New(ish) 20G Setup - Advice

F

Flicka

New member
Hello! Noob here!

I have a 20G FOWLR tank running with an HOB Emperor 320 Biowheel Filter (Marineland), Koralia circulation pump (Hydor), 20lbs Live rock, 1-1.5" live sand. Finished cycling and added fish in July 2015.

Salinity - 1.028 :( SLOOOOWLY bringing it back down from 1.030 after a salt/Fresh water mix up"¦was topping up for WEEEEEEKS with my saltwater vs fresh and couldn't figure out why it wasn't adjusting properly"¦.now have the jugs labelled better :headwally:
PH 8.0
Temp 80F
Am 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm

I have never checked my magnesium, calcium, or alkalinity. Will be purchasing a test kit this week to start the process of adding corals.

Currently I have two Ocellaris Clowns, 3 blue legged hermits, 1 red legged hermit (came in with LR). I am wanting to add new fish but would like some opinions. (Had a fire fish but lost him recently in the unfortunate salt/fresh water mix up).
I am saving space in my bioload for a dragonet, (when ME and the tank are established enough) so I likely will only be able to have one more fish. I would like to have a very bright coloured fish who is fairly active. THINK: Blue/Green Chromis? Coral Beauty? Bicolor dotty back?
Also, I would like to add snails and some sort of sand sifter as I can't get to all the sand with my Gravel vac due to the LR setup.

Please let me now what would go well in my tank. They all say YES on the compatability chart but would like some examples that people are running for themselves.

Also as stated above beginning the research to transition from FOWLR to Reef so please keep that in mind when recommending livestock.

Sorry for the long post"¦. this is my first one and i'm not 100% sure i'm even posting in the right place.
 
I think you're already at max bioload with 2 clowns in that tank, honestly. 20g is not a lot of volume at all, especially with HOB filtration.
 
I definitely want to upgrade filtration and lighting - those are the next two items in my budget before adding fore livestock and corals.

I have been looking at adding a small sump but really haven't done enough research on how to incorporate one into my setup. The stand I have is rather small underneath. Maybe I could fit a 10G.
Do you think a sump or a canister filter would buy me room for one more?
 
I cannot recommend adding any more fish to this tank.

Two clowns will dominate the entire tank - and then some, if given the room. Especially if (when) they begin mating.

Also, a 20 gallon will very likely never provide sufficient food sources for a mandarin.

Just my 2c.
 
I'm not overly surprised.... Mildly surprised I can't have one more small fish, since that's what I had up until a couple weeks ago.
Of course my LFS gave me hopes of a grander 20G tank but I'll just fill it to the brim (relatively speaking) with corals and it will be equally dazzling until I am ready for a 75-100G tank. I'll get there one day and be able to have some of the fish I really want.... Not just the "nemos" for my young children ha!
 
TBH, if you can keep a 20g with HOB filter clean and algae free, AND growing corals, you'll have a very bright future in this hobby. Good husbandry in a small tank is challenging!
 
What fish are you wanting?

I am going nemos and coral in my 36gal all in one. Maybe a goby, but for whatever reason I don't have a huge desire for other nano fish. Might be a phase since coral is new to me. Curious what you were wanting maybe there is a cool fish I am not thinking about.
 
I have a 20 gallon doing JUST FINE. I have a clown (RIP 1 clown), coral beauty, yellow watchman goby, hermit crab, starfish, snails and corals. Now im planning a 65 as we speak so thats why the CB juvenile is ok for right now but i see no reason why you couldnt add a firefish and a goby to the tank. The goby will help decrease the bioload and the firefish wont add that much too the bioload to begin with. If your HOB filter is kept in proper order and you keep up on the tank maintenance you can add a few more fish.

You can take a look in my build thread to see whats going on.

