min size for marine tank??
bkce...@imcnet.net
what is the smallest size aquarium that can be set up as a marine tank?
in the stores all I see are larger 55 or 100 gal setups. Can a small 10
or 20 gal tank function ok? what are suggestions for easy to keep fish
for beginners in such a small tank? thanks in advance for your help!
Kimberly Whalley
bkce...@imcnet.net wrote:
Hi- I'm somewhat new to saltwater fish (and this is my first post to a
newsgroup). Anyway, I bought a 70 gallon DAS tank about 4 months ago.
I was gonna buy a 55 gallon tank, but after reading many books on
saltwater fish (which say the bigger - the better) I bought a 70 gallon
tank.
After waiting 6 weeks for my tank to cycle, I have now had fish in
my tank for about 2-1/2 months now. I have the following fish in my
tank:
1 Flame Angel
1 Purple Tang (Red Sea)
1 Queen Angel (Brazil)
1 Spot-banded Butterflyfish
1 Scooter Blenny
1 Cleaner Wrasse
In any case, I bought a DAS tank because the filtration systems on
the non-DAS tanks looked pretty involved - and just starting out (and
the fact that I like really liked some of the more colorful, more
expensive fish) I didn't want to lose hoards of fish in the process of
learning how to take care of the fish. Especially considering the price
of some of these fish.
The longer I have this 70 gallon tank, the more I wish I would have
bought a larger tank. I still have room for more fish - but not that
much more room! - and I don't really have all that many fish at this
point. And even in this 70 gallon tank, the tang and queen angel are a
little closer together than I think they want to be.
Further, the water conditions in this 70 gallon tank are relatively
stable (as long as I keep my hands out of the tank!) - but the
conditions do fluctuate more than I would like them to. Temperature
fluctuations in my tank have been small do to its relatively large size
- but it would be quite different in a smaller tank. You could have
large temp fluctuations in a small tank like a 20 or so gallon. Might be
difficult to keep temp. in line. Other water parameters likewise. I
have learned the hard way that fluctuations in water parameters
translate into stress on your fish - which results in sick fish. And,
with saltwater fish, unless you take care of their illnesses rather
promptly - that translates into dead fish.
At the moment I'm glancing over a copy of the book "The Tropical
Marine Fish Survival Manual" written by Gordon Kay (1995). He says to
buy a 50 gallon tank at the very minimum. He goes on to say that marine
fish cannot easily cope with fluctuations in conditions. "In a large
aquarium, conditions will change more slowly, and changes will have less
impact on fish as a result".
One final note - have you ever glanced over a copy of the book "Dr.
Burgess's Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes" (Burgess/Axelrod/Hunziker)?
This book tells you the suggested minimum size tank for any particular
type of fish that you would like to bring home. I have found it to be
pretty accurate. (Not long ago I saw a pretty adult sohol tang at the
ole aquarium store. It didnt look all that big at the aquarium store.
It looked a bit bigger when I got it home! I ended up returning him cuz
he was too big for my tank.) Anyway, if you glance thru this book
you'll see that their aren't a whole lot of fish that would fit in a 20
or 30 gallon tank - especially adult fish - even if you could keep all
water parameters constant enough to keep them from becoming
sick/deceased.
Anyway, I'll tell you that I sure have enjoyed my tank so far - even
though it seems like at least one of the fish is always sick. Someone
told me the other day that after six months or so, my fish will quit
getting sick all the time. That would be nice. I think most of the
problems with my tank are the result of my inexperience at this point.
I kind of learn as I go. I probably should have picked cheaper fish to
begin with, but I didn't see any point in it. I like the pretty,
expensive fish - and what would I do with the one's that I no longer
wanted. Would have been wasted money.
Finally, like I said I have enjoyed my tank so far. I only have one
tank at this point - but I and my fiancee are forever walking around the
apartment trying to figure out where we can fit "just one more" fish
tank. I plan on buying a 140 gallon DAS down the road. A DAS tank
probably isn't necessary - but I have had good luck with mine so far.
Water quality is pretty good too, and stable. For as much as I payed
for it - it ought to be!
Sorry post is so long - but I get a bit carried away when it come
to saltwater fishies!!!
Keith at
(kbw...@ix.netcom.com)
The Rose's
Kimberly Whalley wrote:
Great response Keith! You 'bout covered all the bases.
There are differing opinions as to the exact size of a 'starter tank'.
IMHO if you are new to the hobby, don't even try anything less than 45
gallons with a good sized sump (15 to 20 gal.) The sump adds volume to
the system which provides the stability Keith spoke about. If you're
going with a Tank Only, no sump system stay with 55 gal. or larger.
Anything smaller will probably be a pain to care for and will tend to
discourage you from staying with the hobby.
At least you're starting out right by asking first - Good Luck!
>
> bkce...@imcnet.net wrote:
>
> what is the smallest size aquarium that can be set up as a marine
> tank? in the stores all I see are larger 55 or 100 gal setups.
> Hi- I'm somewhat new to saltwater fish (and this is my first post to [Snip]
> Keith at
> (kbw...@ix.netcom.com)
Kevin Lee
bkce...@imcnet.net wrote:
>what is the smallest size aquarium that can be set up as a marine tank?
>in the stores all I see are larger 55 or 100 gal setups. Can a small 10
>or 20 gal tank function ok? what are suggestions for easy to keep fish
>for beginners in such a small tank? thanks in advance for your help!
In my opinion,
yeah larger tanks are much more stable and are more forgiving of
mistakes, but that doesn't mean that small tanks aren't fun too or
impossible to keep! I started out the hobby with a ten gallon tank
and it sure was quite expensive with the mistakes that I made, but
luckily I made only a few, because I knew a guy who lived just a few
houses away who was an expert.
But ... get a big tank.
Orm Embar
The smallest tank I'd start with would be a 20 gallon; you can go smaller,
but I wouldn't. I would keep 3-4 (preferably three) fish total in such a
tank. I have a 20 gallon with a common clown, royal gramma, and harbour
goby. I'd probably go with a sifting fish (goby sp.; my favorite is the
orange spotted sleeper), an ornamental/useful fish (ex: sixline wrasse),
and any small third (clown, gramma). You can use snails and hermits for
live rock and algae cleaning, and cleaner shrimp if you like . . .
Get a decent skimmer-I use an 18x3" countercurrent that is adequate only
if the airstone is frequently changed . . . and only with Coralife
airstones.
Mark