Is a 20 gallon even worth making a long term tank?

[Sourdoh]

I am 100% brand new to this hobby so excuse me if this is a dumb question. I recently posted about stocking for a 40 gallon I was looking at getting. However, I see the cost of a 20 gallon and its much more accessible for me rn with the space I have. My question is what can you really keep comfortably in a 20 gallon as far as full grown fish and corals? The main focus for the tank would be corals for sure so I'm fine if its only a couple fish but still. Will I have to upgrade rather quick if I only go with the 20 gallon?

 

[JumboShrimp]

(In a 20-gallon I love a nice Talbot, single Pink or Orange Skunk Clown, and a Chalk Bass. You can usually add a Yellow Tail Damsel last. 4 great fish.)

 

[Hermie]

I have a 23gallon and I wish I had a 40. Mainly because the fish needs more space and it's filled ot the brim with rock. Basically 20 gallon is too small for multiple coral types but it comes down to what you are going to put in it and the growth pattern/speed.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Even if its just the two clowns and the goby/shrimp combo?

That's bad info. Most Clowns do JUST FINE in 20g . A 30 year old, 4" pair, probably a bit tight. 95% of clowns in the hobby, no issue.

I'm going to have to take the other side to most people in this. Whike, Yes a standard 20 gallon tank can be made beautiful, And can take someone through their entire reefing career , if that's what they want. There's not a lot of coral room in there. You are also already looking at bigger than 20, I would say go bigger than 20 to start. The upfront cost difference as well as maintenance cost difference is negligible at best at 6 months in.

20g is going to be a Tight tank. You said early on that it would be mostly for corals. If you are leaving any room between your different coral frags, that will be colonies in the future, you're out of space pretty quickly.

Plan for the tank you want to have in two years, Not the one you can throw together this week.

My build thread is literally got a free tank, upgrade, upgrade, upgrade because I ran out of space... Granted, I went kind of Ham..

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

My solo clown plays a game called “bite dude’s hand as fast as possible” every. single. time.

I've got 6 clowns that eat from my fingers. . .

 

[jabberwock]

Even if its just the two clowns and the goby/shrimp combo?

I saw my female clown dragging the male around by his anal fin. Had my yellow watchman goby pretty banged up and in hiding for weeks AFTER she killed my lawnmower blenny and a firefish. Fish have different personalities though. You might get docile clowns. I won't ever risk it again.

 

[Miami Reef]

I use a 20 gallon as a QT lol.

 

[Sourdoh]

After all has been said I do think I'm gonna stick with the 40. Can anybody link a thread that shows what upgrade equipment to get for an IM 40 gal aio?

 

[jabberwock]

That's bad info. Most Clowns do JUST FINE in 20g . A 30 year old, 4" pair, probably a bit tight. 95% of clowns in the hobby, no issue.

I'm going to have to take the other side to most people in this. Whike, Yes a standard 20 gallon tank can be made beautiful, And can take someone through their entire reefing career , if that's what they want. There's not a lot of coral room in there. You are also already looking at bigger than 20, I would say go bigger than 20 to start. The upfront cost difference as well as maintenance cost difference is negligible at best at 6 months in.

20g is going to be a Tight tank. You said early on that it would be mostly for corals. If you are leaving any room between your different coral frags, that will be colonies in the future, you're out of space pretty quickly.

Plan for the tank you want to have in two years, Not the one you can throw together this week.

My build thread is literally got a free tank, upgrade, upgrade, upgrade because I ran out of space... Granted, I went kind of Ham..

It is not bad info, it was my experience, your milage may vary...

 

[ClownSchool]

I am 100% brand new to this hobby so excuse me if this is a dumb question. I recently posted about stocking for a 40 gallon I was looking at getting. However, I see the cost of a 20 gallon and its much more accessible for me rn with the space I have. My question is what can you really keep comfortably in a 20 gallon as far as full grown fish and corals? The main focus for the tank would be corals for sure so I'm fine if its only a couple fish but still. Will I have to upgrade rather quick if I only go with the 20 gallon?

The two things I would consider is:
1- the smaller a tank is, the more difficult it is to maintain stable water chemistry.
2- wanting to upgrade into a larger tank is a very common desire in this hobby, regardless of the size you start with. But, by getting your dream tank now will most likely delay any dissatisfaction associated with buyer’s remorse due to settling.

