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FAQs on Dartfish Systems Related Articles: Dartfishes,
CA:
Family Microdesmidae,
the Worm- and Dartfishes by Robert Fenner and Anthony Calfo,
Gobies,
Related FAQs: Dartfish 1,
Dartfish 2, Dartfish
Identification, Dartfish Behavior,
Dartfish Compatibility,
Dartfish Selection,
Dartfish Feeding, Dartfish Disease,
Dartfish Reproduction,
Can you grow algae there? |
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Update & Good Tidings... look behind the Overflow. Microdesmid beh.,
sys. 9/20/08
Dear Crew,
I have a little
story to share. Since I last wrote, I have come to the conclusion that one of my
Lysmata amboinensis did indeed die. He never showed up. The post-mortem on the
exoskeleton with the muscle in the tail pretty much sealed the deal. Anyway, a
week later one of my two Nemateleotris magnifica was gone. He was the one who
was very skittish and didn't appear to feed well. Water parameters were stable
(pH 8.4, and zero ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, 80F, 1.022),
<Mmm, the last a
bit low... I would raise>
so I attributed it to bad luck and the temperament
these fish are known for.
This was about a month ago. Fast forward to
yesterday. A grammar loreto has been in the display tank for about a week, in
addition to the two remaining L. amboinensis and two Perculas. The second
Firefish is now gone. I start to panic a bit. He seemed to eat well. He nearly
choked on the frozen mysis and loved frozen Cyclops (assumed to be copepods).
He even eats spectrum pellets when the tank bred clowns don't gobble them all
up.
<Good>
Water parameters are about the same with exception of nitrates
of 20. Am I overfeeding?
<Maybe... this amount of free NO3 is about all I'd
allow>
Am I behind on water changes?
<Perhaps>
Is there some monster
I've missed living in the LR?
<Starting to read like it>
Did that piece of
foil I let slip into the tank a few days ago with the frozen mysis pollute the
tank?
<I would find, remove>
Today, I plan for a large water change
(25gal). I'm going to put 15 gal back into the QT I cleaned out last weekend
after using the same water (with partial changes) for the grammar and shrimp
over a couple months.
I'm hoping to buy a Centropyge bispinosus in the next
week although I'm having some doubts due to another unexplained death. I take
the lights and glass cover off the tank and peek into the overflow on this
MegaFlow Overflow Aquarium with predrilled holes. I see not one, but TWO
FIREFISH LOOKING UP AT ME.
<!? Oh yeah... "jumpers">
I am not the
harbinger of death, at least not this time! I vaguely remember looking here
before but apparently not close enough. I thought this might be a helpful
anecdote all the other newbies. (My tank is about 10 months old.) Don't lose
hope and look in the overflow. He survived on messy leftovers for a month. I
guess he's pretty lucky that I hadn't been turning off the circulation during
feedings. The space between the overflow and the glass isn't much more than a
centimeter, but they both managed to make it over. I guess I'll have to rig some
kind of cover. The hardest part was getting them out. I had to use a net to
basically "encourage" them to jump back over the overflow.
In my profession,
it's the "Oh by the way" comments that kill you ("I'm having chest pain... My
left eye is suddenly blind"), but I've got to ask since I have your attention.
Do you have any suggestions for additional livestock? I suppose I'm done, but
I'll take anything I can get. Current stocking plan: 2 Perculas, 2 L.
amboinensis, 2 N magnifica (!), one G. loreto, and one C. bispinosus.
Thanks
again for all the help. I hope this is useful.
-Rich
<For browsers, this
is a 72 gal. bowfront... I would look for at least something more in the way of
a "show" item... of size, motion here. Perhaps a Ctenochaetus or Zebrasoma
species tang for now... A more peaceful species of mid-size wrasse
(Cirrhilabrus, small Halichoeres)... Bob Fenner>
Ich, Reef Safe Medication 5/31/08
Hi, I had a few questions here I need the answer to.
