Fish only 7 gal

[uscreef]

What exactly would I require for a fish only 7 gallon?

[Crakeur]

it would be of some help to tell us what kind of fish you want to keep as different fish have different needs.

[uscreef]

That snowflake moray I posted in the other thread... I realized i also had a 7.5 bow sitting around instead of the 5 hex

[Jahkaya]

WHOAAAA!!!!!

 

That eel will get 30" long. Try a 29 gallon with nothing but the eel and a penguin Biowheel rated for a 60 gallon. there are wolf eels that stay like 18". I would recommend a big biowheel and no more than 4-5 2" inch (green Chromis) fish in a seven gallon. Maybe 2 Clowns of a smaller variety.

[uscreef]

ya I know... I'll move him to a bigger tank when he outgrows it, but for now I don't have the space for a huge tank... would a lionfish work or too big?

[Crakeur]

lion gets too big and will go after other fish. plus, a small tank means you are at greater risk of getting stung.

 

Jahkaya, 4 to 5 fish in a 7? that's a bit too many in my opinion. three fish would be a lot (I know, I tried it). The only way I would do more than two small fish in a 7 would be if they were tiny, like clown gobies. Even then, I wouldn't do more than three.

[Jahkaya]

USC:

 

There are Dwarf Lionfishes that only get up to 7". It would still be extremely tight. I would try maybe a 20 gallon for the Lion. I was thinking about doing that in my 20, but I would always want corals and he would produce too much waste. I like more variety.

 

You can get 10 gallon tanks for $10 at petco. Still with any predator fish like that you want to give them room and good filtration. They eat alot and therefore poo alot. You might be able to get a 20gallon for 30 bucks. The bottom line is that in a 7.5 Bow any fish that gets over 5" is inappropriate. Just make sure that you have ample filtration and you may want to keep the Temps down to 74-76 to increase the amount of oxygen in the water.

 

Big animals need big aquariums.

[uscreef]

so do I need any LR or will some LS and just normal rock suffice? Do I need to retrofit lighting? Cycle? Cleanup Crew?

[Jahkaya]

Crak:

 

I know, I agree as well. I just was going from a 30 inch animal in a 15 inch aqaurium to some realistic ideas.

I was thinking(I shouldn't do that, it hurts) he would have a overpowered biowheel, a well cycled tank with no other bioload and to add the chromis incrementally.

 

USC:

 

Don't listen to me!! Listen to Crak! Three 2 inchers Tops(neon Gobies, Crak?). No other bioload.

[Jahkaya]

Well, now that you know not to listen to me, here goes:

 

Fish, though they appreciate a light cycle, do not require specialized light. If you are going Fish only LR would be good, but the Biowheel may defeat the purpose of the LR. Cycle the Tank with the Live rock (save the Damsels) and add fish SLOWLY. You want to let your bacteria catch up with each new bioload. In a small, well cycled, tank you will experience a mini cylce with each new fish. Clean up crew is optional, but can help with microalgea build up, but also create an additional bioload(not quite enough to have a mini cycle in most cases). Live Sand will help for stability of the tank and provide denitrification.

 

Is that okay to tell him Crak?

[Crakeur]

live rock is good for fish only for the filtration and the added bonus that the fish will have tons to pick at.Some fish will need more swimming room , while others will need more hiding places (eel for example) so the amount of rock will depend on the type of fish.

 

Also, the clean up crew could fall prey to your fish if you go with a lion or an eel so you might want to again, rethink the fish you are planning on keeping.