20 gal tank question

AaronKelly · 01/16/2007, 01:42 PM

hey everyone,
i have a 125 gal. tank at home but while in college i have decided to set up a 20 gal tank. what fish and how many fish would you recommend could be in the tank at once. thanks for the help.

sir_dudeguy · 01/16/2007, 02:08 PM

I'd only say 3 fish tops could go in there. Like maybe a perc or ocellaris clown pair and one other fish like a firefish or some other small goby.

papagimp · 01/16/2007, 02:10 PM

I have a 20g at home that I use for my Bangaii Cardinals. Only the pair though. I would think a pair of clowns and/or small fish would be good. Probably wouldn't get much more than that though. You could also look into alot of the really small fish, like citron gobies, neon gobies, stuff like that.

kfowler · 01/16/2007, 07:05 PM

I have a 20 high and limit it to three.

AaronKelly · 01/16/2007, 09:44 PM

thanks for the info everyone, also i want to know what you think about inverts in the tank. which ones would be good and how many?

sir_dudeguy · 01/16/2007, 10:17 PM

as far as shrimp? I'd say you could get by w/like 2 cleaner shrimp maybe, but definitely one. Snails (clean up crew) cerith snails are the best...get a bunch of those...like 10-20 (not all at once tho...and if you find that 8 works fine, then stay there) And get some astrea and nassarius snails too.

Jshock · 01/16/2007, 10:50 PM

I've got 4 fish in mine, but i use 2 hob filters and a large canister filter and do atleast a 10% water change every week.

sir_dudeguy · 01/16/2007, 11:05 PM

depending on type of fish, you're probably asking for trouble

Sure you'll have plenty of filtration (altho those filters suck if you ever want corals) but there probably wont be a lot of room for the fish and there may be some aggression.

AaronKelly · 01/16/2007, 11:31 PM

also just wondering, with just two clowns in the tank what anemones would be good in the tank with a 96 watt light which the conversion rate 4 watts per gallon equals out to more than what we need would be good. we have true percs, and would it be possible to add any coral and which kinds

motlot77 · 01/16/2007, 11:39 PM

so how is it i see tiny nanos at fish stores with like 5, 6 fish in them?

sir_dudeguy · 01/17/2007, 12:03 AM

because fish stores do exactly what you DONT wanna do. They'll do anything to sell a fish, and if that means putting a clown fish in like a 2g tank, they'll do it because people will see that the lfs did it, so why cant they? And thats exactly how you seemed to have looked at it

Dont fall into the lfs's shennanigans.

zma21 · 01/17/2007, 12:08 AM

I plan on putting a pair of Oc clowns and a yellow-tailed damsel in my 20H. But definitely not any more than 3.

sidd129 · 01/17/2007, 12:20 AM

Quote:

because fish stores do exactly what you DONT wanna do. They'll do anything to sell a fish, and if that means putting a clown fish in like a 2g tank, they'll do it because people will see that the lfs did it, so why cant they? And thats exactly how you seemed to have looked at it Dont fall into the lfs's shennanigans.

Most of them at least.

And for the fish that they sell that are in the small tanks, they are only there for a short amount of time and it might not be long enough to see the affects of the added stress to the fish.

01/16/2007, 01:42 PM	#1
AaronKelly Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New York Posts: 164	20 gal tank question hey everyone, i have a 125 gal. tank at home but while in college i have decided to set up a 20 gal tank. what fish and how many fish would you recommend could be in the tank at once. thanks for the help.

01/16/2007, 02:08 PM	#2
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	I'd only say 3 fish tops could go in there. Like maybe a perc or ocellaris clown pair and one other fish like a firefish or some other small goby. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

01/16/2007, 02:10 PM	#3
papagimp COMAS Rocks! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 8,185 Blog Entries: 2	I have a 20g at home that I use for my Bangaii Cardinals. Only the pair though. I would think a pair of clowns and/or small fish would be good. Probably wouldn't get much more than that though. You could also look into alot of the really small fish, like citron gobies, neon gobies, stuff like that. __________________ 58g Softie & 75g Stoney Member, Central Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society Current Tank Info: 58g Mixed Reef Project - Started June 2011

01/16/2007, 07:05 PM	#4
kfowler Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,095	I have a 20 high and limit it to three. __________________ Kevin "You cannot achieve what you are not willing to pursue." Current Tank Info: 20g Mixed Reef

01/16/2007, 10:17 PM	#6
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	as far as shrimp? I'd say you could get by w/like 2 cleaner shrimp maybe, but definitely one. Snails (clean up crew) cerith snails are the best...get a bunch of those...like 10-20 (not all at once tho...and if you find that 8 works fine, then stay there) And get some astrea and nassarius snails too. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

01/16/2007, 09:44 PM	#5
AaronKelly Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New York Posts: 164	thanks for the info everyone, also i want to know what you think about inverts in the tank. which ones would be good and how many?

01/16/2007, 10:50 PM	#7
Jshock Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Minnesnowta Posts: 75	I've got 4 fish in mine, but i use 2 hob filters and a large canister filter and do atleast a 10% water change every week.

01/16/2007, 11:05 PM	#8
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	depending on type of fish, you're probably asking for trouble Sure you'll have plenty of filtration (altho those filters suck if you ever want corals) but there probably wont be a lot of room for the fish and there may be some aggression. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

01/16/2007, 11:31 PM	#9
AaronKelly Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New York Posts: 164	also just wondering, with just two clowns in the tank what anemones would be good in the tank with a 96 watt light which the conversion rate 4 watts per gallon equals out to more than what we need would be good. we have true percs, and would it be possible to add any coral and which kinds

01/16/2007, 11:39 PM	#10
motlot77 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: bay area Posts: 355	so how is it i see tiny nanos at fish stores with like 5, 6 fish in them?

01/17/2007, 12:03 AM	#11
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	because fish stores do exactly what you DONT wanna do. They'll do anything to sell a fish, and if that means putting a clown fish in like a 2g tank, they'll do it because people will see that the lfs did it, so why cant they? And thats exactly how you seemed to have looked at it Dont fall into the lfs's shennanigans. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

01/17/2007, 12:08 AM	#12
zma21 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NOLA Posts: 1,453	I plan on putting a pair of Oc clowns and a yellow-tailed damsel in my 20H. But definitely not any more than 3. __________________ SCA 50 Starfire: In Progress Current Tank Info: 20 High -> 40 Cube -> Nanocube 12 DX -> 25 Gallon Rimless -> 10 Gallon AGA Temporary Tank -> JBJ 24 LED -> SCA Starfire 50 Cube