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i need to know what to put in a 5 gallon saltwater tank... i have read about a single damsel in a 5 gallon tank for 4-5 months healthy and vibrant as ever...so couldi do this?or what are some other little fish in here.... tank set up is 8 lbs live fiji rock, 5 gallon filter, air stone ,SG 1.025, saltwater bulb in a 5gallon hood,so any suggestions?
5 gal tank means that once you place live rock and aragonite sand substrate, you'll end up with, best case scenario, 3.5gals of water. I honestly don't know what fish could thrive in a tank like that.
I figure that it will make an interesting reef/inverts tank. Say you have enough light to keep a nice colony of Zoanthids with a lovely shrimp and a few snails.
i need to know what to put in a 5 gallon saltwater tank... i have read about a single damsel in a 5 gallon tank for 4-5 months healthy and vibrant as ever...so couldi do this?or what are some other little fish in here.... tank set up is 8 lbs live fiji rock, 5 gallon filter, air stone ,sg 1.025, saltwater bulb in a 5gallon hood,so any suggestions?
Hi there, I personally think that it has to do with proportions of fish size to tank dimensions. I would say something like a 2.5" or smaller, maybe clown goby or something like that. As far as how many, max 2. Hermit crabs (1-3) are going to be ok maybe a shrimp (1).
Quote:
Originally Posted by pepetj
5 gal tank means that once you place live rock and aragonite sand substrate, you'll end up with, best case scenario, 3.5gals of water.
Would you explain how you came up with this number based on the density of the rocks and sand.
Last edited by locoyo386; October 29th, 2009 at 08:44 PM.
Hi there, I personally think that it has to do with proportions of fish size to tank dimensions. I would say something like a 2.5" or smaller, maybe clown goby or something like that. As far as how many, max 2. Hermit crabs (1-3) are going to be ok maybe a shrimp (1).
Would you explain how you came up with this number based on the density of the rocks and sand.
what he gave is not an exact number so you cant do the mathematics. He gave that as an Idea that the rocks, sand, equipments, etc. will take up space so the volume of the water will not be as much. You can't really measure the density of LR because different type of rocks have different density. There are lots of kinds of LR and I don't think you would want to measure every piece.
what he gave is not an exact number so you cant do the mathematics. He gave that as an Idea that the rocks, sand, equipments, etc. will take up space so the volume of the water will not be as much. You can't really measure the density of LR because different type of rocks have different density. There are lots of kinds of LR and I don't think you would want to measure every piece.
I know what point he/she is trying to get across, but it sounded like an exageration. It is 40% of the water volume, is that what it would really be? Also why can't you do math, when we use math for everything else?
what he gave is not an exact number so you cant do the mathematics. He gave that as an Idea that the rocks, sand, equipments, etc. will take up space so the volume of the water will not be as much. You can't really measure the density of LR because different type of rocks have different density. There are lots of kinds of LR and I don't think you would want to measure every piece.
ok whatver i told everything correctly 8 lbs of fiji live rock
ok whatver i told everything correctly 8 lbs of fiji live rock
Well I stand by my opinion;
Quote:
Hi there, I personally think that it has to do with proportions of fish size to tank dimensions. I would say something like a 2.5" or smaller, maybe clown goby or something like that. As far as how many, max 2. Hermit crabs (1-3) are going to be ok maybe a shrimp (1).
It's up to you what you feel confortable with. I think that the water displaced will more around 1 gallons (if that, it depends on the density of the rock, how porus the rock is).
Last edited by locoyo386; October 30th, 2009 at 04:37 PM.
I know what point he/she is trying to get across, but it sounded like an exageration. It is 40% of the water volume, is that what it would really be? Also why can't you do math, when we use math for everything else?
well, let me correct what I said. What I meant (sorry I didn't wrote correctly) was that you can do the math, but it would be a complicated than just giving you the idea.
well, let me correct what I said. What I meant (sorry I didn't wrote correctly) was that you can do the math, but it would be a complicated than just giving you the idea.
