20g long stocking idea advice

[Croccoligator]

hey y’all! pretty new to saltwater but I’ve been keeping freshwater for a couple years and have a 20g sitting around that I wanna use. I’ve been doing a bit of research but I’m still stumped on how many is too many

My stocking idea:
- 2 ocellaris clowns
- 1 banggai cardinalfish
- 1 longnose hawkfish
- 1 skunk shrimp
- 1 bumblebee snail

Is that too many? I’m planning on doing weekly water changes and get a skimmer to help with bioload, but I’m also planning on adding some soft corals later. I’m looking into fuges as an option tho, and the tank would have both corals and macroalgae.

Also, I’d really love to add a possum wrasse so please lmk if it’s possible to either squeeze one in there or switch out one of the fish for it! I’ve heard mixed opinions about tank requirements so I’m not too sure.

Oh and if you have any fish recs those are very much appreciated! I have a preference towards more colorful or weird lookin fish

And sorry if I sound dumb for askin all this, hope I don’t come off as ignorant or anything I just want whats best for my lil friends

 

[blaxsun]

Stocking list looks fine although I would probably go for a tamer and more personable fish like the flame hawkfish. Depending on how things go after you have everything setup, stocked and running for a while you may be able to add 1-2 more small fish (it really depends on your nitrate and phosphate levels).

If this is a freshwater tank that lacks a sump you'll want something like a hang-on back (HOB) filter like a Seachem Tidal. The Tidal pulls water from both beneath and on the surface - eliminating surface film. You probably don't need both a skimmer and refugium, and again - if you lack a sump, a HOB skimmer would work best vs. a refugium.

 

[SchrutesReefs]

If you’re doing a sand bed you may want to consider a tiger conch, or nassarius snails to help keep the sand clear. I have a 20 gallon and I have 3 nassarius and 1 tiger conch. They are always buried but don’t stir up my sand like my pistol shrimp did.

 

[Croccoligator]

alright thank u for the input! I’m still going back and forth on the matter cuz people on Reddit said it’s overstocked, so I might take out the shrimp or just wait until I can upgrade

 

[Ricox]

That stocking list sounds fine although I would personally stock it with.
2 clowns
Fire fish
Royal gramma
Just because they are all peaceful hardy fish.
Also the skunk cleaner is fine some people have kept them in tanks by themselves as small as 0.5 gallons!

 

[Ricox]

I also would add a few hermits and snails to eat algae along with the Nassarius snails and conch.

 

[Croccoligator]

noted! after some thought i may just wait until i can grab a 40 breeder cuz there's just so many fish i want lol

 

[Ricox]

40 gallon breeder is great for stocking fish due to its dimensions! Good luck!