough hiding places that your current grammas are tolerating each other.  Adding another may cause problems regardless of sex (even if you could differentiate!).  Grammas are not mouth brooders.  They most likely lay eggs in a nesting site.  Even if you successfully spawned them, rearing the larvae is probably very difficult.  If you have an interest in breeding marine fish, Banggai cardinals are about the easiest to try.>
Last question that I think I know the answer to, but I just have to ask for my wife.  If I don't get another Gramma, do I have room for a purple tang?  She really wants something that constantly swims and is a tang ... and is not yellow (she says I have to much yellow! lol).  Thanks for your time!!!  T.J.
<A 75g tank is (or will quickly become) cramped quarters for a purple tang.  A half dozen or so green Chromis or blue reef Chromis provide a lot of movement, are inexpensive and quite attractive.  Best regards.  Adam>

Bristleworms in a Nano (3/30/04) 
First of all I live in Singapore and most of our marine fish come from Indonesia and the Philippines. I however stumbled across a store that only deals with seahorses and the shipper had added a couple Royal Grammas along in the shipment. Nice guy huh. We don't get Royal Grammas in Singapore, we only get false grammas. So to my luck, there was a Royal Gramma pair for sale. How do I know they were a pair? Because they were living in the same cave. So I happily bought them both for $50 bucks and even bought the LR that was the roof of their home. After dipping them for an hour in Paraguard-Seachem, I acclimatized them to my tank water and subsequently released them. My other inhabitants are 1 medium golden maroon clown, 1 firefish goby and 1 fire shrimp and a turbo snail. <The Maroon Clown will get too big for your tank an will likely kill all other fish as it gets bigger--they are very aggressive.> Upon entry into my tank, the grammas went into separate caves, All was well for a few hours until I noticed that the larger of the two was out and about and "exploring" the new surroundings and the smaller female, was not. I decided to investigate. The cave in which she was hiding was lifted from the tank and turned upside down, to my horror, she was dead. Stuck by the mouth to an opening in the LR and entire stomach was eaten away and appeared greeny blue. My tank has been running for a year and I have constantly had fish disappear mysteriously. <Hmm. Either something's getting them or they're dying of some sort of shock or illness or toxin.> Damsels, clowns, Chromis even 2 humpback shrimp. Months ago I removed a 1/2 inch mantis and a mushroom covered rock that contained about 20 large bristle worms. I thought I got them all. Bristle worms eat fish. <No, most do not eat living fish, only dead ones.> It's a shame that so many people think that they eat left over food scraps alone and do not touch the livestock. They do and they do it often. <What evidence do you have of that. Just because you have fish dying in your tank and the Bristleworms appear to have eaten them does not mean they killed the fish. Most Bristleworms are scavengers that cannot catch a living, healthy fish unless maybe it's sleeping.> I lost 5 Chromis in a week at one time. <Still, unless you actually saw a Bristleworm catch and kill a living fish, you cannot be certain the Bristleworm did it. The sun came up the morning my grandmother died. That doesn't mean it killed her. Coincidence does not prove causality.> My water parameters have been constant and within those recommended by everyone. <Zero ammonia, Zero nitrite and minimal nitrate are the only acceptable numbers.> I really do not know what to say. I was dreaming of breeding grammas to make them available to other reef keepers here in Singapore and I am only left with a male Royal Gramma now. <It is virtually impossible to breed Grammas. You need a system of hundreds of gallons. They simply do not get along in such a tiny tank. Even though they appeared to be "mated" they were very unlikely to stay so in such a tiny tank. I wouldn't be surprised if the one mortally injured the other and then it died in its cave. No way to know. I can tell you that your tank is too small for more than a couple of small fish.> Bristle worms are a pain and should be boiled if not deep-fried and fed to Osama Bin Laden. I also strongly believe that they carry parasites that can be transmitted to the fish when they are bitten. <There is no evidence of this. Bristleworms perform many beneficial functions and get a bad rap. Not to say they are not without risk, but only a few of the bigger ones pose a real risk. They make a convenient target for your wrath, but I suggest you thoroughly review your techniques. As for the Gramma, it may have died of the stress of being shipped so far or from the dip. No way to know for certain.> My firefish goby once had his entire pectoral fin ripped off right to its body and till this day, lucky he survived the trauma, has a retarded fin that refuses to grow back. His pectoral fin resembles a strand of human hair in terms of what is left. <And how do you know that a Bristleworm did it? Did you watch the actual event? Perhaps you still have a mantis hiding in your tank.> Bristle worms should not be in any tank. <Not so. As stated, the smaller ones serve useful functions.> They are pests, eat/attack livestock and corals. <Corals yes, fish seldom.> So what if they eat excess food? reefers should control the amount of feeding in the first place. <I will not argue with this last point, but they eat more than just "extra food" They also eat fish poop.> I'm seriously pissed off with these worms. <Well, I'm sorry you're having such trouble with your tank, but I would not be so quick to blame the Bristleworms. It is very unlikely that they are the cause of all of this. If you want them gone, you could pull out all of your rock and dip it for a few moments in hypersaline water (SG about 1.035). This will drive most of them out of the rock. Read more about this technique on WWM. As for your fish losses, I'd suggest a little introspection and openness to other, more likely problems than the Bristleworms. As for my tank, I'll keep my worms because they are not causing any problems. Of course, it is 180 gallons, and any problem is going to be much bigger in a 15. I wish you good luck and hope things turn around for you. Steve Allen>

