15 gallon stocking?

[Mjpendrey]

Hi, I'm Matt I have been keeping fish since I was 6 I moved onto tropical by the time I was 8 and now after 17 years I'm ready to move onto the world of Marine keeping. I have acquired a brand new 15 gallon tank and woul like to start up, I already got a protein skimmer and a 5 gallon tank wich will be set up to act as a mini sump, all I need to get is some sand and live rock and start the setup off. Iv been reading on here for months now and as not to offend the experts I wanted an opinion of what I'd be able to stock, may I add that I was only allowed to start this tank on a promise to my partner to get a pair of clownfish I'm not the biggest fan as I see that they are a real common fish now everybody seems to want one. I also believe that the tank is too small to stock these but maybe just one would be ok? Or not? So my question to you is what would be an acceptable stocking list also clean up crew, not to sure on hermit crabs as my friends ripped apart his goby and killed there shrimp! Thanks

 

[Mjpendrey]

Please help also how much rock do I need?

 

[Grizz]

2 clowns in a 15g wont work (10g min ea.) you'll need about 15lbs sand then 15-25 lbs (1.5-2lbs per gal.) rock after adding that the water is down to about 9g + the 2-3 from the sump I'd go with a pair of clown gobys a small CUC and mabe a pistol shrimp and some coral Check out some of the Nano threads lots good info there

 

[carey]

I think one clown and another small fish would work. Depending on the size of the other fish you might be able to have 2 small fish and the clown. But 2 clowns would be alot.
And of course you can add hermits, snails and shrimp.

 

[Mjpendrey]

Thanks, what would be the best shrimp to get?

 

[carey]

That depends on you. Gold banded shrimp don't get that big, peppermints I have a bunch of cause I love their swaying. I think the tank is kinda big for sexy shrimp though. You might be able to get a cleaner in there if it isnt too big.

 

[Mjpendrey]

I'm really interested in getting corals what lighting would I need to upgrade too, at the moment the tank has just a flu strip, what would you recommend?

 

[Mjpendrey]

Yeah I really like the sexy shrimp lol

 

[carey]

How long is a 15g tank again? lol I 'm sorry I forget

 

[Mjpendrey]

It's 22" by 12"

 

[carey]

Hmm that's gonna limit your options a tad on lighting. I would guess a 20" fixture might work. Do you have open top or are you gonna use glass tops with the lights? I'll poke around and see what I can find.

 

[Mjpendrey]

It has a all in one hood and lighting unit

 

[carey]

Here is what I found so far. Some are pricey, one isn't. But you do get what you pay for. If you choose the cheap one just keep in mind that it isn't super workmanship but it does work. I used one myself. The 20" length is an odd size for most makers. Just check them out and see where your budget sits. You can always upgrade later, and who knows you may want a bigger tank soon! LOL

Here are some examples
Aquarium Lighting T5 Fluorescent Light Fixture: AquaticLife T5 HO and Lunar Light Fixtures
NOVA Extreme PRO High Output T5 Fixtures
AquaticLife 4 lamp T5 / Lunar Light Fixtures
Odyssea T5 Aquarium Lighting

 

[Mjpendrey]

Thanks for all your help

 

[carey]

No problem. Good luck!!