How does this stocking sound for a 21 gallon tank?

steviesaquariums

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 22, 2025
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Location
England
What state or country do you live in
United Kingdom
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hello I’m new here. Been doing freshwater on and off for 25 years and want to try a nano reef.

I’m planning a 21 gallon. I’m retired so I have a lot of free time for monitoring parameters, testing and water changes. I want start with soft corals and build up to LPS.

The livestock I’m thinking off are:
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 banggai cardinal
1 royal gramma
2 cleaner shrimp.

How does this stocking level sound? Is it too much?
 
Hello I’m new here. Been doing freshwater on and off for 25 years and want to try a nano reef.

I’m planning a 21 gallon. I’m retired so I have a lot of free time for monitoring parameters, testing and water changes. I want start with soft corals and build up to LPS.

The livestock I’m thinking off are:
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 banggai cardinal
1 royal gramma
2 cleaner shrimp.

How does this stocking level sound? Is it too much?
the cardinal is short-lived and disease prone
clowns as a pair fine''
royal gramma can be scrappy. rest fine. u would start with the clowns and shrimp. not the gramma or cardinal
 
As mentioned above, plan on a pair of clowns - from the same tank preferably. Otherwise don't get the biggest clown from the tanks - bigger is more likely to be a female. Starting with two males increases your chances of success.

For the Gramma - make sure it is a Royal Gramma and not a Dottyback. They look similar and can often be mislabeled/misidentified. The Gramma is semi-aggressive while the Dottyback is usually just plain aggressive.
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD YOUR LONGEST-SERVING CURRENT TANK RESIDENT?

  • Less than 1 year

    Votes: 2 5.7%
  • 1 - 3 years

    Votes: 10 28.6%
  • 3 - 5 years

    Votes: 2 5.7%
  • 5 - 10 years

    Votes: 12 34.3%
  • 10 - 20 years

    Votes: 4 11.4%
  • 20 years or more

    Votes: 4 11.4%
  • I don’t have livestock yet

    Votes: 1 2.9%
  • Other (Post in the comments)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top
Home
Post thread…
Market
What's new