possibly to start first saltwater tank. nano

[piao liang yu]

I have a 16 gallon bowfront. It just has stock lighting with i believe a t8 bulb. The filter i have is a tetra brand 10-30i says it is rated for up to 30 gallons. Anyway, is there any type of saltwater setup that would be possible with what i have outlined? Or is the lighting too inadequate for anything? Is the filter even enough if only keeping a pair of clowns or something like that??

 

[obscurereef]

Seems like a standard setup. You have a filter rated up to twice the size of your tank which is good. T8 bulbs are too weak for coral. The type of lighting to buy would depend on how much money you're willing to spend and what kind of corals you'd like to keep. LEDs or T5HOs are good options for a small tank.

 

[piao liang yu]

Seems like a standard setup. You have a filter rated up to twice the size of your tank which is good. T8 bulbs are too weak for coral. The type of lighting to buy would depend on how much money you're willing to spend and what kind of corals you'd like to keep. LEDs or T5HOs are good options for a small tank.

yeah, i figured the lighting was a no go. problem is being a small bow front do they make tops with adequate lighting for bowfronts of that size?

 

[obscurereef]

It would be fine. The lights are so bright and aren't concentrated on one specific space, instead disperse evenly.

 

[piao liang yu]

It would be fine. The lights are so bright and aren't concentrated on one specific space, instead disperse evenly.

i meant the fit. is the bowfront glass tops readily available. anyway, if i were to get some coral sand or whatever it is i need and saltwater would i be able to put in a fake coral piece until i get the right lighting? or would this not be healthy for the fish?

 

[tampa_nick]

You could if you wanted to but, you could do fish with live rock and allow the corralline to color up and provide decoration until you get lights to support coral

 

[obscurereef]

Oh sorry, I misread! I don't know how hard to get a glass top for a 16 is, but you don't really need it anyway. Not having a glass top would let more gas and heat exchange. If you have the rock (whether it be live or not) the fish will have shelter. There's no need for fake corals in a reef tank unless you like the look of it.

 

[piao liang yu]

ok, sounds good. thanks guys.

 

[piao liang yu]

sorry to wake this back up, but my friend starting his saltwater tank is making me itch a little more for it. i love my freshwater planted, but really want to get a saltwater tank going. i want to do it right though. How much live rock should i start with in this 16 gallon bow front? do i not need a protein skimmer? what about chaeto? how many fish can i get for a 16 gallon bow front? i would like to get a pair of clown fish for sure. some cleaners possibly (need recommendations) a starfish?? any and all recommendations are appreciated.

 

[Tkey3425]

sorry to wake this back up, but my friend starting his saltwater tank is making me itch a little more for it. i love my freshwater planted, but really want to get a saltwater tank going. i want to do it right though. How much live rock should i start with in this 16 gallon bow front? do i not need a protein skimmer? what about chaeto? how many fish can i get for a 16 gallon bow front? i would like to get a pair of clown fish for sure. some cleaners possibly (need recommendations) a starfish?? any and all recommendations are appreciated.

A clown, a couple cardinals and a cleaner shrimp would do good. I'd use the standard cleanup crew, 10 nassarius snails, 15 dwarf cerith snails, maybe a single turbo snail, and about 15-20 blue leg hermits. Starfish haven't served me too well in the past except for my sand sifter but in a 16 gallon it would slowly starve to death. These are rough amounts of cuc members go to reef cleaners.org and they have a list of tank sizes and the crew for that size tank.

 

[cgthebeast]

sorry to wake this back up, but my friend starting his saltwater tank is making me itch a little more for it. i love my freshwater planted, but really want to get a saltwater tank going. i want to do it right though. How much live rock should i start with in this 16 gallon bow front? do i not need a protein skimmer? what about chaeto? how many fish can i get for a 16 gallon bow front? i would like to get a pair of clown fish for sure. some cleaners possibly (need recommendations) a starfish?? any and all recommendations are appreciated.