 

[jabberwock]

After all has been said I do think I'm gonna stick with the 40. Can anybody link a thread that shows what upgrade equipment to get for an IM 40 gal aio?

IM is a great choice! You will do fine with a 40. Search for specific components you are interested in, like "skimmer", "wave maker", "heater". Lots of good info on here.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Maybe not the best choice for a smaller tank.

Your clown may be a jerk. This is bad info above. The are no health or ethical dilemma against a pair of oss clowns in a 20.

 

[Caleb123]

As others have mentioned, if you are already considering going larger, and you can afford it, I would do it. I am roughly 2 months into an IM 50 gallon lagoon. I like the tank, however, it feels like I still have a void to fill. Personally, I entered the hobby due to the fish and gradually worked my way into the corals. A 50 gallon all-in-one is not a suitable amount of room for many of the fish that I would like to keep. Therefore, I am 2 months into a brand new setup and already thinking about my next build. That being said, it’s all about your personal preference. One thing I have learned is that you never stop learning in this hobby and there is always some new fish, invert, coral, etc that you haven’t seen before. There are plenty of nano type fish that will be perfectly happy in a 20 gallon and if you are one to appreciate the tiny things in life then you should be fine. However, from personal experience if you think you would like a larger setup, just wait a little longer and spend more upfront to get what you want. It will save you money rather than upgrading every 6 months like me

 

[JumboShrimp]

In my experience Skunk Clowns are pretty chill for a small community tank (if not added first). I’m not sure anyone even told them they are FISH. Lol.

 

[jabberwock]

Your clown may be a jerk. This is bad info above. The are no health or ethical dilemma against a pair of oss clowns in a 20.

Not my clowns anymore, I returned them to the LFS and ate the cost because they were the "Insane Clown Posse". I want nothing to do with clowns in any tank. I guess I might eat one if they were big enough...

 

[Who me?]

Don't get caught up in the misconception that smaller tanks are starter tanks.
Many, myself included, prefer smaller tanks. Some even downgrade from large tanks to smaller ones and run them for years.

Also, don't get caught up in the misconception that smaller tanks are harder to manage than larger tanks, in my experience the opposite is true.
With a 20 gallon, water changes are a breeze, equipment costs are reduced, a skimmer is not only optional but rather not needed IMO, dosing, chemicals, everything is just a lot easier to do when you're dealing with such a small body of water. The only caveat is you have to stay on top of things more and be aware of anything that's going on in the tank so you can catch it before the water gets too out of spec.

Just wanted to give an opposing opinion. I've had everything from 5 gallon to 300 gallon and in my honest opinion 15 to 25 is the sweet spot.

I currently have a 20 gallon water box with a mated pair of snowstorm clownfish and a blue neon goby. I also have a 46 gallon which isn't too bad but I dread the larger water changes and maintenance routines , and also a 300 gallon which I curse everyday lol

 

[JumboShrimp]

@Caleb123 and @Reefer 71 make some good points. I have several tanks up right now which are all under 24 gallons— but in the interest of full disclosure I get my “fix” with some large tanks, too.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I use a 20L as a acclimation tank.
Lol.
It's a matter of perspective fwiw but imo around 100g is more long term.
D

 

[srobertb]

I started with a 10, then moved to a 40g, then a 60g, then a 30g (rental), then a 40g (new baby, new house), then a 30g, now I have a 120g and a 10g (and a FW 20g)

the 10g is an IM nuvo all in one and I HIGHLY recommend it over a biocube or other smaller tanks. It’s been running for 3+ years now.

it’s perfect for an apartment or bedroom and it’s easier to light than a 20g (cubes are easier to light).

On a 10g, you don’t need a Power head. The return nozzles I use I bought on Etsy. Coupled with an IM mighty jet pump and it’s dead silent and there are 0 cords. They create turbulent flow. Stay away from the spin streams or things with moving parts.

I ran an MP10 on my 30g and an MP40 on my 40g (both were cubes).

I use a Radion XR15 on my 10g (I recommend buying new but older is fine. Don’t get bogged down on “generations” 3-5 is fine). I ran a Kessil A160 Tuna Blue over it for a year with success but felt that some things were stretching for light.

