New member looking for direction

[Neoz]

That top picture is exactly what we are looking for. We love that look. So not all clowns host? That tells you what I know. Heck I can't believe they move all around. That is awesome. The more I learn the more excited I get. I think I'll buy a book on clowns and anemones tomorrow and do some heavy duty reading.

 

[fatrip]

you will be really surprised on how many different clown fish there are as well...lol...

 

[Neoz]

So in a big tank like 75 or 90 gallon. You really only suggest a pair of clowns? So depending on what type of tank I build my total fish count will be low correct? Because I don't want a fish only tank.
Let me ask a few of you here.. could you post your tank size and roughly how many fish you have in the tank? I suspect the number will be much lower then I think.

fatrip thank you for your input on the tank. That is why i asked..

 

[daveverdo]

I have a 90g with 11 fish, mostly small. Most people would consider it a heavy load, some here will most likely chastise me. I do have a total water volume of about 150g including all the tanks hooked into the same plumbing. I also have a decent skimmer and do regular water changes.

Fish
2 Ocellaris clowns
1 Foxface Lo (large)
1 Carpenters Wrasse
1 Sixline Wrasse
1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
1 Royal Gramma
1 Yellow Tail Damsel
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Green Mandarin
1 Neon Cleaner Gobie

Inverts
Sally Lightfoot Crab
Red Mitrax Crab
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Red Brittle Star
Misc Snails and Hermit Crabs
Fighting Conch

Soft, LPS, and SPS corals

 

[fatrip]

no the fish count will be about as high as you think and maybe higher for some it is the types of different fish that there are in each tank. I have 22g and there are 4 different fish in there. Now all of the fish wont get over the size of 3 inch and one only gets to be about 1.5 inch. so it is also a matter of fish size.
but in your case clowns in pairs dont like other clown pairs being in there territory. so in a 4' tank i would suggest again no more than one pair. but others might have different prefrences...Dave pirc has first hand on 2 different types of clown pairs fighting in a 125 which is 6' long. but nate Nwgrogers had more than 25 fish in his 150g he will prolly chime in with the exact #.

but it is all about balancing bioload as well as fish that relatively get along with each other

 

[RyanM]

My Rose anemone has never moved but it can and may at any time. Anemones are nice and I have always had at least one in my tank but, they are a pain in a coral tank. They get big fast and can sting nearby coral. Some corals seem not to mind to bad being stung but other are not so tolerant. Pleny of room is needed if you care about what else is in the tank with your anemone.

As far as amount of fish goes, its the size of the fish more than the amount. I have 8 in my 125 but 3 are very small so they dont add much load.

 

[fatrip]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13966171#post13966171 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by daveverdo
Most people would consider it a heavy load, some here will most likely chastise me.

tang police tang police....lol...wait there is no tangs....lol...j/k i had to...at one tiem i think i had about 9 fish in my 55g. again it is about balance and you will see that with the chem articles.

 

[Neoz]

Thanks for inputs mates. I know there will be many many factors as you pointed out. I'll learn as I go... So so much to learn in this hobby. But the ride will be fun and worth it in the end to see my tank grow from nothing to something....

 

[daveverdo]

I don't know if you saw the specialty forums, but there is one on clown fish and anemones.

Clown Fish and Anemone Forum

Here is the FAQ sticky from that forum.

Clown Fish and Anemone FAQ

Dave

 

[frankandmaura]

You are welcome to see my tank as well. Probably not the best example of well maintained but I do the best with the time I have. It is a good example of a sump under the tank and proper plumbing. Pretty quiet too...

As far as anemones go, I think it depends on whether or not they find a spot they like. I have had mine in the same spot since March. I put it in the tank and it hasn't moved. I think that if they are eating well and getting a gentle flow, they are generally happy. I think a clown feeding them helps to keep them happy to (I don't have one, but for some reason mine likes where it is).

As far as cost goes...you biggest expense is probably going to be rock, if you buy from a store (local or online), especially if you go with a good size tank. I used a mix of what they call lace rock (which is a cool looking rock, but not live) and llive rock. I think it is ok if you go that route as long as you get some good live rock to seed the tank. This kinda depends on how long you want to wait for the cycle (I think you will hear this a lot). If you haven't learned about the cycle yet...it will all be covered in your book.

