Jump to content

Firefish for 3gal?


Mandinga

Recommended Posts

I have a little 3.5 gallon nano tank, I just want one fish. Tank is covered. I've always wanted a fire fish, but for some reason never had one.

 

Is a purple fire fish gonna need more space? If so, suggestions on fish options for this size tank?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What are the dimensions? That seems really small, but then again, they mostly just hover in front of the rock and only swim around a little, usually to catch food. I don't think lack of swimming space would really bother them, but they are a bit big in terms of how crowded the tank might look. If you're going to try a fish that isn't a bottom dwelling goby, a firefish is a probably better choice than some fish I've seen in tanks that small (damsels, six line wrasse, etc.). Mine always stayed in an area about the size I'm imagining a 2.5 gallon tank would be, even though he had more space he could've explored. Probably the only time he left that little area was to check out new fish in the tank, grab food that drifted away, and escape my net.

 

How will you keep up water quality? I sometimes think about setting up a really tiny tank like that for pico fish, but I imagine doing daily water changes and still struggling, because I'm a very heavy-handed feader.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is the idea to avoid bottom dwellers and non-swimming fish, or just that you really want a firefish? The purple gets a little larger than the red (except a larger red one that's from Africa, I believe), and the magnificent (yellow-bodied, Maldives) version of the purple gets a little larger than the standard purple. Even choosing the largest of all, the magnificent (prettiest, in my opinion, and the only one I've kept), I think it could work with attention to water quality, careful feeding, and no other fish. I often see 3" listed as the max size for the magnificent, but 4" is more accurate.

 

I know most will say it's not the best fit, but I also don't see anything especially cruel about it, given the hovering behavior of this particular fish. That's assuming the tank dimensions allow him a little swimming room for when he does want to move about more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These might not be your taste at all, but fish I've personally considered for pico tanks:

 

Yasha goby

Gumdrop coral croucher

Green banded goby

Yellow clown goby

Catalina goby (sub-tropical, might limit corals?)

Various trimma gobies (hard to find)

 

Ruby red dragonet makes a killer showpiece fish, but you would have to culture pods. Even if trained on frozen, to feed constantly and keep up water quality, pods would be a necessity. Tisbe, the pods they eat, do clean a tank well, so there would be a benefit there, but it's more than most people want to do for a single fish.

Edited by Flashy Fins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info, I didn't realize they got that big.

 

I plan on doing probably bi monthly water changes, and feeding fairly light. I've just got coral and inverts now.

 

Dimensions are 9"x10"x7" ish...going off memory.

 

That Yasha goby may be the way to go...or maybe even just a damsel lol.

Edited by Mandinga
Link to comment
Share on other sites

... magnificent (yellow-bodied, Maldives) version of the purple gets a little larger than the standard purple... the magnificent (prettiest, in my opinion, and the only one I've kept)... I often see 3" listed as the max size for the magnificent, but 4" is more accurate.

Just realized I typed magnificent every time I meant exquisite. Exquisite is the larger, yellow-bodied purple firefish.

 

Thought I should correct in case someone comes across this info later. I know I end up on old threads via google searches sometimes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...