My First tank - Did the LFS mislead me?

I agree with all that's been said. A smaller tank is actually harder to keep because the water parameters can fluctaute wildly. A tiny, tiny fish would be ok for the 6 gallons. Like a clown goby that someone mentioned earlier.

Also, get a source of oxygen and something to filter the water - either a mini protein skimmer or a filter of some sort. A nano power head would help too.

And don't forget to check salinity! It can fluctuate greatly in that small of a tank. Water evaporates every day, causing the salinity to rise, which is dangerous for the livestock.

 

Skimmers and what not are all great advise but im not sure if it would even work with his tank. it is all glass, even on the top, Turning a Fluval edge into a reef or even SW is not for beginners because upgrading anything will be DIY, lights and filters.

 

After looking at the tank, I'm inclined to say that it's gonna be an oxygen issue, almost no doubt.

 

there is like a 4"x4" area in the filter where water meats the air. so oxygen would be terribly low. If you go to youtube and search fluval edge reef there is a guy on there that has pulled it off, but i dont think he has any fish.

 

Yeah, the thing is, freshwater has a much larger capacity for oxygen than saltwater. This tank is designed with freshwater in mind, and I doubt it can be used easily for saltwater, especially being new to the hobby.

 

its designed for a beta in mind. hehe...that probably about it.

 

Or even a few tetras or other small fish. Preferably in a planted setting.

 

its a nice looking tank with the edges and stuff...i think he should get some airstones for the oxygen issue, (right? or is there something else?) no fish and just deck it out with corals

 

wheres my karma?! jkjk

 

Ok, first, welcome and I'm glad to see you're seeking advice and open to it. Second, slow down. Good advice so far, I know it's a lot to handle and everything seems so difficult and confusing, but stick with it and you'll learn, we all did.

As for your tank, I see three possibilities. First, a small reef, no fish, maybe a shrimp and some snails/hermits. You could probably add some mushrooms or zoas with the light, but I don't know exactly what it is. I don't see any fish in a 6 gallon tank, way too small. Clowns, damsels, wrasses, etc. will grow too large and gobies will jump out, trust me, they will at some point, especially from that small of a tank and no cover. Second, a fresh water tank with some tetras or other small fresh water fish, maybe a plant or two, but that's a whole other can of worms. Third, sell the tank and get a 20-30 gallon tank. That will allow you much more freedom and many more options.

The problems with fish in that tank is lack of oxygen, salt water has much less oxygen than freshwater. Lack of space, it's small and any fish I know of will outgrow it or jump, and they will jump, I can't stress that enough. They may be good for a time, but they will jump from a tank that small. There's also not enough flow. If fish don't have enough space, they will get stressed and prone to disease. You mentioned you wanted 1-3 small fish, think again. You could have a baby clown/damsel in there, but they will outgrow that tank pretty quickly.

It's a shame that the lfs led you astray. They didn't give you terrible advice, but it wasn't great and failed to inform you of problems and issues that arise with small tanks. They should never have allowed you to purchase 4 fish at one time, that is just asking for trouble. I still think your best bet is to have no fish, a few soft corals and the shrimp.