1 ft Marine Tank

[-Chewy-]

Hi all.

Yep, shocking it is but i am considering setting up a 1 ft marine tank, not sure how many gallons it is....5 gallons? Anyway, what i am going to do is i am gonna buy a 1 ft tank set together with light and filter from my LFS... do i need a skimmer for such a small tank?

And I am gonna put 2 true percula clowns (mating pair) and a carpet anemone...
So, anyone gonna support me? Or are you guys gonna tell me not to do it?

-Chewy-

 

[impur]

If you know what you are doing and have done your research i say go for it. You will not need a skimmer on this tank. What do you plan to use for circulation? LR? LS? How much lighting? Schedule of WCs?

 

[-Chewy-]

What's LR and LS? As for the lighting, I am not sure about the watts but according to the person at the LFS, it is designed for a 1ft marine tank. My filter is a power filter type that create circulation and air flow. As for water changes, I'll do a 1/4 water change every week and replace with dechlorinated salt water...
So i don't need a skimmer (wont have any place to put anyway)...Is there anything else i need?
I also want to add a carnation tree coral (Dendronephthya sp.)...do you all think it's possible??
Thanks for the support impur..

-Chewy-

 

[Great Lakes]

The Carnation is pretty much an expert only coral. They have pretty stringent requirements.

And it will be very difficut to light a 5 gallon tank for an anemone and not overheat it.



GL

 

[-Chewy-]

temp. was one of the problems i thought, so i ask the person at the LFS, he said that it does heat the water... until abt 82 - 84 degrees....but he said it should be fine if it doesn't flunctuate...
Yea, most website said that the carnation is a difficult coral to keep, i might not keep it after all...

-Chewy-

 

[impur]

Well now I must give you a few suggestions. Hold off on this tank for a month or two. Go buy a couple of reefkeeping books as well as a book on coral husbandry. Then, after you are armed with all the knowledge you need to keep the tank stable, go for it. An anenome is very hard to keep, and if you do not know what you are doing, it will surely die. They should not be introduced to a tank that has not matured, usually AT LEAST 6 months.

 

[new_boy]

wot live stock u got in it

 

[smithrc]

wot live stock u got in it

nothing - read the post, its a tank he is proposing - and it lists what hes thinking of!


ANYWAY...
Back to thread - I'd say that 5 gallons is way too small for a stable environment the temperature will be very hard to control. (I assume its tank only and your not going to be running a BIG sump behind the scenes)

Also from the preparation i've been doing for ours, 2 clowns will be too big for a 5gallon - i was worried about keeping more than 3 in our 35gal...

 

[soma]

An anenome is very hard to keep, and if you do not know what you are doing, it will surely die.

Not to mention, if your anemone dies and you don't catch it right away (and i do mean right away), you can say bye-bye to everything else in that tiny little box.

 

[-Chewy-]

Ok, few things i would like to say...
I do have exprience with anemones and i am confident that i am up to the job. (i am well aware that a dead anemone produces unmeasureable amount of ammonia)
As for having two clownfishes in a 5 gallons... It is true that it is too small if the two aren't mating pairs and are territorial...however, like i have stated above, i wouldn't buy these two clowns unless they are mating pairs....therefore keeping them in a 5 gal would be possible.

-Chewy-

 

[ChriX]

5G is quite a lot for a 12" tank isn't it? A standard 12x6x8 is 2.5G.

Good luck to you but i'd suggest reading up a bit more if you don't know what LS and LR are!

What lighting are you planning? IIRC a carpet anemone is one that requires pretty strong lighting such as MH or quite a few PCs.

 

[-Chewy-]

Ok, first of all chrix, i don't think knowing short-forms of words commonly used in fishkeeping determines how exprienced you are.
I am using live sand (LS) and only one live rock (LR) for the anemone to achor in.
Anyway, i am going try it regardless of the discouragement....will inform you all when i will buy the tank....(maybe in next month, coz $$$ alittle tight...)

-Chewy-

 

[ChriX]

Ok, first of all chrix, i don't think knowing short-forms of words commonly used in fishkeeping determines how exprienced you are.

Me neither, I was just poking fun as indicated by the smiley.

I'm not trying to discourage you at all, just wondered what lighting you were planning.

 

[Ed4567]

One question- Why?

Stichodactyla gigantea (Giant Sea Anemone, or Carpet Anemone)
Difficulty: Most difficult.
Maximum size: 1 ½ feet in diameter. Short tentacles (though longer than those on S.
haddoni).
Recommended Minimum Tank Size: Medium (minimum 40 gallons).
Placement in Tank: Sand or rock.
Light: Bright metal halide lighting, preferably above 175W.
Current: Strong.
Natural clown fish symbionts:
A. akindynos
A. bicinctus
A. clarkii
A. ocellaris
A. percula
A. perideraion
A. rubrocinctus
Split history in captivity: None.
Additional info: Uncommon in trade, very difficult to care for (may be most difficult of
the clown anemones). Demands the brightest light possible – found in the wild in 3’ or
less of water. Seems to do best with very high water flow. Rare color morphs include
green, blue, purple, and pink.

If you are considering keeping anemones, please make an educated and responsible
decision about purchasing them. They are not easy to keep, and are considered
moderately to extremely difficult invertebrates to maintain in captive systems for long
periods of time. All hosting anemones require established and stable tanks. Some
require larger systems.

From http/www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf - a respected article that is linked to from reefcentral

Is it really a good idea to put this into a 12" by 6" glass box where there is no question that it will die?

As far as two clown fish in a 12" aquarium (I doubt it is as large as 5 gallons) I have to say this would not be a good idea. I have seen fully grown perc. clowns and I would not put one into a tank this size- even if you could get away with two due to them being mated the bioload would IMO be unmanageable.

Why not head over to www.nano-reef.com - they certainly arnt prejudiced against small tanks, however I have never seen anyone have, or recomend two moderatly sized fish in a 5 gallon tank let alone an anenome.

Of course it is your choice...
Ed

 

[Great Lakes]

even if you could get away with two due to them being mated the bioload would IMO be unmanageable.

This is absolutely the case.

Just because you can do something, does not mean you should.