<Ok>
First of all, can snowflake morays get ich?
<Yes>
No matter how many times I have ich, my snowflake never has any white spots.
<They are pretty resilient, but can still harbor ich.>
Second, Do you like the NO-ICH medicine by FishVet?
<I believe the active ingredient is 5-Nitroimidazoles, and no I do not.>
It is said to be reef safe and I would like to have some just to be safe.
<Not safe for your reef tank.>
Lastly, How many purple Firefish should I get for my 30 gallon?
<One>
I have a percula clown in there and I wanted to add some more fish after the
Firefish too.
<A 30 gallon does not have a whole lot of room, I would not have more than 3
fish in that sized tank.>
Thanks!
<Welcome>
<Chris>
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>
Scissortails, fairy wrasse,
and refugium 8/12/07
Thanks for your response to my last letter
(one-sentence summary: one of the new scissortails we added to our tank after
one of our previous pair jumped to its death seems to be terrified of our fairy
wrasse and won't come out to swim with the others.)
<<Good>>
> 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...
The fairy wrasse does have a friend its own size in the tank, a yellow mimic
tang.
<<Mmmm, not the same... as conspecifics>>
(Your team warned my husband that even this small tang may outgrow our 55-gallon
tank and need a larger space eventually, but for now, it's 2.5 inches long and
fits through all the live rock crevices. The wrasse is three inches long.)
I don't know if it's common for fish from such different species to bond with
each other,
<Actually quite... there is always waxing, waning interrelationship dynamics in
captive and wild settings... One only need look critically...>
but the wrasse and tang came from the same store and they swim together all day
and sleep in the same rock cave at night.
The wrasse, tang, and original pair of Dartfish all got along great, but we had
been smart about adding the Dartfish first. These new Dartfish were added last
and it seems to be a huge stress to them. :-( I wish we'd had the foresight to
add them all at once, but it's too late for that now. Our water quality is still
perfect; is there some other type of fish you'd recommend we get, either to keep
the wrasse busier or make the Dartfish feel more comfortable?
<A bigger tank, some females of its species>
The wrasse was supposed to be a 'dither fish' but he seems to have scared the
scissortail away rather than encouraging it to swim in the open. Or would it be
better to just leave this group of fish alone and hope they sort it out?
<See above>
In the wrasse's defense, I've never seen him actually *chase* any of the
Dartfish, he just goes over and swims near their burrow entrance and it freaks
them out.
On to my next question, I guess: I read on your microdesmids page that a
refugium is a big help in keeping these fish well-fed.
<Ah yes>
Since one of our Dartfish is so skittish, we're thinking a refugium might also
help him get food at irregular times when the wrasse isn't in his vicinity, and
without being scared into his hole by the sight of us opening the lid to squirt
the food in (oddly, he doesn't seem afraid of the tang, only the wrasse and us
humans.) However, the article about refugiums on your website does not seem to
contain any instructions for how to set one up.
<Mmm, actually... there are many types of such live sumps... and plenty of
"hints" re their design, construction, operation...>
That page mentions a book by Bob Fenner called "Natural Marine Aquariums" that
has information about setting up a refugium, but I wasn't able to find this book
on Amazon. Is this information contained in "Reef Invertebrates: An Essential
Guide"?
<Ah, yes... these are the same title>
If so, are there step-by-step instructions in it, the way there are in
"Conscientious Marine Aquarist" for setting up the main tank?
<Yes... quite detailed>
I feel like I don't understand some of the real basics about how refugiums work
(like how you keep from over-feeding your fish when food populations are
reproducing on their own), so if there's another article on your website that
explains those refugium basics for newbies, I'd be grateful for the URL.
Thanks!
Laura
<Mmm, all archived or linked through here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marsetupindex2.htm
The second tray down. Bob Fenner>
Cabbage leather health/fire fish systems?? 10/29/06
Hello,
<Konichiwa!>
I have a question about a cabbage leather I purchased a week ago. It was
not the best looking specimen but it was cheap and is my first leather.
