1. Welcome to Aquarium Space! We are a friendly online community for aquarium owners all over the world who love their tanks including their fish, reefs, corals, invertebrates and their aquatic livestock. If you haven't joined yet, we invite you to register and join our community!

Introducing Myself

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself' started by Anonymous, Jan 1, 2009.

  1. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Hello all,

    I'm new here (really~!) and new to fish :) I am new to the hobby, and do not have any fish (that I have my eyes on :p). My parents keep a 120 gallon "pond" tank in my living room that has koi and goldfish, as well as a red-eared slider. My sister keeps bettas, and has a "community tank" of guppies (she is less than adequate at taking care of the tank). So really I only have a 10 gallon to fill at the moment, and am not sure of whether or not to keep more poison dart frogs, which is my main hobby right now, or to start a community tank *I like these*

    Any help? Any other froggers on this site? If I were to start the 10 gal, what fish should I keep? (mind you, I would prefer non pond fish that don't require a heater or that much fish)

    About me
    I am 14 years old, have kept reptiles & amphibians for most of my life, and am a freshman in high school. Not much else to tell.

    Thanks,

    ANdy
     
    Anonymous, Jan 1, 2009
    #1
  2. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

    Messages:
    5,728
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Welcome to The Exotic Fish.

    A 10 gallon tank doesn't offer many options but if you were to use it as a planted tank you could put some smaller fish in there.

    Most of anything you would get would require a heater.
     
    Anthony, Jan 1, 2009
    #2
  3. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Thanks for the reply

    Yeah I kinda expected as much. But just so I don't get beamed (lol mind the expression) I have no idea how to keep fish. I just go to PetCo and admire the clownfish! :OO lol

    I guess everything needs a start.
    Could someone explain the term "hardness" for me? What does it mean, when it refers to water quality? Also what are "live" rock & sand? Do you think I could get a saltwater setup in a 10 gallon? LOLOL I think alot of people (including myself) would look down on me asking this question. From what I can collect, this is not something that should be done? But I love clownfish. And corals.

    BTW I'm kinda a little DIYer: I like to build fake backgrounds & rocks for my dart frogs with polyurethane foam and concrete. I dunno if this info means anything or not but I"m putting it out there.

    Thanks,

    Andy (Oh and I'm not planning on starting fish for several months. Research, research, research!)
     
    Anonymous, Jan 1, 2009
    #3
  4. YellowCichlid

    YellowCichlid New Member

    Messages:
    572
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Welcome
    Yeah there aren't very many cold water fish. Several types of tetras would work if the water stays above 65. Even some barbs can tolerate 65 degree water
     
    YellowCichlid, Jan 1, 2009
    #4
  5. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

    Messages:
    5,728
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Water hardness is directly related to pH. Water with a pH of 7.0 is neutral. pH lower than that is called "soft" and pH above it is called "hard". There are several threads that talk about water hardness and softness.

    Live rock and sand refers to rock and sand that contains live organisms that are beneficial to saltwater tanks.

    You can do a 10 gallon saltwater tank and get a clownfish. You just have to make sure you get a clownfish that will not get large. There are 2-3 species that will stay around 3" as as adult.

    Great job on doing research BEFORE setting up a tank ! ;)
     
    Anthony, Jan 1, 2009
    #5
  6. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Thanks for the replies!

    Okay I think I am going to put my mindset on clownfish. How big do the ocellaris species get, do you know? Do most species require a specific species of anemone? Where do I get anemones? (Sorry for the questions burst!) If not the clownfish, I think I would like to wait to get a much larger tank, and make a paludarium for some amazon fish (lol arowanas & dart frogs) and dart frogs. Have a kind of forest waterfall stream that leads down into a river basin
     
    Anonymous, Jan 1, 2009
    #6
  7. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

    Messages:
    5,728
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Ocellaris clownfish will be about 3 1/2". Clownfish do not need anemones in their tank. Usually anemones can be found at most saltwater fish stores. Something else that might work better would be a Clown Goby, Citrinis which looks similar to a clownfish but is much more suited to a 10 gallon tank.
     
    Anthony, Jan 1, 2009
    #7
  8. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Active Member

    Messages:
    3,588
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Welcome and good luck on finding what you want to put in the tank. Anthony knows his stuff in the saltwater realm and especially clowns!

    I 2nd his thank you for researching BEFORE setting up!
     
    LemonDiscus, Jan 2, 2009
    #8
  9. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Okay
    Thanks for the kind replies, guys!

    I'm a little bit confused about "nano" reefs. They don't need a filter? The live rocks & sand will decompose the ammonia from the fish's droppings, which will then...uhh...how do they get to nitrates & nitrites? I guess the scavengers will eat the detritus or something. (Snails & crabs?) And then weekly or biweekly water changes. For the nano reefs, no protein skimmer.

    I can keep some corals & anemones right? Or maybe they shouldn't be too close together, as in a 10 gallon?

    Thanks

    ANdy
     
    Anonymous, Jan 2, 2009
    #9
  10. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

    Messages:
    5,728
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Nano tanks need filters just like any other tanks. The live rock and sand do the same thing bio balls would do in freshwater aquariums. They allow beneficial bacteria and organisms to grow on them. This doesn't mean you don't need filters though.

    You can keep some corals (depending on species) but no anemones in a 10 gallon tank usually.
     
    Anthony, Jan 2, 2009
    #10