Warning. Sw Noob.

[LauraFrog]

Well I like fish. And fish tanks. Full stop. But my parents don't see the point. However they are impressed by just about every reef tank they've ever seen and I love them as well.
I recently talked them into a 2.5 foot 22 gal FW community. I have a ridiculous number of small containers full of fish. And they've already agreed to a 65 gal (minimum) paludarium when we move, which will be in about a year's time. Since they're saltwater fans (and I really like SW's too!) I thought I might do a SW in a more public area of the house than my bedroom for them to admire. Space is a major problem so I would definitely go nano. I know where to get a cheap tank (200$) that I think would be ideal. Fairly soft lighting, 18 USG (70 litres) with a hood filtration system that I know from experience with the 6 gal model is surprisingly efficient from its size.

If I had plenty of liverock in there, fishless cycled and stocked slowly over a period of months, could I have two ocellaris clowns and a royal gramma in there? I'd kill for a mandarin fish but from what I've read they are picky eaters and hard to keep. I want fish that will be easy to rehome (as in if I give them to a fishkeeper friend they will be able to look after them) if I can't keep the tank when I go to uni. Obviously the plan would be to keep the three big tanks and ditch the small crappy ones (the plan - not that I'll stick to it because I am hooked on bettas!) but I've been carefully stocking using common, hardy fish in case I do have to rehome anything.

Is there anything else i could put in there or would that be close to full stocking? I'm not really familiar with the safe stocking levels for marines but I know it's a lot less than freshwater. My LFS keeps two ocellaris clowns in a tank that can't be much more than 40 litres and they are fine though.
I'd like marine inverts but not sure they are compatible with the gramma. I've done very limited research because this tank is at least a year away if it happens. I just thought it would be nice to pay my parents back (and get another tank!) for putting up with the arrival of fish after fish. I definitely have MTS.

Thanks!

Laura

 

[ben1987]

royal grammas are nasty little so and so's from what i hear.

 

[Musho3210]

I wouldnt keep clowns in anything less than 20 gallons longterm (talking about false and true percs here), 18 gallons should be fine as well though, but it would be the bare minimum in my eyes. I wouldnt get the hood filtration system, all you need is a stand, tank, powerheads and live rock (as well as the obvious like saltwater) for a FOWLR tank. A filter would be a waste IMO if you dont plan on overstocking or not having live rock, unless you dont mind cleaning once every 3-5 days.

I wouldnt dare go with a mandarin in that size tank.

Have you thought about a sump? That could really increase your water volume making it easier for you, nanos arent the easiest thing and the more water, the better it is for a beginner.

Buy a regular 20 gallon (24*12*16 i think) as well as a stand, if you want a sump drill it (make sure its not tempered), buy a cheap tank for the sump (10 or 20 gallons), build baffles (sheets of glass that is put in your sump to separate sections for different filtration/equipment), do the plumbing, buy powerheads (if its a FOWLR you could do with 10-20x the water volume), buy a cheap light, fill up with salt water, buy dry aragonite sand (optional) and buy some live rock, the live rock will cycle the tank without you needing to add any additional ammonia sources, once the cycle is over, add the clownfish. That would be the most cost effective method. To save even more, use half dry rock and half live rock.