First Timer -- How Many Fish & Inverts In A Waterbox 25g AIO?

[OldRed1]

Recently purchased the Waterbox Peninsula Mini 25 gallon. It will be several months before we begin set up, and so we are using this time to plan, plan, plan. We know we will be getting 2 of the Mocha Storm Clowns. Of the fish & inverts included below, how many could we reasonably pick?

Will be buying: 2 X Captive-Bred Mocha Storm Clownfish

Fish:
Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby - Captive-Bred
Court Jester Goby
Wide-barred Shrimp Goby
Exquisite Firefish
Firefish
Firefish, Helfrichi
Firefish, Purple
Blue Dot Jawfish
Captive-Bred Orchid Dottyback
Pink Spotted Watchman Goby
Sailfin/Algae Blenny
Scissortail Dartfish

Inverts:
Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Banded Coral Shrimp
Captive-Bred Peppermint Shrimp
Sexy Anemone Shrimp
Snapping Shrimp
Aquacultured Red Tuxedo Urchin
Aquacultured Pincushion Sea Urchin
Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin

 

[blaxsun]

It all really depends on your bio filter and filtration. A skimmer is definitely a must if you plan to have more than 4-6 fish. I'd skip the algae blenny (probably not enough in a 25-gallon to support him), although all the other fish should be fine. If they're all relatively small and different types, you can probably handle 6-8.

 

[Geebs19]

Where are you planning the get the mocha storms? I just got a pair myself and they are beautiful.

 

[OldRed1]

Where are you planning the get the mocha storms? I just got a pair myself and they are beautiful.

There are several online retailers we’ve stumbled on, so those may be an option. The other possibility is to make make a request directly with our LFS to put in an order for us.

 

[OldRed1]

It all really depends on your bio filter and filtration. A skimmer is definitely a must if you plan to have more than 4-6 fish. I'd skip the algae blenny (probably not enough in a 25-gallon to support him), although all the other fish should be fine. If they're all relatively small and different types, you can probably handle 6-8.

I’ll be running a skimmer for sure. Good call on the blenny. Something I am struggling to get information on is how many sand-bed-based fish one can have in a tank this size.

 

[blaxsun]

I’ll be running a skimmer for sure. Good call on the blenny. Something I am struggling to get information on is how many sand-bed-based fish one can have in a tank this size.

That's really hard to say. I think as long as you have a lot of nooks and crevices to each fish to carve out a home, you should be fine with more than a few.

 

[Geebs19]

There are several online retailers we’ve stumbled on, so those may be an option. The other possibility is to make make a request directly with our LFS to put in an order for us.

I would highly recommend @Cultivated Reef for your storm clowns. The ones I got from them are beautiful.

 

[OldRed1]

I would highly recommend @Cultivated Reef for your storm clowns. The ones I got from them are beautiful.

Thank you for the recommendation!!

 

[jfoahs04]

Recently purchased the Waterbox Peninsula Mini 25 gallon. It will be several months before we begin set up, and so we are using this time to plan, plan, plan. We know we will be getting 2 of the Mocha Storm Clowns. Of the fish & inverts included below, how many could we reasonably pick?

Will be buying: 2 X Captive-Bred Mocha Storm Clownfish

Fish:
Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby - Captive-Bred
Court Jester Goby
Wide-barred Shrimp Goby
Exquisite Firefish
Firefish
Firefish, Helfrichi
Firefish, Purple
Blue Dot Jawfish
Captive-Bred Orchid Dottyback
Pink Spotted Watchman Goby
Sailfin/Algae Blenny
Scissortail Dartfish

Inverts:
Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Banded Coral Shrimp
Captive-Bred Peppermint Shrimp
Sexy Anemone Shrimp
Snapping Shrimp
Aquacultured Red Tuxedo Urchin
Aquacultured Pincushion Sea Urchin
Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin

If it were me, I'd go with the pair of clowns, one of the firefish/dartfish, and one of the gobies. That's a decent stock. You probably have room for one more small fish after that. I'd skip the dottyback. They can be good tankmates (I've had one in a smaller tank), but they tend to butt heads with fish that are similar in shape and occupy the same area of the tank. That means the firefish/dartfish and the goby will likely have a hard time of it. IF you go with the dotty, add it last. But I'd avoid it altogether. Since you'll have the goby (which will be on the bottom and in the rocks mostly), and the firefish which will alternate between hiding in the rocks and floating above them, I'd go for an active swimmer. Something like a pink streaked wrasse or some sort of possum wrasse would be great. Alternatively, chromis are pretty active swimmers too. Springer's damsels offer a pop of color and are less aggressive than other damsels. One might work in your setup.

