Suggestion: FW nano tanks sub-forum

[FrankZ]

Thank you for the suggestion. We will have a look into this.

 

[maxwellag]

Okay then, let me ask this:
You say you have 4 pigmy sunfish in a 5 gal tank. Is this tank big enough for them to reach maturity? If it isn't, you are not really doing right by your fish keeping them in a smaller aquarium. This goes back to another thread I participated in with the question being "can you vs should you?"
What you're proposing sounds more like a species specific discussion more than a tank size discussion.
I understand costs and the like but what I'm saying is that if you were to pick up a good book on maintaining a FW tank, the information would apply to any sized aquarium. The word "NANO" does not change anything. If you pick up a book on maintaining a SW aquarium, there is different info for a "NANO" tank due to it's size and limitations.

I'm not trying to be difficult here, it just sounds like this should be a species specific thread more than a tank size thread. Obviously, this is just my opinion

Um... Yes, lol I got them as adults. They max out at an inch. They aren't very active either. That is why they are called "nano" fish.

 

[Andy Sager]

That is strange... I think it may be just as easy after all. People say that water quality is an issue for small tanks. Well if it is cycled and not overstocked, it should be fine. As long as people don't overstock their nano tanks, I don't think they are harder to keep. Everything is to scale. LOL. People say that it takes less ammonia to kill fish in a 1g. Well duh! Haha. But say you had one shrimp in a 1g. If you had 10 shrimp in a 10g. Sure it would take more ammonia to kill the shrimp in a 10g, but it is still the same amount in proportion... Say it was 1 ppm. If you dosed 1 ppm in a 1g, it would be extremely difficult. If you dosed it in a 10g, it would take 10x the amount for the one gallon.

I believe we were making the same point. It shouldn't be harder to keep a smaller FW tank than a bigger one.

 

[Andy Sager]

Thanks...

Um... Yes, lol I got them as adults. They max out at an inch. They aren't very active either. That is why they are called "nano" fish.

Thanks for the info. This is a new species to me. We don't get Sunfish that small in my part of FL. The closest we get to that size is the Flagfish. Another pretty local fish

 

[Jill]

So there is different info on the "size and limitations" of a nano fw tank too...you just said it. Certain fish shouldn't be kept in one, and the number of fish that can be kept in one certainly more than any other time don't fall under the "1 inch per gallon" rule. It would be nice to have all of this info in one spot on AA. I don't know about you, but I've seen more than my fair share of the "I have x amount of fish in a 5 gallon" thread, and the same information is repeated to these people time and time again. Let's have all of that info in one spot.

Bravo to "looking into it".

 

[jetajockey]

Thanks for the info. This is a new species to me. We don't get Sunfish that small in my part of FL. The closest we get to that size is the Flagfish. Another pretty local fish

Yes you do Andy, you just need to know where to find them. I actually know of 3 to 4 species off the top of my head that you'd likely find in most any vegetated waterway or spring fed ditch in your area.

If you are ever interested in that, shoot me a PM and I'll have you on your way.

On the subject, I define nano tanks differently than your run of the mill 10g with livebearers in it. I define a nano tank as a small tank that is stocked purposely with small species that can thrive in their setting. Most of these will be <1" adult size fish. This also regularly includes a desire to aquascape and plant the tank, as it not only looks good but helps with water stability.

I don't know what a SW nano/regular setup entails, so I can't really make a comparison. The biggest difference between a Nano FW tank and a regular sized one is water volume, equipment, and choice of stock. Many nano tanks have a limited heater, lighting, and filtration selection, so there is often questions pertaining to that. And obviously stocking, as a small volume tank really limits your choices if your purpose is to provide a thriving environment.

Nano tanks have come a long ways from having a betta in a bowl on a desk, they have these new setups for more serious fishkeepers, all in one kits like the fluval chi and edge, and likewise I think that a lot of people have progressed past the betta bowl into having a beautiful display in their limited workspace.

Just my 2 cents on the subject.

 

[Andy Sager]

Okay but...