<And you placed it in quarantine?>
I have a mushroom that was a hiker and it is doing well. The leather
had a spot on it where the surface was whitish and I could see small
things that look like grains of white rice under the surface.
<Mmm, maybe predaceous snails, Nudibranchs...>
The
leather has not opened and looks to be turning translucent, appears to
be dying. I have it about 5 inches under the lights and below the
outpour of my hang on filter for good circulation. My tank has been up
for 2 years and all inhabitants are healthy and doing well. Do you have
any ideas about how to help it? I have also started dosing with iodine.
<May be worthwhile to consider cutting out the infested part... I would do this
outside your main or isolation tank... rinse well... a few changes of water...
and place the specimen back in isolation>
One more please. I recently got a firefish
<Social animals>
and the first day or two my
3 stripe damsel was going after him.
<Not compatible>
The firefish then retreated to a
small cave and I saw him poke out to eat a few times. I have not seen
him for a day or so now. Will he stay in hiding and not eat? Any advice
on what I should do. I really like the firefish but the damsel is a
real....lets say not nice.
<... please see WWM re these species... Microdesmids need space, a lack of
"noise", aggressive tankmates... You need to remove one or the other... Bob
Fenner>
Problem with my Purple Firefish... three Microdesmid species in a 28
gallon 6/2/06
I'm really, really hoping one of you guys can help me. Over the past few
days my Purple Firefish has come down with a malady I've never seen before.
First, a bit about my tank. I'm running a 28 gal
<Dangerously small for microdesmids...>
bow front with roughly 32 lbs of Fiji live rock, a Prism Protein skimmer, an
Emperor 280 hang on filter and a small power head. For invertebrates I have a
Coral Banded Shrimp, a half dozen Turbo Snails, a dozen Blue Legged Hermits, 2
Emerald Crabs, a Fire Shrimp, a sand sifting star
<This animal is misplaced here... too little room to sustain it w/o depleting
your sand bed>
and a ton of feather dusters that have grown off the rocks. For corals I have a
small piece of rock with Green Polyps, about 8 or so Hairy Mushrooms (they've
split a number of times) and more Pulsing Xenia than I know what to do with. For
fish I have my Purple Firefish, a normal Firefish, a Zebra Dart Goby
<These are not compatible...>
and a breeding pair of Banggai Cardinals. I feed them all a mix of Spirulina
Enriched Brine, Mysis Shrimp and Omega 3 Enriched Brine which I soak in Kent
Marine Zoe and Garlic Xtreme. Besides all that I add Liquid Calcium daily,
Strontium & Molybdenum twice a week and Iron and Iodine once a week.
With all that said here's my problem... A few days ago I noticed that my
Firefishes gills seemed a little swollen compared to normal but he was still
behaving normally (eating well and hanging out in the front of the tank like
always). I did a small water change on the tank and figured he might be able to
get over it on his own with some better quality water. He hasn't. Instead his
gills now puff out a great deal, though only on his left side, and today he
stopped eating. Underneath his jaw also looks puffed out, again only on his left
side. When I look at him through the side of the tank it almost looks like
there's an open sore on the back of his gills but I can't be certain. All in all
it looks to me like he has a growth inside his gills and towards the bottom of
his jaw. He's still acting perfectly normal, except that he'll approach food but
not eat it, so I'm hoping it's not too late for him. I should probably mention
that he's been in the tank for a few months and I don't think there's any way
I'll be able to get him out of there because of how quickly he can make it to
his bolt hole.
If you have any ideas or any recommendations that might help me I would be
eternally in your debt. It'd be a shame to lose this fish because he's been an
awesome addition to my tank thus far. Thanks in advance for any help you might
be able to give me.
