What to do with THIS tank

[crashinc25]

...a reef-like setup on one side with anemones and inverts, and a more open water look on the other side.

I like that idea. What keeps stopping me from moving forward is that the tank is only 11" wide. I can't see anything actually hugging the back wall to allow for ANY swimming room. Anemones at the bottom of the tank with clowns inhabiting them would be great, but I just can't figure out the remaining top 3/4's of the tank.

 

[niblit]

i think clown loaches would have a ton of fun in that tank

 

[crashinc25]

i think clown loaches would have a ton of fun in that tank

Ya, maybe for 6 months. Then I would have to figure out how to push the fatties through the tubes!

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

I think I have decided to go SW. I think it might be too tall, but I'll give it a try. I figure some anemone and a couple of clownfish might be OK. Maybe a tiered look with the animals at the bottom and coral going up the tank?

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No anemone! then you will need high lighting and since your a beginner you will grow algea and it will grow like mad in those tubes and marine algae is a PAIN it needs to be scraped and eventually you will just end up with some black tubes...until you unavoidably throw something very hard and very heavy at the tank.

trust me! Go with some EXTREMELY low light marine plants and maybe some mushroom coral or somthing tough and low light. Otherwise you will regret every buying that tank.

However the clowns would look very cool and there and I would also recommend a six line wrasse as they are fairly hardy and look very cool!

 

[crashinc25]

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No anemone! then you will need high lighting and since your a beginner you will grow algea and it will grow like mad in those tubes and marine algae is a PAIN it needs to be scraped and eventually you will just end up with some black tubes...until you unavoidably throw something very hard and very heavy at the tank.

trust me! Go with some EXTREMELY low light marine plants and maybe some mushroom coral or somthing tough and low light. Otherwise you will regret every buying that tank.

However the clowns would look very cool and there and I would also recommend a six line wrasse as they are fairly hardy and look very cool!

Luckily, I haven't touched the tank since I bought it so good thing you chimed in. That was very helpful. I keep rethinking this tank and don't know if I actually want to get into SW at all. I've always heard a small tank is less forgiving so I think I'm just asking for trouble. You are right, I have no idea about lighting or the livestock for SW.
The more I read, the more a dread diving into SW. Scary!
I will look at that wrasse and probe around some more, but the more I read, the less interest I have.
Thanks!
Rob

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

The SW isnt really that hard...its keeping coral or anemone that cause problems. If you just ran regular lighting and went salt with some clowns and a wrasse and some crabs or something you would be fine just no coral etc...

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

and if you really want to run coral you can I just NEVER would in that tank.

 

[Mattyou]

I would try to get schooling fish and plants, rocks, driftwood etc. Then maybe the fish would shoal through the tubes and look cool. You think Tetras are boring, but have you ever had a tank slammed full of Cardinals swimming around with a few Sword Tails and Powder Blue Gourami/Sunset Gouramis? Can look very nice.

 

[4kidsnomoney]

why not put two fish that really should not be with each other one on each side and put an orifice so only water and real small diithers can get back and forth that would look sick? Difficult but sick!

 

[4kidsnomoney]

or an octopus - i just really like octopus- they are cool = lol