new 20G have lots of questions!

[nickyblase]

Well, I have been reading threads for DAYS, and have gotten a lot of good information, but still have some questions that I couldn't find answers to. I haven't read every SINGLE post - I think I'd go blind if I did! Here's what I've got going on - any input is very much appreciated. I want to make sure I do this right, and not waste a lot of time, energy & $$$$.
I inherited a 20G (regular, not long) from a friend who was moving. It has a 75W heater, a waterfall type filter (not sure what kind), and a crappy light. I am awaiting delivery of a rotating powerhead, a 110 watt 10K/acitinic fixture, and 20lbs of cured tonga rock. Once I get the rock in and in formation, I'll get the live sand. Before I get to the fish questions, I've seen a lot of talk about sump/fuge. It seems like a good idea, but not something I really want to do - more equipment to buy, and the stand the tank is on is open, so having one won't be very esthetically pleasing. Will I be making a lot more work for myself if I don't have one?
As for the fish stocking, I've been told that I should only get 2, 3 MAX for fish. I was hoping to get 4. I'd like to get:
1 maroon clown, a jewel damsel, a bengaii cardinal, and a yellow watchman goby. Is this too much fish for my tank?
I would also like to get a starfish, a coral banded shrimp, (the cleaner crew, of course), and some inverts that are relatively easy care.
Is there a limit to how many inverts I put in the tank, or for biological reasons, is more better?
Sorry for the long post - any advice is much appreciated!

 

[norway]

your lineup sounds familiar.
i have a maroon clown, yellow watchman goby, coral banded shrimp, emerald crabs, pink hawaiin crab, many hermits and snails, and will be getting a pistol shrimp for the goby soon. i also have various corals (softies). if you were going to do 4 fish i would not get a maroon clown... i would get a smaller less aggressive clown and i would also not get a damsel. i hate to rain on peoples parade but in this hobby it would be best to "only break the rules if your going to be halfway smart about it". like i said, i have a maroon and yellow goby, i really want another fish but when i put a 3rd in the maroon literally eats him. if you have to have that lineup then i would do the research, find out how aggressive each fish is and then introduce each fish in month intervals from least aggressive to most. that way the weaker, more passive fish will have a small chance in hell. if it were me, i would only get 1 clown, the bangaii(kick ass fish!!), and the goby but get a pistol shrimp to pair up with him. as far as inverts go...your limit will be reached when certain ones die because there isnt enough food for everyone. i just started with 15 small hermits, 1 shrimp, 1 emerald crab, 2 turbo snails....some have died and i have added plenty more from there. the only some-what necessary ones would be the hermits and snails. its just good to have a variation. plumbing a sump into your tank is without a doubt more work. even in the long run. but it does make your tank look better(gets rid of ugly equipment) and makes certain jobs easier(auto top off) i would suggest just keeping a simple tank and then upgrading to a more complex system once you know you want to keep the tank up. good luck with it and ill try to respond if you have any more questions.
p.s. do not take my advice as the only advice.....get at least 2 - 3 opinions before spending precious money. that applies here and the local fish store you go to. usually greed will overcome honesty.

 

[norway]

also.... dont ever be afraid of writing as much as possible. more information is crucial. a long post is a good post.

 

[nickyblase]

Thanks Norway - that's all good info. I think I'll hold out on the 4th fish until I know the little guys won't eat each other. Don't have my heart set on the maroon clown. It just looks cool. I could definitely go with a more docile clown (or other small non-aggressive fish).
Does the goby need specifically a pistol shrimp to pair with? I will probably just go with one shrimp (unless having 2 is feasible for this size tank), and again - thought the coral banded was cool looking, but would sacrifice appearances for longevity .
So once the tank has fully cycled & the cleaner crew is in, should I add the shrimp and then the fish, and then the non-mobile inverts?
What corals are the most beginner-proof? How many should I get? (obviously a little at a time, I DO have other hobbies like shoe-buying that will fight for the wallet-share!). If I stack the tank with a half dozen or more corals, would it help the bioload of 3-4 fish?
Last question for now - adding up all the small things
(10% water change, testing, feeding, topping of w/fresh h20, etc) how much time can I expect to spend on my new hobby? I am definitely willing to put some time in, but I do also have a baby, dogs & a garden to keep in mind. The fish/inverts I have in mind, am I needing to change my choices to make the tank a little easier to handle? I could definitely deal with a couple hours a week total, but much more than that, I'd have to think about keeping it a fish only tank. Your thoughts?
P.S. I'm thinking about naming my first 2 fish Kip & Tina - anyone seen Napoleon Dynamite?? Thanks again!

 

[nickyblase]

One last thing I forgot to mention - I would also like to get a starfish and a clam (can't remember what kind, I'm guessing some sort of a giant clam - the cool looking ones). Are they out of my league??

 

[hughes07]

nicky,
i also have a 20 gallon. and i also wanted clams. ur probably thinking of crocea or maxima clams. i want a crocea clam. this is probably what you need. a good skimmer and a metal halide fixture. the metal halide fixture im looking at is about $350 and the skimmer is about $170. i asked this alot and most people say on here that the smaller the tank the harder it is. to be honest that kind of freaked me out. i really wanted a 20 gallon reef tank because thats the most room i can have in my bedroom. to answer your coral question i think mushrooms and some zoos would be good but im not to sure.

