thinking about starting a nano!

[standup]

okay i've always been interested in starting a nano tank, and i went across the street to my neighbors house and found out that he had one set up - its like 3-4 gals and he tossed 3lbs of live rock in there, some sand from his fathers tank (which has been established for like 3 years) and water from the same tank.... when all was said and done he says he spent like $100 max... already had the tank
so now i'm sold... i want one for the top of my dresser :-D
so my question is: what do you guys think of these possible selections for my would-be tank? i'm trying to plan things out before i go w/ anything
- 2 false percs (pref. mated but don't have to be)
- a boxer crab or 2 (haha so damned cool)
- a blood shrimp (must-have color, lots of movement)
- a sixline wrass or other reef-safe wrass
- possibly a small bubble tip anenome for the clowns to host?
i dunno, i really wanna go for intense color 2 b honest - so im not sure what i could add, any advice/suggestions would b greatly appreciated, thanks guys!
(OH, and we already have 2 tanks, a 40 gal w/ live sand aged 1 year, and a 150 gal aged 2 years - i'd b able ot get the water from that one no problem, so cycling wouldn't b an issue at all)
thanks!
-- chris

 

[lefty]

For a pair of clowns, you'd need to have probably at least a 10 gallon tank. You wouldn't be able to keep any fish in a 3-4 gallon tank (that is, if you want them to be happy). Also, keeping an anemone in such a small tank can be quite difficult. They require very stable, non-changing conditions. In a tank that small, conditions can change at the drop of a hat for a variety of reasons. What size tank are you considering?
-lefty

 

[standup]

maybe a 5 gallon or so - anything "too big" and it wouldnt work - it would have to be able to fit on the top of my dresser lol
NEway the guy across the street has a pair of percs in his nano, a sixline wrass, and some kind of miniature goby thats really cool lookin, a few snails, and a shrimp - and the clowns voraciously eat the flakes and w/e else he gives them so theyre doing fine
note: the nano across the street is a 5 gal

 

[moraym]

Dont sixlines eat pods? Not many pods in a 5g nano, just make sure he's getting plenty of flakes if he's not getting a nutritional supplement of pods.

 

[lefty]

Originally posted by standup
maybe a 5 gallon or so - anything "too big" and it wouldnt work - it would have to be able to fit on the top of my dresser lol
NEway the guy across the street has a pair of percs in his nano, a sixline wrass, and some kind of miniature goby thats really cool lookin, a few snails, and a shrimp - and the clowns voraciously eat the flakes and w/e else he gives them so theyre doing fine
note: the nano across the street is a 5 gal

You're kidding me! He has FOUR fish in a five gallon tank?? Wow...poor fish. The general rule of thumb is one inch of fish per five gallons. So you can fit one very small fish in a 5g (not that I recommend it). I have a 29g tank and am putting only four fish in it. My tank is almost six times the size of his. If you do end up putting a fish (singular) into a five gallon, make sure it's something very small, like a clown goby. Some only get to an inch and a half long and aren't known to move around much.
-lefty

 

[standup]

if i could get a picture of the tank sometime soon i will - its really quite cool.... but the guy has always been known for pushing the limits as to whats possible w/ a fish tank - hes had 20 fish or so in a... i wanna say 100 gal. tank(?) before, and has been doin it for years so i dont think he'll steer his son in the wrong direction
either way they dont look too cramped in there - like i said there eating and active just fine i told him to get a blood shrimp lol tohse things r awesome...
anyway i saw an ad for a 12 gal nano cube for $120, free shipping i believe - what do you think of that? is it alright to use the filtration system and lighting that comes with the tank? or would it b better to upgrade the filter system? it seems like it would be perfect for my desktop - a 12 gal is a little bit bigger, but my dad does like 30 gal. water changes every time he does one (150 gal tank) so it would't b too bad if i were to grab some of his water to get it all going

 

[lefty]

Just because they don't "look" cramped doesn't mean they aren't. If someone wants to keep fish, that's great. But they must realize one thing. The demands, needs, and happiness of the fish MUST come first. Having four fish in a five gallon tank is plain selfish. Your neighbor obviously isn't putting the demands, needs, and happiness of the fish first. I hope you don't make the same mistake.
Also, I wouldn't be surprised if his fish don't have nearly as long a lifespan as they should.
-lefty

 

[standup]

he had said tank for 5 years w/ no problems of fish dyin too early *shrug*
...not the nano, but the other one

 

[lefty]

Do you know the expected individual lifespan of a happy, well-kept fish? I don't know if you're trying to justify keeping multiple fish in a five gallon because you "want" to (the poor fish have no choice), and in the end, it is your choice, but do know that almost every person on this board will advise you against it.
-lefty

 

[rbaby]

I have to agree with lefty here. Anytime you take the responsibility of keeping livestock and allowing them to depend on you for their happiness and livelihood, be responsible enough to give them homes that are suitable. What your neighbor is doing is just plain despicable in my eyes. I have a 12 gallon tank and I have 2 fishes in it...and one of them being a barnacle blenny who barely swims around...my clown takes up all the swimming space.
The whole purpose of keeping these animals as pets is not for their "survival"...but for their happiness and growth...there is a difference between "surviving" and "thriving"...I hope your neighbor learns to make the clear distinctions and I do hope that you consider what you would be trying to do if you tried to mimick his decisions.
Also, if you keep an anemone in a 12g cube with stock lighting...prepare for your tank to crash when it dies. Keep in mind that when an anemone dies, it releases it zoox which becomes toxic to other inhabitants in your tank. If you really wanted to keep one, I highly recommend you do your homework first before you even try...
Even the stock lighting in a 12g cube DX (which is double that of the regular series) is insufficient for an anemone...if you just want something your clowns can host in...research other possibilities they can host in that can THRIVE in the conditions you will provide.