What to get next?

[neven]

well a while back to battle nitrates, i barely fed my tank and that in combination with having a lyretail anthias pretty much starved all my fish except the six line wrasse and tail spot blenny (foraged their food).

So i restocked a couple fishies last week, and im noticing the diadem dottyback is being really aggressive to the six line and i expected it to be the opposite way around. Not stressing the wrasse out enough to be a concern yet, since he buddies up with the tailspot, but still makes me wonder what would be the best new additions down the road.

My system is a 33G Display with a 33G sump, mostly a softie reef

Currently stocked with:
firefish
six line wrasse
tail spot blenny
diadem dotty back

my wife wants pretty colourful fish mostly in the tank, but i worry about conspecifics with my stock (or should i worry?). Unfortunately it'll likely need to be aggressive enough to hold up to the dotty back.

I'll be waiting atleast a few weeks before new stock, currently still sitting at 0 nitrates and near 0 phosphates. Corals are all doing great, and water change 10G / week.

[Proteus]

I'd say none if your going to starve them to get rid of algae

[HaZRaTTy]

I'd say none if your going to starve them to get rid of algae

Yeah I agree with Nick definitely better ways to rid algae then starving the fish to reduce nitrates.

Fish suggestion maybe a Royal Gramma? Please don't starve your fish though they're are plenty of other ways to slowly bring your nitrates down, and on this topic you run a very high risk for fish death if you drop your nitrates to nothing over night bridge that with starving malnourished fish you're asking for trouble!

[mrhasan]

The dottyback won't let any more fish in. They are total mean machine (sorry for being biased; I freaking hate that fish!).

And please don't starve fishes to cut down on the nutrient. They need food ;)

[neven]

I completely understand that you need to tackle the problem before attempting to erradicate algae. Its been tackled and dealt with. Display tank has had its sand bed changed, Sump had to have its DSB removed later, I went through a vodka dosing regime and h2o2 spot treating algae, at the same time i limited feeding to 2 days a week. Bad combo with a anthias and some shy fish so i discovered. lesson learnt, nitrates at zero, feeding has been improved for a few weeks now, nitrates still at 0, algae is gone and i keep monitoring my nitrates to find the line of happily fed fish and too much food. I also grow macro algae in both the display and sump, a maintenance dose of vodka and have a decent clean up crew. Rowsphos also running with carbon. It was a slow battle and a few lessons learnt the hard way. Now i know to keep the food well out of reach from my son :D


btw, heres my current feeding regime
feed NLS micro-reef powder twice a week, NLS flake twice a week, and Frozen enriched brine 1-2 times a week, also macro-reef pellets now and then. Had more frozen food variety but my wife left it out of the freezer when getting ice cream for the kids.

as for the dotty back, if he wont leave the wrasse be, my wife wants it gone.

[naesco]

If you are starving fish to death I think you have some serious issues.
For your sons sake please seek help.

[Proteus]

Sounds like a start. I'd like to see some water changes in that regimen.

Getting rid of the dottyback would be a start possibly the wrasse to.assessors are a neat hardy fish. There are also some great chromis

[neven]

I'll be waiting atleast a few weeks before new stock, currently still sitting at 0 nitrates and near 0 phosphates. Corals are all doing great, and water change 10G / week.


last part of the first post

[mrhasan]

Sounds like a start. I'd like to see some water changes in that regimen.

Getting rid of the dottyback would be a start possibly the wrasse to.assessors are a neat hardy fish. There are also some great chromis

You are biased towards assessors ;)

But yah they are great little colorful fishes :D

[Proteus]

last part of the first post
I see :)
You are biased towards assessors ;)

But yah they are great little colorful fishes :D

Maaybe ;)

[neven]

It is official, i hate the fish. i have 2 nets resting in the tank hoping to make it comfortable, then i will attempt the removal. My wife wants it to be sacrificed to the porcelain goddess for killing her fav fish :/

Looks like he killed my six line wrasse, who was actually very peaceful to the other tank mates, now he's picking on the firefish.

