Stocking a 20 gallon long

[alexivy21]

Hi everyone! I am fairly new to saltwater. I've been researching and learning for a couple of years now and finally have my first saltwater tank cycling. I am trying to work on my stocking list. My tank is just a standard 20 gallon long. For filtration I'm currently just running two HOBs, a Tidal35 and a Aquaclear20. I already had those on hand from previous freshwater tank setups. I plan to upgrade to a canister soon though. My goal is to have mostly macroalgae with a few soft corals and some fish and inverts. I just wasn't quite sure how many fish and inverts I could comfortably fit in a 20 gallon long without them outgrowing the tank. Here is my stocking list so far, I will make adjustments or make a new list based on your recommendations!

Hi-fin goby & pistol shrimp pair
Tail spot blenny
Purple firefish (and yes, my tank has a lid!)
And a mix of hermits and snails for cuc

I would possibly add a fourth fish, just not sure what it would be or if that would even be doable in this size tank. I also really love the look of harlequin shrimp, but I've been hearing that I wouldn't really be able to keep other shrimp in a tank with a pistol shrimp, is this true? Any thoughts, tips, and advice is appreciated!

 

[sfin52]

Hi everyone! I am fairly new to saltwater. I've been researching and learning for a couple of years now and finally have my first saltwater tank cycling. I am trying to work on my stocking list. My tank is just a standard 20 gallon long. For filtration I'm currently just running two HOBs, a Tidal35 and a Aquaclear20. I already had those on hand from previous freshwater tank setups. I plan to upgrade to a canister soon though. My goal is to have mostly macroalgae with a few soft corals and some fish and inverts. I just wasn't quite sure how many fish and inverts I could comfortably fit in a 20 gallon long without them outgrowing the tank. Here is my stocking list so far, I will make adjustments or make a new list based on your recommendations!

Hi-fin goby & pistol shrimp pair
Tail spot blenny
Purple firefish (and yes, my tank has a lid!)
And a mix of hermits and snails for cuc

I would possibly add a fourth fish, just not sure what it would be or if that would even be doable in this size tank. I also really love the look of harlequin shrimp, but I've been hearing that I wouldn't really be able to keep other shrimp in a tank with a pistol shrimp, is this true? Any thoughts, tips, and advice is appreciated!

Looks good so far.

 

[fishy103]

Hi everyone! I am fairly new to saltwater. I've been researching and learning for a couple of years now and finally have my first saltwater tank cycling. I am trying to work on my stocking list. My tank is just a standard 20 gallon long. For filtration I'm currently just running two HOBs, a Tidal35 and a Aquaclear20. I already had those on hand from previous freshwater tank setups. I plan to upgrade to a canister soon though. My goal is to have mostly macroalgae with a few soft corals and some fish and inverts. I just wasn't quite sure how many fish and inverts I could comfortably fit in a 20 gallon long without them outgrowing the tank. Here is my stocking list so far, I will make adjustments or make a new list based on your recommendations!

Hi-fin goby & pistol shrimp pair
Tail spot blenny
Purple firefish (and yes, my tank has a lid!)
And a mix of hermits and snails for cuc

I would possibly add a fourth fish, just not sure what it would be or if that would even be doable in this size tank. I also really love the look of harlequin shrimp, but I've been hearing that I wouldn't really be able to keep other shrimp in a tank with a pistol shrimp, is this true? Any thoughts, tips, and advice is appreciated!

Hi! I am also fairly new to reefing and I know I’m a little late but I would like to say that you should refrain on adding harlequin shrimp because they only eat starfish and you would have to go through the trouble of getting it food which usually you have to buy chocolate chip starfish kill them and feed it to the harlequin shrimp so you really shouldn’t get the shrimp because it will probably starve to death and be a waste of money. Now that’s what you call a run along sentence lol ‍. As for the fish I honestly had the same issue on deciding for my first fish in my 25 gallon tank. I made the mistake of getting a court jester goby because I was unaware that they are extremely difficult to feed and I think mine may be dead because it hasn’t come out in a few days. But I also have two clowns because it’s my first tank and had only been running for a couple of weeks. Despite the fact that I’m new I am extremely knowledgeable about the hobby and could probably answer any question you ask. With that said don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. If I where you I would wait a long while for the Benny because of their diet which they usually need lots of algae to sustain their selves but make sure to do lots of research on them and their diet before you get them. It would be great to get the shrimp and goby but if

 

[fishy103]

Hi! I am also fairly new to reefing and I know I’m a little late but I would like to say that you should refrain on adding harlequin shrimp because they only eat starfish and you would have to go through the trouble of getting it food which usually you have to buy chocolate chip starfish kill them and feed it to the harlequin shrimp so you really shouldn’t get the shrimp because it will probably starve to death and be a waste of money. Now that’s what you call a run along sentence lol ‍. As for the fish I honestly had the same issue on deciding for my first fish in my 25 gallon tank. I made the mistake of getting a court jester goby because I was unaware that they are extremely difficult to feed and I think mine may be dead because it hasn’t come out in a few days. But I also have two clowns because it’s my first tank and had only been running for a couple of weeks. Despite the fact that I’m new I am extremely knowledgeable about the hobby and could probably answer any question you ask. With that said don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. If I where you I would wait a long while for the Benny because of their diet which they usually need lots of algae to sustain their selves but make sure to do lots of research on them and their diet before you get them. It would be great to get the shrimp and goby but if

