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I REALLY want a 6 line wrass but dont know if It would go well in my system?

1. tomato clown (just got saturday and he is so sweet, he and my caridinal share the same territory ok.. LOL not like I dont have enought ) anyways, and
1. pajama caridinal
1. scooter blenny (takeing back)
and I want to get
1.6 line wrass,
1. purple psedeuo (sp)
and maybe a yellow headed jawfish to replace my scooter because I diddnt know they had eating requirments (STUPID LFS)
so yes...help would be nice as I dont trust the LFS

29-FOWLR
10-Planted
5- Plastic planted

If this is for the 29 fowler, then I'd say you could have the tomato clown, the cardinal, and any one of the other 3 fish. Having all those fish would be very overstocked IMO, and will likely cause problems. If you go with the jawfish, make sure you have about 4-6 inches of substrate for it. Otherwise the jawfish is out of the question.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

With your Tomato Clown and the Cardinal Fish, I agree with Matty - you've room for just one more fish.

Six line wrasse ... hmm. These fishes can, once they become established, start to become feisty. You will never be able to keep ornamental shrimp with it because it will eat them. Furthermore, it will be impossible to add any more fish to an aquarium, even a really large one, once the Wrasse is established, because the Wrasse will eat small fishes and harass similar sized newcomers to death. Read all about it here on the Reefkeeping page devoted to these fishes.

As for your "Purple Pseduo", I presume you're referring to a Dottyback. Probably Pseudochromis porphyreus, the Magenta Dottyback. This fish may be small, but it is seriously feisty. Right from the word go, it'll assert itself and your Cardinal will be outcompeted for food to the point of starving to death. The Magenta Dottyback may even, if it's in the mood, cut up rough with the Tomato Clown, despite the fact that your Tomato Clown will be at least twice the size! This gives you an idea what kind of a fish this is - it's a pint-sized fish with all the attitude and willingness to mix it you'd find in several big Cichlids from the freshwater world such as Dempseys ... again, Reefkeeping.com has a page devoted to Dottybacks which you should read before you think of buying a Dottyback, because while Dottybacks are nice, hardy, colourful and entertaining fishes, they need to be integrated into an existing setup with care. Put them in the wrong aquarium with the wrong companions, and the Dottybacks turn into unholy terrors (depending upon species) and set about beating up the existing inmates. A Magenta Dottyback will take on a shrimp twice its size, batter it to death against a rock, then munch upon the broken pieces, and it'll beat up fishes bigger than itself if it doesn't like them ... oh yes, this is a serious personality fish, and one you only put in an aquarium with other fishes capable of looking after themselves.

Dottybacks can cause problems even in large aquaria (and by large, I mean over 200 gallons!) because they have territorial demands that seem out of proportion to the size of the fish, combined with a willingness to engage in combat to assert property rights if they think the opposition can be beaten. Put them in the right setup (one planned with the Dottybacks and their integration with carefully chosen companions in mind) and they become beautiful, entertaining fishes. Choose companions unwisely, however, and the Dottyback becomes a nightmare acquisition.

If you WANT a Dottyback, the Orchid Dottyback might be a better choice (though even that, supposedly the most peaceful of the Dottybacks, can be a tough customer if need be). However, make sure you know which is which - the difference between the Orchid Dottyback and the Magenta Dottyback (apart from price) is subtle. The Orchid Dottyback has a thin stripe through the eye that is lacking in the Magenta Dottyback. The Orchid Dottyback can be a capable fish, able to look after itself among some rough customers, but is somewhat less likely to turn into a reprobate than the Magenta Dottyback, which can become, if the integration is not handled with care, a savage little aquarium terrorist that brings to mind images of freshwater 'demon spawn' such as Melanochromis chipokae and Neetroplus nematopus ...

Read this lot with care before purchasing. You have been warned!




Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002