Firefish for reef

[Agu]

I have a 37 gal mini-reef with two firefish and a fire shrimp. One of the firefish has become dominant and the other two hide[ unless it's feeding time] I'm thinking of adding two more firefish to shake up the hierarchy. Will this work, or will I end up with four critters hiding? Could I use purple firefish or will that create more problems?

[Larry M]

Hi Agu--Glad to see you found the board. Henry is the fish expert, especially when it comes to firefish. Hopefully he will check in with you later on this.


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Larry M

Visit Reef Central's Home Site at:
www.reefcentral.com (http://www.reefcentral.com)

[hcs3]

i love firefish! what a great reef fish.

i'm having trouble reading your post, Agu. i'm not sure whether you've got 2 or 3 firefish in there at this time. i'm presuming 2, correct me if i'm wrong.

also, from using the common names, i'm guessing you mean the red firefish aka Nemateleotris magnifica.

what are the other species of fish that are in the tank? it sounds like they are the only 2. if so, this is rather strange. characteristically speaking, N. magnifica is ALWAYS in plain view once eastablished in a tank. usually, they like a bit of a current. it will look as if they are getting tossed around sometimes, but they seem to like it and go right back into it. however, if something is bothering them, like a larger more dominant fish, they become VERY reclusive. you'll think they are dead. MOF, it is advised to wait atleast 2 weeks prior to purchasing a firefish once one disappears, as they've been known to reappear weeks later.

is there a size difference in the 2 specimens? usually this doesn't matter, as 2 firefish will instantly join once seeing each other. it is impossible to tell the difference in sex of the specimen.

do you see the more dominant fish chasing, or nipping at the less aggressive fish?

adding firefish is possible. for the most part, they except one another without reluctance. however, one of yours my not have *read the book*. in my 75g, i keep a pair of N. magnifica and a pair of N. decora (purple). let me note that all 4 were added at the same time. however, no problem betweent he 4 has ever existed, and the purple school with the red as if it were natural. from the beginning, my 2 reds were out. a purple joined them about a day later without harm. and i mean it peeked it's head out of a hole long enough to spot the 2 reds, and it cruised over to them. about 5 days later, the other purple peeked out of it's hiding hole, and instantly cruised over to the pack of 3 to make a perfect 4. nowadays, the reds spend more time hovering over my clam shelf, with the purples in a *pocket* just underneath it. they do school together still, maybe about 1/2 the time. i'm presuming the Nemateleotris species puts their differences behind, and figures it's saftery in numbers.

LMK if you have any more quesitons.

HTH

henry

[BrianD]

Agu,

IME with firefish, the reds are more willing to school in the open, and purples seem to be more jittery. Once they are used to their surroundings, purples will be out and about, but when I added my 4 reds they immediately schooled together in plain view, and rarely hide. The purples, OTOH, hid under rocks for almost a week before I saw them. If your objective is to make the 2 shy fish more willing to school, I would add the reds, since the purples may just add to your problem.

Of course, I would still add a pair of purples also because they are such cool fish http://216.79.36.30/ubb/smile.gif

Brian

[BrianD]

Agu,

Just a suggestion, but instead of trying to catch the one firefish (which I can tell you won't be easy http://216.79.36.30/ubb/smile.gif ), you might consider adding 2 new firefish when the lights are off, after you have first rearranged some of the rockwork. The aggressive firefish may not feel his territory is being invaded if the lights come on and he is in a new space and there are new neighbors. If he is still aggressive, you may have to remove him, but you may be saved the bother.

Brian

[hcs3]

Agu

ok, now that were all straight. first off, i'm not big on q-tankin' firefish. this is because usually these guys are tough as nails. therefore, i see no reason to q-tank them. instead, i prefer to get them in the show tank ASAP to get the best water parameters. in my experience, these guys don't get sick unless there is something seriously wrong. at this point, q-tanking them probably wouldn't work anyway. i usually don't like q-tanking fish unless it is something like a tang, a known parasite carrier. even then, i'd almost rather have them acclimate to the show tank right from the start. one less move.

next, good luck catching them. tehy are a bit tough. you won't net them. you'll only scare them into their "bolt-holes" and it'll take awhile before they reappear. try getting them trained to eat from a net. or fashion a DIY fish trap. ignatz can help you with that at the DIY forum.

lastly, as brian alredy mentioned, the purples tend to be more rexclusive. therefore, i'd plan on adding 2 more N. magnifica. i'd leave the bully in the tank. a harem of 4 should work out. if the other 2 new additions school like normal firefish, the scare little guy will join in.

