Need this question answered... bout New salt water.

[Reef1589]

K, so im picking up some rather expensive clownfish this weekend... im stressed alittle bout it, because i thought i was gonna have a 40gal setup and ready for them, and things fell through and the 40 gal isnt setup nor ready

i was gonna go to the store and buy a 10 gal tank...
and then house them in that tank temporarily.. with no sand... just water (itll probably be a QT tank later for smaller fish)
was gonna use a cheap 20-40gal rated hangon filter from like petco or something..

will this work for 2 Clownfish temporarily..for possibly 4 weeks?

has anyone ever used the boxed water from petco? ...was gonna use that to fill the 10 gal tank.. it says from the ocean (so it had me concerned it might carry some parasites... )

the tank will be setup tomarrow (thursday) and the fish will be picked up Saturday... if i used established water.. will it still cycle? ...

[thebkramer]

Can the LFS hold them for you??

Some LFS will hold fish for you for 24hrs.. and some will hold them for you as long as you need them to if you pay for them.. just an idea

[briankmarsh1980]

2 pairs may be a problem in general.
You are going to have to do water changes a lot like every other day to keep the ammonia down.
Fish are not picky about what salt you use they won't care. I would get a bucket of cheap salt and mix your own due to the fact you will have to be doing so many water changes. And you have to mix your saltwater for 24 hrs before using it.

[skrillnet]

Water has little to do with a cycle. Most of your nitrifying bacteria live on the sand and rock in your tank. If you have a good place to buy cured live rock, you are less likely to have a serious cycle.

That being said, 10 gallons is not big enough for two PAIRS of clownfish. Unless they are juvebiles, they would most likely fight to the death over the next few weeks if you put all 4 in there.

As stated above check with your LFS and see if they can hold them for you.

[SushiGirl]

We've used the boxed water (had an emergency) and it was fine. Just don't trust their water they mix themselves, nitrate city LOL.

[thebkramer]

I don't know how I missed the 2 pairs part...

I would think even a 40g would not be big enough for 2 pairs...

are they all juvies??

[Reef1589]

My bad.. i ment 2 clownfish.. 1 pair.. haha ...
kinda zoned out when i typed that..

[thebkramer]

no problem! I do it.. especially when feeling in a panic!! hahahah
you should see a post I made tonight!!

Edit:
I see in your sig it says you have a 75g?
the clowns can't hang in there??

[Reef1589]

i would put them in there.. but i had a really bad ich/brook breakout due to a new powder brown tang... atleast i think it was ich/brook... the tang died...and the Maroon Pair i had died.. (had like a white mucus around him.. like he was peeling as if he got sun burnt) this happened 1 1/2 months ago.. so idk im just paranoid to even put em in there with that outbreak happening not so long ago.. (i leanred my lesson, QT everything.. only been in the hobby a year now, so learning alot as i go.. fish is my weak side, but can manage to grow SPS... go figure.. )

[Reef1589]

so with the correction being said..

will 2 clownfish... last 4-5 weeks in a 10 gallon tank..with one of those 20-30 gall rated hang on filters from petco..... and how often will i need to do water changes? everyday? every other day?... twice a week?

[skrillnet]

if they are smaller clowns, I would say they would be ok as long as you make it a point to get them out quickly. Also watch them for aggression, tight quarters makes everyone's blood boil.

Get an ammonia test kit and check everyday. If there is ammonia, do a water change. Also, you can get some clay pots from walmart or Lowes for them to hide in.

IME if you had Ich it would have been just white spots, kinda like they had sand stuck to them. If your tank has been fish free for 8 weeks then the ich will have died out most likely. I don't know a lot about brook so can't chime in there, but the ich shouldn't affect the clowns that much, especially if they are healthy.

[duncantse]

Originally Posted by Reef1589

so with the correction being said..

will 2 clownfish... last 4-5 weeks in a 10 gallon tank..with one of those 20-30 gall rated hang on filters from petco..... and how often will i need to do water changes? everyday? every other day?... twice a week?

Yup this setup will be fine. I would do a 10% water change everyday to keep the ammonia levels down.