Well the math is not complicated, knowing the correct density of the rock and the sand would have to be done experimentally since it varies from piece to piece. I estimate the density of rock to twice the density of water; density of water is 62.4 lb per cubic feet, thus the density would be somewhere around 124.8 lb per cubic feet (round there or so). With that density the rocks would displace approximately 0.5 gallon of water. I would imagine the sand would have even a greater density so I would estimate the toal displaced volume to be around 0.6-0.8 gallon.
wait lol oops u already did post what i could havein the tank Loco And i trust in you so im prolly goin to get a damsel or2 a snail and a couple hermits
my point is that any fish is to small for a 5 gallon tank. Yes, it could survive in a 5 gallon tank, but do you think the fish would want to live there? That it would be happy that is was once in body of endless water and suddenly it's in a small container? I could probably make a naso tang survive in an 70 gallon, but it's not good for fish so what's the difference with a damsel. What I'm saying is that it's cruel and I'm strict about that. I hate it when I take something from the wild where they're happy and it dies or doesn't get the best care because of me. So every fish I have is to be checked everyday. I say that water in a 125 gallons water parameters isn't as sensitive as a 5 gallon and that's a fact, but I still check my water once a week to make sure they have the best health.
so if locoyo is correct im workin with 4.5 gallons sooo let me go back to my question what can go in there?
Well it's more like the tank is 5.6 gallons, so you are looking at around 5.1 gallons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by josh11551
wait lol oops u already did post what i could havein the tank Loco And i trust in you so im prolly goin to get a damsel or2 a snail and a couple hermits
Well if you are going to go with damsels the only ones that might be small enough are the Blue Devil Damselfish (2") or the Neon Damselfish (2.5"). Remeber that the Damslefish are extremely territorial thus two of them will not work out in that small tank. One might be ok, since they are very hardy and don't stress out as much as other fish. I would recomend a goby or a Longspine Cardinalfish.
Here is a link to one of my 5 gallon tanks;
Last edited by locoyo386; October 31st, 2009 at 05:51 AM.
my point is that any fish is to small for a 5 gallon tank. Yes, it could survive in a 5 gallon tank, but do you think the fish would want to live there? That it would be happy that is was once in body of endless water and suddenly it's in a small container?
How does this not apply to all fish that come from the ocean?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ATP
I could probably make a naso tang survive in an 70 gallon, but it's not good for fish so what's the difference with a damsel. What I'm saying is that it's cruel and I'm strict about that. I hate it when I take something from the wild where they're happy and it dies or doesn't get the best care because of me.
Putting a fish in a 5 gallon tank does not mean you are not going to take care of it. There are alot of fish that dies in bigger tanks, how does that differe from any fish dying? What size tank would you recomend the Naso be housed in?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ATP
So every fish I have is to be checked everyday. I say that water in a 125 gallons water parameters isn't as sensitive as a 5 gallon and that's a fact, but I still check my water once a week to make sure they have the best health.
I have several (10- had 12) 10 gallon tanks with some up to 4 fish in them. I have not seen them unhappy or die because of it. A fish is a living thing that we all use for our personal use. We use as pets, bait or we even eat them. I have never ate a dog nor a cat (at not to my knowledge). That does not imply I will kill them for fun. Putting a fish in small tnak does ot condemed them to deat. A gallon container or a 400 gallon container do not come close to the space that all fish have in the ocean. I understand your point about putting fish in small containers. It is recomended to put an 18" Naso Tang in a 125 gallon tank tank (72"x18"x23"). That means that in a tank that is 16" long you should be able to house a 4" long fish. I would not recomend either of them. In a 16" long tank, going with an 8:1 ration, you should be able to put a 2" long fish. I still do not see the rationality of not being able to do it. The 5 gallon tank with respect to the fish is twice as big than the 125 would be for a Naso Tang. Would you not put an 18" Naso Tang in a 12 feet
(8*18"=144") tank?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ATP
Even petco said that they need a 30 gallon and petco usually stretch the minimum tank size thing a lot.
I do not go with the recomendations of the websites as they vary from site to site. I go with what I have expereinced with the fish I have and had.
