Newbie Needs ID and some Advice . . .

SallyFish · 05/31/2015, 02:12 PM

I kept saltwater tanks 20 years ago, which means I know (or remember) enough to be dangerous, but I'm still in the learning curve. I lost all of my tanks (and home) in a hurricane, and I never had the heart (or funds) to go back to saltwater. I've been keeping freshwater fishtanks and turtles all of this time, though.

I live across the street from the beach in Miami Beach and I've always been interested in all of the critters that live in the sargassum. Someone gave me a 7 gallon nano aquarium, which I know is a treacherous place to start, but I went ahead anyway.

I collected sand from the ocean and a lot of coral rocks from the low tide line. I have two live rocks as well (from fish store), and a dead rock (?) from a pet store (it looked cool).

I cycled the tank pretty fast in about 4 weeks by putting in a large clump of sargassum weed, as well as three mangroves (don't ask where I got the mangroves, I'm pleading the 5th on that). The mangroves are growing and doing very well.

When I had a big copepod bloom and saw a lot of other life in the tank, I did the chemistry and it was good, so I ditched the sargassum and started collecting. I also, on impulse, bought a blue damsel from a fish shop. Kind of couldn't help myself. He's very pretty and sassy.

Now I've got 1 or 2 sargassum shrimp (they hide or maybe were eaten?), two tiny red legged hermit crabs (from fish store), one snail (from fish store), the blue damsel, a spotted filefish (from the sargassum), and a tiny little fish that I think is a "chub." I can't find any information on it, since I don't think they are often kept in aquariums.

--Is this a "chub?"
--Is he a schooling fish (do I have to collect another one for him to be happy)?
--Will he live in this tank happily? He's eating, so that's a good sign, but he stays toward the top of the tank and seems a little nervous.
--What else do I need to know about him?

Finally, am I maxed out on critters or can I add one or two more? I have an HOB filter that came with the tank to which I added Eheim bio media, a Finex mini canister filter, and two tiny filters that I scavenged from my little freshwater betta kits that I'm using as "powerheads" for flow, and I filled both up with the Eheim bio media.

PS: I have rejected a lot of critters from the sargassum, including many angler fish, crabs, shrimp, a pufferfish (he was a little too big) and some filefish.

PPS: Rummaging around in the sargassum causes a rash -- a lot of little bitey things live in those weeds. Worth it, though!

Thanks, everyone! I look forward to continuing and growing in this hobby.

Martini5788 · 05/31/2015, 04:51 PM

Alright it appears that I am going to be the bearer of bad news. Those fish are NOT suitable for a 7 gallon nano. In that size tank you can keep 1 fish that stays very small and you will be very limited on choices. Please return those fish to your local store ASAP. I would get on liveaquaria.com and click on the nano fish section to try and find something that is suitable. The only fish that come to mind are a firefish(maybe) or a clown goby

billsreef · 05/31/2015, 06:18 PM

Yup, you need a much larger tank for what you already have. The White Spotted file fish gets over a foot, and the Chub also gets well over a foot in size. Always good to have an idea of what your collecting and buying before placing it in a tank. Also, now that you've mixed in fish from the LFS (especially an IndoPacific species), those locally collected fish cannot be returned to the sea, ever.

BTW, in regards to mangroves, it is perfectly fine to collect the pods, just touch them once they've rooted

SallyFish · 05/31/2015, 07:41 PM

Thanks for the replies! I'm planning on getting a bigger tank, probably something in the range of 29 gallons, so I can transfer these fish there once its cycled. I didn't realize that I couldn't return the fish to the sea once they get bigger. Yikes. Perhaps I can find them homes with people who have much larger tanks. Would this little tank be good for just the hermit crabs, snail, and the mangroves?

Martini5788 · 05/31/2015, 07:53 PM

Yes the nano would be fine for the hermits and snail. In the 29 though, that damsel would still be aggressive towards any other fish you want to put in there. So please return it and do some research on what fish would be suitable for that tank. And good luck finding homes for the fish you collected.

SallyFish · 05/31/2015, 07:56 PM

I'm kind in love with that damsel . . . so freakin' cute.

Martini5788 · 05/31/2015, 08:13 PM

Which damsel is it? If you decide that you want to keep it then I can't stop you. But in a small tank like that they get very aggressive

SallyFish · 05/31/2015, 11:31 PM

It's a blue damsel.

My neighbor, who has a 65 gallon tank, agreed to take the filefish, but not the little chub, because he said it would get eaten in a second in his tank. I'll hang on to him for now to see what happens with him. I collected these critters about 6 feet from shore -- in another 20 minutes they would have been on the sand and being eaten by shore birds. So, he has a reprieve for now.

I still have a massive copepod bloom going on. At first the damsel ate a ton of them. Now they're growing again like gangbusters. Do you know why?

05/31/2015, 04:51 PM	#2
Martini5788 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Beaufort, SC Posts: 2,303	Newbie Needs ID and some Advice . . . Alright it appears that I am going to be the bearer of bad news. Those fish are NOT suitable for a 7 gallon nano. In that size tank you can keep 1 fish that stays very small and you will be very limited on choices. Please return those fish to your local store ASAP. I would get on liveaquaria.com and click on the nano fish section to try and find something that is suitable. The only fish that come to mind are a firefish(maybe) or a clown goby

05/31/2015, 06:18 PM	#3
billsreef Moderator 10 & Over Club Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Long Island, NY/North Miami Posts: 36,538	Yup, you need a much larger tank for what you already have. The White Spotted file fish gets over a foot, and the Chub also gets well over a foot in size. Always good to have an idea of what your collecting and buying before placing it in a tank. Also, now that you've mixed in fish from the LFS (especially an IndoPacific species), those locally collected fish cannot be returned to the sea, ever. BTW, in regards to mangroves, it is perfectly fine to collect the pods, just touch them once they've rooted __________________ Bill "LOL, well I have no brain apparently. " - dc (Debi) Current Tank Info: Far too many tanks according to my wife, LOL.

05/31/2015, 07:41 PM	#4
SallyFish Registered Member Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 4	Thanks for the replies! I'm planning on getting a bigger tank, probably something in the range of 29 gallons, so I can transfer these fish there once its cycled. I didn't realize that I couldn't return the fish to the sea once they get bigger. Yikes. Perhaps I can find them homes with people who have much larger tanks. Would this little tank be good for just the hermit crabs, snail, and the mangroves?

05/31/2015, 07:53 PM	#5
Martini5788 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Beaufort, SC Posts: 2,303	Yes the nano would be fine for the hermits and snail. In the 29 though, that damsel would still be aggressive towards any other fish you want to put in there. So please return it and do some research on what fish would be suitable for that tank. And good luck finding homes for the fish you collected.

05/31/2015, 07:56 PM	#6
SallyFish Registered Member Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 4	I'm kind in love with that damsel . . . so freakin' cute.

05/31/2015, 08:13 PM	#7
Martini5788 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Beaufort, SC Posts: 2,303	Which damsel is it? If you decide that you want to keep it then I can't stop you. But in a small tank like that they get very aggressive

05/31/2015, 11:31 PM	#8
SallyFish Registered Member Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 4	It's a blue damsel. My neighbor, who has a 65 gallon tank, agreed to take the filefish, but not the little chub, because he said it would get eaten in a second in his tank. I'll hang on to him for now to see what happens with him. I collected these critters about 6 feet from shore -- in another 20 minutes they would have been on the sand and being eaten by shore birds. So, he has a reprieve for now. I still have a massive copepod bloom going on. At first the damsel ate a ton of them. Now they're growing again like gangbusters. Do you know why?