Oops accidentally hit the send button …
But returning to what I was saying that is a great pair but it can be risky to get multiple shrimp with a pistol shrimp. If I were you, I would do more research about it because I think there may be away to add other shrimp with it but when I was researching I didn’t look too far into it. But other shrimp are great and in my opinion, I would like them better than the pistol shrimp but don’t forget saltwater shrimp can be pricey. For your 4th fish you could always go with something like a neon cleaner goby or a clown goby. You could do a royal gramma. But maybe you could add a pair of clownfish and remove one of the other fish from your list. People online told me they were super aggressive and they scared me but mine are little curious angels . If you do go with clowns then make sure you know that in that small of a tank you can’t really add any anenomes that they pair with. I mean you could add a rock flower anemone but clowns don’t pair with those. Same with the mini maxi anemones I’ve heard horror stories about clownfish trying to pair with mini maxis and the anemone actually eating the clownfish in the process .

 

[fishy103]

before I started my tank, I was addicted to getting as much fish as possible but overtime I got over that and only stuck with a couple fish. And then I got addicted to corals and started buying those instead.

 

[steveschuerger]

Hi! I am also fairly new to reefing and I know I’m a little late but I would like to say that you should refrain on adding harlequin shrimp because they only eat starfish and you would have to go through the trouble of getting it food which usually you have to buy chocolate chip starfish kill them and feed it to the harlequin shrimp so you really shouldn’t get the shrimp because it will probably starve to death and be a waste of money. Now that’s what you call a run along sentence lol ‍. As for the fish I honestly had the same issue on deciding for my first fish in my 25 gallon tank. I made the mistake of getting a court jester goby because I was unaware that they are extremely difficult to feed and I think mine may be dead because it hasn’t come out in a few days. But I also have two clowns because it’s my first tank and had only been running for a couple of weeks. Despite the fact that I’m new I am extremely knowledgeable about the hobby and could probably answer any question you ask. With that said don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. If I where you I would wait a long while for the Benny because of their diet which they usually need lots of algae to sustain their selves but make sure to do lots of research on them and their diet before you get them. It would be great to get the shrimp and goby but if

The court jester is a cousin to my hectors. Give it a little time. They can disappear and reappear frequently as they do like their hidey holes. Mine eats frozen just fine .And yeah skip the harlequin. I got one as an extra in a shipment and even when trying to properly feed it, only lasted 6 months. Other fish to consider would be possum wrasse or pink streak wrasse or royal gramma. At present my tank is a 20 long AIO.

 

[sfin52]

Hi everyone! I am fairly new to saltwater. I've been researching and learning for a couple of years now and finally have my first saltwater tank cycling. I am trying to work on my stocking list. My tank is just a standard 20 gallon long. For filtration I'm currently just running two HOBs, a Tidal35 and a Aquaclear20. I already had those on hand from previous freshwater tank setups. I plan to upgrade to a canister soon though. My goal is to have mostly macroalgae with a few soft corals and some fish and inverts. I just wasn't quite sure how many fish and inverts I could comfortably fit in a 20 gallon long without them outgrowing the tank. Here is my stocking list so far, I will make adjustments or make a new list based on your recommendations!

Hi-fin goby & pistol shrimp pair
Tail spot blenny
Purple firefish (and yes, my tank has a lid!)
And a mix of hermits and snails for cuc

I would possibly add a fourth fish, just not sure what it would be or if that would even be doable in this size tank. I also really love the look of harlequin shrimp, but I've been hearing that I wouldn't really be able to keep other shrimp in a tank with a pistol shrimp, is this true? Any thoughts, tips, and advice is appreciated!

I run my bosses tank with a tidal and a jeabo wave maker. It's a 40g breeder bta tank. Simple and beautiful.

Oops accidentally hit the send button …
But returning to what I was saying that is a great pair but it can be risky to get multiple shrimp with a pistol shrimp. If I were you, I would do more research about it because I think there may be away to add other shrimp with it but when I was researching I didn’t look too far into it. But other shrimp are great and in my opinion, I would like them better than the pistol shrimp but don’t forget saltwater shrimp can be pricey. For your 4th fish you could always go with something like a neon cleaner goby or a clown goby. You could do a royal gramma. But maybe you could add a pair of clownfish and remove one of the other fish from your list. People online told me they were super aggressive and they scared me but mine are little curious angels . If you do go with clowns then make sure you know that in that small of a tank you can’t really add any anenomes that they pair with. I mean you could add a rock flower anemone but clowns don’t pair with those. Same with the mini maxi anemones I’ve heard horror stories about clownfish trying to pair with mini maxis and the anemone actually eating the clownfish in the process .

