JRGumby Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Ok, so I want an aquarium of about 12g. I'm planning to eventually stock it with corals, zoos, and the like. However, I don't know what fish I want. It would basically be a species tank since I'd prefer one animal I find enthralling. This will be my first fish, so anything that's just hard to keep and or feed beyond what I'm aware of is basically a no-go. Also, I'd like it to be pretty hardy since I don't want to kill it through the newb learning curve and will have to transport it about 2 hours a few times (figure 5g bucket with a battery powered air pump should keep it alive for that short a time). Here's what I'm considering so far. Centropyge Argi-Cherubfish/Pygmy Angel These guys are little and I friggin love them. I've seen them diving and instantly loved their color and shape. The general consesus is you can't keep them in a nano. Why not? They're only 3" max. When I've watched them (on the reef and a dealer tank) they are active, but never strayed outside about a cubic foot from their hole. If size of the tank is the only issue, how big should it be? Fu Manchu Lionfish This thing is just cool looking. I love the way lions look, but this is the only one that seems small enough to put comfortably in a nano (4" where dwarfs are 7" was the information I found). I've never seen a very active lionfish anywhere, and they seem content to just hover or perch. Are these critters hardy? I know they're venomous but are there any other issues? And would the bioload on the aquarium be too much for 12G even with a good sandbed, lots of rock, and (in this case for certain) a decent skimmer? Dragonface Pipefish It seems like the only things that make these guys tricky are their slow, peaceful nature and tiny mouths. Since it would be a species tank I can deal with slower water movement (which is what exactly? Any rough figures appreciated). I can also deal with several feeding where the pumps get shut down. Is that all there is to the difficulty of these fish? I feel like I must be missing something? Saddle Puffer (or any of the others smaller than 4") First off, do these critters eat corals? Because if so that basically rules them out. If not, is 12-15g big enough for one? And do these tuby critters carry a fairly heavy length to bioload ratio? Any other interesting (but not particularly costly) suggestions would be great along with advice about these critters. Link to comment
slaeyer Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 I've never had any of those fish, but a quick search says that they all need a bit more room to swim than a 12 can offer. Perhaps a 20 - 30 would be a more comfortable tank. I'd do a bit more research before buying anything! Link to comment
JRGumby Posted October 27, 2004 Author Share Posted October 27, 2004 So do mine, however, even those animals regularly listed among "great nano tank livestock" have a listed minumum tank size of at least 20 to 30 gallons on most sites, like liveaquaria.com, with the exception of a very few tiny gobies. Those sites' information and "guidelines" don't seem very accurate or consistent. I haven't heard much of anything about these fish, and that's one of the reasons I posted here: I just can't find much information. Link to comment
slaeyer Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Don't honestly know what else to offer... anybody else care to take a stab? Link to comment
RegalFlush17 Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 I believe that it is cramping the space of all those species. Even for the Centropye which like to nip a corals anyway. I would stick with clowns, pseudochromis, maybe 6 line wrasse, small blennies. There are many options, but i am against keeping livestock without ample space to grow which shortens life expectancy. Link to comment
cadesun Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 no angel, no lion, no puffer. all will outgrow your tank, become stressed out, and die a very premature death. the guideline are there for a reason, some can be bent a little bit, others cannot. for a 12gal i'd stick with gobies, clowns, or damsels. Link to comment
JRGumby Posted October 27, 2004 Author Share Posted October 27, 2004 Aye, after a bit more looking I finally found something on the lions and not only do they plainly need a bigger tank, but are apparently a bit hard to take care of. Same with the angel. Think it'll take a bit more looking but all of these guys definetly need more than I can give them at the moment. Out of curiosity is your Dwarf lion going to stay in that 20H? Because they get a good deal bigger than a Fu Manchu and the LxW probably aren't that far off the 12g I was going to get. This is mainly just because at some point in the future I'd like a little lion, and want to make sure he'd get the room he needs. Link to comment
Dan_G25 Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 Forget the lion... seriously. They get too big plus they eat alot of messy meaty foods so they are a nono unless you get a 30+ gallon tank. Link to comment
cadesun Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 JR -- the 20H is only temporary, the lion has a future in my university's 225, i am aware of their adult size. i would not even attempt putting a baby lion in a 12. Link to comment
samwoo2go Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 why not a pair of clown, they are comical to watch, lots personality, hardy, and low maintanice. Link to comment
JRGumby Posted October 30, 2004 Author Share Posted October 30, 2004 Thanks for the responses. I'll just wait on these guys (mainly the pygmy angel) until I have a bigger system for them. Link to comment
kirei Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 I have a P Volitans in a 25g right now. But the lion is only 1.5 inches and he's only in there for ease of care. All lions are very hard to take care of for beginers because they usually don't come weaned onto dead food. Which means live feeding for your fish until you can get him onto dead meaty foods. The smallest lions are Fu Man Chu's, Dwarf Zebras and Antenae which get around 6-8 inches if I remember correctly. And I wouldn't put any of them permantently in a tank smaller then 25g. And only in that tank if it was a species tank set up especially for them. Here is a picture of my volitans Link to comment
cadesun Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 actually, i had my fuzzy dwarf in with a maroon clown, whitespotted wrasse, and coral beauty angel with no problems. you just can't put a lionfish in a tank with anything that can fit in its mouth. Link to comment
kirei Posted November 3, 2004 Share Posted November 3, 2004 When I said species tank I was leaning more towards the setting. ie. lots of cave and over hangs, not intense lighting. Link to comment
RegalFlush17 Posted November 3, 2004 Share Posted November 3, 2004 cadesun why so mcuh light on your system. MH on a 40gallon plus 64 watts of pc lighting is a lot. Not saying bad just wondering the specs of your tank and if you have a shorter photo period to compensate. That lighting seems like it might be overkill especially if your tank is less than 20in deep. Link to comment
Cesar Posted November 3, 2004 Share Posted November 3, 2004 I wouldn't recomend none of those in a 12. Not only that but aren't Lion fish Venemous? No thanx. Link to comment
cadesun Posted November 3, 2004 Share Posted November 3, 2004 kirei-- ok, now i see what you were saying. and i agree, lots of rockwork is crucial, especially when first introducing the lion. regal - i didn't think i had that much lighting. i have seen people's 16 bowfronts with 250's and even 400's. i thought i was pretty average... maybe not. anyways, i found a good deal on the pendant and i like sps, so i figured why not? Link to comment
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