Beginner needs help !

Ok, I might get criticized for this but I made a mistake and it cost me. Now I've learned this is easier said than done. 20 Gal bow front tank, aqueon 30 200gph filtration, 100w heater, wave maker for circulation, 15 pounds of live rock, 15 pounds live sand, 5 hermit crabs, 5 snails. Originally, I had a 50 watt heater and a smaller aqeuon filtration pump. Anyways, first time around i totally rushed. Got 2 clowns, a yellow tang, and a blue powder tang. Blue powder dies first. than a small clown than yellow tang, than last clown. Ich was present in tank. I read that the powder tang is VERY susceptible to ich along with all other tangs. I am looking for answers to certain questions.

1) what are great fish for beginners to get that are not prone to ich.
I would love 4 or 5 small fish total. Idealy two clowns a yellow tang, foxface rabbit, and or maybe a yellow tail damsel.
2) what liquids do i need to put into the tank on a regular basis to keep the water quality good. How often, and why?

3) Any other information that you would like to provide, would greatly be appreciated.

 

raymak

welcome to 3 reef

some of the fish you mention above are not suitable for a 20 gallon tank
the yellow tang is an active swimmer that is best kept in tanks over 4ft long
the foxface is certainly going to get to big for a 20 gallon tank and again tanks over 70 gallons are required to keep this fish for any lenght of time

a good rule of thumb for beginners is 1 inch of total fish lenght excluding tail for every 4 gallons of water
which gives you a total of 5 inches of fish in the 20 gallon tank
this will ensure your water should stay reasonably good quality, provided you dont overfeed
and it will also ensure the dissolved oxygen levels are adequate to support the fish you have in there

also you need to calculate based on the potential maximum size of the fish, rather than on the size it is when you buy it

with a 20 gallon tank
I would suggest, 2 x clown fish and 1 Yellow tailed blue Damsel as being about the maximum stocking capacity

check out liveaquaria
Nano Fish

as they have a section specifically for nano tanks (Tanks smaller than 30 gallons)
and you might find some species you like, that will be suitable for your 20 gallon

Steve

 

Welcome to 3Reed Raymak – Steve just gave a perfect response !

Never a need to think you will be criticized, mistakes are made all the time especially in the beginning. Joining this site was the single best thing – we will help you get on track. Good luck.

 

I agree with both posts above. this site was the first step in the right directions. We have all made mistakes, some bigger than others. Do some reading here and on the net about stocking and the different nano tanks. there is plenty of info out there.

Welcome to 3reef

 

Welcome to 3reef, no need to worry about getting criticized.

Great info in the previous posts. Feel free to seek advice at any time.

 

It is so hard to be patient. I kept fresh water for many years and in hind sight I really did not understand WHY I should wait. What is a cycle anyway? There is so much to learn with reef keeping. But even during this learning process do not get discouraged. Just keep reading. 3reef is a marvelous resource of data, and gentle-people to help you with the learning process. When I started I had so many questions, and things I did not even know that I did not understand. Keep asking questions. If possible join a local club, help someone else with a tank build, or a tank move. I learned so much by leaning over the shoulder of the experienced. Peeking in their sump. Even asking "local fish store" questions. They have a vested interest, literally, I have seen many things I should NOT do, by looking at mistakes the "professionals" make. Most of the time there are several correct ways to do things. Educate yourself, look at your budget, pursue "diy" projects that will educate, as well as entertain you. Kind of like planting a garden, every thing you do will have long lasting effects. With your present situation, wait a week or 10 days, then add a single clown fish. They are very hardy, and reasonably cheap. Wait another week and if everything looks good add another fish. You see you are building bacteria. This is all a part of the "cycling" process. It can be shortened early on. But now that you have your crabs and other life, you are past the short cuts, and yes you have had a set back, but starting where you are just continue the building blocks of your reef. I missed the part of where you are, how long your tank has been set up? How was the initial cycle? Was it a good strong cycle, or are you unsure and used time as a calculator? Did you use a dead shrimp as a jump start? Even the death of your fish will not be wasted but result in good bacteria growing in your tank. My first clown died. One of my early mentors, encouraged me, "wait a week or two and try again". That second clown is doing great and I have not lost a fish since. Keep us posted.

 

Yes you made a mistake, but you realize it and want to fix it, which is a huge step forward. A 20 gallon tank is not ideal for a beginner as smaller tanks are more prone to parameter fluctuations due to the relatively small amount of water volume (evaporation affecting salinity, use of trace elements by corals and raising of nitrates and phosphates by over feeding/not removing waste effectively and lack of oxygen as previously mentioned to name a few issues.

With that in mind, if I was in your situation, I would slow down and let the tank run w/o any fish for a month or two to allow the ich parasite to go through it's life cycle and die. If that's not an option for you, I would start with a very hardy fish. I like yellow tailed damsels, they are less aggressive than over damsels and are very hardy. However, only add one fish, wait a few weeks to allow the biological filtration to catch up (more bacteria growth to handle the additional waste) then add another small fish. In a 20, you can't have tangs, angels, rabbit fish or any other larger fish. It just won't work and the fish will become stressed and die. (As you have already found out). Those fish need much larger aquariums at the minimum. In a 20 gallon w/ no sump I would have at the most 3 small fish, maybe two clowns and the yellow tailed damsel or a goby of some sort and the clowns etc. It may not be what you want to hear, but it is what it is if you want your tank to be successful.

Also, if you have an open top tank, many fish will jump, especially from smaller tanks like yours. Gobies and wrasses in particular so I would avoid them too, unless you can get a top for your tank. (As another note, if you go that route, don't get the solid glass tops, they limit gas exchange and in a tank like yours that could be deadly. I would make my own out of netting or get some acrylic and drill lots of small holes to allow air movement).

So, the first thing you need to do is do more research and absorb the advice give here. There is not one right way to go about setting up a salt water tank, but there are wrong ways. Many times, people will ask for advice, not like what they hear and do it their own way. They then ask why their tank isn't successful or why their livestock keeps dying. I'm not throwing you into that group, but am making the point that this hobby does involve compromise. Unless you have lots of money and a very large tank, you can't have everything you want as far as livestock goes. Good luck.

 

Clowns are the hardiest for beginners maybe some blennies after that
no liguids need to be in tank keep as natural as possible
u wont be able to keep foxface or yellow tang in that small of a tank
smll damsel and blennies best bet and maybe ditch the filter or leave it and get a protein skimmer nano one

 

No additives, just water changes, especially in a tank that size.
If you start keeping hard corals, you may want to start dosing calcium, but that'll be a ways down the road when your tank is more established.

Good luck!

 

WHOA MAN!!!! TANGS??!?!?!? Well, whats done is done. first of all, tangs need like 100 gallons; second, you need a quarantine for each fish you get, because if it comes with a disease, it can kill all of your fish, and you can't treat the display tank or anyything besides fish will die