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Is it okay to keep 1 yellowtail damselfish, 1 royal gramma basslet and 1 ocellaris clown in a 12 gal2007-11-24 23:37:43

Hope I helped some!

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As the above answer says, it is a bit small for all three of the fish to live in there. There are two main reasons -- water stability and territoriality.

12 gallons is a small tank to take care of, fresh or saltwater. The issue lies in how quickly changes occur in such a small body of water. Salinity can change drastically over the course of a day or two, and biological wastes can also build up quickly -- make no mistake, smaller tanks are harder to care for than larger ones. No amount of filtration and water changing will compensate for monitoring the water quality every day.

In addition, one of the fish you mention, the damselfish, is a fairly territorial creature. You'll likely have trouble with it picking on the other two -- causing stress and (therefore) potential disease in the clown and the gramma. The gramma itself can be a bit territorial as well, but is often focused on a given burrow/hole it occupies. Your best bet here is to avoid the damsel, and pick one of the two others -- both if you must. Either way, provide lots of structure (rocks, barnacles, etc.) so there is enough "territory" for both to occupy.

Good luck -- hope this helps!

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This combo will survive, I would suggest biweekly 25% water changes. It's going to be pushing your limit when they reach max size. I have an ocellaris pair and royal gramma myself.

For nano tanks, you should consider some gobies. I personally like the clown, neon, and greenbanded gobies all of which get alittle over an inch. All of the above are peaceful and reef safe.