What are some stocking options for a 22 gallon long saltwater tank?

Tingzalawazoo

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Need advise on what my stocking options are for a 22 gallon long. Plan to do soft coral down the road. Thank you for any input!

The tank dimensions are 36 inches long 11.9 wide and 11.9 tall.
 

fishski13

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I think you could get about 3-5 fish in there depending on what you go for.

Many tanks of this size have a pair of clownfish, not sure if you want to go down that road or not.

Some other great options are most gobies, royal gramma, fire fish, blennies, cardinalfish, damsels, or chromis
 

davidcalgary29

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Please do not get any of the following: wrasses, tangs, angels, batfish, idols, sharks, rays, or marine sunfish.

That leaves an awful lot of smaller fish for you to enjoy. You can get clownfish, but probably shouldn't (skunks aside) if you want to keep your hands intact. :)
 

The Deaf Reefer

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I think you could get about 3-5 fish in there depending on what you go for.

Many tanks of this size have a pair of clownfish, not sure if you want to go down that road or not.

Some other great options are most gobies, royal gramma, fire fish, blennies, cardinalfish, damsels, or chromis
I'm in the same situation... thinking 20-25 gal

Not sure if I want to go toward the clowns route.. seem like a typical first fish to get ... I'm the type that go against the grain lol.. same for watchman/pistol..don't care for them, no offend to them lol

But I do want variety of different colours fishes
 

davidcalgary29

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I'm in the same situation... thinking 20-25 gal

.. I'm the type that go against the grain lol

But I do want variety of different colours fishes
Two filefish fit the bill: the radial filefish (which really should go in a slightly bigger tank) and my favourite, the pygmy whitespotted filefish. Both are being bred, and they both exhibit unusual behaviour for typical aquarium fish. Radial filefish are commensalists with xenia; I don't have any in its tank, so it makes its home in a clump of gorgonians. It's also a camouflage expert, and changes its patterns to match that of the coral. Pygmy filefish, on the other hand, are subtropical fish that can form harems. They have delightful personalities, too.

A lot of people hate fridmani dottybacks, but I think that they're the most gorgeous of the smaller fish. I've never had any trouble with my captive-bred fish. Springeri dottybacks get less attention, but great if you want a midnight-blue fish with electric blue streaks running down them. And lyretail damsels are very unlike most damsels in their sociability.
 
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Tingzalawazoo

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Maybe a Mocha clown as I'm mostly going to focus on coral and a good clean up crew. Really don't know any other fish that will work and are as cool
 

Pachiman

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Clowns are a must have, really active and fun to watch. It is for a reason most people go for them.

I have a tank with the same size and I have a pair of black clowns and a blue cleaner wrasse that I got from someone who was quitting the hobby and I kinda "adopted" it, had it for 2 months now and it is doing really well despite of the horror stories I heard from the internet. I wouldn't recommend you to buy one though

My 2nd personal favorite is the two-spot blenny or the bicolor blenny, great personality and it is fun to watch them move around.

You can also get some really good invertebrates like hermits/shrimps or even a brittle starfish when its mature enough.
 

The Deaf Reefer

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Two filefish fit the bill: the radial filefish (which really should go in a slightly bigger tank) and my favourite, the pygmy whitespotted filefish. Both are being bred, and they both exhibit unusual behaviour for typical aquarium fish. Radial filefish are commensalists with xenia; I don't have any in its tank, so it makes its home in a clump of gorgonians. It's also a camouflage expert, and changes its patterns to match that of the coral. Pygmy filefish, on the other hand, are subtropical fish that can form harems. They have delightful personalities, too.

A lot of people hate fridmani dottybacks, but I think that they're the most gorgeous of the smaller fish. I've never had any trouble with my captive-bred fish. Springeri dottybacks get less attention, but great if you want a midnight-blue fish with electric blue streaks running down them. And lyretail damsels are very unlike most damsels in their sociability.
Filefish look a bit ummm ugly lol..sorry lol

Just checked dottybacks... fridmani look gorgeous..not aggressive?... springeri got like the bad boy vibe type ... with the dark and electric blue look

Aren't damsels known to be aggressive?
 

Pistondog

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Tailspot blenny
Rainsford goby
Royal gramma
I havethese in 20 g satelite, same sump as main tank
 

Pachiman

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Maybe a Mocha clown as I'm mostly going to focus on coral and a good clean up crew. Really don't know any other fish that will work and are as cool
When picking up a clown think REALLY careful what you are going for. They live for 10+ years if you care for them correctly and it is not like you can just get another pair if you don't like yours. I really like my black clowns, the ice clowns were really cool as well but it is up to you.

In a 20g they won't grow as much as a bigger tank they tend to stay really small.
 

davidcalgary29

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Filefish look a bit ummm ugly lol..sorry lol

Just checked dottybacks... fridmani look gorgeous..not aggressive?... springeri got like the bad boy vibe type ... with the dark and electric blue look

Aren't damsels known to be aggressive?
Opinions here are mixed. I've seen my orchids squabble with each other -- not fight -- but have never seen aggression toward other fish. All my orchids are captive-bred specimens, and I do try to keep them paired, but I do have singletons in two tanks (one a lone survivor of a bleaching accident; the other the lone survivor of anoxic conditions). I have a pair in a third tank.