 

[norway]

the goby does not have to be paired with anything and does great either way. the advatage is amazing to watch. the goby is the lookout while the shrimp digs out their burrow and if anything frightens the goby they both haul ass to safety. if you are going to have two shrimp you need to have plenty of crevaces (spelling?) for them to hide so they dont fight over one.
really the species doesnt matter as much as the behavior.... in other words add least aggressive to most aggressive. not doing so will cause problems... you might have to introduce the lesser aggressive in a small plastic box with plenty of small holes in it. that way the fish is in the tank physically but the pissed off fishes or shrimp cant harm it. if you end up doing this one day you need to read up on it a bit more.
hughes07 is right. mushrooms and zoanthids would be perfect. the best beginner coral i have found is the yellow polyp. no care, other than water changes, light and flow do not have to be extreme (just pc's 110 watts would be plenty and some powerheads. i do not know the answer to your corals and bioload question. my guess is that they add to the bioload more than they help it. any waste, feedings, die off would certainly add.
i think you will do fine with your life load right now. just go really slow and keep goals and the next species in mind. i have a wife, full time job, full time school, a jack russell terrier, my tank, and two bonsai tree's so if i can do it anyone can. with the baby im sure you dont go out as much as you used to so the tank will keep you ok with home. to keep it simple with corals i would just stick with "softies" ....cheaper, simple, and still amazing.
awesome names, awesome movie.....GOSH!!!!!

 

[norway]

stay away from the clams for now. just remember in this hobby the life of most things that go in the tank are based off of sunlight/your lights, and the ones that require more light usually also need to be fed...either calcium or some kind of organic mush (phytoplankton, mysid shrimp, blah blah blah?) and thats when your time is used up.

 

[gfk]

what about the starfish, i have a 20h and want one too

 

[norway]

i know nothing about starfishees

 

[sula]

I just wanted to add that I have both a coral-banded shrimp and a pistol shrimp in my 29 gallon tank, and between the two the pistol shrimp gets my vote! The CBS looks really cool in the stores but once they're in your tank they just kindof hide out in the live rock and do not much else.
The pistol shrimp, on the other hand, is always busy re-arranging the sand and moving stuff around - very cool!

 

[syres1]

Sure you can get starfishes, try and stay with the small ones and try getting a sand moving one, that will keep your sand clean. Plus I think you should put the sand in first then the live rock. But nomatter what. The water comes first.Do you have a biowheel on your filter and what about a skimmer? They help you keep the tank clean and healthy good for your coral too. Here is my picture page I have a 20 gallon too, take a look.
http://journals.aol.com/mrpolo1/Justpix

 

[syres1]

ps, I have 7 fish, 2 shrimp, 1 anemone, several coral, 5 starfish and a seahorse, works great for me, just stay small

 

[gfk]

what kind of starfish do you have?

 

[syres1]

I don't know theyre names but one is small about an inch and red, the other one is a sand moving one gray and white about 1 12 inches hes cool he digs himself into the sand and travels around like that. You can only see the shape of him not the actual starfish, let me see if I can make a pic tomorrow.

 

[syres1]

OK if found the starfish's name and bio.
Sand Sifting Tiger Star Fish
A great cleaner for your sand bed and extremely hardy!
Totally Reef Safe, one of the best sand sifting creatures we have found!! Very active, effective at moving large amounts of sand as it searches for food.

 

[dskidmore]

I'd go with a serpent star over the sand sifting one. Some claim that the sand sifting one will eventually eat all your microfauna that live in the sand, therefore depriving your corals and fish of a live larvae food source. Serpent stars are reclusive, but can be trained to come out of hiding for feeding time.
I agree that corals will not help your bioload. Some corals are actually really sensitive to the output of excess bioload. If you want to increase bioload naturally you need lots of macroalgae, or a specific subset of corals like Xenia that will eat up Nitrates and have to be harvested regularly to keep them from taking over the tank. The other ways to handle extra bioload is heavy skimming, and extra water changes; I don't recomend either of these methods for long term sucess, you're better off keeping the bioload low.
Time commitment will be high while you're getting your tank set up and "tuned." After that, as long as you don't get fish with a very demanding diet, you'll have to feed them every other day and plan a couple hours of maintenance (testing, water change, cleaning, etc.) a week.
I'd skip the sump on my first 20 gallon. There are major advantages to having one, but it's not essential until you have a larger system where the hang-on-back filters just don't cut it anymore.

 

[nanocuber7]

in my opinion i think thant either a linkia star or a sand sifting star would be best u wount hardly see the sand sifting star but hes a good cleaner the linkia on the other hand are nice to look at and dont hide in the sand like the sand sifter

 

[ant]

Sorry to intrude on your thread, but how long do you have to have your tank up, after fish in it and cycled properly, before you can add the stars? I justed added my first two fish and was curious. I'm enjoying the info.
Ant.

 

[dskidmore]

Just space them out a bit, most people recomend adding one to two fish per month. The star shouldn't need an exception to that rule.