Fish amount?

[Fishtankkeeper]

How many fish could I keep in a 38 gallon tank?
If I get one the fish I would like to keep are:
1- Bicolor Dottyback
2- Ocellaris Clownfish
3-Spotted Cardinalfish
and mabey more if I can. Please tell me if this is too many or if I can keep more.

 

[aadair22]

I personally wouldn't go beyond that, but I like a lightly stocked tank. Your list sounds ok to me though

 

[apet66]

I have a 35gal with,
2 chromis
1 yellow watchman goby
1 citron goby
1 pj cardinal
1 purple firefish
Assorted cuc shrimp, hermit crabs and snails.
As long as you keep up with your weekly water changes you should be able to keep those 6 you listed.
Check temperament of each fish on liveaquaria.com

 

[Ingy]

your tank system will be the final determining factor. your list looks like a nice final stocking list. But it all comes down to your nitrate extraction/prevention system. A good skimmer prevents nitrates from forming while a macro algae system or DSB will remove nitrates. 10-20% PWC will remove 10-20% of the nitrates (hmmm, that's an irrelevent amount) so won't really make that much difference.

 

[Fishtankkeeper]

your tank system will be the final determining factor. your list looks like a nice final stocking list. But it all comes down to your nitrate extraction/prevention system. A good skimmer prevents nitrates from forming while a macro algae system or DSB will remove nitrates. 10-20% PWC will remove 10-20% of the nitrates (hmmm, that's an irrelevent amount) so won't really make that much difference.

Thanks! Also, I have no idea what type of filtration system I need for a saltwater tank, I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank. Should I get a canister or hanging filter? If it was a freshwater tank I would get a 50 aqueon filter but would one of these remove the salt from the water? Also a man at a local fish store told me he sells his tank water and it has been cycling for years. He also said not to change it and if I did only do a 1/10 change, is this right? Will you or anyone please also list all the technological (filter, skimmer, heater, etc,) aspects I will need for this tank and their wattage/power needed.

 

[Mannydouhnut]

You going to need a skimmer as this will become the heart of your tank and keep your tank thriving your also going to need at the very least 10 lbs of high quality rock and also at least 15 lbs of live or dry sand neither canister or hang on filters are recommended because your going to want to focus on bio and chemical filtration rather than chemical also your standard t8 strip light hood is not going to be efficient even if you are only keeping fish. I would recommend an 18" t5 light from oddysea just go to aquatraders.com to find this I reccomend these because they're cheap but pretty efficient and good for beginners. They also sell a 14" hang on back refugium with built on skimmer on there for cheap I used the 25" version on there sight for 3 years and kept a wide array of fish and coral in a 40 breeder.

 

[Mannydouhnut]

And no it would not take the salt out of the water don't worry about that your also going to need Rodi water unless you love algae problems and overall poor tank health Rodi water is a necessity so don't skip on it you can get Rodi water from your Lfs most likely or you can just buy one like I have.

 

[Mannydouhnut]

And I meant buy an Rodi unit.

 

[Fishbay]

I have a 35gal with,
2 chromis
1 yellow watchman goby
1 citron goby
1 pj cardinal
1 purple firefish
Assorted cuc shrimp, hermit crabs and snails.
As long as you keep up with your weekly water changes you should be able to keep those 6 you listed.
Check temperament of each fish on liveaquaria.com

Liveaquaria whoohoo

 

[apet66]

Check this place out, I haven't used them but have heard they have an awesome selection and great customer service.

http://www.worldwidecorals.com/

 

[Beengirl]

Thanks! Also, I have no idea what type of filtration system I need for a saltwater tank, I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank. Should I get a canister or hanging filter? If it was a freshwater tank I would get a 50 aqueon filter but would one of these remove the salt from the water? Also a man at a local fish store told me he sells his tank water and it has been cycling for years. He also said not to change it and if I did only do a 1/10 change, is this right? Will you or anyone please also list all the technological (filter, skimmer, heater, etc,) aspects I will need for this tank and their wattage/power needed.

For a tank under 40g, a skimmer isn't a necessity. They're nice to have, but if you're good about weekly PWCs, that should be enough to keep params in check in a tank that small. I don't have one on my 30g, and have no algae at all.
If this is a FOWLR tank, any light you have will work, it's all a matter of what you like. The fish don't need a light, it's for your viewing. If this is going to be reef, then you'll need a good light, like T5 HO or LEDs. I've heard good things about taotronics LEDs on amazon, so check then out. For that size tank, you would need 1 of the taotronics.
Or filtration, there are several choices. You can do a canister or hob. Just get something rated for at least twice the size of your tank. In my FOWLR I have an AC 70 an AC 30, on my tee I have a Fluval 406. If you get either I these, you'll need to clean them out and rinse all media in tank water every week to prevent nitrate build up. Or there's the Berlin method of filtration, which uses only LR and an overpowered skimmer. Then there's a sump, too.
As for buying the water, my understanding of what you wrote is that a SW store customer was offering to sell you water- is that right? Wasn't sure if you meant another customer offered it or the lfs employee was offering. Don't buy water from a random guy. THere's very little BB in the actual water, it's mostly on surfaces like sand, rock, and filter surfaces, and you could be introducing bad things from their tank into your tank. You should use RO or RODI water for SW, though. If you don't have a RODI unit, a lot of SW fish stores will sell water by the gallon. You just gotta haul it back home. :/
Have fun planning your new tank!!