Regards,
Dan
<Dan, what you and your fishes need is actually a much larger system. Impossible
to trace the etiology of the ones illness here. It may be as you suggest that
there is some nutritional or parasitic component... treatment though? Do you
have a means of separating the one fish? Bob Fenner>
Firefish quandary...and a sea hare to boot! Microdesmid sys., reef stkg.
- 3/1/2006
OK, Crew, I thought I'd actually take my LFS at their word, since they've
seemed knowledgeable in the past. I'm wondering if I've been mis-informed.
<Every human I've met makes mistakes...>
I have a 55gal system with about 70lbs. LR (just added 12 lbs.) setup as a
double wall...kind of like a figure three against the back of the tank to create
multiple territories. It has a well established DSB of 4" over a 1" plenum and
plenty of snails and sm. hermit crabs. I have 2 Minijet 900s blowing behind the
walls so I don't have too much flow for the fish and corals and about 350gph
return from my sump, via a SQUID. I did some work for the LFS and they are
paying me with fish at cost. I picked up 1 skunk shrimp, 1 coral banded shrimp,
3 peppermint shrimp (wurdemanni..sp.), a pair of 2" ocellaris clownfish, 3--2"
"magnificent" firefish gobies, 2 sm. serpent stars, 1 sand sifting star, 1
fireshrimp, 1 very sm. anemone (E. quadricolor... I think...), 1 sand sifting
goby, and some silver Xeniids, Sarcophytons, and mushroom anemones. I
haven't picked up the anemone, fireshrimp, or sand sifting goby yet, as we
couldn't detach the anemone w/o risking tearing the base and couldn't catch the
sand-sifter or fireshrimp at the time. Here are my concerns: 1) I haven't seen
the firefish yet (4 days)...except once when one of them came out and was
harassed back into the rock by the clowns. Should I be worried?
<Maybe... this is a small world for what you list... too small for microdesmids
IME>
2) I was told that the sea hare would stay small and graze on whatever detritus
I had yet your site says that they get to 2ft.
<Depends on the species... some are tiny, others huge>
and are obligate red algae eaters...though the animal I have is a pretty green
in contrast to the brown of the picture shown on your site...is there an ID
problem or should I return the sea hare?
<ID plus...>
3)My wife wants to add a blue, active fish into the system, but is looking at a
hippo tang (I'm disinclined... I think that'll be too big, though I can't
remember how many inches of fish one can put in a 55gal.)...do you have any
other suggestions? Thanks a bunch. Branon.
<Keep reading, studying... you'll soon know. I would be careful (allelopathy) re
the mix of cnidarians you list. I do hope/trust you have other tanks available.
Bob Fenner>
Psychotic Purple Firefish? - 2/21/2006
Hi;
<Hello>
First, I would like to thank you very much for answering questions in such
detail, and with a refreshing attitude of humbleness that is often a sign of
true knowledge. I have already spent considerable time reading and learning
from your answers to others. I am not aware of a comparable site, for any
subject.
<Thank you for proffering your input>
I recently bought my 7-year-old son a used 29 gallon tropical salt-water tank,
which came with skimmer, filter, two double-tubed fluorescent lights
(one UV, one normal) and heater.
Based on the recommendation of my LFS, I used coral sand, with 6 lbs. of live
rock and 10 lbs. of base-rock (I believe this is the correct term for
the non-living rock that is seeded from the live rock). The aquarium was
conditioned for six weeks, its water analyzed a number of times, and then
further tested with a yellow-tailed blue damsel. Everything shipshape.
<Good>
My son then wanted a purple-firefish, and the LFS said that this would be most
probably compatible with the damsel. Upon placement in the tank, the
two sort of circled each other, but no skirmishing occurred. They seemed to
settle to a cautious but peaceful pattern.
A couple of days later, the damsel started to hide behind a prop in the tank,
and refused to come out to eat. Two more days later, it died. Had to
work hard to console my son.
