How many fish in 12 gal nano?

[aaron186]

I’m used to much larger tanks. There was a mixup with a fish order I had from an online store and ended up with 2 small clowns that I didn’t order. My wife decided that she felt bad for the fish and wouldn’t let me take them to LFS. These free fish ended up costing me about a grand… I put them in my sump for a month while her new office 12 gal Maxspect dice tank cycled.

Do you think there’s anything more I should put in there? Right now it’s just the 2 small clowns, and a few snails and hermits from my display. I bought a small skimmer for the rear that doesn’t seem to do much yet. I’m just gonna keep softies in here. Would a small goby or blenny be a bad choice? I’m not used to nanos.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

I’m used to much larger tanks. There was a mixup with a fish order I had from an online store and ended up with 2 small clowns that I didn’t order. My wife decided that she felt bad for the fish and wouldn’t let me take them to LFS. These free fish ended up costing me about a grand… I put them in my sump for a month while her new office 12 gal Maxspect dice tank cycled.

Do you think there’s anything more I should put in there? Right now it’s just the 2 small clowns, and a few snails and hermits from my display. I bought a small skimmer for the rear that doesn’t seem to do much yet. I’m just gonna keep softies in here. Would a small goby or blenny be a bad choice? I’m not used to nanos.

Thanks for the advice.

I remember biota sells coral beautys and rainfords gobies with their 13 gal, I disagree with this, though I'm not saying that there's nothing else you can add, maybe a barnacle blenny though I'm worried that the clowns might be aggressive towards it. If you can find a nano goby than that could do

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m used to much larger tanks. There was a mixup with a fish order I had from an online store and ended up with 2 small clowns that I didn’t order. My wife decided that she felt bad for the fish and wouldn’t let me take them to LFS. These free fish ended up costing me about a grand… I put them in my sump for a month while her new office 12 gal Maxspect dice tank cycled.

Do you think there’s anything more I should put in there? Right now it’s just the 2 small clowns, and a few snails and hermits from my display. I bought a small skimmer for the rear that doesn’t seem to do much yet. I’m just gonna keep softies in here. Would a small goby or blenny be a bad choice? I’m not used to nanos.

Thanks for the advice.

Assuming its near 20" length, I would suggest no more than 4 fish and may be a shrimp and a few snails.
Fish such as : pajama cardinal, tail spot blenny, diadema or strawberry basslet, a single clown as examples

 

[FlyinAg]

I wouldn't put anything else in there with a pair of clowns... Maybe a single clown, but I think the pair will be too aggressive with anything else.

 

[1112-425XL]

I agree, probably nothing more than a small goby with a good lid.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

I’m used to much larger tanks. There was a mixup with a fish order I had from an online store and ended up with 2 small clowns that I didn’t order. My wife decided that she felt bad for the fish and wouldn’t let me take them to LFS. These free fish ended up costing me about a grand… I put them in my sump for a month while her new office 12 gal Maxspect dice tank cycled.

Do you think there’s anything more I should put in there? Right now it’s just the 2 small clowns, and a few snails and hermits from my display. I bought a small skimmer for the rear that doesn’t seem to do much yet. I’m just gonna keep softies in here. Would a small goby or blenny be a bad choice? I’m not used to nanos.

Thanks for the advice.

Something like a citron goby

 

[aaron186]

I’m good with just the 2. Was just curious. Tank has a lid

 

[FlyinAg]

If you keep the clowns, be advised, my pair absolutely torment my yellow watchman goby for some reason, which is odd because he does his own thing and steers clear. My tail spot blenny and 6line will be all around the clowns and they don't care. Might be a size/shape/color thing with the go y.

 

[MDAquatics]

I wouldn’t put much else. Maybe a neon goby or a flaming prawn goby. Something small. I avoid yellow clown gobies because they always end up nipping my coral. I’m not surprised about the skimmer. If the tank is new, I usually don’t run it, I just leave it in the back off. You risk skimming out some of the beneficial bacteria you are trying to seed.

 

[aaron186]

I wouldn’t put much else. Maybe a neon goby or a flaming prawn goby. Something small. I avoid yellow clown gobies because they always end up nipping my coral. I’m not surprised about the skimmer. If the tank is new, I usually don’t run it, I just leave it in the back off. You risk skimming out some of the beneficial bacteria you are trying to seed.

This tank was cycled using live rock and water from my main tank along with a few marine pure balls from the sump. I put a bottle of turbo start in and it cycled in 3 days. I waited a month still out of caution. Hopefully the skimmer breaks in soon but I don’t have high expectations for a 150 dollar skimmer that is barely 2.5 inches wide.

 

[aaron186]

You guys convinced me to just keep the clowns. Maybe I’ll try a bubble tip in there eventually. I refuse to keep nems in my main tank due to the acros. I’ll just get a couple of the more interesting nano inverts like sexy shrimp and pom poms that would be lost or eaten in my main tank.