ADDING A ROYAL GRAMMA
<Hi, MikeD here>
Hi, hope all is going well there.<If you only knew!>  I just had a royal Gramma die because of being picked on by a yellow tang, which has since been taken out of the tank.<OK. This begs a question. Royal grammas are small members of the sea bass family that live in caves, nooks and crannies in the reef.  If he had sufficient shelter, how could the tang pick on him?>  I know fish should be added in the order of their aggressiveness; and the royal Gramma was the first fish I added after setting up my tank.  Do you think I could add another one now after having added the rest of my inhabitants without problems?<That's entirely dependent on the question that I asked about the amount of LR and hiding places, and the smaller the tank the more important this becomes. If you have an "open, airy tank" where all of your fish HAVE to be in the open, you'll have a repeat performance.>  I have a pair of Percula clowns, flame hawk, coral beauty angel and a butterfly fish.<The clowns, the hawkfish and the angel are all tough enough to kill a royal Gramma with nowhere to hide.>
Thank you for your time.<You're welcome and good luck!>  James

Gramma Compatibility
Hi all!<Howdy, Cody here today.>
After three weeks in quarantine my new Royal Gramma was put into my main reef tank (72 Gallon) two days ago. My tank is just over a year old and the few fish I have gotten along great.
The problem is that my usually docile Coral Beauty is having a fit. The Royal Gramma headed for a hole in the rocks two days ago when put in the tank and is still in there. Any time she (he?) ventures a nose out the Coral Beauty flies at her and drives her back in. I've squirted some brine ship near the hole, but I'm pretty sure she isn't get much to eat.
I rearranged the rocks around her hide out to try to lessen the territory claims the Coral Beauty might hold, but no dice. Here's my question. Will they get used to each other after a while? Should I just let them work things out? Beside the food thing I think the Gramma is safe and happy in her little cave.
I thought about trying to catch the Beauty and putting here in the quarantine tank for a few weeks, then putting her back in the main tank. Would that help? Would she then be the "newbie"? She'll be hard to catch, but I think I can do it if it's a good idea.
It seems to me that the Coral Beauty is reacting to the color of the Royal Gramma. The purple and yellow are very close to the same color. Do you think she thinks it's another angel fish like herself?<This would help out a ton.  If you can't catch the angel I would just let them sort it out.  They will probably be okay with time.  Cody>
Thanks for all your great advice and help!
Jim C

