New Tank w/20 Gal Stock Questions

JonnyTorch

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My questions are regarding livestock with my setup. I currently have not set up anything yet, but I did order my tank and stand/light. I'm waiting for more advice until I add live sand/copepods/live rock/turbostart/livestock. I would like to know what is a good (nothing pushing close to maximum) livestock situation for a 20 gallon tank?

* JBJ 20 RL Rimless (20 gallon) AIO tank w/ the JBJ stand
*No Skimmer, will be doing weekly water changes
*Red Sea 50 LED


I'm hoping to stock with either ONE or TWO Ocellaris clownfish, and a simple cleanup crew. I don't need a huge community, I've been there and done that in freshwater. I wouldn't mind putting one clown by itself with a cleanup crew, but will he get lonely? I'd like a little Mr. and Mrs. to swim around, and an algae crew.

What is a good recommendation for a 20g clown and cleanup crew, so there would be way less algae, without overcrowding the tank? (I don't mind cleaning either, but still)
*1 clown, with a cleanup crew, and what is a good crew you'd recommend for a beginner?

OR
*2 clowns with a cleanup crew, hoping that it won't push the max of bioload in a 20g

P.S. I'm not adding coral, YET. I'd like to add coral after 6 months of setup.

Thank you
 

polyppal

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No anemone right? If its just the two clowns and a few snails/crabs that will probably be fine. The algae/dirty water issues will be significantly elevated without the use of a skimmer though.

I have a 10g QT that I run without a skimmer, and even with just one or two small fish in the tank I'm surprised at how quickly it gets grimy without a skimmer... If I wanted to clear it up to look good and prevent algae blooms id be replacing 2.5-3gal a day :(
 

sunken3

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2 clowns would be no issues for a 20 gallon.. giving them something to host would be a benefit. cleanup crew --- thats hit or miss. they all have their pros and cons.. i like the red leg hermits, or a blue stripped. a couple is fine.. big ones sometimes kill little ones. a couple of snails are good, but eventually a hermit may kill for a larger shell. i like nassarius snails and turbo snails (they kind of serve different functions).
 

sunken3

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No anemone right? If its just the two clowns and a few snails/crabs that will probably be fine. The algae/dirty water issues will be significantly elevated without the use of a skimmer though.

I have a 10g QT that I run without a skimmer, and even with just one or two small fish in the tank I'm surprised at how quickly it gets grimy without a skimmer... If I wanted to clear it up to look good and prevent algae blooms id be replacing 2.5-3gal a day :(
3 gallons a day on a 10 gallon tank??
 

sunken3

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i have an 8 gallon AIO. no skimmer, a little sand, rock, 2 BTA's, a clown (had 2 but one killed the other in the first week), 4 hermits, a sexy shrimp, a harlequin shrimp and a large chocolate chip.. all is good.
 
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JonnyTorch

JonnyTorch

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i have an 8 gallon AIO. no skimmer, a little sand, rock, 2 BTA's, a clown (had 2 but one killed the other in the first week), 4 hermits, a sexy shrimp, a harlequin shrimp and a large chocolate chip.. all is good.
good livestock options. thank you!
 
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JonnyTorch

JonnyTorch

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I'm not looking for anything super high tech. No anemone, no coral. yet. just a 20 gallon and hopefully 1 or two basic orange clowns and a cleanup crew (maybe some coral down the road)

As for the no skimmer.. I mean, I already do weekly water changes for my freshwater tanks.. so topping off with R/O water and doing water changes with Saltwater from LFS..

saying you'd have to change 3 gallons a day sounds like an extreme. Now I'm not here to argue and get off topic about no skimmer, but with adequate water changes and testing parameters often, I'm not worried about that. More worried about the tank mates getting along, having room, living happily. I have no problem doing water changes/gravel vac when params get too high. I will be using a carbon bag and have the sock in the AIO tank in the back with copepods helping break down material, as well as feeding phytoplankton to them and the future corals.

Mainly looking for advice on what specific livestock, and possibly the amount of them I can put in the tank in a 20g that will live happily with 2 clowns.

Thank you for all of your info
 
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JonnyTorch

JonnyTorch

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Hey all, I recently pulled the trigger and got the tank.

More Questions:
 
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