And those clowns that Dave had fighting were just being little ****ers sorry about that. I believe those were my fish, if we are talking about the same ones. I had both pairs in my 125 and they got a little frisky, but were ok for quite some time. Clarkii's can be nasty sometimes, but they are good host'ers.

Well...I think I have rambled enough...oh, I live in Vestal so I am right across the river from where you work. You can stop by sometime...just let me know when.

 

[thepircs]

Re: thepircs

Re: thepircs

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13965971#post13965971 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by daveverdo
Dave,

Just curious what lights do you have for Rose?

Dave

The picture posted earlier was when I had them in a 55 gallon under 4-65 watt Power Compacts (2-10k and 2- Actinic) and the coloration of the anemone was very washed out. After the rose split I moved them to a 150 with PCs, 2- 110watt VHO Actinics, and 2-175 Watt Metal Halides(I only run them for about 3 hours just before I get home - that way everything is looking its best for me) and the colors have really become deep and bright. They look awesome and if they split again I will have a hard time adopting any of them out.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13966038#post13966038 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Neoz
So in a big tank like 75 or 90 gallon. You really only suggest a pair of clowns? So depending on what type of tank I build my total fish count will be low correct? Because I don't want a fish only tank.
Let me ask a few of you here.. could you post your tank size and roughly how many fish you have in the tank? I suspect the number will be much lower then I think.

fatrip thank you for your input on the tank. That is why i asked..

It is all a matter of perspective and you will find yourself doing this also - I don't consider a 75 or 90 gallon a big tank. You are always going to want a bigger tank. I upgraded and turned my 6 FT long 125 gallon tank into my sump. As far as number of fish goes I have a very light bioload for the water volume and filtration/skimmer that is on my system. I am always concerned with fish compatability and the health of the fish. Unfortunately we don't have a large variety of healthy fish to choose from in our local fish stores. I want more fish but it seems that every time I see one that I might buy, it has some kind of parasite or ich or whatever. So be very careful in and around town. I am thrilled that we now have a safe place to go in Syracuse to get healthy specimens.

 

[SPN]

You are welcome to come see my set-up.

Just let me know when.

Steve

 

[thepircs]

the clarkii's became such buggers we had to place them elsewhere...they were aggressive to EVERYTHING we put in with them, even david when he did maintenance. they had an anemone and just took over the 6 footer...killed a few fish ...we had a pair of oscillaris for awhile that would not host (they were tank raised) and when we got vince's pair, man there was a brawl...surprising b/c our oscillaris were small, they now live with spn...but our RTBAs move around quite a bit, even w/clowns in them...carol

 

[Piazzon12]

Rock doesnt have to be expensive. You can buy a couple 50lb caribsea box of rocks for $50 and all you need is a few pieces of live rock to get things going. I used two pieces of live rock to seed my whole tank. Also, once you get started, people will be more than happy to get you some established live sand to seed your tank as well.

In my 120 I have:
A pair of ocellaris
A pair of sixline wrasses
1 Kole tang
1 Foxface
1 Diamond goby
1 yellow watchman
1 green mandarin
1 neon goby
4 dispar anthias
3 PJ cardinals
1 regular Cardinal (name escapes me)
1 blue reef chrolmis

And then a bunch of shrimps,crabs, snails, and two clams

 

[Piazzon12]

and I'd agree... dont rule out a 120,125 or 150... unless you have real constraints keeping you smaller. I think you'll be kicking youself later when you wish you had a bigger tank

 

[fatrip]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13969917#post13969917 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Piazzon12
and I'd agree... dont rule out a 120,125 or 150... unless you have real constraints keeping you smaller. I think you'll be kicking youself later when you wish you had a bigger tank

I agree if you have a 6' space i would go with a 6' tank like a 125, 150, 180 or 220. it will be much easier to start out with a larger volume of water as things with the water chemistry do not swing as fast or as drastically. but if you are looking at a 4 foot tank 120 is a nice size as well. take a look at adams thread for a nice 120 aswell as ryan's

 

[Neoz]

Well I believe I can accommodate a larger tank. But here are a few of my concerns... well mostly my wifes

That much water for one. My wife is paranoid about a leak or the plumbing leaking.

