New kid looking for salt advice!

[ChaseThisPanic]

hi! im excited about all of this, ive been keeping freshwater for a year now and wanted to start a salt since for my biology minor i focused on marine biology! and i am finally in a stable place and hopefully ready to start!

i do not want to try corals yet, just want to get my feet wet. i have a twenty that i have set aside for a salt and i have done a lot of reading. and have come up with a list of possible inhabitants so criticize me please and if you have a suggested order in which to introduce the inhabitants please let me know! i have live sand all set up and have cycled it with a horseshoe crab i saved from a moving friend. anyways i was thinking:

dwarf blue leg hermit crabs (how many?)
ivory cerith snails (would the crabs kill them? how many?)
a tiger pistol shrimp and yellow watchman goby
and two clownfish (i do not know what kind yet, maybe one if this is to much)

is this overstocked? i know salt are more easily overstocked...

 

[AmberSunrise]

dwarf blue leg hermit crabs (how many?)

I would say 3 or 4 to start out if you want more later then get more

ivory cerith snails (would the crabs kill them? how many?)

2 or 3 and I also recommend a mexican turbo snail or two they are great at cleaning the glass

a tiger pistol shrimp and yellow watchman goby

I hope its not in your bedroom i have a unwanted pistol in my tank and i havent slept in a week. I really love my sandsifter watchman he keeps the sand really clean.

and two clownfish (i do not know what kind yet, maybe one if this is to much)

Nah I think this would be fine. I have a black and white one its like my lil fishy panda bear

is this overstocked? i know salt are more easily overstocked...

I think this would be fine maybe even throw in a serpent or brittle starfish to help keep it clean

Welcome to the site!

 

[Waddi]

In my 32, i have:
5 blue Legged Hermits
2 Turbo's
4 Nassarius snails
2 Clowns
1 Cleaner
MILLIONS of Brittles.

And hoping this weekend imma get a Pep and Yellow watchman.
General rule is one fish for every 10 gallons mate, so i would go with A clown and your watchman and pistol, these two are good they have a nice relationship that could possibly form.

But Amber has you covered!! :p

Oh and welcome to the forum!!! :D

 

[ChaseThisPanic]

and i was thinking a fire shrimp

 

[Smitty]

Welcome to the site...fire shrimps are cool, but they hide a lot...substitute it for a cleaner shrimp instead. :)

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!

Here is some great reading material for you
https://www.livingreefs.com/water-chemistry-t31270.html
https://www.livingreefs.com/choose-....com/why-using-tap-water-bad-idea-t19865.html

I think you would be fine with the two clowns and sand sifting goby.

Also, please find the horseshoe crab a new home. Cycling a tank with a live animal is cruel, just use a piece of table shrimp. Also they are most unsuitable for our aquariums, this is a creature best left in the ocean
https://www.livingreefs.com/horseshoe-crab-t31956.html

 

[ChaseThisPanic]

thanks all of you and i definitely planned on moving out the crab. and i wont be cycling with living people no mo!

 

[Bifferwine]

I think your stocking list is great. Those 3 fish would not be overstocking it. Good choices!