Help - incompetent fish store got me in trouble.

lanaia

lanaia

New Member
This is my first thread so forgive me please any info missing.
I have a 10 gallon nano tank ( Aqueon kit) that has been fully cycled.Cycling took 6 weeks and I've added only one clown fish after and then I got a brown bulb anemone to make my "Nemo" more at home. Today I'm adding one tiny tomato clown fish and a Heniochus Butterfly and a small crab. My readings are as follows:
Amonia:0
Nitrite:0
Ph: 8.2
Nitrate: whenever I see it go over 20 mph I do a 15% water change.
My biggest trouble is the anemone - after adding it 5 days ago it hasn't stopped moving. At night it travels long distances and during the day it either opens and looks great or it hides under live rock and curls up to a tiny little thing. My guess is that my lighting is not enough - I have a one 15 Watt strip light that came with my Aqueon kit. Before I bought this anemone I took the whole hood to the store to show them what I have and they said it's fine since my tank is so small and shallow ( 12" I believe) but I have no trust in them. The water in a bag that my Heniochus Butterfly came had a nitrate level of 80-100 so I'm assuming they're not reliable. My knowledge in lightning field is so little that if I need to change it please include a link or EXACT info on what to buy. I'd like to keep the hood so 18" strip bulbs would be great.
I also have a pump to keep my current circulating and a cascade 100 filter.
Also just can't seem to get my salinity level right. My tank's temp. is between 78-80 degrees and the salt readings are 1.022 which I'm trying to raise to 1.024 but it seems like I'm constantly adding water and the salinity doesn't go up.
As you can tell I have very little idea about marine life and I'm trying really hard not harm any of the animals that I have. I'd really appreciate any help in understanding how to keep my aquarium safe and happy.
Thank you!!
 
salami trigger

salami trigger

Member
Welcome!
Im Sure Others Will Chime In Shortly...
Not All Clowns Host...and Some Prefer Different Anenome
Salinity Changes With Temp....a Reading Of Say 1.023 At 80 May Only Show 1.021 At Like 76...dont Knock Yourself Out...ur In The Propper Range. Tomato Clowns In My Opinion Can Be Very Aggressive...beware.
The Anenome Is Not Happy..yet...it Is Looking For A Good Place To Settle Down Give It Time...however...i Would Not Put One In Such A Small Tank Tho. If It Gets Stuck In A Powerhead Or The Filter Intake And Looks Like Not Doing Well Get It Out! It Will Foul Ur Tank Quickly.
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
do you have two different clowns in that tank? an ocellaris and tomato you said? mixing clown species can be bad...they prob will fight. if they do take one back.
i cant believe your lfs had that high of nitrates!!! thats ridiculous!!! i would find another place to go
your nem will need more light...mine does fine with around 4 watts per gallon. you have 1.5 so that may be a problem. and like salami said, the nem is finding a good spot...but idk if he will with so little light...you'll just have to see.
that butterfly needs a 50 gallon tank when fully grown...so either keep it a while untill it gets bigger or bring it back now.
oh by they way...welcome!
 
lanaia

lanaia

New Member
My butterfly is also very small and at the store I was told that they don't grow to big sizes when placed in small tanks. Don't know if any of it is true

My clowns are: tomato ( only 2h in the tank) and a Ocellaris Clown.
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
fish can grow proportional to their tank to some degree IMO, but i doubt it will stay that small...hopefully others can give you more info than i can about this. i think that although it will stay smaller it will not be happy so confined when it gets bigger.
and watch the clowns...if they fight then bring your least favorite back i guess...or see if one uses the nem (if you are gonna keep it) and bring the one that dosent back. it can take months for a clown to notice an anemone...or in my case a few hours. it depends.
 
loopy101

loopy101

Member
Hi and welcome!!
in a smaller tank it will be hard to keep a solid salinity due to evaporation. as far as the clowns it isnt a great idea to mix two different kinds of clowns they will more then likely fight till one is dead. and believe the tomato clown need alot bigger tank to roam and be happy,same with the butterfly. i would prolly suggest taking the fish back and finding a new lfs to shop at.
 
jordan3548

jordan3548

Member
Man you have some fast moving nitrates! 20mph wonder how fast mine travels
I think coralife life makes a pretty good 18 inch product may wanna check them out
 
