Final fish for 20 gallon!

[LukeSivyer45]

Hello everyone I have a pair of clowns ( very peaceful ) and a royal gramma. I am looking for another fish that could be a bit competitive for food and either looks nice or has a funny personality. I have already tried a yellow clown goby however it didnt compete for food and sadly died. I have thought about a six line wrasse which ive seen in mine lfs which is super peaceful, a banggai cardinal which looks nice and maybe a hawkfish however people say they can be territorial.

 

[Dcal]

Firefish?

 

[anemoneanatomy]

Clownfish may be peaceful, but they tend to be quite territorial when bonded and can be intimidating to new fish looking to feed, especially if their "homebase" is toward the top of the tank. I would expect most new fish may have some difficulty getting food for the first few days, at least, and I'd recommend taking special effort to target feed them so that you don't have more fish dying off. I have a nanotank where the first two occupants were clownfish, and it takes 2-3 weeks for new inhabitants to not require some special care to ensure they got a bit of food in their bellies.

For a fourth inhabitant, I would not recommend a banggai cardinal because they are weak swimmers and will be out-competed by your current three fish during meal times. I don't think a hawkfish is a good idea, either, as they can be nasty little dudes once they are established. I'd consider an orchid dottyback or a coral beauty angelfish if you can find one that's at least 2"

 

[Reef.]

Hello everyone I have a pair of clowns ( very peaceful ) and a royal gramma. I am looking for another fish that could be a bit competitive for food and either looks nice or has a funny personality. I have already tried a yellow clown goby however it didnt compete for food and sadly died. I have thought about a six line wrasse which ive seen in mine lfs which is super peaceful, a banggai cardinal which looks nice and maybe a hawkfish however people say they can be territorial.

How do you feed?

You really don't want competition for food!

Are you not feeding a lot?

I my experience, clowns tend to let the food come to them, unless very hungry, they stay in place and grab the food as it goes by.

The RG will actively swim after food.

If you are feeding enough then any fish suitable for a 20g would work, looking for one that is a competitive eater is probably going to get you into issues, as both clowns and RG are not as friendly as they always look.

 

[dedragon]

maybe a springeri or azure damsel as an active swimmer for the small tank. They are more peaceful but can still hold their ground. firefish is a good choice as well. idk about the cardinalfish, might need to increase feeding a bit more which will increase nutrient load

 

[BiggestE222]

Hello everyone I have a pair of clowns ( very peaceful ) and a royal gramma. I am looking for another fish that could be a bit competitive for food and either looks nice or has a funny personality. I have already tried a yellow clown goby however it didnt compete for food and sadly died. I have thought about a six line wrasse which ive seen in mine lfs which is super peaceful, a banggai cardinal which looks nice and maybe a hawkfish however people say they can be territorial.

I think a six-line needs more room at least a 50 gallon system. A body seems like a good option. Or a lawnmower blenny for clean up

 

[BiggestE222]

How do you feed?

You really don't want competition for food!

Are you not feeding a lot?

I my experience, clowns tend to let the food come to them, unless very hungry, they stay in place and grab the food as it goes by.

The RG will actively swim after food.

If you are feeding enough then any fish suitable for a 20g would work, looking for one that is a competitive eater is probably going to get you into issues, as both clowns and RG are not as friendly as they always look.

My cinnamon clownfish runs to food like it’s money. And he is fat and healthy.

 

[dedragon]

I think a six-line needs more room at least a 50 gallon system. A body seems like a good option. Or a lawnmower blenny for clean up

lawnmower blenny needs more space for algae to grow enough to sustain it, they eat a lot of algae

 

[kagisexton]

Possum wrasse

 

[BiggestE222]

Don’t possum wrasses need a supply of pods also.

 

[LukeSivyer45]

How do you feed?

You really don't want competition for food!

Are you not feeding a lot?

I my experience, clowns tend to let the food come to them, unless very hungry, they stay in place and grab the food as it goes by.

The RG will actively swim after food.

If you are feeding enough then any fish suitable for a 20g would work, looking for one that is a competitive eater is probably going to get you into issues, as both clowns and RG are not as friendly as they always look.

