20 gallon stocking

[AverageSoftCoralEnthusiest]

I am going to set up my first reef tank, I know that a larger tank is more stable I just don’t have the space or money for it, anyways I wanted to have a stocking plan so I can add the fish at the right time and needed to know if this was good or to many fish for a 20 g and when to add them.

      Stocking preferences:

• 1 - 6 line wrasse 
• 2 - clown gobies
• 1  - watchman goby
• 1  -pistol shrimp
• maybe some snails and basic cleanup crew ( can you guys give recommendations)

[Tamberav]

Stocking seems good to me. Sixlines can be bullies so add it last. 
 

Trochus snails are my favorite! 

[Firefish15]

I would be hesitant with the 6-line. Size-wise that would be fine. However, him and the clown gobies tend to both closely utilize the rock work though, so that might lead to some bullying from the 6-line. As a species, they are hit and miss. Add it last and hope you get a chill one. They can also target small shrimp if you ever want to keep something like that.
 

I’ll throw another contender in for consideration, biased though it is. Big fan of red firefish. Mine was my first saltwater fish, just recently lost him after 3 years and four months. Great little guy, always out in the water column, never harassed anyone who didn’t start it. 

[AverageSoftCoralEnthusiest]

Thank you, I have spent the last while looking into cleanup crews, I seem to really like crabs but I think an emerald crab would be too big for it, as well as unnecessary aggression in the tank and wouldn’t be very good. I also really like hermits, I don’t want to take up too much space in the sand, but other than that I think they are a pretty good option. And I also really enjoy trochus snails. Thank you for the recommendation

 

 

FireFish15- If I get a 6 line, I will make sure I can return it to the store in case it doesn’t cohabit with the clown gobies. I like the idea of fire fish and love them at my LFS when I saw a 6line I just fell in love with it and wanted it the second I saw it. I will get a fire fish off the 6 line is too aggressive.

[Ratvan]

What is the availability of a pink streak wrasse near you, far less chance of aggression and in my opinion looks more striking then the 6 line and is just as active. Just an alternate suggestion, otherwise all looks good and return policy check is very forward thinking 

[AverageSoftCoralEnthusiest]

I will see if my LFS stocks pink streak wrasses, they are amazing too!

[Firefish15]

5 hours ago, AverageSoftCoralEnthusiest said:

I seem to really like crabs but I think an emerald crab would be too big for it, as well as unnecessary aggression in the tank and wouldn’t be very good.

It’s possible to mitigate aggression by emerald crabs. I always get the female ones, they don’t get as big and they have much smaller claws. It’s like sexing any other crab, females have the wide apron on the underside of the shell, males have a little narrow stripe. 
That being said, they’re mostly chosen for eating bubble algae. They’ll take meaty foods over any algae though, which limits their utility in my opinion.

 

Trochus are a good choice. I’d start with two small ones. They get quite large if they have enough food and get

old enough. 

[Xj reefing]

Trochus snails work hard. With wrasse just keep an eye on them with shrimp. I had a medium size peppermint shrimp in my 20 gallon that was in there for about a month or so with a small labouts fairy wrasse and one morning woke up to it dead with a hole in its head presumably from the wrasse. 

[AverageSoftCoralEnthusiest]

Wow I totally can agree that the wrasse may seem fine, until it isn’t. What would be a more appropriate stocking for a 6 line wrasse