fish for a 20gal

[kgb]

hey guys i want to have like 3 to 5 fish in my 20 gallon tank but dont know what to get . i was thinking of getting a wrasse because i have a flat worm infestation and i have been told that these fish keep them in check.

also i wanted to have 2 clown fish (the orange ones but dont know the scienctific name )

and then i wanted to have 2 orange or red tomatoe clowns but the guy that i always deal with at the lfs told me that the best i can have ina 20 is 2 fish and that by keeping the wrasse i am pushing the limits of the tank

he als o said if i mixed these 2 clown species that they would fight

also that i should add the wrasse first ?

 

for tank details i have :

7 lbs of crushed coral

20 lbs live rock

lots of marco alge growing

some small orange polyps

and some other small corals

i have a power head that pumps i do believe 170 gal and hour

and i have a skilter 250

it has been cycleing for a while but added some new rocks (10 lbs )bout 2 weeks ago other than that my tank has been cycled for bout 2 months

what you guys recomend

[J-Bass]

If you go with clowns I'd suggest 2 tank-raised false percs or just 1 tank-raised maroon clown. Get them small.

[NaNO ReeFiN]

You're gonna be pretty maxed out at 3 fish... I wouldn't add more then that.

[Brianc_4]

I have a 20H with a pair of percs, and I consider the tank fully stocked with fish. Perhaps I could add one more, but that would definitely be the max.

The guy at the LFS is right! 2-3 fish in a 20 reef is max. Different clown species will fight. Tomato clowns are pretty territorial and aggresive, he wants you to let the wrasse in first so he is not invading already established territory. Be thankful that your LFS is giving you solid info instead of just trying to make the sale.

Good luck;)

 

Why not two percs and a wrasse.(smaller, less aggresive and it should not be a big problem)

[Dazed1]

Originally posted by Brianc_4

Why not two percs and a wrasse.(smaller, less aggresive and it should not be a big problem)

 

That's exactly what I plan to do in my 20 Long . I'll also probably add 1 blenny as well to clean out the bottom

[chufa]

yup, 3 fish max for a 20 sounds about right.

 

On I side note, yesterday I observed a tomato clown terrorizing blue devil damsels in the LFS! That surely impressed me, never thought it would be possible. And the blue d's looked in good health; they were smaller than the tomato.

[rano]

Tomato clowns can be pretty feisty. I had one that just dared me to put a hand in the tank. He was ok with the other inhabitants, because he had them trained. But he had a problem with me.

 

Every time I cleaned that tank, he'd come after me (I'm somewhat larger than a blue damsel, I assure you). You know the fleshy parts between your fingers? Somehow, he knew that if he bit me there and hung on for all he was worth, I'd spend the least amount of time near his colt coral as possible.

 

Had a percula who was nearly as hostile toward me (but was rougher on his tank mates), but that tomato was like a jack russell terrier. By FAR my all-time favorite fish. Not surprised to hear of one taking over a neighborhood.

 

They can also get beefy. I just got back into the nano realm with a 20 this time around and am steering more toward gobies. They're interesting and don't clog up the works.

[AZDesertRat]

Don't get a Tomato! I have one in my 20G high that is a little butt and I can't get him out. I presently have a 1 liter pop bottle with the top cut off, trimmed and reversed in the tank tied to some fish line and I put their food inside it trying to catch both him and a Coral Beauty. No luck after a week! Tomatos get really agresive, both this one and one I have in my 90G FO bite the snot out of me when I reach in to do anything. They also shred my cleaning brush when I wipe off the glass. Anyone got a better idea on how to catch them short of tearing the tank down?

I have a false perc in my 37G at work just waiting to get into the sebae anemone in my 20 if I can get the others out.

[SoS]

3 Green Reef chromis and a goby might be nice. I have 3 chromis in a 29 gal and they are very active and school nicely in the upper part of the tank leaving the bottom open for a goby or a blenny.

[smfyr241]

I have a 12 Gal. Eclipse......20lb. rock ......curently have six line wrasse, yellow watchman goby, coral banded shrimp, emerald crab......I have the goby who runs the floor of the tank....wrasse goes through the rock.......but im wondering...could i add 3 green chromis to swim the top??

[Ilove2ride]

smfyr241---

 

I would not add 3 more fish... You are already about at your limit. I would even want to give the 6-Line more room... 2 fish is definitely enough for a 12 gallon. Chromis IMO need plenty of space, and get big.

[Djm9288]

get A CLOWN GOBY (CITRON) They are sooo cool

[quiksilver5768]

smfyr241 and whoever this may concern on this thread-

 

I agree with Ilove2ride about not putting 3 more fish in that 12 gal tank. But I do sort of disagree with a lot of the board about how limited you are with the amount of fish. I disagree with 2 fish being a max in a 12 gal tank. Hell, I had 4 fish a while back in my 10 gal living happy together (pair of percs, bicolor clenny, clown goby, and a green chromis). The first issue in keeping a stocked fishload in your tank is space to swim (IMO). Next, you have to consider how your tank is going to deal with the bioload. I had a prizm skimmer and an HOB filter on my 10 gal along with 15 lbs of LR with a 5 gal sump with 10 more lbs. So the bio-load was not a problem. I recently moved into a 20 gal high and have 5 fish living happily. Im not trying to go against the suggestions of anyone in this thread, but personally, I think its based on experience. I mean, a lot of you suggesting that 3 fish is a max in 20 gal...yes that is good advice but have you tried keeping more than 3 fish? I know your not saying its impossible but what annoys me is when I talk about the specs of my tank, I get hammered with all these people saying that im torturing the fish by keeping so many and how my bioload is too large and what not. But what annoys me is the general quotes....for example.

 

"2 fish is definitely enough for a 12 gallon" (not always true, it depends on what fish and what the specs of the tank are).

 

"3 fish is a max for a 20 gal" (once again, not always true, depends on the fish and specs of the tank).

 

Well anyways, geez, this was a long post., But yea, Im not trying to say any of the suggestions given in this post are wrong, its just that i get kind of mad when people make these generalities about these things. (Another example if the 3-5 watts of light per gallon rule) I hate that one! lol

 

Anyways, you all did post some good suggestions so, yea, I wont take up anymore room on this thread...lol...later all

[Ilove2ride]

"2 fish is definitely enough for a 12 gallon" (not always true, it depends on what fish and what the specs of the tank are).

 

I wrote this quote, after the fact that the fish in the 12 gallon tank were a watchman goby and a six-line wrasse, plus 20 lbs. of LR, which leaves not much room at all. I was talking to him specifically.... sorry for any misunderstanding.

:

[quiksilver5768]

I wasnt saying that you were wrong. I said that that was good advice for that case. I was just talking about in general, because I have heard people say that before when a person has say a chromis and a perc. I dont mean to specifically point out anyone on this post. Just making general comments

[Ty_05_F]

I have a 20g myself. I am getting a True prec, and a gree chromis. Hope this helps any

[smfyr241]

Thank you all for your suggestions......I elected to go with a yellow coris wrasse to g owith the watchman and six line. 3 weeks and all is fine......I also added a large Hawiian fether duster and a yellow sea cucumber. Looking to add an electric scallop and some other inverts......not sure about too many corals......any advise on hardy corals let me know cause im a little scepticle on adding them. Thanks again!