Want to get into the Marine world

[LostFisher]

I have been reading on the net for awhile now and I am really starting to get interested. I would like to tonight maybe pickup a aquarium and some other equipment. Or maybe a book or 2 to make sure I have my stuff down.

I was at the pet store the other day and I notice a 10-20 gallon aquarium with I would say 20 Blue tangs in it. They where all about the size of a dime to quarter. I also noticed some small Clown fish and some other neat critters.

I was wondering if it would be possible to setup maybe a 20 or 29 gallon tank, with 2 blue tangs, a clown fish or 2 and some kinda algae eaters. All I really want are the blue tangs, I think they are the neatest fish.

I dont want to do this if I am going to end up just killing the fish, I would like to set up a mini eco system. I looked at freshwater fish first cause I have read they are much easier. But I cant seem to find any fish I really like besides Betas and the Angelfish. When I walk down in the Saltwater section my eyes light up at all the bright and bold colors. Can anyone give me some pointers or ideas. I dont want to make a mistake and I deffinatly do not want to purchase a 55 gallon tank.

On the matter of tanks I saw some all glass bow front aquariums which looked very nice. But I am not sure, any ideas, comments and or concerns.

Thanks much everyone

The Lost Fisher

 

[MonoSebaelover]

Sadly both the 20 and 29 are way to small for Blue Tangs, even as juveniles. Don't know if you have seen Finding Nemo yet, but Blue Tangs are huge schoolers in the wild and need at least a 4 foot tank to keep their energy requirements filled. Tangs of course prefer a 6 foot tang but a 75 would be absolute bare minimum for a Blue Tang. You could keep a Small Clown (Occelaris or Percula) in a the 20 or 29 along with a Bicolor Blenny and a small watchman or something. You can also put in a clean up crew of some snails, crabs, etc. Sorry about the tangs but that holds true for all tangs. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, but if you really like them so much then get a 75 or a 125. The bigger the tang the easier it is to take care of. Smaller tanks can crash overnight while larger ones will generally give some notice. Hope this helps.

 

[OrionGirl]

Agree with everything MSB said. Keep in mind that the tanks fish are kept in at LFS ARE NOT designed for long term survival. More like a really crummy motel, instead of a home. Also, many LFS are not good sources of information, so if you ask, I'm sure you'll find at least one employee who will tell you that a pair of tangs in a 29 would be fine. They are wrong--in such confines, tangs are prone to ick, stress, and eating disorders. Very bad conditions for a fish.

Pick up just a book--wait until you're read some more and know what you want and what you can provide before buying a tank (and yes, this is hard for me to say-I have over 100 gallons of empty tanks sitting at home that I bought because they were a good deal, only to discover that I didn't have a good plan for a stocking list )

Good luck! SW tanks are very reqarding!