Last edited by locoyo386; October 31st, 2009 at 04:17 AM.
How does this not apply to all fish that come from the ocean?
Putting a fish in a 5 gallon tank does not mean you are not going to take care of it. There are alot of fish that dies in bigger tanks, how does that differe from any fish dying? What size tank would you recomend the Naso be housed in?
I have several (10- had 12) 10 gallon tanks with some up to 4 fish in them. I have not seen them unhappy or die because of it. A fish is a living thing that we all use for our personal use. We use as pets, bait or we even eat them. I have never ate a dog nor a cat (at not to my knowledge). That does not imply I will kill them for fun. Putting a fish in small tnak does ot condemed them to deat. A gallon container or a 400 gallon container do not come close to the space that all fish have in the ocean. I understand your point about putting fish in small containers. It is recomended to put an 18" Naso Tang in a 125 gallon tank tank (72"x18"x23"). That means that in a tank that is 16" long you should be able to house a 4" long fish. I would not recomend either of them. In a 16" long tank, going with an 8:1 ration, you should be able to put a 2" long fish. I still do not see the rationality of not being able to do it. The 5 gallon tank with respect to the fish is twice as big than the 125 would be for a Naso Tang. Would you not put an 18" Naso Tang in a 12 feet
(8*18"=144") tank?
I do not go with the recomendations of the websites as they vary from site to site. I go with what I have expereinced with the fish I have and had.
1-It's the size. If you were trapped for example. Would you be thankful if you were in a room that's as big as a small bedroom or a living room? Would the fish feel a little better in a 5 gallon or a 30 gallon? Think of the fish of your self. How you would feel.
2-I did not say that putting a fish in a 5 gallon doesn't mean your not taking care of it. I did not say a fish will die in a 5 gallon, I said they will probably be pretty sad in a small container. The thing about naso tangs is that they require lots of swimming space. It would be fine in a 125 IF it's a fish only and the naso is the only big fish in there. For a fully stocked reef I would put it in a tank bigger than 225 (best if bigger) in my opinion.
3-Ok, do you know they're happy? Can you see an expression? A naso tang always looks like it's smiling even when it's dead. Unlike horses, cats, dogs, most fish doesn't show expression.
Killing a fish to eat is different. When you kill a fish for eating you're using it unlike as pets, when they die you dispose.
I did not say putting them in a small tank will make them die. I know that a 400 gallon is not the same size as the ocean, but it's closer to it than a 5 gallon. There are more space. That's why I'm careful on handling fishes and will try and replicate the ocean the best I can.
Hi people , I think the point that ATP is trying to put across is that small tanks can stress fish out and cause them to die prematurely ,, also putting a naso tang in a small tank is total madness, they are fast swimmers and grow rather large and shouldnt be put in anything smaller then a 6ft long tank , as this also causes stunting, which is where the fish body will grow to the size of the enviroment but its internal organs carry on growing and eventually kill the fish, this is why researching fish is important ,
i have went out today (to petco) and they had like 30 damsels (along with a yellow eye tang) ina 15-20 gallon tank..They did not seem stressed and werent territorial they all swimmed around freely and didnt harm each other...i got a yellow tailed damsel and a 3 striped damsel and they are both about 1/2" each they seem to be sticking together in the tank so far.....(oh btw i also got a turbo snail^^)...i have 2 new questions.... what do they normally act like when you put them in a tank and is it ok to put fake plants in the fish tank like i did with my FW fish(same type as reshwater fake plants)?
Hi people , I think the point that ATP is trying to put across is that small tanks can stress fish out and cause them to die prematurely ,, also putting a naso tang in a small tank is total madness, they are fast swimmers and grow rather large and shouldnt be put in anything smaller then a 6ft long tank , as this also causes stunting, which is where the fish body will grow to the size of the enviroment but its internal organs carry on growing and eventually kill the fish, this is why researching fish is important ,
I know it's crazy. It's going to be quarantined in a 60 gallon and going to a 125 and then a 250
i have went out today (to petco) and they had like 30 damsels (along with a yellow eye tang) ina 15-20 gallon tank..They did not seem stressed and werent territorial they all swimmed around freely and didnt harm each other...i got a yellow tailed damsel and a 3 striped damsel and they are both about 1/2" each they seem to be sticking together in the tank so far.....(oh btw i also got a turbo snail^^)...i have 2 new questions.... what do they normally act like when you put them in a tank and is it ok to put fake plants in the fish tank like i did with my fw fish(same type as reshwater fake plants)?
