clown fish ? plus other

[seahorse]

I'm going to be starting a 20g. I figured I would get a ocellaris clown fish. I don't know if it is better to have one or a pair? I would like to get something else as well, maybe bicolor dottyback or a royal gramma. Is that too many fish? One other question while I'm here. If I'm going to start with live rock, do I have to put cocktail shrimp in also to cycle? If I do, how many?

[K9Decoy]

I have a 10 gallon tank with a Percula Clown and a Bicolor Angelfish, and they are doing great together. My LFS told me that I could safely keep 3 or 4 Clowns in this size tank, so I guess you could have a pair or more in a 20gal. If you get other fish besides the Clown, make sure that they will be compatible together in a small tank. You don't want to spend your money on two beautiful fish only to have one of them end up killed!

As for the live rock question, I started my 10gal with 10lbs of live sand, 5lbs of live rock, and 3 damsels, and it cycled in a week. However, my rock was already cured, and the sand was from my LFS, so I don't know if you'd have the same results. If you want to spend the $$$, you can try this technique. It was sure better than waiting for a month while watching cocktail shrimp rot at the bottom of my empty tank. JMO though. Hope this helps!

[seahorse]

Thanks for the reply. Anything helps with the thinking process of it all. Have you had your tank for awhile? It'll be nice to talk to someone with a small tank, incase I need some advise. Thanks again.

[MonoSebaelover]

Hey Clown-I wouldn't trust your lfs. It sounds to me like they are just trying to make a sale. 2 Clowns would max out a 10 not 3-4 especially since there will be a male female and that is it since in a 10g there is no where for the subordinates to go so they will be murdered.
seahorse- I would do live rock and shrimp and it should take your tank 1 month to cycle which is the average time. I would do 2-3 shrimp. I would say if you plan on upgrading then it is okay to go with a pair of Clowns and the Royal. If not then go with the Royal. This will require you to do biweekly water changes which should amount to 25 percent of the tank volume per month. Anyway, hope this helps and good luck.

[K9Decoy]

Seahorse,

No problem. I'm a newbie too, so I'm just trying to help where I can. To answer your question, my tank is only 2 weeks old now, and it still has just the two fish in it. I'm going to get a shrimp or hermit crab for cleanup duties very soon. I originally started with 3 damsels, but they were just to cycle with. My LFS took them off my hands when I was done with them so I didn't have to flush them. Of course, they didn't give me my money back, but they served their purpose.

I have learned from this forum that small tanks are not good for beginners like me, so I'm already upgrading to a 29gallon tank in the next week to 10 days. It will just be easier to keep my water chemistries at a safe level. I would like to do at least a 55gal, but I don't think my boss will give me a raise just to afford a bigger tank!

MonoSebaelover,

I agree with you totally on the Clownfish thing. Everyone else I have talked to says that 2 fish is the MAX for a 10gallon. They tried to tell me that I could keep a Coral Beauty and a Bicolor Angel in that tank with no problems. They are nuts! It'd be underwater WWIII. The Bicolor does get along well with the Clown though.

[seahorse]

Thanks MonoSebaelover. I think I should go with one clown. I'm going to upgrade but not until summer probably. So, I should just get one clown and royal grama? That's what I thought when I was considering a 20g. Would I add both of them at the same time or the royal first? Thanks for all the info.

[CHughes]

Seahorse:
I'm a newbie too, but I believe clowns do better as pairs. Mine don't seem to be territorial, so I would add the clown, then wait a week or so to add the grama...this will give your tank a chance to acclimatize to the increased bio load.

Just my 2 cents, Chris

[mogurnda]

In a 20, 2 fish is about it. A pair of clowns would be great. Mine have been constant companions for years, and are regularly producing eggs. A single fish may not be "lonely" (who knows what happens in a fish brain), but a pair is more fun to watch.