For inverts, I'd go with a pair of skunk cleaners, the snapping/pistol shrimp to pair with one of the gobies, and maybe a tuxedo urchin (obviously with some sweet 3d printed hats), though I personally avoid urchins myself. A CUC with some snails and hermits would be ideal as well. The Sexy Shrimp look great, but they'll limit your fish stock as many will pick on them (though nothing on your list should be much of an issue).

 

[OldRed1]

If it were me, I'd go with the pair of clowns, one of the firefish/dartfish, and one of the gobies. That's a decent stock. You probably have room for one more small fish after that. I'd skip the dottyback. They can be good tankmates (I've had one in a smaller tank), but they tend to butt heads with fish that are similar in shape and occupy the same area of the tank. That means the firefish/dartfish and the goby will likely have a hard time of it. IF you go with the dotty, add it last. But I'd avoid it altogether. Since you'll have the goby (which will be on the bottom and in the rocks mostly), and the firefish which will alternate between hiding in the rocks and floating above them, I'd go for an active swimmer. Something like a pink streaked wrasse or some sort of possum wrasse would be great. Alternatively, chromis are pretty active swimmers too. Springer's damsels offer a pop of color and are less aggressive than other damsels. One might work in your setup.

For inverts, I'd go with a pair of skunk cleaners, the snapping/pistol shrimp to pair with one of the gobies, and maybe a tuxedo urchin (obviously with some sweet 3d printed hats), though I personally avoid urchins myself. A CUC with some snails and hermits would be ideal as well. The Sexy Shrimp look great, but they'll limit your fish stock as many will pick on them (though nothing on your list should be much of an issue).

This is great information, thank you! Are Banggai Cardinals generally good tank mates? We were wondering if a cardinal would be a good option for the 'active swimmer' category.

 

[jfoahs04]

This is great information, thank you! Are Banggai Cardinals generally good tank mates? We were wondering if a cardinal would be a good option for the 'active swimmer' category.

If you kept just one clown and one cardinal, it should be fine. But over the long run, I'd worry a little about the pair of clowns (especially the dominant female) bullying the cardinal. And while they definitely spend a lot of time in the water column, cardinals are not active in the same way that a fish moving through the rockwork would be.

 

[SlugSnorter]

c

Recently purchased the Waterbox Peninsula Mini 25 gallon. It will be several months before we begin set up, and so we are using this time to plan, plan, plan. We know we will be getting 2 of the Mocha Storm Clowns. Of the fish & inverts included below, how many could we reasonably pick?

Will be buying: 2 X Captive-Bred Mocha Storm Clownfish

Fish:
Yasha White Ray Shrimp Goby - Captive-Bred
Court Jester Goby
Wide-barred Shrimp Goby
Exquisite Firefish
Firefish
Firefish, Helfrichi
Firefish, Purple
Blue Dot Jawfish
Captive-Bred Orchid Dottyback
Pink Spotted Watchman Goby
Sailfin/Algae Blenny
Scissortail Dartfish

Inverts:
Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Banded Coral Shrimp
Captive-Bred Peppermint Shrimp
Sexy Anemone Shrimp
Snapping Shrimp
Aquacultured Red Tuxedo Urchin
Aquacultured Pincushion Sea Urchin
Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin

cannot mix firefish, so watch out for that. might be a tad too small for that scissor tail and jawfish

 

[Geebs19]

This is great information, thank you! Are Banggai Cardinals generally good tank mates? We were wondering if a cardinal would be a good option for the 'active swimmer' category.

From what I have seen Cardinals dont really swim, they more just float in one area. I would go with 3 chromis if you want a more active fish.

 

[OldRed1]

c

cannot mix firefish, so watch out for that. might be a tad too small for that scissor tail and jawfish

Definitely hear you on mixing firefish, and at this time we do not intend to. I included the different varieties in our list above if only to spark a conversation about why one variant may be more (less) preferable than another.

 

[OldRed1]

If you kept just one clown and one cardinal, it should be fine. But over the long run, I'd worry a little about the pair of clowns (especially the dominant female) bullying the cardinal. And while they definitely spend a lot of time in the water column, cardinals are not active in the same way that a fish moving through the rockwork would be.

From what I have seen Cardinals dont really swim, they more just float in one area. I would go with 3 chromis if you want a more active fish.

Great advice all around. Thank you!

 

[SlugSnorter]

Definitely hear you on mixing firefish, and at this time we do not intend to. I included the different varieties in our list above if only to spark a conversation about why one variant may be more (less) preferable than another.

Magnifca looks the best IMO and is the cheapest. not that much difference between the varieties beyond amount of purple and price.

 

[Geebs19]

Magnifca looks the best IMO and is the cheapest. not that much difference between the varieties beyond amount of purple and price.

Ya, I was going to say just pick one that you like the best.