Thinking About Diving In The Saltwater.. Curious About Stocking, Will

[jennesque]

As the title says, I am thinking about switching my 37gal FW planted to a saltwater tank.. Not sure if it'll be FOWLR or any corals.. If I do corals, they'd be easy ones. I'm just curious if I can keep the fish I'm interested in within my tank.

I really like Kauderns Cardinal fish and Spotted Cardinalfish, and would like maybe a few of those.. I'm also interested in keep a goby or two, and my boyfriend really wants a pistol shrimp.. I've read briefly about goby and pistols pairing up, so that's ideally what I would be going for.

Would these work together, and is there anything else I can/should add. I'm assuming a CUC as well.

Sorry.. Newbie question. Just trying to see if what I would like to set up is plausible before I may any plants to tear down my current tank.

 

[372xp]

cuc essential. shrimp gobies and shrimp are best bought together, a large goby will happily eat a pistol shrimp. you can buy them as a pair, slightly more expensive than getting them individualy but without the risk. i dont know much about cardinal fish but if you have the space why not. as for corals, you will want them. nice easy softies like mushrooms zoas and xenia are good to start, they dont require much in the way of looking after and will soon spread. i mean you wouldnt have a fw tank without plants.

 

[jennesque]

Hahah, so true!! I'm 90% sure I want corals. I love having live plants in my tank.

I will talk to my LFS about getting the goby and pistol as a pair. Didn't know what was even a potential option.

I love fw angelfish, and some of the cardinal fish remind me of angels, except pretty bad@$$. I know I can keep multiple the same tank, but I also know you can't keep a large group of them or they get aggressive. My LFS had previously said I'd be fine with like three. They stay small. Not sure if I could fit anything else but I feel like my LFS would be able to direct me to something compatible that they keep in stock..

This is exciting. I think I will be setting this up... I've got a whole lot of reading to do though!

 

[372xp]

sometimes it is easier to know what you cant have then you can work out what you can. 37gal us is, Im guessing 150ltrs, fine for 3 or 4 cardinals. Clowns are the sw equivalent to neon tetras and most tanks have them, they can be trouble in smaller tanks. Tangs Triggers and Angels are probably unsuitable in a tank that size. Most wrasse are not reef safe (this is a term you will hear a lot, basicly means they eat coral) Gobies are agressive towards each other and dont mix damsels. Most fish for sale are young and will grow to a fair size so keep an eye on that. The main thing is have fun with it, salt water isnt as hard as people make out. I find my bettas are more of a challenge than either of my marine tanks.

 

[Donya]

 Kauderns Cardinal fish and Spotted Cardinalfish, and would like maybe a few of those

 
Odds are that 1x of each would be fine, but 2x or more of the same may or may not work if you get random ones vs. known pairs. Some people get lucky combining random individuals, but many end up in the situation I had when I tried 2x PJ/spotted cardinals together in my 55gal: it worked fine for a few weeks and then one inexplicably couldn't stand the other, so I had to separate them. I was never sure if it was a case of two males or just a pairing that failed. The personalities of the two fish are incredibly different; one is very aloof and skiddish while the other constantly begs for handouts and follows me around. Larger tanks in the 100+gal range have higher success rates with multiple cardinals since you can both fit more of them (spreads out the aggression) and there is more space for them to get away from each other if needed.