Hey, glad to see your interested in salty
Skimmers are great but aren't needed for nano tanks. It usually gallons= rock, so 16 pounds. I do not recommend a pair of clownfish. I think 1 with/or a small goby would be it. No starfish, your tank is to small I'm afraid . You could do hermits and snails along with a cleaner shrimp. Cheato is mainly for sumps witch is not needed for such a small tank. 5-8 hermits would be the most for them with 3-6 turbos and 2-6 nerites. Reefs to go sends to many cleaners

 

[piao liang yu]

A pair of clowns and a cleaner shrimp would do good. I'd use the standard cleanup crew, 10 nassarius snails, 15 dwarf cerith snails, maybe a single turbo snail, and about 15-20 blue leg hermits. Starfish haven't served me too well in the past except for my sand sifter but in a 16 gallon it would slowly starve to death. These are rough amounts of cuc members go to reef cleaners.org and they have a list of tank sizes and the crew for that size tank.

wow, i did not want a starfish for cleaning anyway, i worded that wrong. i just thought it would be neat to have one, but glad you pointed out he would starve in such a small tank. are there any other fish i could add with the two clowns? also, what is the minimal lighting to maintain anemone? i know it is not necessary, but i have read clown fish r happier with anemone. oh, and how much live rock should i get for a 16 gallon bow front? 16 lbs? or the more the better for biological filtration?

 

[piao liang yu]

Hey, glad to see your interested in salty
Skimmers are great but aren't needed for nano tanks. It usually gallons= rock, so 16 pounds. I do not recommend a pair of clownfish. I think 1 with/or a small goby would be it. No starfish, your tank is to small I'm afraid . You could do hermits and snails along with a cleaner shrimp. Cheato is mainly for sumps witch is not needed for such a small tank. 5-8 hermits would be the most for them with 3-6 turbos and 2-6 nerites. Reefs to go sends to many cleaners

is it because of the bioload i should not have two clownfish or swim area?

 

[cgthebeast]

wow, i did not want a starfish for cleaning anyway, i worded that wrong. i just thought it would be neat to have one, but glad you pointed out he would starve in such a small tank. are there any other fish i could add with the two clowns? also, what is the minimal lighting to maintain anemone? i know it is not necessary, but i have read clown fish r happier with anemone. oh, and how much live rock should i get for a 16 gallon bow front? 16 lbs? or the more the better for biological filtration?

High light and flow for nems. Look up a par 30 bulb. More rock is better but start with 16 pounds. 2 clowns would be max fish stocking for that tank. You could do a clown and a goby if you want

 

[cgthebeast]

is it because of the bioload i should not have two clownfish or swim area?

Swim area and there max size. I've seen people do it before but clowns can get aggressive with to little territory. You could always have 1 with a yellow watchman goby. They have great colors.

 

[Tkey3425]

wow, i did not want a starfish for cleaning anyway, i worded that wrong. i just thought it would be neat to have one, but glad you pointed out he would starve in such a small tank. are there any other fish i could add with the two clowns? also, what is the minimal lighting to maintain anemone? i know it is not necessary, but i have read clown fish r happier with anemone. oh, and how much live rock should i get for a 16 gallon bow front? 16 lbs? or the more the better for biological filtration?

I reworded my post I thought you had a 26 gallon. I would do one clown with maybe a couple bangaii cardinals and a cleaner shrimp. Anemones require at least T-5 lighting. or if you could find a good led fixture that would definitely work. I've had MH since the start so I'm not sure about nems and T-5. Do 1 pound per gallon on sand and rock. Buy live sand and either dry rock or cured live rock. I run 1.5 per gallon just to give it that extra space for filtration. Most clowns are tank raised and have a low chance of hosting anemones. I've never gotten one that will host. I'd go with a percula or ocellaris and you could try a green bubble tip anemone. They are fairly hardy and cheaper than most. 99% of Oc or perc. Clowns won't host a condylactis. Their price tags will make you want to try it though at $6-10 vs. $35ish for a GBTA

 

[cgthebeast]

Cardinals need a min of 30 g because there schoolers and get larger the clownfish

 

[piao liang yu]

Swim area and there max size. I've seen people do it before but clowns can get aggressive with to little territory. You could always have 1 with a yellow watchman goby. They have great colors.

so a clown and yellow goby will work? shrimp of any kind? in freshwater i read how the fish are sociable and like to have their own kind with them is why i wanted a pair of clowns. not necessary though?

 

[cgthebeast]

so a clown and yellow goby will work? shrimp of any kind? in freshwater i read how the fish are sociable and like to have their own kind with them is why i wanted a pair of clowns. not necessary though?

Nope, actually a pair could turn aggressive. Skunk, striped, coral banded, and blood red cleaner shrimp will work. Just one though. Yasha and black banned gobys would work also

 

[Tkey3425]

No they don't have to pair. Most gobies will dig a lot but if that doesn't bother you just make sure your rocks are stable. You could do a cleaner, a fire shrimp or maybe a coral banded but the coral banded and fire would probably not share the space with each other or any other in a tank that size