Size Tank I should get?

tamberav

New Member
Big noob here. Always done freshwater and want to start a saltwater nanotank.

Been doing a lot of reading but would like an opinion on size of tank for two fish and a shrimp and some snails.

1 Yellowhead Jawfish
1 Percula Clownfish
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Astrea snails (6?)

Can these animals live together peacefully and healthy?

The first decision is finding a suitable sized tank! :)

Also, would like to have an anemone for the clown and have read they have very high light requirements and very clean water. The anemone is not a requirement, just thought it always looked neat.

Thanks for any info. :maitre
 

Ritsuko N

New Member
Can these animals live together peacefully and healthy?
Yes this should be a peaceful combination of fish and inverts.

Also, would like to have an anemone for the clown and have read they have very high light requirements and very clean water. The anemone is not a requirement, just thought it always looked neat.
Thats not a good idea for a number of reasons. Yes there are people that attempt it and some pull it off but there are a few problems with this. First they require a mature tank that is stable in water parameters. Second they all get pretty large and while they can be done in some of the larger Nanos you essentially end up with a "species only" tank. A typical Bubble Tip Anemone will easily reach a diameter of 12 inches and do so in months of well cared for! Something such as a Carpet Anemone can easily double that size. Many anemones have a pretty pathetic survival rate in the home aquarium so do fair better than they have in the past. Anemones can be done under intense PC, VHO, or T-5's but I have found halides to be best. The other aspect of anemones is that they move around a lot and in a small tank this can really be a problem until it finds a spot it likes and settles down. The other complication this causes is with such a small tank...figure the odds that it will find a powerhead intake or filter intake and then you will have "Anemone Puree" in your tank possibly causing a tank crash to boot too. There are Flower Anemones from the caribean that are workable but they are not a host anemone. There are also mini carpets too but Im not sure if that variety will host.

You are aware that the Jaw Fish will want to be in a habitat that features a DSB (Deep Sand Bed) right? Have you researched this highly debated topic any and have a good understanding of the requirements that a DSB requires. If not then you might want to burn a little midnight oil and check that topic out thoroughly so that you dont set your self up for failure. If your not willing to go the DSB rounte then prehaps choosing another sand sifting fish of one sort or another might be in order. If your set on the Jawfish and understand the DSB concept and feel your up to the challenge of this unique style of set up then your going to want a "tall or show" style of tank. I mean by the time you get 6 inches of substrate in a tank your going to want some room still left to arrange your rock and corals if you have any. Something like a 29 gallon tank for the "DIY Nano" or something like the Solana AIO style tank will be in order. There are others that are suitable Im just throwing these two specific ones out as examples. For the live stock you mention Im thinking you want a good 20 gallons to work with, more would be better as it gives you room for error and you will almost certianly find something else that you "just have to have". Hence the reason I used the examples that I mentioned previously. But there are options...
 

tamberav

New Member
Thanks for the info! Going to go with no on the anemone then. Sounds like a big pain for a little tank.

I did read about the 5 inches of substrate needed. Another fish that I liked was a Goby, maybe a Randall's Goby. I was reading up on them and they were mentioned as a good Nano fish. I have read min req ranging from 10-20 gallons. Would this make a good nano fish instead?

Think I would want to switch shrimps and go for the Candy Striped Pistol Shrimp to see if him and the Gobi pair up.
 

tamberav

New Member
Ritsuko N said:
That would be a better selection and if paired with a pistol shrimp might prove pretty interesting too.
Thanks!

Ritsuko, I was wondering if you thought the 12g and 24g USA Aquapod tanks were quality?

I saw your other post recommending brands and looked them up. I think the Aquapod comes with a skimmer and the others do not?
 
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