Live Rock question

[newfishhobbyist]

I have never done a saltwater tank before. A few specs: it's a small 3 gallon tank kit with filter, etc. We only want a clown fish with anemonae but may get a small piece of live rock. I was reading to pre-clean the live rock first. This may be a silly question but if I'm getting live rock from the local aquatic store that's already in the water...do I still pre-clean it?
Thanks!

 

[Justin1989]

It is always a good idea to put the rock in a saltwater bucket and gently rub it with say your hands in orders to get any die off. I'm not sure if you are leaving it in water or not when transferring it. Maybe its just me, but a 3 gallon kit seems tiny for a clown and anemone. maybe its just me.

 

[carberarr]

Should not have to clean the rock off much if its already in an established tank and cured. As long as you dont live too far from the store, and its not out of the water for an extended period of time. What kind of lighting are you expecting to use in that tank? Anemone's require good lighting.

 

[newfishhobbyist]

Should not have to clean the rock off much if its already in an established tank and cured. As long as you dont live too far from the store, and its not out of the water for an extended period of time. What kind of lighting are you expecting to use in that tank? Anemone's require good lighting.

According to the kit it's an 18W compact fluorescent perch-light fixture with 50/50 14,000°K actinic and 7,400°K daylight lamp. I'll adjust if I need to. Right now I'm just reading about cycling the tank and I believe that they will put the live rock in water like they do the fish.

 

[newfishhobbyist]

It is always a good idea to put the rock in a saltwater bucket and gently rub it with say your hands in orders to get any die off. I'm not sure if you are leaving it in water or not when transferring it. Maybe its just me, but a 3 gallon kit seems tiny for a clown and anemone. maybe its just me.

Here's a pic of the actual kit....

 

[flip0204]

i think that is a little small for a clownfish maybe use the tank for some shrimp but thats my opinion

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

You'll do yourself a huge favor if you don't go this route. 3g is just too small. Period. Even experienced folks looking for a challenge would shudder at the idea.

Anemones need a stable environment, and unless you're tending that thing 24/7, you're just not going to be able to keep the water parameters stable enough.

 

[newfishhobbyist]

You'll do yourself a huge favor if you don't go this route. 3g is just too small. Period. Even experienced folks looking for a challenge would shudder at the idea.

Anemones need a stable environment, and unless you're tending that thing 24/7, you're just not going to be able to keep the water parameters stable enough.

I get what the few of you have said. We're rethinking it and will probably just go buy a bigger tank. Our local aquarium has some small anemone in the same tank...that's where we got the idea. You would think a smaller tank would be easier to tend for but I guess we were wrong. Thanks for the advice.

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

In freshwater it is... in saltwater its not... eveaperating water is enough to throw off salinity... a rule of thumb when it comes to salt.. the bigger the tank.. the more mercy it shows.