Guest floridaboy June 8, 2003 Share June 8, 2003 Im a begginer at saltwater fish and need much help. I want to get a 10 gal. aquarium(biggest I can afford). Clowns are my favorite. So, I have 5 questions: 1) Can I have 1 common clown and nothing else? 2) How much are common clownfish usually(and/or cheapest)? 3) How many fish can a 10 gal. aquarium hold? 4) Can it hold a clown and a yellow tang? and 5) How hard is it to have a saltwater aquarium with 2 or 1 fish? please help, Floridaboy ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatortailale June 8, 2003 Share June 8, 2003 Is your question abouting putting a yellow tang in a 10 gallon for real? http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=198 Responsible Aquarium Care (what online vendors say - and they are out to make money) Moments after the credits roll and the house lights come up after seeing Pixar's blockbuster "Finding Nemo," your child tugs on your sleeve and asks "Mom, Dad, can I get a Nemo?" This is the scenario many in the saltwater aquarium hobby have anticipated, remembering how Disney's 1996 release of "101 Dalmatians" ultimately led to a surge in Dalmatian sales - and sadly, months later, a spike in the Dalmatian population at humane societies nationwide. Entranced by the animated undersea story and influenced by their child's nagging, many parents will give into emotion, head down to the corner pet shop, and at least look into getting the family a clownfish or two. And sure enough, many retailers are already offering sales to capitalize on the popularity of this cute and adventurous story. Don't be fooled by this enchanting cartoon; the proper care of marine life in the home requires time, effort, and a financial investment . . . but it is not without its rewards. Hopefully, for many, this new fascination with clownfish will become a rewarding and educational lifelong hobby. But many already established in the hobby anticipate that after no more than a month and a fish funeral later, many of those slightly used aquarium setups will wind up for sale on internet auctions. Turning a child's impulsive enthusiasm into a lasting hobby requires a realistic understanding of what keeping a clownfish in a marine aquarium setup really involves. Before deciding whether you should find Nemo in your own home, we urge potential new aquarists to understand the requirements of the species as well as the proper care and maintenance of keeping a thriving aquarium. Responsibility, Cost, & Maintenance Along with owning an aquarium comes an ethical responsibility to care for a living creature, one that is susceptible to health problems or stress unless you are diligent, attentive and compassionate in the way you treat its environment - just like any other pet. Saltwater aquarium keeping is not a passive hobby between viewer and fish. It is an interaction between caretaker and precious marine life in a carefully established microcosm of an ocean reef. For first-timers especially, setting up and maintaining a saltwater aquarium with the proper equipment to support clownfish is a relatively demanding task. An Ocellaris Clownfish, which Nemo most closely resembles, requires an aquarium of at least 30 gallons, not to mention adequate filtration, pumps, water supplements, reef structure (live rock and sand), and required diets by species. Initial setup costs may range from $300-$500 or more, depending on the equipment and clownfish species you choose. It's also important to note that aquarium environments take time to "mature" before you should safely add your first fish. This process takes 4-5 weeks, especially if live rock will become part of the setup. Does your child have the patience to watch a virtually empty aquarium for over a month before his or her first clownfish arrives? Once established with clownfish, your new aquarium will require regular cleaning and maintenance, including: daily feeding and observation, frequent water changes, filter replacement, trace elements, and upkeep of integrated equipment. Ease of Care, Fun, & Educational Rewards On the positive side, Clownfish are ideal beginner fish, since they are easy-to-care-for, hardy, and don't require a huge aquarium to survive happily. Because wild clownfish always stay in or near anemones in a reef environment, they require very little space. They readily eat most fresh, frozen, and dried foods. Plus, provided that there are no predators in their tank, they typically have a reasonably lengthy life span. Keeping clownfish can also add a new element of fun to your family life. If fed on a consistent schedule, clownfish will quickly learn to anticipate feeding time, swim to the top of the aquarium, and "beg" for food. And since clownfish rarely swim long distances, their wobbly swimming style is rather clumsy and humorous . . . hence their common name. These intelligent, curious fish offer educational rewards, especially for children who are not familiar with fish or aquariums. Because clownfish in a home aquarium are not under the constant threat of predators, they can roam, feed, and reproduce without worry - providing interesting illustrations of fish behavior. Most importantly, aquarium keeping teaches an appreciation for the delicate balance of reef life and advances the ideals of conservation and environmentalism among hobbyists. Conserving the World's Oceans Over ten species of clownfish are now being successfully farm-raised by hatcheries like Oceans, Reefs, & Aquariums (ORA), offering aquarists a conservation-minded alternative to net-collected fish. Aquacultured species are also easier to acclimate, feed, and raise in home aquariums while helping preserve ocean reef populations. We encourage any new hobbyist to ask their retailer for tank-raised species when available. For more information on the responsibilities of aquarium ownership, please visit our Responsible Aquarium Care Section. Kevin Kohen, a life-long hobbyist/enthusiast and aquarium research pioneer, is the head of Aquatic Services on the Drs. Foster & Smith Veterinary Services Staff and Director of LiveAquaria.