Firefish schools?

[Sardaukar]

I was wondering if anyone has had any success with schools of fire fish....As you may know, i am setting up a 180gal reef...is it possible to have a large school of firefish (i.e., at least 12)?

 

[tlc]

it has been reported many times that unless they are a pair they tend to kill each other. perhaps in a large tank like that they may behave different.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

You best to keep one or a pair of firefish only. They do not school. Keep more than a pair and you will end up with one or two firefish.

 

[RichMacys]

I currently have one in my overflow. I guess he got too exited about something. Havent had the chance to take out the standpipe and hold the net down in the sump return yet. I wouldnt keep more than two. They will either kill the others or beat them up really bad.

[ July 24, 2001: Message edited by: RichMacys ]

 

[skylsdale]

I recently placed a thread on this on two other boards. I could try to search for them, but I will give you a quick rundown on what came out of them:

You either have to keep one firefish or a school of no less than 5(anything in between results in the survival of only 1.) If you keep a school, you need to have plenty of territory(LR structure) and boltholes for them to use. Keep 20 gal. per fish. Keeping to this rule you could keep a maximum of 9 fish. I wouldn't recommend this as they can get crowded and begin to squabble. I would try a school of 6 fish. Again, there is always the possibility of a pair forming and killing all the other firefish. One person relayed his experience that he had 2 in a large tank (around 150g i believe) and each fish stayed at opposite ends of the tank. All of this applies if you are planning on keeping the common firefish(spieces magnifica). In the wild these live in schools, while the purple firefish tend to stay in pairs.

At www.aqualink.com they are currently putting together a page dedicated to just personal experiences and FAQ's about the common (red) firefish. You should check it out.

 

[Sardaukar]

Wow thanks for the info Skylsdale. I will probbably try 6 common firefish. I have read Fenners Conscientious Marine Aquariast and he says to follow the 20gal per fish rule also. I will definately check out that aqualink page. Man you guys are great. Thanks again!

 

[furyclown]

Would one regular firefish and one purple firefish be o.k.?

 

[Len]

furyclown,

no. Like almost all fishes I know, territory is established against congenors, not conspecifics. Just like two species of Zebrasoma sp. tangs will dispute over territory, so will two different species of Nemateleotris sp.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Sardaukar:
<STRONG>Wow thanks for the info Skylsdale. I will probbably try 6 common firefish. I have read Fenners Conscientious Marine Aquariast and he says to follow the 20gal per fish rule also. I will definately check out that aqualink page. Man you guys are great. Thanks again!</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I highly advise against this. If you do decide to add 6 Firefish. please post a follow up in 6 months. I am really interested in the result of this experiments.

 

[Len]

I agree with Minh. I have never seen a "school" (to term it loosely) of Nemateleotris sp. successfully cohabit an aquarium, no matter what species. My advice is either a single Nemateleotris sp. per tank, or a mated pair. BTW, mated pairs are EXTREMELY cool to watch. They'll hover inches from each other in the water column, and every so often, kiss each other gently.

 

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by Sardaukar:
I was wondering if anyone has had any success with schools of fire fish....As you may know, i am setting up a 180gal reef...is it possible to have a large school of firefish (i.e., at least 12)?


I believe most have answered your question satisfactorily as any of the 3 species of Nemateleotris will only survive long term in mated pairs as all stragglers will be killed.
The other question that you didn't ask ( since this will be a 180gl tank ) is what other fish are compatible ?
These are/tend to be very skittish and small fish and any aggressive tankmates will either eat them or keep them in hiding making them extremely prone to starvation.

Regards,
David Mohr

[ July 23, 2001: Message edited by: davidmohr ]

 

[Mouse]

Was thinking of doing exactly the same thing myself, let us know how it turns out. I have seen tanks with more than five fire fish and when they swim as a sqad it looks fantastic.