Thanks for all the help,
Josh
What kind of damsels?
Last edited by ATP; November 1st, 2009 at 09:55 AM.
I would put it in a tank bigger than 225 (best if bigger) in my opinion.
What size would you put in and what are the dimenions of the tank?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ATP
Ok, do you know they're happy? Can you see an expression? A naso tang always looks like it's smiling even when it's dead.
Although that might be correct they do show if they are happy via thier behaviors and their swimming patterns. In a way they do tell you if they are happy or not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ATP
I know that a 400 gallon is not the same size as the ocean, but it's closer to it than a 5 gallon. There are more space.
With respect to who, you the ocean or the fish? If it is with respect of the fish than it is all proportional to the fish.
Hi people , I think the point that ATP is trying to put across is that small tanks can stress fish out and cause them to die prematurely ,, also putting a naso tang in a small tank is total madness, they are fast swimmers and grow rather large and shouldnt be put in anything smaller then a 6ft long tank.
I understand his point thus I did not recemend to put a 3" fish in the 5 gallon. I recomended a max of 2.5" but a 2" would be better. You mention that a Naso Tang would be ok in a 6' tank. The Tang gets to be 18" long, and in a 72" long tank that would give you a 1:4 length of fish to length of tank ratio. The 2" damsel would have a 1:8 ratio in a 16" long tank. I think that the 2" fish would have more swimming room than the 18" fish. The question that I pose is which fish is in a bigger tank? If it acceptable to put an 18" Tang into a 72" long tank, why is it not acceptable to put a 2" fish into a 16" long tank? How is it that the 2" Damsel would be more stressed than the Tang when the Damsel is in a bigger tank with respect to it, than the Tang would be in?
...i got a yellow tailed damsel and a 3 striped damsel and they are both about 1/2" each they seem to be sticking together in the tank so far
Well the Yellow Tail Damsel is more docile than the 3-Stripe Damsel. The Yellow Tail can reach 3" and the 3-Stripe can reach 4". Thye are oging to fight and most like the 3-Stripe is going to kill the yellow tail once they reach around 2".
Quote:
Originally Posted by josh11551
what do they normally act like when you put them in a tank and is it ok to put fake plants in the fish tank like i did with my fw fish(same type as reshwater fake plants)?
Risrt they will be checking out the tank and establishing their territories. They will start chasing each other after maybe 3 weeks once placed in the tank. Shortly after they will start nipping at ech other to try to establish hiearchy. I thinking that the 3-Stripe will win that battle. Hopefully they will be able to coexist, if not they will fin nipp and fight till one is dead. You might be better off with a Yellow Tail and a Clown Goby.
Thanks for all the help,
Josh[/quote]
You can put fake stuff, just make sure they are intended to be for saltwater. I know waltmart sells stuff that are marine safe but not sure if the all the fake plants are.
Ok, lets stop with the naso thing since it doesn't have anything to do with this and this thread should be dead because he already got the fish. So done
Well this thread was not about the Naso Tang, I just used that as an example to pointing out tank dimesnsion with respect to the fish that are going to be housed in it.
I think that all the comments are pertinent to this thread as they give different opinions on housing fih. I just want to make sure that the original poster know the reasoning behind the opinions and that they are not just regurgitated from what others have said.
my fish are only a half inch big (if that) so i think they will live together in peace since they stay together a lot(they dont swim much yet)
Yeah they will be ok for the time being. Once they get used to the tank, that's when you will start to notice behavioral changes. Hope they paired up and won't be too much of an issue. I have never had a pair of Damsel fihs paired up before, so hopefully yours will.
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