I would agree that a mandrin in a 20g is not possible. Just like a Tang in a 20g is not really possible.
 
davehead86 said:
I have a 20 gallon doing JUST FINE. I have a clown (RIP 1 clown), coral beauty, yellow watchman goby, hermit crab, starfish, snails and corals. Now im planning a 65 as we speak so thats why the CB juvenile is ok for right now but i see no reason why you couldnt add a firefish and a goby to the tank. The goby will help decrease the bioload and the firefish wont add that much too the bioload to begin with. If your HOB filter is kept in proper order and you keep up on the tank maintenance you can add a few more fish.

You can take a look in my build thread to see whats going on.

I would agree that a mandrin in a 20g is not possible. Just like a Tang in a 20g is not really possible.
Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree with this post. The issue is not with bio load in adding fish at this point. In that aspect, yes, he has room. The issue is with the timidness of the fire fish. Firefish need a place to call their own that they can dart into when threatened. In a system this small with other fish, especially during feeding they will be stressed and stay hidden in the rocks. They can eventually starve to death. There are some exceptions as always but not a risk I would take. As far as a goby, it would have to be something like a clown goby or a neon goby. A sand sifter IMO will not get the proper nutrition from the small footprint of a 20gal.
 
Clownfish Chris said:
I respectfully disagree with this post. The issue is not with bio load in adding fish at this point. In that aspect, yes, he has room. The issue is with the timidness of the fire fish. Firefish need a place to call their own that they can dart into when threatened. In a system this small with other fish, especially during feeding they will be stressed and stay hidden in the rocks. They can eventually starve to death. There are some exceptions as always but not a risk I would take. As far as a goby, it would have to be something like a clown goby or a neon goby. A sand sifter IMO will not get the proper nutrition from the small footprint of a 20gal.
Click to expand...

I agree with the information you provided. And should have also clarified ... I do have to spot feed my goby with a frozen block of mysis and a tongs. I also overfeed my clown and CB so the starfish can have something to eat.

So if youre willing to put in the work and enjoy that type of work its all good.
 
davehead86 said:
I agree with the information you provided. And should have also clarified ... I do have to spot feed my goby with a frozen block of mysis and a tongs. I also overfeed my clown and CB so the starfish can have something to eat.

So if youre willing to put in the work and enjoy that type of work its all good.
Click to expand...

I wish this site had a like button!
 
chimmike said:
TBH, if you can keep a 20g with HOB filter clean and algae free, AND growing corals, you'll have a very bright future in this hobby. Good husbandry in a small tank is challenging!
Click to expand...

I plan on upgrading the filter before adding coral. Hopefully that will help ease the amount of water changes and cleaning required. Plus upgraded lights should help with algae blooms if/when they happen, non?
 
I'm a little bit confused now?
Is the problem bio load or the clowns aggression? If it's the aggression, it should be noted that I has a firefish in the tank who was quite happy. He had two fave hiding spots but was mostly out and about the tank and ate well alongside the clowns. They are not overly aggressive YET as they are still on the small side.

So if it is an aggression/territory could I add something equally aggressive and they would be ok? Or will that just lead to one out muscling the other until one starves or dies from something else?
Sorry for the questions. Just trying to fully understand since I'm getting mixed answers
 
Flicka said:
I'm a little bit confused now?
Is the problem bio load or the clowns aggression? If it's the aggression, it should be noted that I has a firefish in the tank who was quite happy. He had two fave hiding spots but was mostly out and about the tank and ate well alongside the clowns. They are not overly aggressive YET as they are still on the small side.

So if it is an aggression/territory could I add something equally aggressive and they would be ok? Or will that just lead to one out muscling the other until one starves or dies from something else?
Sorry for the questions. Just trying to fully understand since I'm getting mixed answers
Click to expand...

Not everyone will give you the same answer, but I have a 20 long with a 10 gallon sump that currently houses 2 clowns. I don't think the bio load will be an issue if you add one or two more fish. You'll just have to keep up on the water changes. My concern would be that the clowns have already established their territory. I've had a few different clowns over the years. Some are very timid, but others are complete a-holes. Kind of an unsatisfactory answer, I know. For me, my two clowns are all that will be in my tank unless I decide to get a shrimp and goby pair.
 
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