multiple firefish

[treesprite]

Everywhere I looked on the internet, people seem to be skeptical of keeping multiple firefish, unless the fish were a bonded pair or the tank was very large. I just want to report back on my recent personal experience with 2 pairs (4 fish) in a 75g tank, because I was nearly discouraged from trying to keep them all.

 

I got a pair of purple firefish many months ago and they have been doing well, but I still wanted a pair of orange ones. 3 weeks ago I added a pair of orange firefish. None of these fish has fought at all, and all 4 of them spend most of the day in the open (not hiding in holes like some do). Although the oranges stay down on one end of the tank, the purples swim around them all the time, and one splits it's time between hanging out with its partner and hanging out with the orange pair as a 3rd wheel. The oranges are still getting used to the tank, so I am hoping they get bold enough to swim back and forth at ease the way the purples do.

 

So there you have it. It is not impossible to keep 2 pairs of firefish in a 75g tank. Just note that they were already in pairs when I got them, and I would not have tried doing it with random individuals.

 

Edit to add: tank mates are 1 med. size yellow tang, 1 ocellaris, and 3 small green chromis.

Edited July 16, 2011 by treesprite

[Larry Grenier]

Thanks for sharing

[davjbeas]

I bought 3 purple firefish.

The next day there was 2.

it's been over a month and I still have 2.

The tank is 75 gallon. With yellow tang, Flame hawfish, flame angel, starry blenny.

 

David

[treesprite]

Now ALL 4 of the firefish are living together under the same rock together! Perhaps because they were already in pairs, they don't feel threatened by the others... who knows?

 

 

[onux20]

I had a different experience. I had two for a while then lost one. Added two more about a month ago. One old and one new have paired up. The third has been ostrasized. The larger and older one keeps it pinned in the corner. The outsider doesnt seem to mind. He found a hole and seems content. It will venture out in the tank but not too far from its hole. They did hang out together initially not sure what happened after those first couple of days.

 

That's my story of firefish in a 120.

ron