Compatibility question 13 Aug 2004
Hello, Frank here, yes, again. <Hi Frank, MacL here with you this fine evening.>  Thanks for all the quick responses.  I would just like to know your opinion on adding a royal Gramma to a tank with a percula clown, bicolor blenny, and six-line wrasse. I am thinking it's okay because it's a totally different fish, not only in terms of species, but dwelling, shape, and color, and general niche (all my fish do different things-if you know what I mean). <It get it! Seriously I think they would do fine.> I read that similar looking fish or fish from the same species tend to not get along.  What do you think about adding the royal Gramma?  Can feeding predators suppress aggression (just in case someone ever pics on someone)? <Honestly I know that fish that are well fed to seem more complacent. Perhaps you can avoid the over feeding problem by feeding directly at them with a turkey baster.>  Do compatible relationships in the tank tend to sour as fish mature or can this be avoided to by keeping them well fed?  The new guy would have places to hide and rock structure to go in and out of.  Thank you in advance, Frank. <I think the big thing is just to make sure that as they grow they continue to have enough room.>

Royal Grammas
Blundell,
I believe you and trust your expertise, but am just curious as to why not
the Gramma with the Yasha haze goby? << Well don't think of me as an expert.  Just think of me as someone who's purchased about 8 royal grammas.  I just think they are much more difficult than most people say.  So it has nothing to do with the goby, it is just the size and maturity of the tank that worries me with grammas. >>
<<  Blundell  >>

Marine quarantine, clownfish behavior, mixing grammas
1. I have an empty 20g tank that sits in the garage.  I would like to set it
up for a QT tank, but don't want to have the heater running 24/7.  I am
thinking of an insulated blanket of some sort - perhaps a modified moving
<When the fish are in the tank, a heater is a must for a constant temperature.>
blanket.  Will total darkness for extended amounts of time (2-3 weeks) cause
fish to go psycho?
<Total darkness for such a long time would not be beneficial for the fish. Just about any light will do just fine for a QT. You can also purchase a standard socket/reflector and run a regular 50wt bulb off of that for less than $10.00 from Home Depot. This is a very cheap way to go about getting light for the QT.>
I don't need the fishy version of Hannibal Lechter
causing havoc in my display tank after doing hard time in a dark QT...
2. Do clowns rest?  I was up at 0300 last night, whipped out
my...flashlight, and had a look at things.  Everyone was "asleep" except for
the two clowns...they were bobbing along - fat, dumb and happy.  Do they
ever "sleep"?
<No, they do not sleep in the way that we think of sleep. They do not have eyelids, and they do not loose consciousness during the night due to sleep. Instead, they rest. They will always be on a constant alert, but they will rest -- they will often lay in the anemone for a few seconds, or swim around it very slowly.>
3. I have a Royalus grammiticus (my version of scientific naming...).  Your
faq says not to add another...c'mon, can I?  Please?  He's the coolest fist
in the tank - along with the duskimus jawfishicus.  I have a 120g, 6 feet
long - isn't that enough room for them to roam?  I mean, c'mon - can't we
all just get along?
<It would be very very risky to add two of them. If you did, you would need to add them at the same time. Because your tank is so long, however, it may be possible. If you did decide to get another, I would first re arrange your rockwork so that both will establish their territory again. This is likely to reduce any aggression. I would also turn the lights completely off when adding the fish. But as I said above, this is extremely risky. You may end up loosing the newly added fish due to aggression. And as you likely already know, the Royal Gramma is a very aggressive fish.>
Thanks,
Dave Brooks
<Take Care! Graham.>
San Diego