I feed once a day about 1/3 to a half a cube of mysis, vegetables, copepods and brine shrimp. They always inhale the food because they are greedy. I think feeding multiple small times a day should be better but i always over feed and i really dont want high nitrates :/

 

[LukeSivyer45]

lawnmower blenny needs more space for algae to grow enough to sustain it, they eat a lot of algae

Yea i dont get much algae, i only get diatoms

 

[LukeSivyer45]

Don’t possum wrasses need a supply of pods also.

I have dosed about 500ml of pods over 4ish months. I havent seen any on the glass or rock so im not to sure how established they are.

 

[dedragon]

Don’t possum wrasses need a supply of pods also.

not really, as long as they are eating prepared foods just fine. They do benefit imo from having a constant supply of pods though

 

[Sarcazian]

My cinnamon clownfish runs to food like it’s money. And he is fat and healthy.

Same with my three clowns. They see me coming to the tank and jet to the top right part of the tank. The cleaner shrimp is often right behind swimming on the water surface looking for a free meal.

They get fed 1-2x a day at the least and 2 big pinches each time of either PE mysis (dry), TDO, or a 1/3 of a frozen cube (2x a week).

 

[Reef.]

I feed once a day about 1/3 to a half a cube of mysis, vegetables, copepods and brine shrimp. They always inhale the food because they are greedy. I think feeding multiple small times a day should be better but i always over feed and i really dont want high nitrates :/

Feeding once a day I don't think you can call them greedy, they only have small stomachs, only so much can be eaten in one go.

I feed many times a day and my nitrates are low.

The point I'm trying to make is the lack of food or competition for food can cause the very issue you are wanting to prevent.

You already have 2 breeds of fish that don't mind a fight if it comes to it, adding a 3rd may be an issue, feeding more could help ward of any fighting for food.

 

[Suohhen]

Yea i dont get much algae, i only get diatoms

Trochus snails love diatoms. 6 lines are mean but the fish you have can handle their own so small tanks like yours are the one place I think they fit albeit as already mentioned they are quite the active swimmer so a 20 isn't the best environment. One fish I personally love that doesn't get anywhere near the attention it deserves is the meiacanthus or 'fanged tooth blenny'. They are awesome, small, active fish that other fish don't get too aggressive with and they are also commonly available captive bred. It is just tricky adding any new fish to established tanks so it is best if you can qt or at least ask a store if they can for you, or at the very least find a fish that has been in the store for a while. It is weird, fish can be hard to find since the pandemic started but if you can find a store that keeps a lot of fish chances are a lot of those fish have been there a while. I am fortune to have a store like that near me...2 hours away, called Aquatic Collection in Fremont CA. They keep 10x the fish of most stores, a true gem.

 

[LukeSivyer45]

Feeding once a day I don't think you can call them greedy, they only have small stomachs, only so much can be eaten in one go.

I feed many times a day and my nitrates are low.

The point I'm trying to make is the lack of food or competition for food can cause the very issue you are wanting to prevent.

You already have 2 breeds of fish that don't mind a fight if it comes to it, adding a 3rd may be an issue, feeding more could help ward of any fighting for food.

Ok will take this into consideration. What are your nitrates at because im just trying to work out what is too high. Mine sit at around 17ppm.

 

[BiggestE222]

Feeding once a day I don't think you can call them greedy, they only have small stomachs, only so much can be eaten in one go.

I feed many times a day and my nitrates are low.

The point I'm trying to make is the lack of food or competition for food can cause the very issue you are wanting to prevent.

You already have 2 breeds of fish that don't mind a fight if it comes to it, adding a 3rd may be an issue, feeding more could help ward of any fighting for food.

I seriously lowered my phosphates by floating my frozen cubes in display water and then draining all the liquid. I know people do that for PE Musis. But oretty much all frozen foods have phosphate that can easily be removed

 

[BiggestE222]

Feeding once a day I don't think you can call them greedy, they only have small stomachs, only so much can be eaten in one go.

I feed many times a day and my nitrates are low.

The point I'm trying to make is the lack of food or competition for food can cause the very issue you are wanting to prevent.

You already have 2 breeds of fish that don't mind a fight if it comes to it, adding a 3rd may be an issue, feeding more could help ward of any fighting for food.

I feed 2-3 times a day. Also I have a huge supply of pods for my six-line and my regal tang grazes for algae all day