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- Thread starter hippiefish22
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A nano saltwater tank is a lot of work. And, saltwater stocking is probably one-tenth of what it is in freshwater. For example, in a 10 gallon tank you can maybe get away with one or two very small (an inch or two adult size) fish. The smaller you go, the more limited you are on what fish you can keep.
Take it from me, start with atleast a 30 gallon tank. I started about a month ago with a 10 gal nano, and I've already grown tired of it's limitations. (even though it is starting to turn purple and green and the rock is fun to watch. Very few species stay small enough to stock in a 10 gal tank, and you have to be very careful with water parameters (less water volume faster spikes). Even some shrimp will outgrow a nano IMO. It is a little cheaper to maintain in the beginning but a stable larger tank requires much less work which equals much more enjoyment.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
The one inch per gallon rule has been described quite a few different ways, and it's really just a rule of thumb and or guideline to follow. The best way I heard it described was to consider it 1 inch squared. Like I consider my 9 inch oscar that is almost 2 inches thick to be a total mass of 18 inches when it comes to the 1 inch per gallon rule.
Off topic.Hey Chris I just realized your initials are the same as mine, I'm Chris Alley...
Off topic.Hey Chris I just realized your initials are the same as mine, I'm Chris Alley...
If you're going for a reef tank (coral) you will quickly see that fish become secondary to all of the inverts, especially the coral. Meaning you will really only want 1-2 fish per 10 gallons. Trust me, this is more than enough as there will be so much else to look at in the tank. If this is what you want (reef tank), don't be intimidated by a small tank just be aware that you will have to pay attention to it almost daily and that it is more sensitive than a larger tank making changing anything a very slow process.
^^This is quoted because it is what I was going to say. With salt water, it's not about the fish. My brothers set up a 29 gallon salt water on their own. When I came up to see them, they already had some live rock in the tank but hadn't bought any fish. I did some research and had them get some snails and hermits and we tried a fish (we got a blue and yellow damsel). So far about 5 days have passed and everything is still alive. We are all noobs to saltwater.
I am far more interested in invertebrates than fish. Having an entire guild of snails and hermits that live off of detritus and algae is interesting to me. I like ecology and in freshwater we don't have as much ecology. We have just fish, swimming level niches and a few algae eaters. Freshwater inverts are lacking and I often wonder why the aquatic insect niche is left out (probably because of metamorphosis into flying insects). A few hours earlier I found a centipede looking thing in the tank which probably came from the live rock.
I now want to make my own saltwater tank. It's going to be a 10 gallon nano and I am thinking of getting snails, hermits, brittle starfish, shrimp, a clown fish, and then maybe a blue damsel if I think I can get away with it. I also want to get corals.
I am far more interested in invertebrates than fish. Having an entire guild of snails and hermits that live off of detritus and algae is interesting to me. I like ecology and in freshwater we don't have as much ecology. We have just fish, swimming level niches and a few algae eaters. Freshwater inverts are lacking and I often wonder why the aquatic insect niche is left out (probably because of metamorphosis into flying insects). A few hours earlier I found a centipede looking thing in the tank which probably came from the live rock.
I now want to make my own saltwater tank. It's going to be a 10 gallon nano and I am thinking of getting snails, hermits, brittle starfish, shrimp, a clown fish, and then maybe a blue damsel if I think I can get away with it. I also want to get corals.
It's all about the coral.
I agree that FW inverts are lacking compared to SW inverts, but I do value them a great deal both for their ecological and visual benefits. There are a lot of FW shrimp on the market, but all except ghost shrimp are way more expensive than they should be. I keep my 50 gal. stocked with ghost shrimp because they are wonderful scavengers and actually look pretty cool (to see them eat something and their stomach, which is where you would think it's head would be, turns the same color as the food). There are also a few different colors of mystery snails out there. Now there is nothing cooler than watching a Nassarius Snail burst out of the sand for food and you will never get anything like that in a FW tank. I just didn’t want to see these cool guys discounted so easily.
BTW - Lotus, with all due respect (you know the love I have for you), Nanos aren't more work. Just seems that way because it's the same amount of work as a large reef tank with a lot less water.
I agree that FW inverts are lacking compared to SW inverts, but I do value them a great deal both for their ecological and visual benefits. There are a lot of FW shrimp on the market, but all except ghost shrimp are way more expensive than they should be. I keep my 50 gal. stocked with ghost shrimp because they are wonderful scavengers and actually look pretty cool (to see them eat something and their stomach, which is where you would think it's head would be, turns the same color as the food). There are also a few different colors of mystery snails out there. Now there is nothing cooler than watching a Nassarius Snail burst out of the sand for food and you will never get anything like that in a FW tank. I just didn’t want to see these cool guys discounted so easily.
BTW - Lotus, with all due respect (you know the love I have for you), Nanos aren't more work. Just seems that way because it's the same amount of work as a large reef tank with a lot less water.
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I started a 10 gal SW about a year ago, and it was easily one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It took about a month for the live rock to cycle the tank, and then about another two weeks or so to have a cleanup crew rid the tank of garbage. That was when I got my first fish. I thought that salt water fish were the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but I don't even look at the fish anymore. Why look at fish when you can gaze into the depths and watch the ten trillion random creatures in the live rock do their thing?
I have a great LFS called The Aquatic Critter in Nashville, TN which has the most hitchhikers per square inch that I have ever seen. Just last weekend I bought two pieces of live rock, one that has two massive pieces of brain coral, and one that has some other kind of polypy-zooanthidy-looking hard coral with weird tentacles coming out of it.
I am willing to bet that oceanographers don't even have names for 90% of the crap that comes on live rock or falls out of it. So I guess what I am saying (in this ridiculously long rant) is that you should go for it. It is a joy for me to keep my nano running great, and honestly, I have more problems out of my FW tanks.
I'll put it to you this way- My TV sits on top of my entertainment center; my nano sits IN the entertainment center.
I have a great LFS called The Aquatic Critter in Nashville, TN which has the most hitchhikers per square inch that I have ever seen. Just last weekend I bought two pieces of live rock, one that has two massive pieces of brain coral, and one that has some other kind of polypy-zooanthidy-looking hard coral with weird tentacles coming out of it.
I am willing to bet that oceanographers don't even have names for 90% of the crap that comes on live rock or falls out of it. So I guess what I am saying (in this ridiculously long rant) is that you should go for it. It is a joy for me to keep my nano running great, and honestly, I have more problems out of my FW tanks.
I'll put it to you this way- My TV sits on top of my entertainment center; my nano sits IN the entertainment center.