Compatibility issues
Hi Crew,
<Samuel>
I have a six line wrasse and a clown goby in a 10 gallon tank which is 1
1/2 years old and very stable. I want to add a royal Gramma.
<... I would not do this... too small a volume principally>
I searched
through responses and found the question, but the answer was 'it would be
nice if you can pull it off'. Did you ever get a confirmation as to
whether the 2 did tolerate each other.
<Maybe not... I and sometimes Marina and Anthony place the ongoing "FAQs", and try to put them in order...>
I know my tank is small but I would
like to try it if there is a chance it will work.
<Not a real good chance... if you do try this, be prepared... put the new animal in early in the day when you can be around to observe it... and have means (like a plastic, floating colander) for separating the new addition, okay from the store to return it>
From my own small experience I have found that what looks like a good
match may not last. I used to have 2 peppermint shrimp for over 6 months
and then they disappeared without  a trace. I have no doubt it was the
wrasse since at that time I found him with an injured eye.
<Good observations. Bob Fenner>

Gramma Death (2/14/05)
Hello. I love your site. Very valuable info! Anyway, tonight I had my first fish death. I'm very sad, and I don't want it to happen again. 
<So sorry to hear. Steve Allen with you tonight.> 
I have a 75 gallon FOWLR. I have 4 of the original damsels I originally cycled the tank with (started 3 months ago), 2 peppermint shrimp, a few hermit crabs and snails, and I HAD (until tonight) a royal Gramma (introduced about 3 wks ago). There has always been some aggressive behavior of the damsels (the yellow tail is especially territorial) towards the Gramma, but I had never seen anyone actually fighting. I have plenty of hiding places for everyone. 
<But if the hiding fish is too scared to come out, it will starve.> 
Last night I saw some external wounds on the Gramma and his tail was a little torn. 
<Somebody got 'im.> 
Today I couldn't find him, and tonight he's dead. He looks pretty bad, like another fish just really tore into him! 
<Much of this damage was probably done after he died.> 
I'm devastated...should I remove the damsels (or that one) before getting any more fish? 
<I'd pull all of them. They are notoriously aggressive and your particular yellow-tail seems more so than average for this species. I think those who advocate using damsels for cycling do a disservice to unsuspecting aquarists and to the fish. It is easy to cycle a tank without fish. This avoids causing unnecessary stress to the fishes and does not leave folks stuck in your situation.> 
2 Ocellaris clowns were going to be my next purchase. 
<Pretty fish. Even these are occasionally aggressive, but seldom a problem. Why two? They do not need mates (or host anemones) to thrive. With only one, you can have something else too. But if you like the appearance, two is fine if they pair up properly. Search WWM for tips.> 
Thank you so much for your advice! Tait 
<Hope this helps.>

- Chalk Bass Compatibility -
Hi there! I've been looking through your FAQs and info, and as far as I can understand, chalk basses are from the same family as royal grammas... 
<Yes, both basses [Serranidae] although in different genera.> <<Mmm, actually Grammas are in a separate family, Grammatidae... but these families are not very distally related. RMF>>
I have a well-established 32 gal reef tank with a chalk bass, green Chromis, ocellaris clown, firefish and a few inverts (shrimp, hermit, etc...) They are all really peaceful and seem to do greatly together. I also have LPS and soft corals... My question is, will it be OK if I put a Royal Gramma with these guys? 
<I'd recommend against it only because your tank is full, livestock wise... the fish would likely get along given more space but I think this will put your tank over the edge both socially and biologically.> Will there be any territoriality/species problems with my bass? (I love this guy!! so bright and beautiful colors, and lots of personality ;) Thanks a lot!!!  Ivan
<Cheers, J -- > 

My Gramma's Dead!
I found my new royal Gramma dead recently in my QT tank. His fellow mates in the QT tank were 3 Ocellaris clowns less than 2 inches each. He was about the same size as they were. His tail fin was frayed when I found him but no obvious external wounds on the body. Could those sweet looking clowns have ganged up on him? Everyone was eating heartily in the QT tank. 
<Very unlikely C. Do. James (Salty Dog)>