Stocking Order and Suggestions for 20g Nano

[clownfishl0ver]

I am getting back into the hobby after a few years and currently have a 20g cube cycling.

The stocking recommendations for 15g of water volume on saltwater aquarium blog and reefers direct both list the following:
1. 1 to 2 clownfish
2. 1 basslet
3. 1 blenny
4. 1-2 cardinal fish
5. 1 goby

This seems like a heavy bioload to me, so I plan to add each type slowly and see how my water parameters do before adding the next type. I likely won’t end up adding all five types, but I know I want at least one ocellaris clownfish.

Any recommendations on which of these would work well together in a nano tank and ideas on order to add them in?

 

[kevgib67]

They are all relatively passive, clowns will protect their small territory but will be fine. As far as bioload if you add all including 2 clowns and 2 cardinals you would be way over. I would suggest 2 clowns, royal gramma and either a goby or blenny. I wouldn’t go over 4 in a 20 gallon. Good luck, these are great fish!

 

[Shanephillips27]

They are all relatively passive, clowns will protect their small territory but will be fine. As far as bioload if you add all including 2 clowns and 2 cardinals you would be way over. I would suggest 2 clowns, royal gramma and either a goby or blenny. I wouldn’t go over 4 in a 20 gallon. Good luck, these are great fish!

Hello I have a redsea nano max peninsula cube 26 gallon model. And currently have 2 ocellaris clowns and a royal gramma. I would like to know if these fish will be fine long term in this tank thank you as upgrading is out of the question.

 

[kevgib67]

Hello I have a redsea nano max peninsula cube 26 gallon model. And currently have 2 ocellaris clowns and a royal gramma. I would like to know if these fish will be fine long term in this tank thank you as upgrading is out of the question.

Yes that would be fine and you could get away with another small fish as well.

 

[Shanephillips27]

Yes that would be fine and you could get away with another small fish as well.

Awesome could you give me suggestions on other small fish that would be good I’m going for a mixed reef with coral?

 

[1112-425XL]

Possum wrasse is a possibility.

 

[Andreas' Reef]

No more that 4-5 in a 20 gallon. I wouldn't do clowns, they get too big.

Which type of blenny?

Which type of basslett?

Which type of goby?

 

[kevgib67]

Awesome could you give me suggestions on other small fish that would be good I’m going for a mixed reef with coral?

1112-425XL made a good suggestion or a pinked streaked wrasse. A yellow watchman goby has a unique personality. I have a yellow tailed damsel, added last, that gets along well with my other fish in fact at the bottom of the pecking order, I wanted a splash of blue.

 

[Shanephillips27]

Thank you everyone for the responses. So overall total how many small fish can I keep in the redsea nano peninsula? Permanently

 

[kevgib67]

Thank you everyone for the responses. So overall total how many small fish can I keep in the redsea nano peninsula? Permanently

I would do four. I know at first you’ll think there is so much space left but trust me these fish will grow.

 

[Shanephillips27]

I would do four. I know at first you’ll think there is so much space left but trust me these fish will grow.

I completely understand and I definitely don’t want to overstock or cause too many nutrients that my system can’t handle that’s why I just want to make sure the number of fish I keep in there is suitable as adults as well.

 

[doubleshot00]

You may find in the end you can only have the two clowns if they claim the while tank. Who knows.

My sons tank currently is a wb20 that houses two demon clowns. Were gonna try a damsel and a royal grama.

We will see.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

The clowns are gonna take over the entire tank. Goby will jump because of it. Everyone else will be picked at.

Clowns are the worst community fish that fit into nanos

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Hope the damsel liberates your tank from the vile clowns

You may find in the end you can only have the two clowns if they claim the while tank. Who knows.

My sons tank currently is a wb20 that houses two demon clowns. Were gonna try a damsel and a royal grama.

 

[doubleshot00]

Hope the damsel liberates your tank from the vie clowns

He calls his tank the “mean fish” tank i call it the tank with the A fish.

 

[RSNJReef]

So, for the bio load, the water volume plays a part, but the bigger impact is your filtration system. Are you going to run a sump, if so what volume? And what will your mechanical / biological filtration look like? And how often do you plan to change the water?

For example, I have 6 seahorses and a mandarin dragonet pair in a 40 gallon breeder, and feed 7 cubes of food daily. Most seahorse keepers would be up in arms telling me I’m slowly killing my seahorses by doing this, until I tell them that 40 gallon tank is plumbed into a 50 gallon sump, a 10 gallon refugium, and a 50 gallon return tank, and in the system I have a chiller, two 8x4x4 marine pure blocks, a fleece roller with 20micron fleece, a protein skimmer rated for 200 gallons, and in the refugium it’s filled with macro algae. On top of that, the system changes 5 gall Is of water daily. Once I say that, most then back off.

So, it’s not just about the display. How w would you manage the nutrients you need to remove?

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

He calls his tank the “mean fish” tank i call it the tank with the A fish.

I have a 6 year old nano with "a fish." She's bit me at least 500 times. She's killed every fish I ever put into that 14 g tank.

This is Disney's fault.

 

[doubleshot00]

I have a 6 year old nano with "a fish." She's bit me at least 500 times. She's killed every fish I ever put into that 14 g tank.

This is Disney's fault.

 

[littlefoxx]

I am getting back into the hobby after a few years and currently have a 20g cube cycling.

The stocking recommendations for 15g of water volume on saltwater aquarium blog and reefers direct both list the following:
1. 1 to 2 clownfish
2. 1 basslet
3. 1 blenny
4. 1-2 cardinal fish
5. 1 goby

This seems like a heavy bioload to me, so I plan to add each type slowly and see how my water parameters do before adding the next type. I likely won’t end up adding all five types, but I know I want at least one ocellaris clownfish.

Any recommendations on which of these would work well together in a nano tank and ideas on order to add them in?

For reference here are my adult clowns so you can see size of them

 

[Shanephillips27]

For reference here are my adult clowns so you can see size of them

What size is your tank?