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View Full Version : Stocking advice requested for new RS Max Nano build


offtropic
10/18/2017, 10:08 PM
Hey there all - new to both reefing and the community. There is so much information here that I feel like I'm drinking through a firehose so I'm hoping for some direction.

I am currently cycling a Red Sea Max Nano tank (20g) and it looks like it is almost completed that cycling. It has about 24lbs of live rock (yes, it takes up a lot of the tank!) and, in true new-reefer fashion, I am looking for a stocking plan that involves a pair of clownfish. I already plan to have a mix of SPS and LPS (I've upgraded with a powerhead) and will also have a minimal clean-up crew with a few snails and crabs (maybe one shrimp) once I have a fish or two in the tank.

Given the tank size and minimal clean up crew, am I going to be OK with a pair of clownfish? As I know they can be be tank a-holes what fish would people recommend and what other fish might I consider including in addition to them that doesn't overload the system or stress out the fish? Is there an order I should introduce the fish into the aquarium?

Any help or advice/suggestions would be massively appreciated. I like my LFS but think I can get more informed and less biased opinions here. Also, there is a good chance I'll be adding a much larger tank to my house in the future but there is no guarantee of that.

I'll try to post some pictures of how it progresses. Right now it is just empty with rock :).

rockhead51
10/19/2017, 03:16 AM
Offtropic, (great handle, btw)
With 20 gal, you don't have a whole lot of room for more fish. IMO, you should think about color and visual appeal (which means think about what actual corals you will stock).
Consider also that clowns may "pick a spot" and kind of hangout, so you may also want to consider stuff that moves around a lot.
I have a 32 gal and I have a clown pair, plus a shrimp/goby pair, plus a cherub angel and an orchid dotty back. I would consider my tank absolutely "full" in terms of fish.

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offtropic
10/19/2017, 11:44 AM
Hey rock - thanks for the response. Yeah I figured I wouldn't be able to add much beyond the clowns so just looking for ideas of compatible fish for the small space. Also, from what I have read, it might be good to introduce the fish to the tank in a certain order depending on their species.

I'm starting to give some thoughts to the corals but I figured I won't be adding those until after I get the fish going. I think I might be ready for a swimmer by next week (once ammonia and nitrites hit 0 and tank shows the ability to handle/process a specific dose of 2ppm ammonia dosed in a day) followed by a small CUC (I like inverts and care as much about these as the fish), followed by some corals maybe a few weeks from now.

ahuaia
10/19/2017, 12:34 PM
Fire fish are cool you could probably get a cardinal (doesn't move a lot) a clown goby also doesn't move a lot but I love how they sit at all angles they may pick at sps coral though so probably not the best now that I think about it.

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rockhead51
10/19/2017, 03:09 PM
Goby/shrimp pair is a lot of personality and action in a small space.... Plus they are pretty tough.

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offtropic
10/19/2017, 03:57 PM
Goby/shrimp pair is a lot of personality and action in a small space.... Plus they are pretty tough.


My sand bed is only about 1/2"...I looked them up and it looks like they recommend 2-3"? How much are you using? I would be ok with adding a little more (maybe another 1/2") but really like the minimal bed and the easier cleaning that goes with it. What sort of activity/behavior does the orchid dotty have?

rockhead51
10/19/2017, 05:19 PM
My sand bed is only about 1/2"...I looked them up and it looks like they recommend 2-3"? How much are you using? I would be ok with adding a little more (maybe another 1/2") but really like the minimal bed and the easier cleaning that goes with it. What sort of activity/behavior does the orchid dotty have?

I probably average about 1.5, but they excavate under rocks and make little "drifts" (they also drag small rocks and shells into their cave to shore up the sides/ reinforce openings).
The Orchid Dotyback is pretty active. Move some rocks around, add a new fish, any big changes and he gets a little skittish and will hang out in a crevice for a day or two (which I've heard is normal for psuedochromis- I had a Royal Gramma who never came out at all), but he is normally very active. He was last in and my cherub angel tried to pick on him a bit: he gave as good as he got, and they are buds now. He hangs at the middle to lower part of the tank.
They are a bit on the pricey side because their numbers are dwindling in the wild, so most in the aquarium trade are captive bred. Mine is ORA certified and cost $70.

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offtropic
10/20/2017, 10:24 PM
What was your source for the Doty? LFS or online? I'm still tempted by the goby/shrimp pair but would have to put some more sand in the tank. Also still open to other suggestions that go well with clowns in a 20g tank.

rockhead51
10/21/2017, 04:23 AM
LFS. You can always do cheaper on line, but I like to see fish before I buy them (and see them eat), plus I like to give my LFS some business to "pay for" all the advice and help.
Case in point- my YWG. The first one I had disappeared. Presumed dead. Went to LFS and they had a bunch in stock. One seemed bolder, always fully exposed and sometimes swimming around (as opposed to just hanging out in a cave mouth or under a rock). Got that guy. He paired with my shrimp in a couple hours, but he still often comes out and explores the tank; which is not "normal" YWG behavior. But like I said, these guys are big on personality.
(BTW, the rest of the story is that I found YWG #1 about a month later in the sump chamber. He was skinny and lost most of his color in the dark back there, but I fed him and he colored back up in under a day. I couldn't tell sex for him or the new one, so I returned him to my LFS, and they gave me full credit.)

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offtropic
11/07/2017, 08:14 AM
So I have had a juvenile ocellaris clown pair (that appear to be differentiating) for about two weeks now and looking to add another fish (in a week or so) before I get the corals going. I also have a skunk cleaner shrimp, trochus snail, nessaria snail, red legged hermit and an emerald crab

All fish-related aquarium parameters look great (per red sea test kits):
0 ammonia
0 nitrites
10 nitrates
35 salinity
79.5F (pretty rock solid here)
8.2 pH (again, doesn't waver)

Aquarium is total of 20 gallons with 16.5g display and 3.5g sump. I have about 24 lbs of live rock in there. I feed pellets and frozen mycin shrimp every day.

I see a lot of advice suggesting I need to wait at least 4 weeks before adding more livestock but I'm not sure why? I'm not seeing any hint that the biological filter is being challenged.

So looking right now at either an orchid dotty or firefish (might go upscale with helfrichi as there aren't all that many fish in this tank). Any thoughts from anyone on those choices? If things go well I might add a sand-sifting goby in about 6 months once the tank has matured with corals (mixed) in it.

Smoke Inator
11/07/2017, 11:18 AM
just one suggestion, cut back on the food...i feed every other day to cut down on nutrient build up which can lead to algae explosions....my worst outbreaks have been from over feeding when my daughter wanted to "help"....get some pics...we all wana see something

offtropic
11/07/2017, 05:56 PM
Right now I'd say about 95% of the pellets I feed are consumed by the clowns (I am just dropping in a few slowly by hand). Mycin amounts are small and spread out but the clowns only seem to like the small pieces...the rest give my shrimp and other clean-up something to eat. No signs of algae yet (aside from coralline where I am getting an interesting green variety).

Now I'm considering a midas blennie as well. So, firefish, dotty or blennie...hmmmm?