20 gallon tank set up for newbie

[hobbeslax]

Greetings all. I've had much success with African cichlids for years but I'm iching to venture out and try something new. I have a 20 gallon tank at my disposal and I would like to try a my first marine tank.
I would definitely like an Ocellaris clown and anemone combo with some tank mates (basslets, dottybacks, jawfish). Any suggestions (other than 20 gallons is too small-thank you).

Thanks,
don

 

[LuckyReefer123]

That would be a good beginner tank. i actually made a sticky note dream 20 gallon long SPS tank. came out to be $740...oops! But you dont need all that nice equipment that i chose. You MIGHT be able to pull off a Red Bubble Tip Anemone but it would deffinately grow very fast and hurt any other corals, and then any other fish that try to swim might get caught by its sticky stinger tentacles. You can always try a long tentacle plate coral as an improvise. Basslets and dottybacks will probably fight with eachother in that small of a tank so id say one royal gramma baslet. Then for the jawfish, that will be hard. Theres only one i know small enough for that tank and that is a yellowhead, And they need quite a deep sandbed. 5-7" Thats half your tank water right there pretty much. Then when you add the rock and anything else, your down to about 8-10 gallons with that jawfish in there. So you might want to double think for what fish you want. An Ocellaris clown pair and maybe 3 chromis would be pretty cool. Well anyways, have fun thinking about what you want and good luck!

 

[hobbeslax]

Thanks,
Would a blue velvet damsel work w/the clownies?

 

[DaveK]

With SW systems, you have a much lower fish capacity compared to FW. Conventional wisdom for SW is 1 inch of fish for 5 gallons of water. So with a 20 gal tank, by the time you add live rock, your down to about 15 gal of water. This means about 2 small fish. It's best not to go over this limit, especially on a fist tank.

I would say that the traditional clownfish anemones would be just about out of the question. The tank size is just too small. It's very difficult to maintain the water quality needed. Also, these anemones get big. A BTA can easily fill a 50 gal tank. However, it would be possible to keep various rock anemones, mushroom anemones and and zoas.

As for fish selection, the clowns would be fine. The basslets, dottybacks, and damsels would tend to fight is a smaller tank. You might want to consider various gobies and blennies.

 

[hobbeslax]

oh, I'm not looking for 'basslets, damsels and jawfish' I'm wondering if any of those would work well in the system. 2 clownies and 2-3 small companions.

 

[hobbeslax]

What anemones would work in that tank? I saw a dwarf carpet anemone at the store that said it only got 6" in size.:rollingey

 

[PIMPALA]

I'm wondering if any of those would work well in the system. 2 clownies and 2-3 small companions.

not likely.

get a pair of clowns, and MAYBE 1 other fish. maybe.

what are the dimensions of the tank? 20L? 20H? 20 standard?

 

[hobbeslax]

12"x 12"x30"

 

[DaveK]

oh, I'm not looking for 'basslets, damsels and jawfish' I'm wondering if any of those would work well in the system. 2 clownies and 2-3 small companions.

Way too many fish. At best you want two fish and the anemone. Maybe 3 fish without the anemone.

What anemones would work in that tank? I saw a dwarf carpet anemone at the store that said it only got 6" in size.:rollingey

Personally, I'd say putting a dwarf carpet in a 20 long tank is asking a lot. It's not something I'd do, but it may be possible. Also, anemones should only be added to well established tanks. Usually this means you set the tank up, get it cycled, and run it for about a year with stable water conditions, before you add an anemone. Water quality is everything when it comes to anemones. This is an area where you don't want to rush anything. Having an anemone die is a small tank often means the loss of everything in that tank.