20 gallon salt tank
- Thread starter bubbagump
- Start date
fishymissy
Member
Even though the dwarf fuzzy maxes out at 6", 4" is a much more common length in the home aquarium. The fu manchu is about the same size wise. The only reason I would even suggest them for a smaller tank is that these are not very active fish at all. Most of their time is spent perching on the rock, sand or in caves. Actually, they can be rather boring in a tank by themselves as they don't do much! They also have much smaller pectoral fins than the larger lions, so turning around is not a problem in these smaller tanks. If we were talking about tangs, then this would be a different story, but again, these fish are not very active. Keeping the wastes down to a minimum comes with good tank hygiene and not overfeeding the fish. Since Bubbagump is keeping oscars, I'm sure he understands about tank maintance and messy fish!
If you decide not to go with the lionfish Bubbagump, then the tomato clown, and scooter blenny will be fine in a 20g. The flame angel is iffy IMHO because not only are they rather delicate, but they require a mature tank to do really well. (BTW a mature tank in saltwater is one that not only has cycled but has been up and running for at least 6 months to let everything "balance") Also the flame added to the other fish, and you're back to the 29g!
HTH
If you decide not to go with the lionfish Bubbagump, then the tomato clown, and scooter blenny will be fine in a 20g. The flame angel is iffy IMHO because not only are they rather delicate, but they require a mature tank to do really well. (BTW a mature tank in saltwater is one that not only has cycled but has been up and running for at least 6 months to let everything "balance") Also the flame added to the other fish, and you're back to the 29g!
HTH
bubbagump
Member
i think that i will try the tomato clown first and when the tank has matured i think then i will try an add the dwarf lion but i will try to find a rather small one about 1 to 2 inches long. and then as i groes should the tank handle the waste load as the fish grows? yeah and i think that the messy fish part well they couldnt be any worse than oscars or have bigger turds than them!
fishymissy
Member
Putting the dwarf and the clown in a 20g is not a good idea. There simply isn't enough room for both. If you want both fish then the 29g is the way to go.....
And I would suggest again, that the lionfish be the first fish in the tank after it cycles. It is so much easier to train them to take "dead" foods if they are alone in the tank.
And I would suggest again, that the lionfish be the first fish in the tank after it cycles. It is so much easier to train them to take "dead" foods if they are alone in the tank.
amphiprion
Member
Originally posted by IV:XX:
<strong>Look at what all I have in my tank.. 7.5in of fish in my 20 and they have been doing great for the last 2 months. My water quality is on the mark also. I think you could get away with a Dwarf in a 20 as long as you kept up with your water.</strong><hr></blockquote>
They may have been doing "great" for the past two months - what are you going to do with that sailfin tang as it matures? My sailfin went from 3" to 6" in little over a year. And it is still growing. The Pacific Sailfins get huge... I don't understand why people get fish and don't think about their long term needs.
I'm sorry but I see too many posts here regarding inappropriate species of fish in tanks that are too small for the fish being kept. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. I would love a Coral Hind, but I don't have the room for a tank large enough to keep one. So my common sense tells me not to buy it, as much as I would like to.
<strong>Look at what all I have in my tank.. 7.5in of fish in my 20 and they have been doing great for the last 2 months. My water quality is on the mark also. I think you could get away with a Dwarf in a 20 as long as you kept up with your water.</strong><hr></blockquote>
They may have been doing "great" for the past two months - what are you going to do with that sailfin tang as it matures? My sailfin went from 3" to 6" in little over a year. And it is still growing. The Pacific Sailfins get huge... I don't understand why people get fish and don't think about their long term needs.
I'm sorry but I see too many posts here regarding inappropriate species of fish in tanks that are too small for the fish being kept. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. I would love a Coral Hind, but I don't have the room for a tank large enough to keep one. So my common sense tells me not to buy it, as much as I would like to.
kev
Member
When I first started my tank I didnt know about this message board, and relied upon the LFS for accurate information(thats why the poor little guy is in my 20). Truth is, many people go by what their LFS says(and this is wrong). I know my sailfin doesnt belong in the 20... as he is going back to the LFS soon. Maybe that could help you understand why some dont look up stuff BEFORE they buy. 
fshhub
Active Member
here here!i agree with iv:xx, too many people do go by what thier lfs says, b/c we don't know any better when wwe start, i did at first, thinking they knew soooooo much about keeping, but turns out they know aot less than we give tehm credit for, i have been there, as so many of us have, but when we start, most of us find them to be ur easiest and maybe only source of info
amphiprion
Member
I totally agree that there are local stores that would tell us anything just to get us to spend money. That is why these BB's are invaluable to helping people who have questions. But some people here are also telling you the same thing as are the LFS's that we all complain about.
