Setting up a small 32litre tank with 2 clown fish

AppleKidd · 06-08-2016 08:53PM #1

Hi,

I'm interested in getting a salt water tank with only 2 clown fish. I have been to my local fish shop. They had a start up kit including tank(filter/heater), two clown fish, sand, rock and water for 190 euro.

I have gold fish tank(54 Litre) since I was a child and the oldest goldfish I have is 14 yrs old.

I want to find out the basics of does and dont's. example do I need a clean up crew for this size tank, what do I really need in setting up a salt water tank, what type of flakes / pellets or something compeletly defferent.

Thanks in advance.

Nody · 08-08-2016 10:43AM

Well for starters a Goldfish should have at least a 100L tank and need an additional 100L for every goldfish; pet stores are also notorious for making bad suggestions esp. in packages and I'd guess it would be far to small as well.

AppleKidd · 08-08-2016 11:16AM

Nody wrote: »

Well for starters a Goldfish should have at least a 100L tank and need an additional 100L for every goldfish; pet stores are also notorious for making bad suggestions esp. in packages and I'd guess it would be far to small as well.

I am not talking about getting goldfish I am talking about getting 2 clown fish. The goldfish is seperate. What would you recommed buying everthing seperate?

Jen Pigs Fly · 11-08-2016 04:47PM

Have you ever kept tropicals? Saltwater is very hard.
You will need a bigger tank than 34l. Female clowns grow to 4 inches. The rule of thumb for marines is the bigger the tank the better. They require much more space than tropicals.

You will need your saltwater mixed to 1.023 specific gravifty. You need around 1kg of live rock per 10 litres or so, you'll need excellent filtration, a powerhead, clean up crew for the live rock. You also need a protien skimmer and good Hester.

You need to closely watch your nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, ph (they require 8-8.3) you also need to watch phosphates and hardness.

It is not cheap, I'll give you a breakdown of my 64l saltwater (not including corals)

Tank - 100 euro or so
Bucket of salt - 70-150 for a 15kg bucket, can buy salt water 25l drums for euro but you're changing it every week. I prefer to mix.
Powerhead - 40-80 depending on brand
Live rock - 20euro per kilo you will need 8-10 kilos so 200 approx
Sand - silica sand is roughly 15 for a 4kg bag
Protein skimmer - nano skimmer is approx 80
Heater - 20-40 depending
Saltwater test kits - kits are 20-30 each, you need one for ph, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites and phosphates minimum so 120 approx for water testers.
Refractometer - 80

You're looking at 500 approx spend. Clowns are 25-500 depending on species and breed.

Again, I will reiterate, they are very hard to keep, saltwater is very unforgiving.

They need a mix of frozen food and flakes. Brine shrimp is like sweets, I prefer to feed mysis, squid and live Copepods.

Those starter kits aren't worth a ****e, you need so much more than what they give and standard filters are not enough to a saltwater aquarium.

Sleepy · 13-08-2016 06:52PM

You're already abusing goldfish, please don't even think about trying marine fishkeeping.

AppleKidd · 16-08-2016 12:41PM

Sleepy wrote: »

You're already abusing goldfish, please don't even think about trying marine fishkeeping.

Abusing goldfish, I have to laugh at that. Can you or anyone else keep a gold fish alive for 14 yrs? You dont even know me. You dont know how I take care of my pets.

Jen Pigs Fly · 17-08-2016 08:32PM

AppleKidd wrote: »

Abusing goldfish, I have to laugh at that. Can you or anyone else keep a gold fish alive for 14 yrs? You dont even know me. You dont know how I take care of my pets.

I have a 28 year old goldfish ... Parents got her when they got married in 1988 - was badly scarred by the cat in 1996. Fish still has scar to this day, currently living in a 10,000l pond and is over 1 foot in size!

She was kept in a 200l tank up until year 2000. Helped to gut the pond last summer 2015 - she's still there!

AppleKidd · 17-08-2016 09:14PM

xxxJennyxxx wrote: »

I have a 28 year old goldfish ... Parents got her when they got married in 1988 - was badly scarred by the cat in 1996. Fish still has scar to this day, currently living in a 10,000l pond and is over 1 foot in size!

She was kept in a 200l tank up until year 2000. Helped to gut the pond last summer 2015 - she's still there!

Thats one for the records

I didn't mean what I said to you, so please dont take it up that way. 28 years my God. I would love to do a pond one day.

Jen Pigs Fly · 18-08-2016 09:57AM

AppleKidd wrote: »

Thats one for the records I didn't mean what I said to you, so please dont take it up that way. 28 years my God. I would love to do a pond one day.

Assumed she was dead - when she was found when the pond was drained to 1 foot deep for pipe maintenance she was pure white, but could still see the scar around her eye. The same neighbours are huge koi/goldfish enthusiasts and took a few goldfish from neighbours too - most of which are still alive (heron nets are brilliant

) they have an indoor heated vat for winter time for the prized koi fish! The goldfish are left in the pond and winter well as its quite deep. These people really know their carp and care for them well! They have a koi fish who was purchased in the early 80s who is still knocking around - they have a long lifespan!

Mech1 · 22-08-2016 12:52PM

Marine fish keeping is a lot easier than its made out to be nowadays. Much better understood systems and technology.

op, lots of live rock, one or 2 wavemakers to create a good waterflow without any dead spots then change 33% of your water per week should be good. you wont need a skimmer.

Sleepy · 23-08-2016 10:26AM

AppleKidd wrote: »

Abusing goldfish, I have to laugh at that. Can you or anyone else keep a gold fish alive for 14 yrs? You dont even know me. You dont know how I take care of my pets.

A goldfish that old in a 54l tank will be stunted and deformed. It's organs will be too big for it's body and it'll die prematurely.

14 years isn't particularly long for a goldfish at all. xxJennyxx's 28 year old isn't even "one for the books": it's a perfectly normal life expectancy for a properly cared for fish.

Your LFS's "starter pack" might keep a couple of clownfish alive for a while but tbh, I'd be wary of it. A filter in a marine system? That's not right. It'd also restrict you from ever being able to keep corals or other fish.

Take a look at my "going marine" thread on this forum, my "budget" saltwater tank has cost me well in excess of a thousand euros in a little over a year.

Setting up a small 32litre tank with 2 clown fish

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