U

usirchchris

Guest
Originally Posted by loopy101
http:///forum/post/3075676
Hi and welcome!!
in a smaller tank it will be hard to keep a solid salinity due to evaporation. as far as the clowns it isnt a great idea to mix two different kinds of clowns they will more then likely fight till one is dead. and believe the tomato clown need alot bigger tank to roam and be happy,same with the butterfly. i would prolly suggest taking the fish back and finding a new lfs to shop at.
I agree with this fellow. I would take those two fish back, and probably the anemone as well. Ten gallon really limits what you can do...use the returned money for a new tank

JMHO
 
lanaia

lanaia

New Member
Originally Posted by jordan3548
http:///forum/post/3075679
Man you have some fast moving nitrates! 20mph wonder how fast mine travels
I think coralife life makes a pretty good 18 inch product may wanna check them out
hahahahaha ..... I really wrote that
you know what I meant.
So the light that I have is not enough? I'm just trying to clear that out!
Thank you everybody for taking time to write this. I will monitor the situation closely and return the fish if I notice any aggression.
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
i also agree you should get a bigger tank if you have the room...i have a 36 bow and although i do have alot more fish choices than a 10 gallon would i still cant have cool fish like tangs. the bigger the better when it comes to tanks.
 
salt210

salt210

Active Member
the light is def not sufficient. and the tank depending on the size of the fish seems crowded.
 
lanaia

lanaia

New Member
Originally Posted by salt210
http:///forum/post/3075709
the light is def not sufficient. and the tank depending on the size of the fish seems crowded.
really??? 1 anemone, 2 small clowns and one butterfly are too many?
gosh I'm really stressed about this whole experience.... I really don't care for the visual part of it more than the health and comfort of those creatures so please help me decide what to do about the current state.
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
It's really easy to over crowd a saltwater tank unlike a freshwater. Although LFS's sell fish sitting in 10-30 gallon tanks they are more or less holding takes waiting to be sold when most of those fish need 55g up to 180g tanks to be comfortable. In a 10g tank I would be looking more in the goby family than in the butterfly fish family.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Come on folks this person needs to hear some real information.
The butterfly cannot and will not survive in your tank. Take if back now. Fish will not be stunted by putting them in a small container. It will only stress the fish. While the Heniochus sp. are of the more hardy of the butterfly fish, you have a fish that will read from 7-10" or so, almost as tall as your tank.
Two clowns in a 10 gallon tank is a push as far as size accommodation's. But if you really want to try this I would suggest you take the tomato back and get another occy.
Fluctuations in chemistry in your tank will happen quickly. You can see this in your Sg. For this you must make sure you top off with fresh RODI or distilled water at the very least daily to stabilize this reading.
The lighting you have is woefully insufficient to keep an anemone. You will not find bulbs to fit into your hood that will be enough to keep this animal alive longer than a few months at best. Take this back too.
Please, do not take this as a slam on you, we have all had to learn and make mistakes in this hobby. Do get yourself a good book on reef keeping and read it a few times. After doing so come back with some of the questions you may have. A lot of good folks to help here.
To recap, take the tomato and the butterfly and the anemone back to the LFS. Then do some more reading, test your tank to get comfortable with its particular chemistry fluctuations and how you can maintain it. A 10 gallon can be a beautiful tank with some knowledge and concern about its limitations.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3075790
Come on folks this person needs to hear some real information.
The butterfly cannot and will not survive in your tank. Take if back now. Fish will not be stunted by putting them in a small container. It will only stress the fish. While the Heniochus sp. are of the more hardy of the butterfly fish, you have a fish that will read from 7-10" or so, almost as tall as your tank.
Two clowns in a 10 gallon tank is a push as far as size accommodation's. But if you really want to try this I would suggest you take the tomato back and get another occy.
Fluctuations in chemistry in your tank will happen quickly. You can see this in your Sg. For this you must make sure you top off with fresh RODI or distilled water at the very least daily to stabilize this reading.
The lighting you have is woefully insufficient to keep an anemone. You will not find bulbs to fit into your hood that will be enough to keep this animal alive longer than a few months at best. Take this back too.
Please, do not take this as a slam on you, we have all had to learn and make mistakes in this hobby. Do get yourself a good book on reef keeping and read it a few times. After doing so come back with some of the questions you may have. A lot of good folks to help here.
To recap, take the tomato and the butterfly and the anemone back to the LFS. Then do some more reading, test your tank to get comfortable with its particular chemistry fluctuations and how you can maintain it. A 10 gallon can be a beautiful tank with some knowledge and concern about its limitations.
Posts like this is why you are my hero.
 
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