Stocking my 20g tank, any suggestions?

[Latte]

Hey guys,

I'm trying to plan ahead with stocking on my 20g AIO tank. I've got a list of livestock I'd like to keep in there (on top of a few corals) and would be really interested to hear any thoughts. I would obviously probably have to cut a couple from this list to make it work in a tank the size of mine, as well as obviously not adding them all at once etc. etc. just trying to really plan ahead so I can make sure the habitat works for all of them, and prevent adding something now that will prevent me from getting something I'd prefer later.


Cleanup Crew/Inverts
- Astrea Turbo Snail
- Lawnmower Blenny
- Sand Sifting Star
- Strombus Snail
- Tuxedo Urchin
- Serpent Sea Star
- Red Line Cleaner Shrimp
- Pom Pom Crab
- Candy-cane Pistol Shrimp (with a shrimp goby of course)

Other:
- Australian Banded Pipefish
- Occelaris Clownfish and BTA
- Mandarin Dragonet

I've done a fair bit of research on pretty well all of these excepting the pipefish, which I definitely need to look into feasibility of more.

I do understand the risks with Mandarin, I'm hoping to get a captive bred one that I can see taking pellets in the petstore (I won't buy one otherwise) and will additionally add a HOB refuge to the tank, and dose copepods appropriately now to get it set up long before I add the Mandarin.

Is this all doable? How much would I need to remove here to make it actually feasible within this tank? Are there any conflicts between the animals or care requirements I'm missing? Anything else I should consider adding? Also, please share if you have any tips with keeping any of the specific critters, keen to learn from people with more experience!

Thanks in advance!

 

[blaxsun]

I don't think 20-gallons will provide enough food for the sand sifting starfish (I have two in my 160-gallon). Same with the lawnmower blenny.

The pipefish will almost certainly need copepods along with possibly the mandarin, so I might be inclined to look at two "easier maintenance" fish (adding pods can become cost prohibitive quite quickly).

 

[MONTANTK]

The good news is all of those fish can live happy lives in that tank although the banded pipefish might be a tight fit when it’s full grown. I’d definitely consider a bluestripe pipefish as an alternative.

For cleaners, I agree with the post above that a sandsifting star probably wouldn’t survive. A serpent star might also look a little awkward as it grows. When it comes to clean up crew (snails/crabs), I like to base what I put in off of what algae is in my tank and how much of it is present. I’ve had the same snails for about a year now without losing any because there’s more than enough food in the tank for them.

 

[Carwin]

Don't pipefish need an ample supply of pods and the like to survive? You might hold off on the pipefish until the tank is more developed. Same with the mandarin.

 

[Latte]

Ok thanks, I might remove the sand sifting star and blenny from my current plan. With the Mandarin and pipefish, I suppose it could be wise to keep just one of they'll compete with each other for a scarce food source. I do wonder if there are any captive bred pipefish available that take prepared foods?

The good news is all of those fish can live happy lives in that tank although the banded pipefish might be a tight fit when it’s full grown. I’d definitely consider a bluestripe pipefish as an alternative.

For cleaners, I agree with the post above that a sandsifting star probably wouldn’t survive. A serpent star might also look a little awkward as it grows. When it comes to clean up crew (snails/crabs), I like to base what I put in off of what algae is in my tank and how much of it is present. I’ve had the same snails for about a year now without losing any because there’s more than enough food in the tank for them.

I'll definitely take a look into this blue striped pipefish, thanks for the tip! That's my plan with the CUC too, at the moment I'm keen to add in a conch to clean up my diatoms and a couple others like an astrea turbo to clean up the hair algae.

 

[MONTANTK]

Ok thanks, I might remove the sand sifting star and blenny from my current plan. With the Mandarin and pipefish, I suppose it could be wise to keep just one of they'll compete with each other for a scarce food source. I do wonder if there are any captive bred pipefish available that take prepared foods?

I'll definitely take a look into this blue striped pipefish, thanks for the tip! That's my plan with the CUC too, at the moment I'm keen to add in a conch to clean up my diatoms and a couple others like an astrea turbo to clean up the hair algae.

That’s a good plan. Be warned that the conch will bulldoze anything on the sand bed. It also helps to have a lot of open space so it can move freely around the tank. Speaking from experience because I had some frags on the sand and the conch I have now loved playing soccer with them lol

 

[Latte]

That’s a good plan. Be warned that the conch will bulldoze anything on the sand bed. It also helps to have a lot of open space so it can move freely around the tank. Speaking from experience because I had some frags on the sand and the conch I have now loved playing soccer with them lol

Thanks for the heads up hahaha