Budget. While we can and have set aside a budget for our project, does that now double going with a tank of that size?

And last is weight. I live in a double wide modular home. I'm concerned about weight and the flooring. Would it need to be reinforced with that much weight.

I myself would love a tank that size. But figured I would get my feet wet and my experience under my belt with a smaller tank. I know what your saying about the water changes but I myself have concerns with a tank of that size. Like could I succeed. What if I can't?

 

[Neoz]

frankandmaura, SPN, thepircs thank you all for the opportunity to stop in and see your setups. That means a lot to me. Nothing better then getting first hand experience about equipment and setups. The main goal I hope to accomplish upon seeing all of your setups is to come away with some knowledge of how all this works and what I'm getting myself into.

So whenever I can pick up some free knowledge I'm all for it! Also it was posted about our local selection of fish. There are very few good places that I have seen. Whats this place in Syracuse? Does anyone have the name or phone number? Have you been there? Thanks for help....

 

[daveverdo]

Bigger tanks make things a little easier because they are more forgiving. However, not everyone has the need, desire, room, budget for bigger.

The amount of time and effort to maintain a larger tank isn't much more than a smaller tank. It takes about the same amount of time to clean a skimmer for a 150g than it does for a 75g. In fact with the same bioload, you would most likely have to clean the larger tank less often. But, you would probably not have the same bioload in each. In addition to the added initial cost, there is added electrical costs, salt mix costs, maintenance costs.

I am not against bigger tanks, I just don't know if they are for everyone. Most of the people here are the ones who still love the hobby, so the opinions are skewed. Many started small, upgraded and say they wish they started larger to begin with. Those are people that still enjoy the hobby and stuck with it.

The opinions you will not read here are all the people that started large, got tired of the hobby, and sold all their equipment at a loss. While most people here love the hobby not everyone sticks with it. You won't hear too many people saying that because they don't participate in the these discussions anymore now that they are out of the hobby.

Not everyone has thousands of dollars they can spend on "let me see if I like this hobby."

It is a hard choice. We don't know you. You know yourself better than any of us. Some people get the itch to do something, do it for a short time, then move on. I know there are lots of people who get all enthused and a year later they get enthused about something else. Many of the people that participate in this forum are long term hobbyists.

If you use a spreadsheet you could start listing the cost of various equipment and expenses for 2-3 different size systems, add 20% for all extras, and then compare the bottom lines. Are you willing to spend an extra $500 or $1000 or $2000 to go to next size tank.

You can get an idea from a place like thatpetplace.com they publish their tank prices. They are pickup only in Lancaster PA and your local store will most likely be higher priced but you can get general idea of how much more the tank and stand would be as you go up in size. You can then ask here for suggestions on lighting, skimmers, pumps, for several different size tanks and add that to your spreadsheet.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/shipping/Glass_Aquarium_Listing.pdf

Good luck,
Dave

 

[Neoz]

Dave all very very good points. We were just discussing this tonight. How much time and maintenance is needed each week? How much budget per month is a tank of varies sizes. Will we, do we have the time and dedication to devote to this hobby? Will we grow tired of this? All questions we need to find the answers to BEFORE we get going overboard.

I just downloaded and read about the anemones. Seems they aren't really the easiest to have for a novice person with no experience. But in the end that is what we would like. So I'm not sure.

Of course we haven't really only seen small tanks in the local fish stores. So we might see another tank or species and decide on them. But then again I assume we will change our minds several times before actually getting to the point of adding species to our tank.

My wife and I are reading this forum and I can say neither one of us thought there was this much work, learning, planning before going with a salt tank. Boy were we wrong

But we know in the end I'm glad we are here meeting knowledgeable people who are willing to help. I just know we are saving ourselves from so many mistakes in the future.