questions about getting a 20 gallon

[hops523]

Ive decided to get a 20 gallon glass aquarium. I have a few questions in this thread. They are: Would I be overstocked(stocking list below),If I am overstocked what would be good to get rid of(the fish I could do without would probably be the firefish) would I need T5 lighting for the coral and bubble tip anemone I would like to keep? And if not what type of lighting would I need? What are your suggestions?
Stocking list is:
Fish:
firefish
yellow watchman goby
bicolor pseudochromis
sixline wrasse
2 ocellaris clownfish maybe 2 black ocellaris clowns instead
Inverts:
bubble tip anemone
hermit crabs
linckia starfish
snails
Coral:
candy cane coral
brain coral
bubble coral
frogspawn
hammer coral
fox coral
and mushrooms

 

[lando101]

Wow, you hae the same setup that I would like! only thing is getting a starfish requires lots of live rock, I want a 14 gallon and know it would be too small, but other than that I like the picks of fish and corals! Cant wait to see pics!

 

[hops523]

anyone?

 

[acroshark]

i have a 20gal setup which is similar to the one you are planning! i have not stocked my tank with any fish yet but im only planning on getting 6 fish! im also running T5 lighting(156watts) and yes T5's are good enough for that size tank!
im planning to stock with..
1 maroon clown
2 bangaii cardinals
1 yellow watchman goby + caribbean pistol shrimp
1 Coral Beauty Angel or Flame Angel
my thread is "Acros 20gal Long" if you wanna have a look!

 

[hops523]

Is there some way I could do some type of PC lighting system?

 

[acroshark]

yes you could but then I would stick to polyps, mushrooms and rics! you could probly keep some lps but im guessing you wouldnt get much growth! maybe try placing the lps high up in the tank! what are you doing for filtration?

 

[flricordia]

Get a 20 long. you will have more surface/footrprint (more live stock) and lighting will not need to be as strong which means cooler running.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I highly suggest getting a larger tank... biggest bang for your buck. The best thing to do in saltwater is the bigger the better, at least for starters.

 

[granny]

Excuse me, but am I the only sane one here? You have enough livestock posted for a 120, much less a 20 gallon tank.
That is way way way too many fish. The six line wrasse needs more swimming room.
a 20 gallon is a smll tank guys, You can cram lots of corals in it with sufficient lighting but it would be torture for your fish and trying to keep the nitrates down with that much of a fish load would be difficult which would inhibit coral growth/survival.
I would say no more than 2 small hardy fish. A clown and psuedochromis perhaps and maybe, just maybe the little yellow goby, but not all at once.
What kind of stars are you going to get? You dont have room for anything except perhaps a serpent star.

 

[hops523]

Yeah this is why Im asking and figuring all this out before I actually go purchase anything. I cut like all the fish except two, I also cut out the starfish and anemone.

 

[alexa11]

i have 4 fish in my 20. i used the inch per 5 gal rule. i definitely would not put all of your fish in at the same time. i wouldnt go over the 5 gallan rule because of bioload. However, if your tank has had a **big cycle (ie due to a dead shrimp that you added) i see no problem adding 2 fish at the same time after the cleanup crew is in place. get lots of snails. just dont overfeed : ) get lots of lr and a thick sandbed to help with nitrates. get some chaeto or something. t5s are great, i have them on mine. keep up with weekly water changes. good luck!

 

[alexa11]

and you might want to rethink those angels...too big for that tank and they will nip at your corals : ) try a gramma.

 

[debbie]

Stocking list is:
Fish:
firefish
yellow watchman goby
bicolor pseudochromis
sixline wrasse
2 ocellaris clownfish maybe 2 black ocellaris clowns instead
***May I chime in here too. The bicolor pseudochromis very beautiful fish but can be quite aggressive and "maybe" trouble in a tank of that size. I would strongly recommend a "royal gramma" instead.
The firefish are beautiful. I have one right now in my nano 10 gal and what a beautiful fish. So they would be okay, not sure about 2 though as some have had troubles with 2 in the same tank of that size. I would recommend this fish.
Yellow Watchman Goby, have him too. At first they hide, poke their heads out to get food. Not really a very out and about fish if you have traffic in the house they will scurry back into the rocks. Mine is getting much better. I love the colors and really fun to watch as well. I would recommend this fish.
Sixline, leave for a bigger tank. Never had one, nice looking fish but very active and need that room.
Perc clowns, cannot go wrong with them. They are great.
Linckia star, "observe" them in very large commercial aquariums like Waikiki and leave them there......

Mushrooms, can never go wrong with them.
Candycane, bubble, frogspawn, hammer and fox. Never had any of these. I know they need room between them and other corals as their sweeping tenticles can harm other corals. Make sure you do some homework first before getting them.
Brain coral, I have a red one and it was the most expensive coral in my tank and I absolutley love it. Very easy to take care of and very beautiful too. I would recommend them.
This is just "my" opinion. Good luck and have fun with your new hobby