So there is different info on the "size and limitations" of a nano fw tank too...you just said it. Certain fish shouldn't be kept in one, and the number of fish that can be kept in one certainly more than any other time don't fall under the "1 inch per gallon" rule. It would be nice to have all of this info in one spot on AA. I don't know about you, but I've seen more than my fair share of the "I have x amount of fish in a 5 gallon" thread, and the same information is repeated to these people time and time again. Let's have all of that info in one spot.

Bravo to "looking into it".

Okay, but I think you missed my point. The basic requirements of successful fish keeping has some general rules. In FW the general rule is 1" of fish per 1 gal of water. That rule applies to a 1 gal tank as well as a 100 gal tank. The only variation to this general rule comes when you have certain fish that require more space due to their eventual mature size or other special needs that are out of the ordinary. (Example, I once saw a Turishuki cat in a 125 gal tank. The tank measured 6'Lx24"Hx24"W or there abouts. The problem was he was 4' long. This meant that the fish could not turn around in the tank even tho his measurements did not exceed the tanks gallonage or the 1"per gal rule. This is the exception to the rule. ) So No, there really aren't any "special "rules for a Nano FW tank whereas there are different rules in a "Nano" SW tank because the invertebrate life in SW uses the tank much differently than fish do in a FW tank.

With respect to your thoughts on fish not following that 1/1 rule, you do need to use some common sense. You shouldn't put let's say a 2" Oscar in a 5 gal tank and say you have 3 more inches of fish space so let's add more. Obviously, some research would reveal that this fish grows large and needs more space at any age. This is where the need to learn about the different species of fish comes into play. Once again, this applies to all species of fish you are interested in keeping and what their requirements are.
As for your thoughts on " I have x number of fish in my tank..." You may want to look at a thread titled "When is it ok to overcrowd a tank?"

But all that being said, you made a valid point which is that it would be nice to have all this info in one place. Truth be told, I found and joined this site in an effort to answer questions opposed to asking them. (If you look at my BIO you'll understand why ) I have not had the issues on finding information as you may have so in that respect, I wholey agree that if it puts the info under 1 roof, I'm all for it.

Please understand, I would never want to discourage someone from learning about this wonderful hobby before spending a penny on it. In my 47+ years of fish keeping, I believe I have been without some specie of fish in my care for no more than maybe a cumulative 6 months. That's a lot of fish keeping experience and I was trained by a Master with a degree not just a self proclaimed master. I'm very passionate about fish and proper fish keeping.

So in the spirit of this site's name, I respectfully would like to offer this advice:
If you learn the basic rules of FW fish keeping, it applies to all size aquariums. If you are interested in a certain specie of fish, learn about that fish and apply it's needs to your aquarium. It really isn't too much harder than that.

Good luck with the thread and I hope it gets done

 

[Andy Sager]

It's funny...

Yes you do Andy, you just need to know where to find them. I actually know of 3 to 4 species off the top of my head that you'd likely find in most any vegetated waterway or spring fed ditch in your area.

It's funny you should mention this. I am actually off a couple of lakes which are part of the Kissimmee River chain. To my knowledge, there are no spring fed waters close to where I am tho. That being said, I have a culvert that runs in the front of my house to collect rainwater and funnel it down to the lake which is about a mile away. From time to time after a heavy rain session, I'll see baby largemouth bass and Gambusia in the culvert. (The culvert does dry out in the winter.) The other day, I noticed some HUGE gambusia in the culvert with some of them having a nice green color in their tail. My mind immediately went to " How can I catch these buggers?" lol. My nets are too short and the vegetation too thick at the moment to consider jumping in as we have a resident population of Cottonmouths that frequent the area. A couple of days went by and once again I saw the fish only this time I had my glasses. It turned out that these huge Gambusia are actually green sailfin mollies. There's no mistaking them for anything else. (I've tried to take a picture but the water is too stained so the pics don't come out.)This is the first time I've seen those in the culvert in the 4 years I've lived in the area or in the lakes.
So at this point, nothing will surprise me as for what fish are in the area. lol
If I can get a pic. I'll post it.

 

[mfdrookie516]

As Frank mentioned, this is being discussed by the site staff. Since it's beginning to go way off topic, I'm going to close this. Someone will update this thread with a decision once one has been made.