Compatibility Question

[matt_vasko]

I have a 55 gallon reef tank thats been running for about a year now. I have a tomatoe clown perc clown golden damsel long nosed hawk and a mandarin goby.
Would a twin spot (4 wheel) goby be compatible with my fish?
expecially with the Mandarin?
Thanks

[Elegance Coral]

I don't know the answer to your question, but how do the Tomato and Perc get along? What size are they? How long have you had them together? Sorry for the questions. It's just that I'm working on a hybred clown experiment, and would really like to know how your fish are doing.

[matt_vasko]

Well, i got my entire tank setup for a guy who already had the large 5 year old tomato clown (Tom) and the Golden Damsel (Spike) they are both very large. I had a 10 gallon tank with my first fish (Omen) the Perc I was hoping they would get along but i was seriously wrong. The large tomato clown picks on the perc all the time. He seems to do his rounds every 10 minutes to make sure the perc is still hiding up in the corner behind the skimmer pump. I wish i could do something about it.... I plan on starting another nano and moving him to that tank but until then they have been in the same tank for about year now and tolerate each other.
Good luck with you project but from my experience i don't' see how that could be possible, Tomatoes are mean

[Elegance Coral]

LOL. Ya, they are. Right now I have a Tomato living with a Clarkii. They get along great. Even seek each other out when stressed. The Clarkii is a little larger and has taken on the role of the more dominant one. They're still pretty young, so we'll see what happens when they get a little older.

[Seamore]

If when you ask about compatibility you are asking only about temperament the goby and and mandarin will get alonng better than your two clowns, however the goby is probably going to outcompeat the mandarin for food and unless you have a crazy amount of pods and other livies growing in the tank as food, or the mandarin is eating preped food it may start loosing mass. as with all fish there are exceptions to the rule but mandarins (as the norm) are not the most competitive eater in your tank now and it is going to slide down another spot on the feed chain with the goby. good luck.

Do you have a refugium?

[matt_vasko]

I'm wokring on a hang on refugium, but as of now i do not have one. Would that cure my problem?

[Seamore]

I don't think you have a problem, hopefully you will never have one, a fuge takes a while to mature just like a tank and they are a good source of continuous feeding on a non-scheduled basis of the food mandarins are supposed to thive on. It will keep the fish on their toes (fins?) anyway you read about mandirins and it alwasy sounds so dismal for success even in peacful tanks, but perhaps you stumbled on an exceptional one (how long you had it? what does it eat?) that will do well reguardless of the litrature. After all they can't read (I think? besides the pages get wet and the ink runs in my tank and they only want to look at the pictures) so maybe it thinks it's a clown of a diffrent color and will continue to thrive, hope so. Just keep an eye on his/her belly and try to keep it full, and the other eye on Tom, I bet he's not on the welcoming commity.

[Kyuss]

Originally Posted by matt_vasko

Well, i got my entire tank setup for a guy who already had the large 5 year old tomato clown (Tom) and the Golden Damsel (Spike) they are both very large. I had a 10 gallon tank with my first fish (Omen) the Perc

LOL I named one of my percs Omen also

[matt_vasko]

HAHA, so I'm not the only clever one darn haha
I have lots of small ant sized bugs creeping around at night and i waited and research tons before i got the mandarin. He seems really healthy, i mean he cruises around all day with his spike up (I'm assuming that a sign of being happy). I don't though think he's as fat as he could be but i don't think his stomach is sunken in... Does anyone know where i can find picture of what a fat one looks like and what a skinny one looks like just or my reference.
Thanks

Tom's actually not the one that gave my mandarin a hard time at first it was the Golden Damsel but now no one bothers him

[Seamore]

sound good, I think the spike thin is more of a human trait and if his belly is not shrunken then he may be fine and he may stay fine whith the gobe they just tend to eat the same thing so try to make sure you don't run out

[Loverotties]

Toematoes are usally very mean and should be the last fish.Maybe if you rearange the tank and put all the fish in 1st and put the Tomatoe in last.