It will be a while before I add anything else to this tank (it's brand new = http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...;#entry2464469), but I was wanting to throw up a working stock list to see what you guys thought.

I have:

One Hawaiian Feather Duster
Four Blue-Legged Hermit Crabs
One Snail (Not sure what type, may be a Cerith)
Two Peppermint Shrimp

I want to add:

One Banded Coral Shrimp
One Flame Scallop
One Yellow Clown Goby
Two Tank Bread Ocellaris Clownfish

I would also like to add a few more snails, though I'm not sure what kind and how many?

Let me know what you think and give any suggestions.



Oh, and the clownish are non-negotiable

Increase the number of snails, and add a variety of them, to improve the clean up crew. I have no experience with flame scallops, but have heard they always die, so I would at least wait for at least a year before attempting to add one. I had a coral banded shrimp for a long time...it got big and aggressive.

I'd skip the flame scallop. They're beautiful, but they have an aboslutely abysmal long term survival rate. From what I've heard, 99% of them slowly starve to death within six months.

Yeah, I was starting to wonder about that myself. I will scratch the scallop.

Any more suggestions?

I would think that you could use more than one snail, maybe five? One or two to stir the sand bed and the rest for algae eating.

Give me a suggestion on the specific kind for each job?

+1 to more snails and all other suggestions. I favor zero crabs (only trouble, IME).

I agree with this source on CUC members (though I have kept two small emerald crabs):
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/cleanupcrew.html

Thanks for the link! I'm going to go read it now.

Going to pick up my banded coral shrimp today

maybe a couple of astrea, nassarius and cerith snails?

Added a banded coral shrimp and two turbo snails.

I was thinking about adding a Sixline Wrasse to the list and removing the One Yellow Clown Goby. Can anyone explain any pros\cons of one fish over the other? I really like them both, but I figured both of these together would be a little much considering I'm stuck on two clowns. Let me know if anyone has any experience with either of these.

clown gobies are completely peaceful, though not very active. Sixlines are more inquisitive but semi-aggressive. However, the clowns should handle the wrasse, and it's always best to add a sixline after the other fish. I had a sixline, but I didn't like it (fin-nipper for my goby).

I heard they were good for controlling pests. Any truth to that?

Not really, since the "pests" they usually are said to eat are bristle worms, which are actually beneficial scavengers.

Well thanks for the help. I will stick with yellow

A more peaceful wrasse would be a possum wrasse. They are kind of shy, but your tank is small enough for one to stay hidden in the rockwork.

Not really looking for anything else to hide. My shrimp do that Anyway, I was wanting something that would show itself often, be more of a bottom-dweller, and not mess with the clowns.

I got a call yesterday from an old friend that was tearing down his 10g and needed to get rid of a royal gramma. I was hesitant to take it (heard some negative opinions about them), but unfortunately it was a give away vs. flush situation for him--I took the fish. Anyway, I'm eventually wanting to add two generic clowns and a yellow clown goby to my tank; will these fish go well together or am I going to have to get rid of the gramma?

Here's my stock list again;

One Hawaiian Feather Duster
Two Peppermint Shrimp
One Banded Coral Shrimp
One Royal Gramma
Pretty sizable CUC
One Yellow Clown Goby (Haven't gotten yet)
Two Tank Bread Ocellaris Clownfish (Haven't gotten yet)

Any help would be great since most of the info I've been able to find is very conflicting. Thanks!

Bump

The fish are fine, though grammas seem to have mixed reviews. Likewise, the coral banded shrimp have pros and cons. I checked your link, but I can't seem to find your tank's size.

Thanks for the input. I just want to make sure everything will work before I start adding more. My tank is a standard 20g high. Anyone else want to weigh in?