So I'm thinking about turning my 20gal FW into a nano...

Y

yoshii

Guest
Right now it's a 20gal freshwater community tank, but it's been neglected and gotten kinda boring since I started my first saltwater tank, my 55gal

So I was thinking about making it a coldwater tank, since I live near the bay/ocean and it would be easy(and cheap) to get stuff for this tank.
But now I've researched a bit and I've heard it's quite hard to set up a coldwater tank than a tropical, is this true?
If so, I've never done a nano tank before and figured maybe it would be easier to set up a more colorful and easier to keep tropical nano. Plus, I already have alot of saltwater stuff that I could use for it from my 55gal (I bought it from a neighbor and it came with TONS of extra stuff) I was wondering if a HOB filter, I think it's an emperor 600 or something, it's supposed to go up to a 75-100gal I think, anyways, I was wondering if it would be over-kill. let's just say, in a 10gal tank, it takes up one whole side(the longer back side) and the intake tube-thing reaches the bottom of the tank. I'm young (just turned 16 a few weeks ago) I dont have a job and I pay for my tanks all by myself, so I dont think I could afford a light for corals(i need to do more research) so it would probably be a FOWLR. So I'm thinking about other reasons why I would want another tank(my family thinks Im crazy) is so I can keep fish I can't keep in my 55, for example, damsels or a hawkfish, since I'll be getting shrimp(no hawkfish) and my other fish wouldn't like the damsels in the 55. Or I was thinking about getting some chromis? Again, I'm just starting to do research about nano tanks and fish that can live in a 20gal.
I'm sorry my thought process is so random :p
But I was thinking that I could just use that extra bucket of crushed coral for substrate, and then I could use rock from my main tank, but I really want to buy new rock, although I'm unsure about this because I'm going to invest in new powerheads and stuff for building my sump for my 55, and I'm on a REALLY tight budget(I've only spent about $350-450 total on my 55) so I'm really trying to see how much this would cost. Maybe I could sell all my FW stuff?
Sooo, I think I've already decieded not to do a coldwater tank by this time in writing this, and now I'm thinking about what fish I would put in..
Damsels?-Green/blue chromis(maybe 3?) or yellowtail blue?
Hawkfish?-the only one I like is the longnose
Canary Blenny?
Domino Damsel?-I've heard they fade over time though :/
Lionfish? :eek: idk if any are small enough for this tank though, probably not
Firefish Goby?
Neon Goby?
B&W clowns?-I have always wanted to get a pair, a bit expensive though :(
I'm just brainstorming over smaller fishes I like, something I don't already have in my 55.
Ok, so basically can you help me convince myself so convert this into a nano? lol. Oh and any random tips would be awesome :p
Sorry if this is so random, I basically want to think outloud and get some peoples opinons if this is a good idea and my family finds it annoying when i talk about fish
 
hunt

hunt

Active Member
dont have much advice, but i feel the same way, 14, no job, it sucks.
good luck
 
Y

yoshii

Guest
Originally Posted by Hunt
http:///forum/post/3240734
dont have much advice, but i feel the same way, 14, no job, it sucks.
good luck

Yeah lol, I've been saving up for a few years for my 55 lol, I became such a penny-pincher, my brother and sister would invite me to bike over in a Burger King and I said no cause I could spend that money on fish

They said I was crazy
 
kacey

kacey

Member
I'm new to the hobby, and my advice comes from reading a lot of stuff rather than specific personal experience, but:
I'd suggest, from your list, either a pair of clownfish, a canary blenny, a neon goby or a firefish for a 20g nano. Most of the other fish you listed really need to live in a space larger than a 20g. Neon gobies are 'cleaner' fish and like to clean other fish of (delicious, delicious) parasites. Others would have to chime in on this, but it might not be fair to put a neon goby in a tank by itself since much of its time is usually spent advertising itself to and cleaning other fish.
Whatever fish you choose, I'd suggest only getting 1 or 2 for a tank that size.
Good luck!
 
hunt

hunt

Active Member
Originally Posted by yoshii
http:///forum/post/3240739
Yeah lol, I've been saving up for a few years for my 55 lol, I became such a penny-pincher, my brother and sister would invite me to bike over in a Burger King and I said no cause I could spend that money on fish

They said I was crazy
the only reason i have money right now is my b day, all i asked for was money and now i hav like 200 buck for the rest of the year. Well, time to work out a monthly budget.
 
hunt

hunt

Active Member
I figured it out, if i only spent 16.67 an month, i should have a years budget olanned out, not gonna happen though
 
Y

yoshii

Guest
Originally Posted by Kacey
http:///forum/post/3240745
I'm new to the hobby, and my advice comes from reading a lot of stuff rather than specific personal experience, but:
I'd suggest, from your list, either a pair of clownfish, a canary blenny, a neon goby or a firefish for a 20g nano. Most of the other fish you listed really need to live in a space larger than a 20g. Neon gobies are 'cleaner' fish and like to clean other fish of (delicious, delicious) parasites. Others would have to chime in on this, but it might not be fair to put a neon goby in a tank by itself since much of its time is usually spent advertising itself to and cleaning other fish.
Whatever fish you choose, I'd suggest only getting 1 or 2 for a tank that size.
Good luck!
Thanks! Yeah, I already have a pair of clowns in my 55, so I want to get something different :) Yellow is my favorite color, so I'm leaning towards the canary blenny, although I have a lot of research to do on this fish, as I dont know much about its requirements
 