Someone asks if he/she can keep a Lionfisf in a 20g. Most people who have experience in this hobby will tell you no way. But then you have the one's who say I'm doing it, so it's okay for you to do it. I'm just pointing out that people should research the fish they intend to buy, and take with a grain of salt some of the statements being made. These animals aren't furniture, to be used, misabused, and then returned when they are no longer wanted. JMHO.
Thanks for reading this.
Someone asks if he/she can keep a Lionfisf in a 20g. Most people who have experience in this hobby will tell you no way. But then you have the one's who say I'm doing it, so it's okay for you to do it. I'm just pointing out that people should research the fish they intend to buy, and take with a grain of salt some of the statements being made. These animals aren't furniture, to be used, misabused, and then returned when they are no longer wanted. JMHO.
Thanks for reading this.
madd catt
Member
There was an artical back in dec or nov issue of tfh {tropical fish hobbiest}mag that was on lionfish, if you can get that issue it will deal with tank size and how to avoid goldfish and to use anthing that has omega 3 and 6 fatty acids thats closer to the diet of the fish in question.I think they said no smaller than a 55 and thats for a dwarf lionfish.nice colume
kris
Member
So you've gotten alot of grief about the 20g thing--i guess i would just keep the lion in it, since you seem to have you're heart set on him. As far as tank size--the smaller it is , and the less filtration, you just have to compensate by more maintenece on your part, like you said.
Oscars are cool--I remember having them as a kid-holy buckets were they messy--like this grouper i have now--except the coral grouper is much more colorful.
As far as the lfs goes there not all stupid you just have to figure out who is and who isn't--like around here they're having trouble finding help--so they'll hire just about anyone--even the dude who's only experience is the goldfish he killed last year, and he's trying to sell inverts he really know's nothing about, and they have a couple people that are very knowledgeable.
And of course even the experienced ones have different opinions sometimes--so who's to say who's right and who's wrong--sooooo-ask as many people as you can--and then majority rules.
Oscars are cool--I remember having them as a kid-holy buckets were they messy--like this grouper i have now--except the coral grouper is much more colorful.
As far as the lfs goes there not all stupid you just have to figure out who is and who isn't--like around here they're having trouble finding help--so they'll hire just about anyone--even the dude who's only experience is the goldfish he killed last year, and he's trying to sell inverts he really know's nothing about, and they have a couple people that are very knowledgeable.
And of course even the experienced ones have different opinions sometimes--so who's to say who's right and who's wrong--sooooo-ask as many people as you can--and then majority rules.
fshhub
Active Member
i agree with you guys, in fact i also said i would not do this, all i was sayig is that wwe often do get mislead by lfs's(or at least did at one time), unfortunaltely most of us wind up learning this the hard way before we learn properly, i wish i even knew about bb's when i started(never eventhought they existed, til my wife found one while looking of rother info)
i also agree with amphiprion and not all are bad, but most you have to use caution with,
and i definitely agree these fish should be adopted and treated as adoptions, not like something pretty ot look at(or worse)
i also agree with amphiprion and not all are bad, but most you have to use caution with,
and i definitely agree these fish should be adopted and treated as adoptions, not like something pretty ot look at(or worse)
bubbagump
Member
well for filtration is the wishper power filter 200gph and an aqua clear powerhead 270gph and 20lbs of live rock. is that good enough on keeping the dwarf lion or do i need more filtration. oh and them being messy, it aint no problem for me cause the lions couldnt be more messyer than my oscars. the key thing is not to over feed thats how i deal with it
rockster
Member
Bubba, you can ask questions here and get conflicting answers. Take it or leave it. You probably got more questions than solutions. Ultimately, the decision is yours. If others say you can't, you can go ahead and prove them wrong or you can follow others and wonder forever. So go ahead and do what you want to do if it makes you happy and learn from it in the process. I'm sure you will want the best for the fishies.