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatortailale June 8, 2003 Share June 8, 2003 Welcome to our board. Don't mean to slam you so hard. We need some details about your experience keeping any kind of fish. Also some details about why you want to start up in the hobby would help too. This is not a hobby for someone with little money. "I can only afford a 10 gallon tank" -- petco sells 10 gallon tanks for $10 bucks. Are you telling me that is your budget? Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgasmd June 8, 2003 Share June 8, 2003 Sorry, I couldn't read the entire reply above. I pressume, and please correct me if I am wrong, for what you say in your original post and your questions that you either have never had any saltwater fish or tank and maybe (+/-) never had any other aquarium experience. Don't mean to be offensive here by any means, as I am sure others won't be, but it takes a bit of knowledge to get saltwater aquariums to last longer than 2 days. I will assume you know nothing and go from there. If that is the case, take it for what is worth. First off, the cost of your equipment will be very dependant on what you want to keep, and if you don't know that as most new people to the hobby, then you will waste tons of time and money. What to keep is your very personal choice, but certain fish have certain specific requirements. Tons of drug dealers in NYC will tell you that a carry on bag will accomodate a medium size grown man quite well. Of course, that is cut up in little pieces. So, the question about the yellow tang is NO NO NO NO..... I highly suggest you start by doing a lot of reading. Most of us read for quite some time before we even bought the first piece of equipment. Even then, you have to take it very very slow. Most people in this board will be very happy to help you make some informed choices about equipment (the least of your expenses really), corals if you choose to get those, and fish selection/requirement/care. Below are a few free links for you to explore and start reading. All have a search function that will tap on thousands of threads about every single subject you can imagine relating to saltwater fish/corals/etc. Use them. Don't go posting: "what shoud I get for my 10 gal aquiarium?" because most people will not sit down and answer it knowing there is hundreds of people that have asked the same thing before and could be found by doing a search. www.reefs.org www.reefcentral.com www.reefaquariumguide.com www.reefland.com Reading and learning takes time, so don't feel you are in a hurry. Someone said that in this hobby the only thing that happens quickly is death and bad things. It is very true. Good luck and welcomed. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to post again. A final word of caution. Don't even think about going into a store and hoping they are going to give you a 20 min. lecture on how to do it. They will certainly do one of three things: give you the wrong information, give you no info, or tell you what they want you to know so you can buy from them. Either way you look at it, you loose. Alberto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest floridaboy June 8, 2003 Share June 8, 2003 Thanx for the help. My expirience is a freshwater Betta in a 1 Liter tank. It lived exactly 3 months and 3 days.(3/3/03-6/6/03) My nieghbor, though, has had a 50 gallon saltwater aquarium for two or more years and has agreed to help me get started. Would that still work? My budget... can't spare much but when I said I could only afford 10 gallon that's because I went to one place(petsmart) and they had them for $80+. If in some places they truely are less than I can probably get a 30. thanx again. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest floridaboy June 8, 2003 Share June 8, 2003 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chideloh June 8, 2003 Share June 8, 2003 Sam, This isn't a gold fish in a bowl but it ain't rocket science either. Do a little research and talk to people who have a nice setup and then decide what you want to keep and how much you can afford then go for it. Good luck and keep asking questions. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgasmd June 8, 2003 Share June 8, 2003 Sam: I agree with David. Given your experience and budget, I suggest you do the following. make a list of all the equipment needed (start with fish ONLY = cheapper and you can always move on to corals later if you want). Here is a start: -10 gal tank with lid and lights -10lb of live rock -1 bag of sand -two maxijet 1200 powerheads -salt -150 watt heater -protein skimmer -thermometer -test kits: pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and cooper. -some form of salinity meter or hydrometer I am sure I missed something obvious, but some will pitch in if I did. Alberto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefMon June 8, 2003 Share June 8, 2003 Keeping 2 percs in a 10 gal system is easily done IF you know what your doing. I'd recommend adding to Alberto's list a few good books: The Coral Reef Aquarium : An Owner's Guide To A Happy Healthy Fish by Ron Shimek The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide by Michael S. Paletta Natural Reef Aquariums: Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms by John H. Tullock, Martin A. Moe But, you must be willing to spend some serious money, there is no such thing as an inexpensive saltwater aquarium! HTH Glenn R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg June 9, 2003 Share June 9, 2003 Floridaboy, More important than the cost here is a willingness to learn before you jump in. I have a 10 gallon tank filled with corals, a single clownfish, and some shrimp (peppermints and a mated pair of golden clowns). $80 at petsmart for a 10 gallon tank is too much (still you should plan on a couple bills by the time you are done, but you can do it in stages and your likely hood of sucess is greater the slower you go)- you can find one used from someone here- other than the tank, you won't use much of the rest of it. Tiny tanks like these, refered to as nano-tanks, are duable. The key ingredients are patience and water changes. Many people run them without a skimmer- though the initial setup makes a world of difference in going this route. Look at your public library and see if they have any of the books mentioned, read through the FAQ link that is listed under our links on the home page, and goto NanoReef.Com for a lot of information on keeping small systems sucessfully. Great bunch of people on this board, and an amazing amount of collective knowledge. I would suggest running everything past them to A- avoid wasting money, and B- to make this a sucessful endeavor. Visit some people with small tanks- reefmon, JohnC, and myself all have some up and running for quite some time now. Welcome! Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sph2sail June 10, 2003 Share June 10, 2003 Go for it Floridaboy! For me, it is pretty easy to see a Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR) tank. Some live sand, live rock and a couple fish in a 10G tank can easily be done. No, you don't HAVE to do a skimmer and lots of other stuff to keep it rolling... What you really need is CIRCULATION and the live sand/rock to be the filter system. Keep changing water ('cuz the nitrates will accumulate) and you will be VERY happy. You will need to learn about water chemistry (meaning how too test and set up and analyze what's in it). That's a small investment for the fun. I'm sure you can visit a few tanks to see what's what. If I priced this... $10-15 for the tank $10-15 for lights (2) $10 powerheads (I bet you can acquire these for less from used supply locally) $3 for sand $30 for rock $30 pair of clowns (captive raised) There's a member in the club who breeds these guys and may be able to get you a pair for a much better price... Keep reading. You can BORROW books from the library or members for more info! s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest floridaboy June 10, 2003 Share June 10, 2003 Thanx Im only 12 yrs old, so my money and time is limited. The only thing I can really do right now is have a 10 gallon tank with a clown or two. Thanx sph2sail for the support. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcjm June 10, 2003 Share June 10, 2003 Sam, If you like Percula I can give you two. They are 3 months old. Still small but they eat pretty much anything now. I can also donate 10lb of base rock, a new fish net, a 10G light hood (I have to make sure it still works). Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest June 10, 2003 Share June 10, 2003 you can go to nano-reef.com and see how other people doing their tank.. there is a local guy who has beautiful tank..i think his name is brooklynjohnny or something... just learn from the expert..willl help you to do it.. good luck and DO NOT RUSH on this hobby.... You can ask any question to guys in here..they are all experts..and know what they are doing..so ..don't hesitate to ask.and get some advice from them.. let us know how you doing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest floridaboy June 11, 2003 Share June 11, 2003 wow thanx a lot bob. Buying that would be great. How can I buy them from u? thanx again Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcjm June 11, 2003 Share June 11, 2003 just come and pick them up or we can meet somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest floridaboy June 11, 2003 Share June 11, 2003 As soon as I buy the tank I'll try an pickem up Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcjm June 11, 2003 Share June 11, 2003 You are welcome to come and see the fish but you have to wait until the tank is cycled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest floridaboy June 12, 2003 Share June 12, 2003 ok thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sph2sail June 13, 2003 Share June 13, 2003 You are welcome to come and see the fish but you have to wait until the tank is cycled. Hey floridaboy, I'm willing to bet you have no idea what "tank is cycled" means. Essentially, when you set up a new system, whatever living stuff is transported into the tank has about a 70/30 chance of living. The 30% stuff that dies off causes what we call the Nitrogen cycle to kick in. The goal is to manage that cycle so nothing is toxic in the tank. Dead organic matter decomposes first into Ammonia. Highly toxic to living stuff. If the tank can not deal with this stuff, everything will eventually die. Nitrosomos and Nitrobacter (sp?) are two bacteria cultures found in live sand and live rock that will "eat" the Ammonia. The process is: Ammonia -> Nitrite -> Nitrate -> Nitrogen gas & CO2 Ammonia is very toxic. Nitrite is actually MORE toxic. Nitrates are not, except in higher concentrations. Nitrogen and CO2 essentially bubble as gas out of the system and all is well again. Live rock and sand have tons of the bacteria and all sorts of worms and such that love to eat Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate. This cycle needs to complete so that testing the water shows ZERO concentration of all three before it is really safe to add fish and corals. This process takes between a month and three months, depending on your setup. As others have said, patience is a virtue here. The fewer changes you make that shows your "system" is stable, the better. Don't worry, during that 1-3 months, there is lots of stuff happening in the tank. You'll see worms, feather dusters, copepods, really starting to grow out as things get healthy. s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest floridaboy June 13, 2003 Share June 13, 2003 thanx Ur right. I had no idea what "tank cycled" meant.thanx Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sph2sail June 13, 2003 Share June 13, 2003 have you checked out nano-reef.com yet? s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest floridaboy June 14, 2003 Share June 14, 2003 yay I looked around a little bit Its prety cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium June 14, 2003 Share June 14, 2003 Hey Sam, Petco is selling their 10 gallons tanks (only the tank and nothing else) for around $10.00 at this time. They also have very similar prices on their small tanks, about $1.20 per gallon. I have a couple of very good books you can borow too. Where are you located? I am in Falls Church VA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium June 14, 2003 Share June 14, 2003 I also have a 10 gal SW that I use for quarantine. It has live rock, sand and a Royal Gramma on it. You are welcome to come to my place at anytime to have a look at it and we can discuss the set up. It's a very affordable set up too. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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