I did some research and decided that the damsel might have been caught
chemically (despite lack of obvious discoloration or deteriorating body
parts). So, we found a LFS which guaranteed ³no chemicals² and got a new
damsel.
<Impossible to say>
This time, the firefish started sporadically nipping at the damsel. After
watching in terror for an hour, we took it back to the LFS.
We then got a yellow watchman goby. After about half a day, the goby took over
the firefishıs hiding hole without apparent fighting. And now they
seem to live in the same hole (that is where they emerge from when I turn the
lights on).
At the same time, the firefish still seems to be the bolder, more aggressive of
the two. During feeding, he bolts all over the tank while the goby hangs
around its hidey-hole and makes quick darts at food that floats by. With this
background, finally to the questions:
Question 1: Is this normal behavior from fish (especially the firefish) that
seem to be universally placed in the ³peaceful² category?
<Is not atypical... such behavioral problems are accentuated in small/er
volumes>
Question 2: The LFS I got the goby from highly recommended garlic (Garlic
Guard) to enhance the color of the fish ‹is this accurate?
<... am not such a fan of these Allium products>
Question 3: In a book by Dick Mills, the purple firefish is listed as ³single
species per tank². The two LFSıs I dealt with have different
interpretations of this: one says you can only put one firefish per tank, the
other says it means you can only have firefish in a given tank.
<Mostly the previous/former statement is so... More than one firefish
(Microdesmid) of the same species can be placed in a large-enough system (sixty
or more gallons let's say), and more than one species can be placed together in
an even larger-enough system... a 150 plus gallons let's agree on>
But the latter claims that this is inaccurate, displaying his tanks which have
firefish together with other fish (hence, our decision to place the damsel
and the goby with the firefish).
<... store settings are a bit different... temporary>
I also noticed that your site says that purple firefish like being in pairs
(quote from Fenner/Calfo article: ³This species demonstrates variable tolerance
of conspecifics. It may be best to
buy and keep them in established pairs only²).
<This is so... almost always encountered in such pairs or trios in the wild>
But I also came across the following answers from your site when I did a
search:
Firefish help
4) Is it okay to keep a firefish on its own? I read that they need to be kept in
at least pairs.
<They feel more comfortable in groups of three or more.>
Just Firefish Remaining and Them So-Called Nasty Worms... 12/05/05
<Regardless of that fact, firefish are not 'grouping' or 'schooling' fish. They
do tend to group up as juveniles, however once they reach maturity (and
even sometimes before so) they are highly aggressive and territorial fish
towards other firefish within the group. It is best to always purchase
firefish singly and never as a pair or group..>
Who, if anybody, is right?
<I agree with pairs to trios... as I've seen them in the wild and most often
successfully kept in captivity. Unfortunately, your system is too small for more
than one>
Question 4: Wanting to cover all colors of the spectrum, my son now has his
sight set on a flame angelfish (temperament friendly, but can be territorial
according to the Mills book).
<... not a good choice here or period. Unfortunately, no longer a regularly
hardy import>
Yet, I have an uncomfortable knot in my stomach... Any opinions regarding
compatibility with what we have?
Thanks very much for taking the time.
Regards
<Do read on WWM re "Nano", small marine system stocking. There are hardier
species, groups for such a small system as your sons. 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>
Firefish substrate depth
Respected sir
Hello to all members of wetwebmedia.com. well
sir i want to ask you that will the fire fish be happy in a one
inch deep sand i had seen the photo in your website. I really like
to keep that fish. please reply me soon. LIFE UNDER WATER, MONTY
<Hi Monty, these fish burrow, so they need at least two inches of appropriate
substrate, the deeper the better. Nice fish! Craig>
Firefish Down! 3/19/03
Hi Phil,<Hey Richard!! What's up?>
Bad news, just had a casualty overnight.<Oh no, I'm truly sorry! The
loss of a fish is never easy!> I've got a 30 gallon which cycled
properly.<Good> My first inhabitants were a pair of Firefish. Day one they
were
out feeding together in the water column day two I introduced a orange spot
goby. During the second day one of the Firefish started to stay out of sight
it would come out occasionally but wasn't feeding. It would stay under a rock
shelf, its dorsal fin was laying down and wouldn't come up. Day three in the
morning I found it dead on the bottom of the tank so I took it out, it had a
bite out of the neck probably after it died the orange spot took a taste.
