Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'm in the process of setting up my 20g and I'm excited to see it all come together. Got the basics covered - water, salt, power head, and substrate are all in. Next up, I'll be adding 4-5 lbs of live rock and around 15 lbs of base rock.

For stocking, I'm thinking of starting with a single clown - probably an ocelaris, but I'm also considering a perc. I've also got my eye on a blenny, but I've heard lawnmowers can be tough to keep fed, so I'm open to other suggestions. Maybe a firtideflow or a fairy wrasse would be a good fit - or possibly both if they'll all get along. If not, which one would you recommend for my tank?

I'm also planning to add some inverts - 5-6 hermits, 6 or so snails, and maybe an urchin and a small starfish down the line. I'm curious to know if an emeflaked crab or arrow crab would work in this setup, or if a shrimp or two would be a better choice.

Carpenters flasher wrasse is the way to go, in my opinion. They look better than fairy wrasses and usually stay smaller than most common fairy wrasses. If you decide on a firtideflow, make sure your tank is well-covered as it may hide a lot. I've heard that some flasher wrasses can encourage other fish to come out and show off, but I'm not entirely sure about that.

As for the inverts, an emeflaked crab or a shrimp would be fine additions to your tank.

Bicolor blennies have a ton of personality, they're not picky eaters, and they'll help keep your tank algae-free.

I've had a chance to look into those carpenter flash wrasses and I must say, they're absolutely stunning.

Considering my options, I think I could go with a combination like this: a clownfish, a blenny - I'm still undecided on the type, I saw a beautiful white one with red/pink spots that caught my eye, a carpenter flash wrasse or possibly a fairy wrasse, depending on what's available and the price point, and a firtideflow.

I'd still like to add the hermits, a crab, some snails, an urchin, and a small starfish to the mix.

Carpenters and fairy wrasses are generally priced the same, around £16-18. You might want to look into a red spotted blenny, I think that's what a 'flymo' is, nice looking fish.

I'd hold off on the starfish for now, let the tank mature a bit. I'm considering a sandsifter and dwarf bristle star myself, but not sure if they'd do well in a 20g.

Urchins are great for algae control, but be aware they'll likely eat coralline algae too. There are some species that don't, so it's worth doing some research on that.

Planning on waiting a bit before adding any urchins or starfish, at least 3 months. I'll need to do some research on starfish to see which ones would be suitable for my 20g. The urchin at my local fish store is just a basic one, around $5, but I'm not sure of the exact species. I'll have to look into it to see about the corflakeine algae issue.

As for the hermits, what size and type of shells would you recommend for them as they grow?