What inch-long fish have you kept, and how?

[linderaberry]

Here's a thread to post questions and stories of success and failure with the smallest reef fish, those that are about 1 inch or 2.5 cm at adulthood.

For example : has anyone here kept Eviota sigillata, the tiny coral reef goby, which has a lifespan of just 2 months and reproduces like crazy?

How about the litte Trimmas?

 

[Anonymous]

trimma

 

[Len]

I've never had the chance of keeping these. They're quite uncommon but I've always found this genus fascinating.

 

[Anonymous]

I think I touched on most of the important points in that other thread. They're cool little fish, but they tend to get lost in bigger tanks. I traded my Eviota away and it ended up living at least a year before I lost contact with the person I sold it to. Both genera readily accept prepared food. Cyclop-eeze in particular should be a good part of their diet.

 

[linderaberry]

Matt, I look forward to reading your update to the recommended fish listing. It would be very kind of you to gather together the disparate info on aquarium-suitable Trimma and Eviota species, evaluate it based on your expertise and experience, and put it in one place for nano people.

There was one website where I thought I might be getting good info on Trimma species, then I noticed that exactly the same care and maintenance recommendations were being given for almost all gobies, which seems pretty darn unlikely considering the different species inhabit different depths and are likely to differ in ideal temperatures, if nothing else.

Another aquarium vendor website that addresses Trimma and Eviota seemed authoritative, but then I noticed that the recommendations they gave for Catalina blue banded gobies were misleading. They were saying 76 or even 78 degrees F was okay for them. Crazy -- they might survive for a while in a tank at those temps, and they might be collected in areas where the water surface is in the 70s, for, like, two weeks in the height of summer; but they are also found deeper than 100 feet, where temperatures are in the low 50s. Healthy temps for them are in the 60s, not 70s, sure as hell not 76. So I'm dubious about everything the site has to say, now. It's the Foster and Smith site, by the way.

 

[Anonymous]

I've kept rhabdamia gracilis, the luminous cardinal. About an inch long. Easy fish, eats anything. Common as dirt where it's found, to the point that in some areas it's used as a bait fish. Been trying to get a regular supply of them for years with little to no luck.

 

[Anonymous]

Matt, I look forward to reading your update to the recommended fish listing. It would be very kind of you to gather together the disparate info on aquarium-suitable Trimma and Eviota species, evaluate it based on your expertise and experience, and put it in one place for nano people.

There was one website where I thought I might be getting good info on Trimma species, then I noticed that exactly the same care and maintenance recommendations were being given for almost all gobies, which seems pretty darn unlikely considering the different species inhabit different depths and are likely to differ in ideal temperatures, if nothing else.

Another aquarium vendor website that addresses Trimma and Eviota seemed authoritative, but then I noticed that the recommendations they gave for Catalina blue banded gobies were misleading. They were saying 76 or even 78 degrees F was okay for them. Crazy -- they might survive for a while in a tank at those temps, and they might be collected in areas where the water surface is in the 70s, for, like, two weeks in the height of summer; but they are also found deeper than 100 feet, where temperatures are in the low 50s. Healthy temps for them are in the 60s, not 70s, sure as hell not 76. So I'm dubious about everything the site has to say, now. It's the Foster and Smith site, by the way.

I refuse to buy anything from them anymore.

You're right about the catalina goby. It shouldn't ever be sold for tropical tanks.

I've never really looked up depth or temp info for Trimmas or Eviotas. I know they come from tropical areas like Cebu. They may have it right with the care info though. The care is similar to other gobies, except they don't need a sandbed like some genera do. Keep them with peaceful species and feed them tiny foods; that's about all there is to it.

 

[bleedingthought]

I refuse to buy anything from them anymore.

Care to share?

 

[Anonymous]

I refuse to buy anything from them anymore.

Care to share?

It's a long story, but essentially Dr. Race Foster wanted us to censor discussion of his business here at RDO in the Industry forum. He acted in a very unprofessional manner about it. You can read his posts and decide for yourself, his login name is aquaticvet1.

I kind of lost all respect for him and his business after that move.