First tank 20g stocking

[trelise]

Hi guys!

I'm new to saltwater and still trying to learn the hobby fully. I've been in freshwater for a while but now expanding into this!
I haven't bought a tank yet, but I'm looking for at least 20 gallons or bigger. I will start as a FOWLR tank and then begin to add corals after a few months.

Here is my idea of what will stock so far:
2x occelaris clowns
1x yellow clown goby
1x cleaner shrimp
4x turbo snails
1x anemone if possible?

Does this sound okay? I think in freshwater you can stock more compared to saltwater, possibly because of the size of fish, so I'm trying to be careful not to overstock. Also Is my clean up crew good enough? Should I add some more snails or another shrimp? Maybe a peppermint shrimp - although I have heard they can pick on anemones.
Does anyone have any suggestions for 'branching corals' for the clown goby. I can't find any examples online.

 

[blaxsun]

Yes. You'll probably want a bit bigger cleanup crew at some point, ie: +1-2x nassarius snails, 4x trochus snails, 2x spiny astrea snails, 4x hermit crabs.

 

[trelise]

Okay, that's what I suspected!
I've just had a look, and cannot find the snails avaliable in my country, at least not right now. There are peppermint and cleaner shrimps avaliable though.
If I cannot find those snails, should I just get a load of the turbo snails?

 

[MaxTremors]

I suggest around 0.75 snails per gallon and 0.50 hermits per gallon. So that would be 15 various snails and ten hermits. I know it seems like a lot (the recommendation used to be 1-2 per gallon), but you need a robust CuC to keep algae at bay and to keep detritus from building up.

 

[trelise]

I suggest around 0.75 snails per gallon and 0.50 hermits per gallon. So that would be 15 various snails and ten hermits. I know it seems like a lot (the recommendation used to be 1-2 per gallon), but you need a robust CuC to keep algae at bay and to keep detritus from building up.

That's very interesting. I will take the recommendation.
Thank you!

 

[blaxsun]

Nassarius are nocturnal, spend the majority of their time in the substrate and will clean that. Trochus and turbo snails will clean your glass, but trochus snails have the ability to right themselves. Spiny astrea have this armored spiked shell that keeps them safe and they'll spend most of the time cleaning your rocks.

Get whatever is available and just keep an eye out for the ones you're missing.

 

[shakacuz]

stock list seems good so far. as suggested, probably up the CUC a bit more. this will help as you adjust your feeding routine/habits to fit your fish and CUC.

 

[Grumblez]

Does anyone have any suggestions for 'branching corals' for the clown goby. I can't find any examples online.

The clown goby will also be perfectly happen to nestle in rocks. Most "branching corals" at least the ones your thing off are refered to as SPS short polyp Stony coral. The easiest SPS to keep that branch are going to be your birdnest corals like Pink bird's-nest or greens birdnest.

 

[trelise]

The clown goby will also be perfectly happen to nestle in rocks. Most "branching corals" at least the ones your thing off are refered to as SPS short polyp Stony coral. The easiest SPS to keep that branch are going to be your birdnest corals like Pink bird's-nest or greens birdnest.

Oh, sweet. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll look into it.

 

[davidcalgary29]

You also have the option of stocking your build with your CUC before you add fish. While you probably will have to feed them with supplemental nori sheets while your flora establishes itself, this will act as a quarantine in itself. While this isn't as optimal as a dedicated invert quarantine routine, that can be a hassle in itself, and the entire concept of invert quarantine often seems like a daunting prospect to many people.

A big bonus of adding inverts first, though, is that you'll likely get the trochus snails to breed quickly and heavily because nothing will be eating their eggs. I did this with my Evo, and my trochus snail population expanded from three to dozens, and I used those to populate the rest of my builds.

And don't forget urchins for your CUC. They're truly amazing creatures and as much fun to watch as any fish in your tank. You also don't have to quarantine them for ich.

 

[trelise]

Stocking CUC first seems like a really great idea! It'll also probably help the cycle finish establishing properly and continue to cycle itself until I add fish.

For the urchins, isn't my tank too small? I've looked into them before and I thought that they needed at least 50 gallons. Could I do them in a 20 gallon?

 

[davidcalgary29]

Stocking CUC first seems like a really great idea! It'll also probably help the cycle finish establishing properly and continue to cycle itself until I add fish.

For the urchins, isn't my tank too small? I've looked into them before and I thought that they needed at least 50 gallons. Could I do them in a 20 gallon?

I have a tuxedo urchin in my Evo 13.5g, and it's been doing well for the past eight months.