Desktop Saltwater Aquariums

C

Chenell

AC Members
Jan 27, 2003
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Denver, Colorado, USA
I am thinking of setting up a small saltwater aquarium. I am contemplating using the Eclipse system 5 or 6 because it has everything built right in and I don't need a lot of room for all the wires & equipment.

I am not going to be doing live rock or live corals.

I was wondering what might be the best fish for a beginner and for this size tank. How about one small seahorse? Or a single clownfish? Will a clownfish hide out in an artificial anenome? I really like the purple and yellow fish... um.. I don't know the name but they had one in Finding Nemo.. and I've seen them at my local fish stores.

I have been keeping freshwater aquariums for a few years now and i'd really like to have a small saltwater aquarium for my bathroom... I know hat sounds silly but hey, I don't like to read magazines. :laugh:

I would love to have a larde reef tank but I do not have the money or the house for it.. I am living in an apartment on the 3rd floor and I don't think it could handle the wieght.

I have a friend who has a large tank he's setting up as a reef tank and his wife has a small Eclipse 5 hex on her desk without any live rock or anything. She said it is pretty much no maintenance once the water cures and you don't have live rock or anything.

Let me know your opinions are as experience saltwater fishkeepers.

Chenell
 
I'd take a look at the nano cube tanks. I think they are better quality than the eclipse tanks and the filtration is geared more towards salt water.

As for the seahorse, I wouldn't do it. 1 clownfish would be ok, maybe a few crabs and snails.

The yellow and purple fish your talking about is probably a Royal Gramma (I hope you don't mean a Blue Tang). That would probably work out too but they are not very active and might hide all the time.

Here is a link to the nano cube.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/76/cid/24

plus they are made of glass, not plastic, so they won't scratch as easily. And they are 12 gallons instead of 5 or 6 gallons. Overall a better small tank setup IMO.
 
I'll try to answer what I can!

A clownfish may host in a fake anemone, I've seen them do it.

A seahorse is really hard to keep alive. They are specialized eaters and need really good water conditions.

With a tank that small frequent water changes will be necessary anyways.

If you're thinking of Dory from Nemo (Marlin's friend played by Ellen Degeneres,) that's a blue tang. It will get way too big for your tank. Actually it's one of the fish I want, but I'm waiting for a 125 gal tank before I get one!
 
A good place to start is to read many of the artiocles at www.nano-reef.com

A single clown should probably not go in anything smaller than a 10 gallon. There are a few gobies that go well in smaller tanks.

I would still suggest LR. You won't need more than 5 to 6 pounds of it so cost isn't too great and it is the best filtration for a salt tank.
 
Maybe I will try a few pieces of live rock... it is pretty cool stuff. I am just worried that when it comes time to move I will end up killing it. I am going to have to move my 10 gal freshwater tank and the fish in it and that's going to be difficult enough.

Any recommendations for interesting active fish for a 5-6 gal would be great... I don't want a fish that just sits there all the time.

What all goes into the maintenance of a saltwater tank that is different from freshwater?

Sorry for all the questions, I am a newbie.

Chenell
 
Constant monitoring of Ammonia and Nitrite levels, PH, Temperature, Toping off the water in the tank that evaporates everyday, and changing 25 to 50 percent of the water every 2 weeks or so.
 
Any recommendations for interesting active fish for a 5-6 gal would be great... I don't want a fish that just sits there all the time.
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Gobiosoma gobies are a perfect fit for a small tank. They are about 1-2" max, pretty and active. The neon gobies (G. oceanops) are inexpensive and readily available, and my greenbanded goby is pretty to look at and never sits still. No room for anything bigger.

What all goes into the maintenance of a saltwater tank that is different from freshwater?
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After the tank has cycled, it's similar to FW. You have to be a little more religious about water changes, with a small tank like that. It will be challenging to keep water quality stable in a tiny tank.
 
I don't know of any experts that would recommend keeping a saltwater fish in less than 10 gallons unless you are an expert at saltwater systems yourself.

For 5-6 gallons, I'd consider sticking a shrimp in, maybe, but a fish is just way too much bio-load without pretty much daily water changes. The damsel family (includes clownfishes) is most likely to survive the variations in water you'd get from such a small tank, but even the smallest need more like 10 gallons of swimming space. A green banded goby or similar tiny goby might cope with the super-tiny space, but I don't know if they are robust enough to take the variable water quality.
 
I too think that an invert tank would be the bets option for a smaller tank. It does mean watching the nitrates as they can kill inverts much easier than fish. But you could have a good diversity of life with some snails, hermits and shrimp. All of them are pretty active and will also help keep the tank clean.
 
Originally posted by benjen
I don't know of any experts that would recommend keeping a saltwater fish in less than 10 gallons unless you are an expert at saltwater systems yourself.

For 5-6 gallons, I'd consider sticking a shrimp in, maybe, but a fish is just way too much bio-load without pretty much daily water changes. The damsel family (includes clownfishes) is most likely to survive the variations in water you'd get from such a small tank, but even the smallest need more like 10 gallons of swimming space. A green banded goby or similar tiny goby might cope with the super-tiny space, but I don't know if they are robust enough to take the variable water quality.
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I agree.. 10 gallons would be the very smallest i would try... heck i have already gotten flack from my LFS about my 37 gallon salt tank.. :D
 
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