Hermits only?
- Thread starter Noah 123
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Calappidae
Harlequin Shrimp
Micro brittles would fit, hermit crabs I suspose are hardy enough for such a small tank.. maybe 5 blue legs would live together before they kill each other off for shells if none are provided.. but you still have to be able to filterate the tank.. no goldfish setup with salt in it to say the least. In a 1 gallon you'd be adding a cup of freshwater almost everyday to try and maintain water quality swings.
I'd suggest maybe a 5g, few blue legs with a load of extra shells, and a couple of micro brittles or maybe asterinas. Definitely no less than 5g unless you have a lot of experience with smaller tanks...
I'm curious, why do you want such a small tank? At least in a 10g you could have a little goby or maybe a couple of shrimp... Are you just really low on space? Oh- and smaller doesn't always mean easier/cheaper, if that's what you're thinking. In fact, it's often harder.
I'm curious, why do you want such a small tank? At least in a 10g you could have a little goby or maybe a couple of shrimp... Are you just really low on space? Oh- and smaller doesn't always mean easier/cheaper, if that's what you're thinking. In fact, it's often harder.
I know in a little larger of a tank I could get a clown goby or something, but I just want a few little hermit crabs. I think they're very cute and I don't want some big tank sitting somewhere, because I already have 2 tanks! 1 freshwater 20 gallon and 1 semi-aquatic brackish tank for fiddler crabs.
Calappidae
Harlequin Shrimp
Not entirely, definitly it helps but you need to have water flow reguardless to flow through the rocks and you need some kind of mechanical filteration with carbon and filters to catch dirt and such.
Tanks that run off live rock for filteration is pretty much the goal of a refugium.. that or to just house more livestock (guilty
)It may look pricey.. but there are nano cubes with everything built into them, and they have different demenstions so that they don't take up a whole lot of space. I know some 12-14 gallon ones which would be better for new hobbyiest.
Actually you might spend more on the 5 gallon between keeping up with the water quality, and it'll be such a pain to maintain.. my 10 gallon I can't wait to tear down after my mantis outgrows it. I fill that thing up with water everyday.. my 125 I walk past. The bigger water volume the smaller and less rapid swings you'll get. For example your salinity would be perfect.. and after a gallon evaporation you'd be starting to panic after the water test.. my 10 after a gallon lost has raised to 1.035!!! and that's a 10 imagine a 5.. The only reason I'm not stressing this too much is because hermits are pretty bullet proof except around each other as far as hardiness.
Nice to see somebody finally getting the correct water for fiddler crabs. I've gotten in countless arguments with store owners over the freshwater's fine theory.
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Thanks for the great answers Calappidae! With the tank I've got filtration (I already have the tank, it was a 5 gallon freshwater many years ago), so that will give the tank water movement. I'm still not sure about how to keep the salinity balanced, though. Is there any way to keep it at a steady rate? I don't want to spend money on another tank, plus I really don't want it to be too big. Just something small for a desktop.
Also, thanks for the stuff about the fiddler crabs. I know what you mean about the arguments. One Petco in Vermont was keeping them in a fully aquatic, cold water freshwater tank! Unbelievable...
Also, thanks for the stuff about the fiddler crabs. I know what you mean about the arguments. One Petco in Vermont was keeping them in a fully aquatic, cold water freshwater tank! Unbelievable...
mbingha
New member
To keep salinity stable you can get an automatic top off with float valve and an aqua lifter pump. Again though, is this your first saltwater tank? The reason I ask is because with saltwater, pico/nano tanks are exponentially harder to maintain than larger tanks. For a first tank I'd recommend no smaller than 30 gallons. With less water volume, a small change can turn into a large catastrophe in short order.
Yes, this is my first saltwater tank. But I'm still very educated on saltwater. I've done many years of research and know that the smaller the tank, the harder it is to maintain. But like Calappidae said, blue leg hermits are very hardy. And from my own knowledge, I know that blue leg hermit crabs can withstand many different salinity ranges. They can even withstand brackish if salinity is high enough. I've talked to many different people, and tons have said they either have the same idea or already have a tank like it.
Wait a minute. I just thought of a totes cray cray idea. What if I did a high salinity brackish tank with high enough salinity that the hermit crabs can live in. So then, if the water evaporates, the salinity becomes higher, making the tank saltwater, which the crabs can still live in. Sorry about all the commas.
Wait a minute. I just thought of a totes cray cray idea. What if I did a high salinity brackish tank with high enough salinity that the hermit crabs can live in. So then, if the water evaporates, the salinity becomes higher, making the tank saltwater, which the crabs can still live in. Sorry about all the commas.
Calappidae
Harlequin Shrimp
It would shorten their life span. Just cause I said hermits are hardy doesn't mean we forget the general rule of thumb that all saltwater livestock is fragile. They just are more forgiving and can withstand mistakes more easily than other livestock.
In nanos not housing corals I keep my salinity 1.020-1.021 this way the swing won't be as dangerously high when I eventually get to adding water. The proper range is between 1.020-1.026.. corals prefer the higher end of 1.024-26.
I know some LFS keep their salinity at 1.019. I personally never tried brackish so no clue on the parameters for that. Most I had as far as brackish is halloween moon crabs and even then I just put a pinch of salt in their water bowl.
In nanos not housing corals I keep my salinity 1.020-1.021 this way the swing won't be as dangerously high when I eventually get to adding water. The proper range is between 1.020-1.026.. corals prefer the higher end of 1.024-26.
I know some LFS keep their salinity at 1.019. I personally never tried brackish so no clue on the parameters for that. Most I had as far as brackish is halloween moon crabs and even then I just put a pinch of salt in their water bowl.
Xavibear
Crazy Prophet
No. Water conditioners don't remove potentially harmful chemicals.
Calappidae
Harlequin Shrimp
+1
The only thing you ever want in your water is H2O.. basicly water.. and distilled or RO/DI is the closest thing to the purest of the pure water.
That should actually go for your other tanks as well.
I guess I'll just go with that then... I still find it a bit expensive for just 1 gallon though... 6 bucks for a 50% water change that I'd have to do every couple of days! Never mind. Now that I looked at it again it doesn't seem expensive.
Thanks everyone for the help! I'll tell you how (or if) things go on!
Thanks everyone for the help! I'll tell you how (or if) things go on!
Now that I'm looking at the empty 5 gallon, it actually seems like a 10 gallon (the one I've already got). I thought it was a 5 gallon for a long time, but comparing it to my 10 gallon brackish tank, they look like the same size.
Maybe I'll just put water in it just to see how much it can really hold...:mixed: If it is a 10 I'll put a yellow clown goby in it!
Maybe I'll just put water in it just to see how much it can really hold...:mixed: If it is a 10 I'll put a yellow clown goby in it!
