What fish to stock my 20g tank with?

[nick0604]

Right now my tank has 4 turbo snails 3 astrea snails a fire shrimp and a peppermint shrimp in it. SP is 1.024, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 20, phosphate .5, alklinity 300, Calcium 500. I like firefish, clownfish, dwarf angels, dotty backs, jawfish, hawk fish, and a few others. I wanted to know what would be a good stock list with a few of the fish I chose and a few other suggestions that will go together. Thanks for your help!

 

[mr. limpid]

Any of those fish are fine except most dwarf angel (tank is to small), a Pygmy angel would work. Also your nitrates are a little to high for your inverts, suggest water change (try to get under 10). How old is your set up.

 

[nick0604]

Set up is only 3 weeks old. Not planning on getting fish though for a few more weeks.

 

[luvmyreef]

The thing is with little tanks, you have to keep up the maintenance. For example weekly water changes. Also, you want to keep your bioload down. I wouldn't push it with too many fish, or you could have a lot of problems. Things tend to get out of hand quicker in small systems vs larger systems. Levels rise faster, etc. So, imho keep only a couple fish in a 20g.

 

[mr. limpid]

Yes just read that in your other post. Your tank isn't done cycling wait till nitrates go down to 0 before adding 1 fish. In a 20gal you need to take it slow, your pram. will change quickly, you need to keep a watch on them especially your salt level. I have a 20gal. reef I check it twice a day, I'm always topping off, from evaporation.

 

[nick0604]

I have a lot of lime green algae building up now went through the brown algae phase already. Anyway to get rid of it? Lights are on about 10 hours a day. dual CL one actinic 65w and one 10000k 65w with 2 moon led lights.

 

[luvmyreef]

Turn your lights down, and get more cuc. snails, etc. Oh, you will be unable to reduce nitrates to zero unless you have a way to export them from the system, like water changes, or macro algaes in a refugium.

 

[nick0604]

how many snails shoudl i have in a 20g tank? and what do you mean turn your lights down?

 

[luvmyreef]

Sorry I meant to cut back on how long you run them. Instead of 10hrs, cut them back to 8 for now, add a couple more snails, and see if that helps.

 

[mr. limpid]

Fish only tank, correct. Then you only need the light for about 6 hours or less a day. If you want pulsating Xenia they will live under your lights and the consume nitrates. They do multiply and lights would need to run 10 hours a day they are photosynthesis.

 

[nick0604]

Right now it's a FOWLR tank, but will be eventually be adding corals way down the road like 6 months or so.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I have 1 astrea snail, 2 nassarius snails and 2 hermit crabs in my 20g display tank. Tank is almost spotless.