The big "but" with fridmani is that there are many accounts here of rogue fish. I can't discount that even though I've never seen that at all.

My springeri dottybacks are even more passive than the fridmani. They're in an Evo and are great little fish, but harder to enjoy in a reef because of their colouring. They, like orchids, like to dart around the aquascape, and it's much easier to miss a flash of midnight blue than it is a bright streak of fuschia. The springeri also seem to enjoy blue light, and are most active in the evening as the spectrum fades out of the cool white and violet. Not too many people on here seem to keep them.

I'm a big fan of the lyretail damsels and, again, haven't seen any aggression. But it happens, and each fish is an individual -- you just never know.

Strangely enough, the only fish that ignore all other fish in my tanks -- and vice versa -- are the filefish. If you want a true beauty, take a look at this. I have one of these beauties, but it needs more than 25g. But radial and whitespotted filefish are only "ugly" in still photos -- their beauty is in their movement. If you can't have a triggerfish, these little filefish can provide much the same profile.
 

The Deaf Reefer

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Opinions here are mixed. I've seen my orchids squabble with each other -- not fight -- but have never seen aggression toward other fish. All my orchids are captive-bred specimens, and I do try to keep them paired, but I do have singletons in two tanks (one a lone survivor of a bleaching accident; the other the lone survivor of anoxic conditions). I have a pair in a third tank.

The big "but" with fridmani is that there are many accounts here of rogue fish. I can't discount that even though I've never seen that at all.

My springeri dottybacks are even more passive than the fridmani. They're in an Evo and are great little fish, but harder to enjoy in a reef because of their colouring. They, like orchids, like to dart around the aquascape, and it's much easier to miss a flash of midnight blue than it is a bright streak of fuschia. The springeri also seem to enjoy blue light, and are most active in the evening as the spectrum fades out of the cool white and violet. Not too many people on here seem to keep them.

I'm a big fan of the lyretail damsels and, again, haven't seen any aggression. But it happens, and each fish is an individual -- you just never know.

Strangely enough, the only fish that ignore all other fish in my tanks -- and vice versa -- are the filefish. If you want a true beauty, take a look at this. I have one of these beauties, but it needs more than 25g. But radial and whitespotted filefish are only "ugly" in still photos -- their beauty is in their movement. If you can't have a triggerfish, these little filefish can provide much the same profile.
Got limited space in my small condo... 25gal is a bit generous for me lol

I like fridmani over springeri ... stand out with the bright neon purple

Basically Russian roulette with damsels lol
 

davidcalgary29

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You should do a poll for the damsels. I have a pair; @Tamberav has some; I haven't seen anyone else show theirs off. I'd be interested myself to see if anyone's reported a problem with them.

I also have a captive-bred lemon damsel, which is also a nice fish, if a bit enthusiastic. I have a feeling that -- with the exception of clownfish -- a lot of the captive-bred and tank-raised damselfish show a lot less aggression than their wild counterparts.

Oh, and be careful -- fridmani are a bright fuschia and have a black eye stripe-- purple dottybacks are a different species, and I've heard that they can be nasty.
 

The Deaf Reefer

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And, by the way, you can get captive-bred fridmani at Fragbox or Candy Corals.
Probably go to candy coral... heard fragbox is a bit pricey for livestock and not always have livestock beside the cuc members

But heard fragbox is good for corals with good prices for frags ... candy corals is good for both
 

davidcalgary29

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Just make sure that, if you buy these captive-bred fish, that you ensure with the companies that they've been kept in an isolated, secure tank that hasn't been mixed with non-farmed fish. It's the best way of getting fish that haven't been infected by some parasite or disease, although not foolproof, and the only thing you can do if you aren't going to quarantine. Keep in mind that the only treatments we can easily get in Canada are copper and Rally (sometimes), and that means that vigilance is a must.

I've bought fish from both Candy Corals and Fragbox and had them shipped across the country. I like them both but -- speaking from experience -- qurantine is a must if you're buying wild-caught fish.
 

The Deaf Reefer

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Just make sure that, if you buy these captive-bred fish, that you ensure with the companies that they've been kept in an isolated, secure tank that hasn't been mixed with non-farmed fish. It's the best way of getting fish that haven't been infected by some parasite or disease, although not foolproof, and the only thing you can do if you aren't going to quarantine. Keep in mind that the only treatments we can easily get in Canada are copper and Rally (sometimes), and that means that vigilance is a must.

I've bought fish from both Candy Corals and Fragbox and had them shipped across the country. I like them both but -- speaking from experience -- qurantine is a must if you're buying wild-caught fish.
So either a place that quarantine wild caught or capture bred fishes
 

davidcalgary29

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So either a place that quarantine wild caught or capture bred fishes
I only know of two places in Canada that offer pre-quarantined fish for sale: Ethical Aquatics in Edmonton (great for me; not so much for you) and (sometimes) Big Show Frags in Hamilton. I've also seen them for sale once or twice on the Fragbox website, but that's a rare thing.
 

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