[mrhasan]

It is official, i hate the fish. i have 2 nets resting in the tank hoping to make it comfortable, then i will attempt the removal. My wife wants it to be sacrificed to the porcelain goddess for killing her fav fish :/

Looks like he killed my six line wrasse, who was actually very peaceful to the other tank mates, now he's picking on the firefish.

Use bottle trap. Dottybacks are too clever for nets. But their curiosity can easily get them in the bottle ;)

[Proteus]

I love dottybacks but IMO they need large tanks. I had 2 in my 180 and they never bothered any other fish

[Cracken]

We are in the hobby to do research and compatibilty checks before we go and buy an addition to our tanks. Really I don't see it being the fishes fault for having aggressive traits as we all know what the general guidelines and which species will mesh with others. My humble suggestion would be to do some reading and research on what you have and what kind of fish u want to have. Maybe u need to sell/trade the fish u have to get the ones you want so they can all have peaceful tank mates. Eels escaping to the fishes needs maybe an idea too. I have a dottyback and it is great in my aquarium but I also made the landscaping with his needs in mind. IMHO.

[Cracken]

Lol landscaping not eels escaping. Bahaha.

[neven]

When i stocked my tank the last time i researched my stock and even made sure the six line was the last to go in, this time around i guess i was a bit too trusting on advice from a j&l worker, i even said aggression was a concern, as were fish too timid to be seen. Dont worry about him going in the toilet, worst case he'll live in my sump until i can figure something out. Its a spacious 33 gallon with only live rock and macro algae for it to attack

[neven]

Use bottle trap. Dottybacks are too clever for nets. But their curiosity can easily get them in the bottle ;)

ty for that advice, it b-lined for the live rock when i dropped a net in

[Zero]

I would try a Large sand sifting goby like Amblygobius phalaena, or Valenciennea strigata. They can hold their own and also clean and turn your sand.

[tang daddy]

I hope you catch the dotty back, if you're having troubles drain the tank. Since it's only a 33 g you can drain it down fairly easy with a garbage can, then remove the rock work and catch the fish. He'll definitely be better living alone in your sump. Better do it soon before he kills the other 2 fish you have.

I learnt my lesson years ago when I kept a strawberry dotty back in a 65g, had to rip that down to get the fish.

Also I bought an accessor that the owner warned me was agressive but because I had bigger fish I thought it would be fine. Nope he had to be sumped aswell.

I like royal gammas for colour, also leopard wrasses, fairy wrasses, percula clowns, and maybe one halicrocheus wrasse. That maybe too many fish for a 33g but see what fits your tank and tank mates. If you do get fairy wrasses be sure to put a net lid or you'll find some dried anchovies on your floor.

[neven]

I Tried a bottle trap it didn't work first time around, so i poked holes through it so the water flows very slowly through it. 2 hours later, after freeing a hermit and my tailspot 3 times, the dotty back ventured in and i quickly snatched it out. Right now he's in a netted compartment in my sump on time out, i may just return him to j&l if possible, if not i'll set him up a nano until i rehome him.

also good news, i don't know how he did it, the wrasse found his way to my sump. I have 1 full siphon, and 2 open channels all with strainers. The open channel strainers stop around 1/4" from the mesh tank cover, and they sit above the water line a good 1/2", so it would be quite a jump, plus lucking out not landing in the dry open channel.

so tank stock is now:
firefish
6-line wrasse (very docile)
tailspot blenny

within minutes of the dottyback being put in the sump, the rest of the fish seemed calmer and in the open. So now i need to think of some tank mates again.... Funny thing though, hearing your story, the same guy at j&l tried selling me a strawberry pseudochromis as well telling me they get along with tank mates (like the diedem).

So i think i'll be looking to get a blackcap basslet, if none in stock, a royal gramma. Also thinking on a fairy wrasse to see how the six line reacts, if they dont mesh, then i will let the wife choose which she'd rather have and sump the other.

down the road i may just settle for a clown, if the parameters are staying in check and no fish has claimed the massive frogspawn thats yellin for a host.

[Proteus]

So i think i'll be looking to get a blackcap basslet

Great fish. Loved mine. Though he is fairly reclusive. I have read lots of stuff of them being territorial.