help started/starting a nano tank

I have started a saltwater nano tank , I am thinking of running it with a few types of macro algae
so far its a 4 gallon cube with 4 pounds of live rock , 5-10 pounds of calcium sand the tank has been running 2 weeks I will be adding Chaetomorpha and dragons breath this weekend , what should I add for live stock ?
I was thinking a yellow clown goby and sort of shrimp or crab

 

I personally like the green clown gobies more but you can try a fire fish

 

I don't really like the fire fish I like golbys and shrimps/inverts better , how much macro algae should I add to keep any pollutants in check ?

 

In my personal expirence, I've never kept macros, only live corals and fowlrs, but start off small and watch them grow, it's fun! And maybe another fish you can do is a possum wrasse

 

In such a small tank I would be worried about macros taking over. That being said I have seen some nice "plantted" Saltwater tanks kind of a nice change from a reef tank, and with the right set up can look really nice. A pistol Shrimp/watchman goby would be neat in such a small tank. Both stay small and are relatively inactive, I would not stock much more than this however, maybe a snail or two. Pistols are ecosystem engineers and will happily "mess" up your nice substrate, in my 10 gallon I almost regret getting one as there are constantly big piles of sand sometimes covering corals. I do enjoy it though, they are curious and very fun to watch as they run out of their burrows grab/steal food and run back.
The downside to a pistol shrimp and goby is you are severely limited if you want to get any other shrimp. That being said the shrimp won't just run out and kill everything in sight, likely it won't harm the other inverts, but its a possibility. You could do a couple neon gobbies and maybe a cleaner shrimp or some sexy shrimp would look nice. There are so many great looking and interesting inverts, this is my favorite thing about nano Saltwater tanks. A possum wrasse can get around 3 inches this may be a bit to large for such a small tank.

As for the macro algae it will come down to your stocking level and whether you have any mechanical filtration. With 4 or so pounds of LR in a 4 gallon tank this should take care of most of your filtration needs, provided you have a powerhead for water movement.

 

it is in a evolve tank with a back filter set up (no media or anything back there thou)
I like the pistole shrimp , but haven't seen any of those gobys locally yet .
I am trying for a sw planted look , other then lr and macros , what filter would be needed ?
I was thinking about a nano skimmer but all the ones ive seen look janky

 

Honestly I am a firm believer in having no mechanical filtration in nano Saltwater tanks, they tend to cause a build up nitrate and often referred to as "nitrate traps". Often however people take HOB filters and remove any filter media and in turn make them into a little refugium by packing them with cheato to help with nutrient export. Many small skimmers are, again they are not needed but they do make things nice.

 

the way I'm trying to set it up is basically as a refugium with a fish and crab/shrimp