Y

yoshii

Guest
Originally Posted by Hunt
http:///forum/post/3240749
the only reason i have money right now is my b day, all i asked for was money and now i hav like 200 buck for the rest of the year. Well, time to work out a monthly budget.
Hahaha, I got $50 for my b-day from my dad, but I spent most of it on shopping with my friends
And my mom doesn't give me presents, so I'm still on my tight budget xD
 
contraband629

contraband629

Member
It must suck having no money in this hobby. It could also be a good thing so you spend money more wisely rather than buy everything like I did. I spent probably about 1500 over the last 8 months on my 24g tank. Anyways, how about a yellow watchmen at the bottom of your tank? Also, I imagine it would be easier to have a tropical tank than it is to have a cold water tank. Much easier to put a heater in a tank then to get a chiller. Also cheaper.
 
Y

yoshii

Guest
Originally Posted by Contraband629
http:///forum/post/3240790
It must suck having no money in this hobby. It could also be a good thing so you spend money more wisely rather than buy everything like I did. I spent probably about 1500 over the last 8 months on my 24g tank. Anyways, how about a yellow watchmen at the bottom of your tank? Also, I imagine it would be easier to have a tropical tank than it is to have a cold water tank. Much easier to put a heater in a tank then to get a chiller. Also cheaper.
Yeah, I've pretty much decided against the coldwater tank now, too expensive for a chiller.
Well, the only reason I got in this hobby is because the guy I bought the tank and stuff from had his tank previously set up as saltwater, so I decided to try it, having noo idea what I got myself into xD
I would have never tried it buying new stuff, I have no where near enough money to do that, what's amazing is that I bought my 55gal tank, hood,stand, canister filter w/UV, a 2nd HOB filter, a couple of powerheads, additives, crushed coral gravel, and a TON of other stuff for ONLY $50. So basically all I needed was live rock($200), a light($32) and fish.
Anyways, I thought about getting a watchmen goby, but even though they are yellow, I think they're kinda ugly

Also, I have a question about stocking, would 1-2 yellowtail blue damsels fit in a tank this size? And maybe a small goby or two(neon)?
 
nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
those damsels will become devils when theyre older. 2 gobies would be good or 2 clown fishes
 
Y

yoshii

Guest
Originally Posted by nikeSB
http:///forum/post/3241149
those damsels will become devils when theyre older. 2 gobies would be good or 2 clown fishes
:/ hmmm, well I already have a pair of clowns in my 55, and I want this tank to house fish that maybe I couldn't have in my 55
Hmm, so I need your opinions if these fish would be ok for this tank:
*2 firefish w/a neon goby
*1 B&W clown? Maybe cause they're kinda expensive for my budget, with 1-2 neon gobies
*1 yellowtail damsel w/a clown or 1-2 neon gobies
*1 canary blenny w/a neon goby? I can't remember if blennies and gobies can get along
Hmm so I was just reading on a website that neon gobies can be aggressive towards their own kind unless they're a mated pair, Is that true?
Again, I'm kinda just brainstroming to you guys :)
 
Y

yoshii

Guest
Well, I hope this isn't a show stopper, but I have used medication in my 20gal tank :(
I used QuICK Cure, it's supposed to kill Ick and other parasites. But it can be used for freshwater AND saltwater, does that mean I have a problem?
Here's what it says on the bottle:
DIRECTIONS-Remove carbon from filter, add one drop per gallon daily until cured on all fish except those of the Tetra group.
For Tetras-add one drop per every two gallons.
For Marine Fish-add one drop per gallon daily in a bare aquarium.
QUICK CURE will color the water blue-this disappears in a few days. May stain silicon sealant. Do not use in reef aquariums.
Active Ingredients: Formalin, Malachite Green <---And that's what worries me
If this is bad, is it ok if I just replace the silicone sealant? I've done it before in my 55gal,(several times actually) when I thought it had a leak(which it didn't) Or will replacing the sealant not help? Cause the only thing I'm going to use from that tank is the tank itself.
Also, I had a crayfish in there a little while ago and he suffered no adverse effects (he wasn't in there when I used the meds though) although I know marine fish/inverts are more sensitive. So I probably need to replace the sealant right? Or will that not help?
 
Y

yoshii

Guest
Ok, I know I'm kinda getting ahead of myself, but when I get excited over something like this, I count my chickens before they're hatched :p
So I was thinking, maybe if I can bring my myself to buy 1 B&W clown(instead of say, 2 K1s?) then I can move Sunshine, my yellow clown goby to the 20gal so the clown can have a buddy, and my goby kinda tends to get lost in my 55, he's so tiny!
Just thinkin ahead xD
 
aquapod 24

aquapod 24

Member
i think that would be good... then you could get a midas/canari blennie... i dont think you could set it up as a reef if you used copper based medication so that would mean you dont need have as much flow so you dont need to get as many powerheads if any at all (i am not 100% sure on the medication thing)
 
Y

yoshii

Guest
Originally Posted by AQUAPOD 24
http:///forum/post/3246615
i think that would be good... then you could get a midas/canari blennie... i dont think you could set it up as a reef if you used copper based medication so that would mean you dont need have as much flow so you dont need to get as many powerheads if any at all (i am not 100% sure on the medication thing)
Well unless Formalin is copper, I dont think its copper based :/ oh well I've decided to replace the silicone anyways :)
Sure, here's a pic, the water is low I'm just about to put in a few gallons of fresh water


 
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