Hello Steve,
First I wanted to say how great I think this thread is, and how awesome it is of you to keep it up. Think I read about 50 pages of it since yesterday... lots of the same questions being asked and you are never nasty about repeating.
I moved with an established 45g tall FOWLR, and transferred it July 15th into a temporary 20g long (24"x12"x12"). So it is VERY heavy on live rock (40-50lbs?) at the moment and has a fairly deep sand bed - about 3-4 inches. Within the next year, it will be transferred into a 46g bowfront.
FOWLR, no corals on the horizon, basic hood/light (will mesh the holes to prevent jumpers), HOB Prizm skimmer (supposedly for 75g), and powerheads. 76F. I feed twice a day.
-Right now I have a percula clown which I have had as a single for years, so undoubtedly a female at this point. I'm hoping that as a single, she won't be too aggressive for my plans, but please let me know.
In a 20 gallon she may feel cramped but temporarily ok. However, I would not add much to this tank until you have the larger tank online
-1 neon blue goby (Elacatinus oceanops) (not sure why more people don't get this fish - they are awesome!)
Adding this one should be fine, but realize that clowns will not allow cleaning behavior. However I would defer other additions until you have the larger tank. There are, however no behavioral issues among the following.
-1 goby / pistol shrimp pair, assuming it is compatible with the neon blue goby
-1 pearly jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons)
---Does this species eat shrimp? very small shrimp, e.g. sexy shrimp would be at risk with any jawfish
---Is the 3-4" sand bed deep enough for this at the current setup? There seem to be varying opinions and I trust yours. The rock is stable on the bottom glass. I always provide PVC homes when keeping jawfish, and you will need small rock rubble and empty shells
---Better to hold off until it can be in the 46g? yes, I would
If the jawfish is not appropriate, would a yellow clown goby (Gobiodon okinawae) be an okay addition to that mix?
Or a pair of the shrimp gobies instead? your original list is fine, if you pair shrimp gobies, they MUST be a pair for longer term in a smallish tank
Is that stocking level okay long term for a 20g long w/ heavy rockwork? No, marginal at best
Planning a clean up crew of snails / shrimp. Is a fighting conch too big for 20g? marginal, but ok
I understand shrimp usually ignore other shrimp species; will a pistol shrimp have issues with cleaners, peppermint, camel, or sexy? no. Even noncommensal ones such as alpheus soror work fine
Would bumblebee shrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum) be too small w/ the jawfish or other shrimp? too small
I know you prefer no crabs. Would one dwarf hermit and/or porcelain crab be too risky in this setup?
Porcelain is fine, I avoid hermits
I think they make great photography subjects. I do NOT want to risk the little gobies but if I eventually lose 2-3 snails that is an okay compromise for me. (Thank you for your advice, I know this is a bit off topic here.)
Once the 46g is a reality, these are my planned additions:
-1-2 flasher wrasse - ideally Carpenter's (Paracheilinus carpenteri), McCosker's (Paracheilinus mccoskeri), or Red Tailled (Paracheilinus rubricaudalis) but may depend on availability, or open to better options (2 would be M & F if available)
-1 Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto) - if not too aggressive w/ the little guys
-1 flame angel (Centropyge loriculus) - (added last, but most important)
Is that bioload too high in a 46g, since it is not a reef and has live rock & a skimmer?
should be fine, but with the other additions, you are a bit on the heavy side
I have been very lucky in the past; this time I will be setting up a QT and doing it right. Do you think a 10g QT would be okay for those fish? Would a 5g container suffice for my small additions planned for the 20g, or would that be too difficult to keep stable as a newbie?
small tanks require small bioloads. I prefer keeping a cycled quarantine tank online always.
Thank you so much for any input!