20g fish list

[jorahx]

hey so i'm trying to plan out my fish list for my 20g tank. so far i want to get 3-4 fish max so it isnt to over populated. here is what i have came up with so far. let me know your guys suggestions are and what a good order of introducing the fish are.

Plan 1-
long nose hawkfish
yellow goby
clown
Green Chromis Damsel

Plan 2-
yellow goby
hawkfish
clown
6 line wrasse

Plan 3-
clown
clown
hawkfish
6 line wrasse


if anybody has suggestion for other fish i am open to evaluating them too!
thanks for your help.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Make the 2 clownfish ocellaris instead of perculla since these will stay a little smaller.

Maybe a cleaner shrimp or a fire shrimp, not both, tank is too small.

A Harlequin serpent starfish.
Wait for one of the perfect dark black and bright white ones or a red bodied one.
The 2 tone dark grey and light grey are fine but not as pretty.

Your hawkfish needs to be a geometric pixie hawkfish.
Longnose hawkfish is out, flame hawkfish is out, even a falco hawkfish needs more room, and it would need to be the only fish in the tank.

Yellow goby or clown gobies should be ok.

Have you considered a royal gramma?

Honestly I would stop at the 2 ocellaris clownfish and a fire shrimp and a stays under 6 inches serpent star.

The clown fish will get territorial in a year.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Our 6 line is a useful fish but always a source of regret. Lol

 

[40B Knasty]

Swissguard or Swalise basslet. Pending how much you want to break the bank. Just no smaller shrimp like sexy, peppermint, or Camel Shrimp. Skunk and fire shrimp are fine.
Tail Spotted Blenny(s) beautiful fish, a lot of personality, and great eaters. You could get 3 of them.
I would stay away from a 6 line. I hear about 1 good story to about every 20 bad.
Long Nose Hawk fish will eat shrimp.

 

[Blizzahjh]

plan 3 for 2 reasons, who doesnt a good love story (mated clowns), and hawkfish are 1 of the most enjoyable/entertaining fish you can get. careful wrasses are jumpers btw, you will definitely need a solid lid/net

 

[rich nyc]

you like the hawkfish. I would just stay away from the wrasse. He will pick on others and will be hard to catch.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Longnose hawkfish are a fantastic fish. At full size it will be big for a 20g, but can be housed in one.

Clowns are more territorial when paired, especially when spawning, so I would recommend a single clown in a 20g with other fish.

Sixline wrasses can be aggressive, particularly in smaller tanks.

 

[jorahx]

okay, 6 line is OUT. hawkfish possibly out.

so what about
clown
shrimp?
yellow globy
orchid dotty back

 

[jorahx]

or what about a pygmy filefish?

 

[eatbreakfast]

okay, 6 line is OUT. hawkfish possibly out.

so what about
clown
shrimp?
yellow globy
orchid dotty back

or what about a pygmy filefish?

Any of those would work.

 

[jorahx]

should i go 4 fish and 1 shrimp? or 3 fish and 1 shrimp? or just 4 fish?

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

should i go 4 fish and 1 shrimp? or 3 fish and 1 shrimp? or just 4 fish?

4 fish and 1 shrimp will be fine, I would opt for a skunk cleaner shrimp or a flame shrimp though. Probably should stay away from coral banded shrimp (they take up quite a bit of space and can be aggressive). If you want a really cool shrimp, Pederson's Cleaner Shrimp are really neat but you will have to keep non-predatory fish only (no dottybacks, hawkfish, etc.).

 

[norfolkgarden]

3 fish and 1 shrimp is safer for a 20 and will give you more breathing room with parameters.
The 2 clownfish are pretty cool together. Their natural behavior as a pair is interesting.

I have been told by several people that inverts don't count against your fish stocking limits.
Cleaner shrimp or fire shrimp, smaller banded serpent starfish and some feather dusters are all interesting inverts.

3 decent size small fish in a 20 seems like a lot.

Look into the geometric pixie hawkfish. [emoji4]

Not quite as cool as the Longnose, but similar pattern and stops at 2.5 inches.

We have a Longnose, Flame and a geometric pixie hawkfish in a 75 gallon tank with a lot of rock.
Took a little work to get the right Longnose with the right Flame, but worth it.
All 3 are pretty cool.

If you wanted a 4th small fish, consider a neon blue or neon gold cleaner gobie (not the cleaner wrasse).
Awesome colors and useful as cleaners if you went with the fire shrimp.

Or a yellow clown gobie.

Or a gobie/shrimp pair.

Google "nano tank fish" and check out some of the amazing gobies that would get lost in a tank bigger than a 20 gallon.

 

[jorahx]

okay, hows this new plan sound?

pygmy hawk fish
clown
goby / shrimp pair
royal gramma or black cap basslet.

what order would you guys introduce them into a tank?

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

okay, hows this new plan sound?

pygmy hawk fish
clown
goby / shrimp pair
royal gramma or black cap basslet.

what order would you guys introduce them into a tank?

Here's the order I would prioritize:
1. goby/shrimp
2. pygmy hawk
3. clown
4. Royal Gramma/Blackcap (get a smaller one)

 

[eatbreakfast]

I would just warn that the geometric pygmy hawkfish often don't accept frozen or other prepared foods.

 

[jorahx]

I would just warn that the geometric pygmy hawkfish often don't accept frozen or other prepared foods.

hmm. thats interesting. ill have to look into proper feeding of them! thanks.

 

[NY_Caveman]

If you decide you want a wrasse (say for picking at small pests) a pink streaked wrasse stays about 2.5 inches. They are quite docile. A possum wrasse also could work. One of them with 2 clowns and a shrimp should work well.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

2nd the possum or pink streaked wrasse suggestion. Rainford goby is another option, just make sure its eating before you buy.

 

[jorahx]

Girlfriend talked me into two clowns.

So current stock is two clowns, one yellow goby.