You can put a bta in a 20gal.

 

[sfin52]

The court jester is a cousin to my hectors. Give it a little time. They can disappear and reappear frequently as they do like their hidey holes. Mine eats frozen just fine .And yeah skip the harlequin. I got one as an extra in a shipment and even when trying to properly feed it, only lasted 6 months. Other fish to consider would be possum wrasse or pink streak wrasse or royal gramma. At present my tank is a 20 long AIO.

Agree the fish on the list aren't really open swimmers and will stay really close to the rocks thus won't be seen much.

 

[fishy103]

I run my bosses tank with a tidal and a jeabo wave maker. It's a 40g breeder bta tank. Simple and beautiful.


You can put a bta in a 20gal.

That's risky business because they cansplit rapidly and sting other corals an is not advised if you want to have other corals;)

 

[sfin52]

That's risky business because they cansplit rapidly and sting other corals an is not advised if you want to have other corals;)

Doesn't mean you can't have one. Rainbows tend to say smaller but your right they can split

 

[fishy103]

Doesn't mean you can't have one. Rainbows tend to say smaller but your right they can split

Yeah I guess other people just told me I couldn’t get one in my tank because it’s too small but now looking into you probably could get one in a 20. So rainbows stay smaller? Could I put one in a 20 gallon with about 8 other corals and a RFA? Just wondering cause I would love to get one in my 25 gallon?

 

[DrkNMighty]

Yeah I guess other people just told me I couldn’t get one in my tank because it’s too small but now looking into you probably could get one in a 20. So rainbows stay smaller? Could I put one in a 20 gallon with about 8 other corals and a RFA? Just wondering cause I would love to get one in my 25 gallon?

You probably could get one, but if it doesn’t settle in a spot away from everything else it won’t have to travel far to sting things.

 

[Fish & Coral Store]

Hi everyone! I am fairly new to saltwater. I've been researching and learning for a couple of years now and finally have my first saltwater tank cycling. I am trying to work on my stocking list. My tank is just a standard 20 gallon long. For filtration I'm currently just running two HOBs, a Tidal35 and a Aquaclear20. I already had those on hand from previous freshwater tank setups. I plan to upgrade to a canister soon though. My goal is to have mostly macroalgae with a few soft corals and some fish and inverts. I just wasn't quite sure how many fish and inverts I could comfortably fit in a 20 gallon long without them outgrowing the tank. Here is my stocking list so far, I will make adjustments or make a new list based on your recommendations!

Hi-fin goby & pistol shrimp pair
Tail spot blenny
Purple firefish (and yes, my tank has a lid!)
And a mix of hermits and snails for cuc

I would possibly add a fourth fish, just not sure what it would be or if that would even be doable in this size tank. I also really love the look of harlequin shrimp, but I've been hearing that I wouldn't really be able to keep other shrimp in a tank with a pistol shrimp, is this true? Any thoughts, tips, and advice is appreciated!

That sounds like a wonderful start!

 

[sfin52]

It depends on what you want and if you can get the bta to settle where you want it

 

[Fish & Coral Store]

Hi everyone! I am fairly new to saltwater. I've been researching and learning for a couple of years now and finally have my first saltwater tank cycling. I am trying to work on my stocking list. My tank is just a standard 20 gallon long. For filtration I'm currently just running two HOBs, a Tidal35 and a Aquaclear20. I already had those on hand from previous freshwater tank setups. I plan to upgrade to a canister soon though. My goal is to have mostly macroalgae with a few soft corals and some fish and inverts. I just wasn't quite sure how many fish and inverts I could comfortably fit in a 20 gallon long without them outgrowing the tank. Here is my stocking list so far, I will make adjustments or make a new list based on your recommendations!

Hi-fin goby & pistol shrimp pair
Tail spot blenny
Purple firefish (and yes, my tank has a lid!)
And a mix of hermits and snails for cuc

I would possibly add a fourth fish, just not sure what it would be or if that would even be doable in this size tank. I also really love the look of harlequin shrimp, but I've been hearing that I wouldn't really be able to keep other shrimp in a tank with a pistol shrimp, is this true? Any thoughts, tips, and advice is appreciated!

Since your tank is relatively small (20 gallons), it’s a good idea to limit the number of fish to prevent overcrowding. A good rule of thumb is about 1 inch of fish per gallon of water, but some fish like blennies or gobies don’t grow as large as others, so this can be a bit flexible.

For a fourth fish, you could consider a small goby or cardinal fish, as these species are typically peaceful and won’t overcrowd the tank. However, I’d be cautious about adding another fish, as your tank could get crowded pretty quickly, especially with a clean-up crew already in place. Keep an eye on your water parameters, and if you do decide to add a fourth fish, make sure it’s a peaceful species that won’t compete too much for space or food.