NO LED LIGHT SHOULD BE RUN AT 100%. People will tell me I’m wrong but you wouldn’t expect your car to last a long time if you floored it and redlined it every time you drove it, same with lights. I’ve fried more Kessils than I care to admit running them at 100%. It has cost me thousands to learn that more light turned down is cheaper in the long run. Clean your lights!! Don’t expect cheap lights to look as good as expensive lights or be as effective. People who Stan for them will end up slipping up with a “you can’t beat it for the price.” This is a luxury hobby, Don't lose sight we’re in it for the aesthetics and well being of animals, not to shove, slam, and duct tape cheap stuff together and call it good enough. You have a responsibility to living creatures in your care.

You need an ATO. You’ll want to aim for a 5 gallon reservoir. Trust me. Get this up front. In fact, get EVERYTHING up front and installed. I could have saved myself headaches and money by just being good equipment up front.

Skip the skimmer on the 10-30g. Tunze makes a perfect skimmer for the IM NUVO 40. They’re finicky. Tiny cups. Noisy. Not that efficient.

I can’t function without a controller. This will make this hobby so much more fun for you and I think I would have suffered far less “reef fatigue” if I had started with one.

I hate recommending it for bigger tanks, but you want small so long as you have a separately named 2.4ghz Wi-Fi network, pickup a Coralvue Hydros Controller. Probably a Control2 + 4 outlet power strip. You can control your heater, temperature, return pump, fan, etc. You can even control a single dosing pump if you want to dose an all-in-one additive or setup an auto-feeder.

if you’re going with a decent light, don’t forget a fan (the hydros controller can control the fan too). You can pickup one that attaches to the tank for very little.

Heaters suck. Replace them yearly (which reminds me) and use a controller because the built in controllers are awful. For every “my eheim has been running for 25 years and was my best man at my wedding” story there’s a “my eheim became sentient and cooked my fish” story.

The controller will coordinate the fan and heater to keep your temps stable.

I like Chemipure. I have it on Amazon subscribe and save. I gave up on filter sucks a long time ago on smaller tanks. They clog so quickly. I just drop a bag in the media tray and Amazon tells me when to

FISH: Keep your bio load LOW. Fish=problems. I have no fish in my 10g, just some crabs and sexy shrimp and snails. Haven’t don’t a water change in 6 months. Go small.

DO NOT GET BABY TANGS AND LARGE FISH. BUY FISH THAT WILL BE HAPPY IN YOUR TANK WHEN THEY’RE ADULTS.

I like watchmen goby and pistol shrimp for smaller tanks. You’ll need sand.

Clown fish can kill corals, especially LPS, so if you’re going to get a pair, I’d get them hosting a soft coral or anemone before adding a frogspawn or torch. They “love” them to death. They will also sometimes choose to “host” a power head or return nozzle so be aware they’re

CORALS: Rockflower anemones, maxi/mini, and BTA are great since you don’t have to watch calcium levels too much. Soft corals and Zoas can work too.

Stay away from refugiums in small all-in-one tanks. The cost/benefit isn’t there. They’re messy and require upkeep if they do work.

Use gulf live rock. I’ve started tanks every other way and gulf live rock gives me a stable tank in about a week. If you go with dry rock or “cured” rock from the fish store, expect 2-3 months or so of diatoms and cyano and hair algae to come and go (called the uglies).

In fact, after an unfortunate Eunice Worm incident in a Biocube, I decided to use dry rock in my 10g. The tank got so bad I didn’t bother to clean the glass and just let it turn into a weird little underwater jungle for the first few months.

 

[Reefer4fun]

Funny enough that is the exact 40 I was looking at. Do you think I should go straight to that or go for the 20 to learn on?

Can a pair of fully grown clowns stay in a 20 gallon? I've seen so many conflicting points of view I don't know what to go by.

If u get the 20 while wanting the IM40, you'll end up getting the IM40 at the end of the road

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Not my clowns anymore, I returned them to the LFS and ate the cost because they were the "Insane Clown Posse". I want nothing to do with clowns in any tank. I guess I might eat one if they were big enough...

At that point.. fishkabob...I had a flame angel go rogue and DeAcan me Overnight!! I wished I had a predator to feed it to...