HTH

henry

[Agu]

Henry, I showed this post to my wife, and told her we needed two more fish to keep the peace.Her opinion about listening to fellow reefers advice "Yeah, right, it's like asking the fox to guard the henhouse." Have you been flamed yet for telling me to skip a q-tank? The store that I frequent q's all their fish so I'll skip that step. Seeyou in the flame room. Agu

[Agu]

Henry, sorry I wasn't clear about the tank. Two firefish aka N. magnifica are the only fish in the tank. One hasn't "read the book", and chases both the other fish and my blood shrimp. I'm thinking of getting two purple firefish aka N.decora and after quarantine catching the aggressive N magnifica and replacing it with the N decoras. The aggressive N magnifica would go into the q-tank until the other three were settled. This should break up the hierarchy. Does it sound like a reasonable plan? tia Agu

[Agu]

hcs3, Well I picked up two more firefish,now I have three fish hiding and one butthead.That was on friday,today I rearranged the live rock and corals to change the territory.Good news, my tank looks better ,butI still have three fish hiding and one butthead.Rearranging the rock in a 37 gal is like remodeling a 20 ft travel trailer,unless your braindead it's still the same place.I now have the trap in there suspended about halfway down,will keep you posted.

[TimS]

Everyone here seems to know quite a bit about these fish. I was thinking of introducing them into my new reef, but was concerned about their jumping ability. What is your collective experience? I have no top on my 180 and do not wish to get one.

Thanks

TimS

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There's No Place Like Home.

[hesaias]

I dont know about a school of them, but I had a firefish who stayed hid except for feeding, so i started switching up feeding times between am and pm. that seemed to keep him out almost all the time
hth

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hesaias

my homepage (http://www.angelfire.com/on2/hesaias/index.html)

[BrianD]

Hi Tim,

I have also heard of their reputation as "jumpers". I have 8 in my 180 gallon reef, and have not experienced any problems.

I have 4 n. decora and 4 n. magnifica, and they haven't done an Evil Kneivel imitation yet http://216.79.36.30/ubb/smile.gif

Brian

[TimS]

Brian,

How long have you had them? They were at the top of my wanted list, until I heard the jumping stories. I think that I will try a pair once I get this nasty little ich problem handled.

Thanks.

TimS

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There's No Place Like Home.

[Evets]

Firefish will jump when spooked or when they feel there's no safe haven in the tank. I've always had firefish and not a one has ever escaped from the tank. I believe the key to this is that the tank itself is rather peaceful, and the tank is not in a part of the house where people suddenly burst into view from around a corner. As long as they feel safe and secure, they'll stay in the tank. FWIW, they most aggressive fish I have are dwarf angels and they have never exhibited any animosity towards the firefish. FWIW2, I have heard reports of problems between firefish and wrasses, specifically the Common Cleaner Wrasse, but this has not matched my own experience. Good luck resolving your situation.
-Steve

[BrianD]

Hi Tim,

I have had 2 (purple) for about 6 months, and recently (earlier this month) added 4 red and 2 more purple (gotta love those firefish http://216.79.36.30/ubb/smile.gif)

The red hover at one end of the tank, and the purple are in 2 groups of 2 (I guess they would rather be in pairs).

Mine are not the least bit spooked when I approach the tank. They don't seem to bothered by much of anything.

In regards to Steve's comment, I have a cleaner wrasse, and the firefish and wrasse don't even notice each other.

Brina

[hcs3]

no jumpers here, but if your worried you can always use some eggcrate to cover the holes you feel your firefish can get out of. and, of cousre, you need to cover the eggcrate with something as the firefish can get through that, so i would use window screen for that. notice i say "would". i don't use it.

agu

how long have the new additions been in the tank? sometimes tha=ey can stay hiding for a week or two before really starting to show themselves. they need to become comfortable. if all else fails, i'd attempt to capture the "butt-head" firefish. try getting him to eat out of a large net or specimen container. that'd be easiest.

HTH

henry

PS. sorry about the delay, i was on vacation.

[Feather Duster]

Hey guys have any of you ever put an orchid dottyback in with firefish? If so what size tank and how many firefish did you have in it? Did the dottyback harrass them?
Thanks!