Any ideas as to what happened, I thought these were hardy fish. I couldn't
see any lesions on the body. Should I do anything with the other fish?<You
shouldn't really keep two Firefish together in a small tank. You can
keep a pair in a tank say 100g or bigger. The one will be fine
alone.>
Thanks <No problem, again sorry about the loss.>
Rick <Phil>
Helfrichi Firefish 10/28/04
I plan on keeping a biotopic setup with Nemateleotris
helfrichi.
<outstanding... one of my fave fishes. I have kept more than a few for years. Hardy
with the right (peaceful) tankmates>
My tank is 800 l (200 gal) and will have 4 in line refugia of 200 l (50 g) each.
my question is what fish and invertebrate live in the same niche and occur in
the same geographical regions and will
peacefully co-exist with the Dartfish? Thanks Huig
<this is very exciting to hear you interested and willing to do the research
and set up a proper tank for this/any animal. My advice to start you on your
journey is to go to fishbase.org... see the geographic distribution of the
species (and so many more links on the species splash page with info on diet, reproduction,
etc)... then carry that info to the library for field guides. Better still...
check out the outstanding regional/field and dive books at seachallengers.com
for some outstanding additions to your library. A good field guide will tell you
much about history, niches and possible tankmates. Anthony>
Nemateleotris history 11/5/04
thanks Anthony - I've already spent hours on fishbase in the past but didn't
find what I was looking for so at this stage I'm looking at pictures from scuba
sites but most of them are just one specimen without much info.
<do e-mail and call some of the Hawaiian and LA wholesalers that will take the
time to respond to you. All of these specimens come through these channels.
These folks can tell you about locales, niches, and other biotopic tidbits>
I'll look for some books you've recommended. I think the
best thing to do is buy a plane ticket
<heehee... yes, agreed!>
but I'm doing some (read a lot) reconstructions at my home. so my
diving will be in the cold dark waters of the north
sea. Greetz
<best of luck/life. Anthony>
Firefish
Mr. Fenner,
<Jim>
I understand you're a diver. I'm interested as to what areas of the reef
firefish inhabit. I'm considering buying two for my 30 mini reef, but am
concerned as to the amount of water current they are accustomed to.
<Most species that are offered in the trade can be found on reef slopes and
their bases/ends... in a mixed (but always including) sand and rocky
bottom... near the bottom. A few, like Ptereleotris evides are generally
found next to solid rock, making caves there hidey holes. Current isn't too
much a concern... though microdesmids look fragile, they are strong swimmers
(and jumpers! Keep your tank/s covered!). Bob Fenner>>
Thank You,
Salty Dog (Jim Gasta)
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>
Ribbon goby
Hi, anyone there have any experience with keeping blue-barred ribbon
(or razor) gobies (Oxymetopon cyanoctenosum)?
<Have seen this microdesmid (dart goby family member) sold at times>
A LFS has a very nice feeding specimen that I was thinking about
purchasing and was curious if y'all had any information on them.
Thanks!
Charlie Mann
<Times when I've seen them kept successfully they were in a grouping... not
solitary... in a peaceful setting... That's unfortunately all I know. Bob
Fenner>
Re: ribbon goby
Thanks a ton....there seems to be a paucity of information about these
guys...if I end up getting him/her, I'll let you know what I find out.
Charlie
<Thank you. Do appreciate the sharing... will post for alls edification. Bob
Fenner>
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