I need help stocking my 20 gallon tank. I feel like there is just so much info out there and im getting confused.

[Kate098]

I know that I will not put more then 3, maybe 4 but that's very unlikely because I don't want the fish to get stressed. I already have a clownfish and bunch of live rock in my tank. What other fish? Also, what corals should I get. I want something that is colorful but doesn't need a bunch of maintenance, something beginner level. Would it be a good idea to add a scarlet hermit? Do I need a utilitarian fish because from what I gathered my tank is small for most of them, if not all.
I am just really overwhelmed and confused.

 

[Tired]

Almost all fish people get for their tanks are just to look at, not to do a job. A scarlet hermit would be nice to look at, but they aren't very good cleanup crew. You should have snails for cleanup crew.

For corals, just look up "easy beginner corals" and look through the pictures until something catches your attention, then read up on what it needs. Hammer corals are really pretty, but you have to be careful not to put them too close to other corals, as they can sting. Ricordea mushrooms are very pretty and easy to keep.

What fish do you like? Most of the common ones you can find that are about 3" long at full size are possibilities. Avoid dottybacks, they're aggressive. Most damsels are also aggressive, but an azure or yellowtail damselfish should be OK if you add it last. Make sure you have more caves and hiding places in your tank than you have fish, so they can pick spots.
A shrimpgoby or watchman goby, and a tiger pistol or candycane pistol shrimp would be great to watch. The shrimp makes burrows under the rocks, the goby watches for danger, and they live in the burrows together.
Firefish are pretty, but shy.
A clown goby is very cute, and little, so it won't contribute much to bioload. Make sure you buy one that's eating, though. Ask the store to feed it so you can see it eat, and don't buy it if it doesn't eat.

Whatever fish you get, make sure you have a good lid, with no gaps.

 

[Kate098]

what do you mean by no gaps? In the youtube vids and pics everyone has an open or semi open tank.
Is it common for clown goby to not eat? What is that an indicator of?
How many shrimp per tank?
I like fish that are colorful but the activity level doesn't matter too much. Something beginner and not aggressive.

 

[ThePurple12]

The way you stock your tank is completely your preference.

1 pistol shrimp per tank unless you get a male/female pair.

For fish, check out Liveaquaria.com. They have listings for probably 95% of all fish in the hobby. Their website will tell you if the fish is aggressive or not, and other things you need to know. In general most fish are hardy enough, but stay away from seahorses as they need specialized tanks.

I would get a second clownfish (a juvenile). That way you can have a pair that will eventually lay eggs.

LPS corals make good beginner corals. My first coral was a candy cane coral, and it's survived mistakes that have killed less hardy corals.

 

[Tired]

People shouldn't have open tanks, frankly. It looks better, but it lets fish jump out. Given that fish jumping means they die a miserable death, having an open-topped tank is irresponsible. Though some of those pictures you'll see are of tanks that do normally have tops, just removed for the photo.

Clown gobies sometimes don't eat when freshly brought in. Nobody seems to be entirely sure why, but it can be hard to get them to start eating, and they'll eventually starve.

In a small tank, go with one cleaner shrimp (if you want one), and one pistol shrimp. They don't have a notable bioload, but are somewhat territorial.

Most reef fish you'll see for sale are colorful, so that doesn't narrow it down much. Look up things like "fish for nano reef tank" and you should be able to get some ideas.

 

[Bgough526]

Do your research on what kind of ecology you want in your system. Start from the ground up, start with a good copepod population by getting a bottle of them, they are an exceptional clean up crew. Then get crabs an snails of variety for various algae predations. Then macrofauna, blennys that graze on algae (virtually most of them do this but some better than others), a goby to keep that sandbed nice and white. I hope this helps.

 

[ThePurple12]

^ agree, but a sand-sifting goby will eat all the pods and microfauna you just added.

 

[Tired]

And you shouldn't be trying to feed an algae-eating blenny out of a 20gal, or trying to control algae with a fish. That's what snails do. Unless you're getting a filefish to eat aiptasia, or adding a fish to eat an overpopulation of amphipods, your fish should be considered purely decorative. They are a part of the tank's ecology, but aren't there to serve any purpose other than "pretty".