20 long stocking

[Edwardfish]

Hi, I’m in the process of setting up a 20 long nano reef with a 10 gallon sump and was wondering if anyone had opinions on my stocking list. I am looking for fish that might do a job, not a requirement just thought it would help in the long run. The tank is a 20 long with ≈20lbs (not for long) dry rock and 20lbs live sand cheato will be grown in a 5ish gallon section of the sump and hopefully a skimmer once I save up. Here are the following fish I am thinking about 3 or maybe 4 of them.

 

Tail spot blenny

Pink streak wrasse

possum wrasse

royal gramma

cherub angelfish?

2 clowns

 

my first list was the tail spot, pink streak, and the cherub but wanted suggestions and advice first. Also who to add first second and so on would be nice.

[bbetta]

2 clowns will be your first fish + any one from the list above except the angelfish. Tank is too small for him. The Blenny is more of a worker but needs a somewhat established tank. 

[Edwardfish]

6 hours ago, bbetta said:

2 clowns will be your first fish + any one from the list above except the angelfish. Tank is too small for him. The Blenny is more of a worker but needs a somewhat established tank. 

What if I went with pink streak, tail spot, and royal gramma?

[bbetta]

I personally wouldn’t put 3 fish taken from the wild in a 20g

[Just a kid]

On 5/26/2020 at 2:47 PM, Edwardfish said:

What if I went with pink streak, tail spot, and royal gramma?

Those are great fish with great personality. I would add the pink streak first, tailspot second, and the gramma third. You could also keep another fish in their like a cardinalfish or goby. I really like the yellow watchman goby.

[jservedio]

On 5/26/2020 at 6:06 PM, bbetta said:

I personally wouldn’t put 3 fish taken from the wild in a 20g

Why not? It's not like fish suited to a nano live longer in a bigger tank. I, along with many others here, have fish we've been keeping in our little tanks for a decade or more.

[Tired]

How much water is in the sump? That would increase the amount of bioload your tank could handle, although you still have to stick with fish that are fine in a 20gal worth of space. 

 

Those three fish would be a great choice. I agree with adding the gramma last, they're somewhat territorial. 

 

The fish above (except the angel) are fish that can reasonably be expected to do well in a tank that size. Longevity isn't the best measure for that, though- tigers used to live pretty long in those tiny little concrete cages people kept them in. Normal behavior free of stress signs is a better indicator that they're doing well, though of course them dying early is a sign that something is wrong. 

[Edwardfish]

3 minutes ago, Tired said:

How much water is in the sump? That would increase the amount of bioload your tank could handle, although you still have to stick with fish that are fine in a 20gal worth of space. 

Its a 10 gallon tank with about 8 gallons of water when running.

 

thanks for the reply, I want all the fish to be happy at the end to the day.

[jservedio]

14 minutes ago, Tired said:

Longevity isn't the best measure for that, though- tigers used to live pretty long in those tiny little concrete cages people kept them in. Normal behavior free of stress signs is a better indicator that they're doing well, though of course them dying early is a sign that something is wrong. 

Which is why I qualified it with fish suited to a nano. I was questioning why wild caught was the qualifier as opposed to being suited for a nano.

[Tired]

Alright, so you have about 28 gallons worth of volume. 4-5 small fish are reasonable, depending on which fish you get. I'm a big fan of clown gobies, and they're tiny, so their bioload is pretty minimal. Shrimpgobies are great, too, and there are some smaller ones. 

 

I think the idea is that a wild-caught fish is used to more space than an aquarium has. Not unreasonable, but there's a difference between how much space a fish will use if given it, and how much space it actually needs. A yellowtail damselfish would probably use an aquarium the size of a bed if you gave it that much space, but they do fine in a 20-30gal. 

[Edwardfish]

11 hours ago, Tired said:

Alright, so you have about 28 gallons worth of volume. 4-5 small fish are reasonable, depending on which fish you get. I'm a big fan of clown gobies, and they're tiny, so their bioload is pretty minimal. Shrimpgobies are great, too, and there are some smaller ones. 

 

I think the idea is that a wild-caught fish is used to more space than an aquarium has. Not unreasonable, but there's a difference between how much space a fish will use if given it, and how much space it actually needs. A yellowtail damselfish would probably use an aquarium the size of a bed if you gave it that much space, but they do fine in a 20-30gal. 

Ok that sounds good I probably will end up getting just 3 or 4 fish for a lighter bio load and easier up keep.

[Pbh]

I think bioload will be fine, if you run into issues with nitrate or algae you can always increase water changes Or do other things to export nutrients.

 

for aggression - I would be wary of a gramma and pink streaked or possum together in a 20, some grammaS can be more aggressive (and will get larger) than People think. Consider an assessor for a more peaceful, similar alternative. A firefish, swales or Rubre basslet, Pygmy geometric perchlet are also good options. 
 

if you decide to get clowns instead of the pink streaked a gramma may be ok since both clowns and grammas are a bit tough. I wouldn’t do clowns and a pink streaked or possum wrasse 

 

cherub angel is probably not a good choice, I’ve heard some say it can be ok in a 20 long, but I’ve never seen a build thread with one in a tank that small for long. 
 

good luck with your stocking!

[Edwardfish]

On 5/31/2020 at 12:59 AM, Pbh said:

I think bioload will be fine, if you run into issues with nitrate or algae you can always increase water changes Or do other things to export nutrients.

 

for aggression - I would be wary of a gramma and pink streaked or possum together in a 20, some grammaS can be more aggressive (and will get larger) than People think. Consider an assessor for a more peaceful, similar alternative. A firefish, swales or Rubre basslet, Pygmy geometric perchlet are also good options. 
 

if you decide to get clowns instead of the pink streaked a gramma may be ok since both clowns and grammas are a bit tough. I wouldn’t do clowns and a pink streaked or possum wrasse 

 

cherub angel is probably not a good choice, I’ve heard some say it can be ok in a 20 long, but I’ve never seen a build thread with one in a tank that small for long. 
 

good luck with your stocking!

That’s good to know, I was thinking of a third colorful fish to add with the pink streak and tail spot so if the gramma makes the final list he will be last.