1Gal Clown Tank

[HighVoltageScience]

Hello ever one i just got in to the saltwater hobby and i have a lot of time on my hands (I make neon signs form my house) I am 14 and other then school i have no responsibility and i know what i am going to bring up is going to a lot of work but i think i could handle it. What i am trying to do is make a 1 gal salt water tank with one clown. So far what i got is a one gal kids fish tank with 1lbs of live rock in it and about 1" of live sand and it has bin running for one week now. I have modified the tank with a dremal to hold a 10 gall filter and for a heater i am using 5 feet of ceramic 16awg wire in a coil on the bottom of the tank and i am running 6volts at 1 amp on it or 6 watts and for lighting i am using a 15watt cfl anyway the tank is running now and the water is tested and is safe and i am thinking about putting a clown in the tank on monday and i just want to know is there any tips you guys could give me to help with this ?


Thanks Brandon

 

[fatheadminnow]

A 1 gallon tank is WAY too SMALL! Do NOT put a clown fish in there!

-FHM

 

[plecostomus-mad]

Welcome to the forum.

as FHM has stated, DO NOT DO IT! if you do it will be very stressed,have a very crappy life and most probably die very soon. 1 gallon is not sufficient for any fish! period! besides that, what else have you done to the tank / put in the tank to make it marine? if im correct you need alot more than just live rock and a fistful of hope


1 gallon tank = snails, maybe some shrimp.

its best to leave the marine idea until you have a spare $1200 for a budget setup and the experience. start with a tropical freshwater setup. grab a 10 gallon tank,heater and filter, gravel and plants. will cost ALOT less!

 

[Morri]

The smallest tank for any fish is 10 Gallons but as a starter this is way to small for a first tank I would go no smaller than 30Gallons even at this size water chemistry is trickey to keep right, as there is little water to absorb any swings. I would be reluctant to put anything marine in a gallon tank.

 

[DigitalStorm]

After rock and sand you'll only have a few litres left for the fish. I'd advise reading a few marine fish books.
They give a good indication of minimum tank sizes.

I'm afraid but 4.5 litres ain't much at all.

 

[sorgan]

Your best bet buddy would be to wait and save, 4.5 litres is very small and the clownfish would be unhappy in a tank that small.

Look on eBay or in the classifieds for cheap tanks (I got mine fir £90 and it's 200 litres) if your lucky you can get bargains, plus it's fun to bargain hunt.
I hope you get your fish eventually but remember that they are alive and should live long happy lives in our tanks.

Use your 1g tank to raise artemia to feed to your fish, that's always good fun

 

[milkton]

haha when i was 12 and got into the hobby, i put a clownfish in a 2.5 gallon. surprisingly, it did really well. i had around 2 lbs of live rock, some live sand and an aquaclear 20. It eventually died in summer cause i couldnt control the temperature. The darn water went up to 35 degrees celcius.... I would NOT advise you to keep a clown in a 1 gallon, i dont know how i got through a 2.5 but it did and im sure i tortured the clown very much when i was young, well, im turning 15 next month . Try starting with a 10 gallon, and throw in a filter to cut down spendings on the live rock.

please dont flame me, i was young and stupid then

 

[sorgan]

Hey when I was a kid we used to keep goldfish and frogs in jam jars.

 

[steelhealr]

Hi Hi Voltage I agree with everyone. 1 gallon is too small for a clownfish. In fact, it would probably be cruel and you could lose the fish to stress.

However, we would love to see you start up a 1 gallon tank, which would be called a pico tank. It would be great to house some snails, perhaps a crab and a shrimp. Let us know if you need help.

SH

 

[sorgan]

Shrimp are cool (and cheap )

 

[HighVoltageScience]

Wow Thanks for the fast reply guys!!!!!!

I have to use this one gal tank but i do have a idea what if i had a 5 gal jug under my bed in my room and i ran pump and 1/2'' tubing to the 1gal so it would have 6gallons water but only 1 gal of space ?

 

[CoMan]

Wow Thanks for the fast reply guys!!!!!!

I have to use this one gal tank but i do have a idea what if i had a 5 gal jug under my bed in my room and i ran pump and 1/2'' tubing to the 1gal so it would have 6gallons water but only 1 gal of space ?

Hey buddy. Its really great your into this and you've def come to the right place for help but I think your missing the point a little.

If you want a clown...the 1 gal tank will just be too small in swimming/living space for it.

It won't matter how many gallons you have in a sump type system connected to it. It would be like you only living in your bedroom 24/7 but having a garden the size of a football pitch that you could never play in. Hope that makes sence

def think you should start some sort of crab tank though. That sounds wicked (Might give that a go myself!)That or get a bigger tank fella.

Good luck and do what's right for the fish

 

[sorgan]

I totally agree with CoMan.

Highvoltage think of it this way, a clown fish comes from a reef where it has (to a fish) endless amounts of space to swim/play/eat/poop in.
Imagine yourself living/playing/eating/pooping inan area so big you would never be bored, sounds great! Now imagine someone catching you and putting you in a small room (just as CoMan said) it wouldn't be fun at all.
Clowns are social, happy and nutty little fish, it's a sad thing to see a clown fish by itself in a tank that's big enough let alone one that is way to small.

Don't think we are trying to stop you having a fish we just want you to understand what the fish needs, you don't want to kill it after all do you
if you can't afford another tank just yet then go fit making a pica reef (like our divine moderator suggested)
shrimp are great fun as are snails and hermit crabs (ihave loads of all of them and I like them more then fish!)
on the bright side, if you can keep a 4.5lt tanks water stats stable you will ace bigger tanks later!

And as said before, think of what the fish needs. It's fun to have pets bit not when they are sad.


Ps- I see you make neon lights, have you ever worked with Perspex. It's great for making fish tanks

 

[HighVoltageScience]

I totally agree with CoMan.

Highvoltage think of it this way, a clown fish comes from a reef where it has (to a fish) endless amounts of space to swim/play/eat/poop in.
Imagine yourself living/playing/eating/pooping inan area so big you would never be bored, sounds great! Now imagine someone catching you and putting you in a small room (just as CoMan said) it wouldn't be fun at all.
Clowns are social, happy and nutty little fish, it's a sad thing to see a clown fish by itself in a tank that's big enough let alone one that is way to small.

Don't think we are trying to stop you having a fish we just want you to understand what the fish needs, you don't want to kill it after all do you
if you can't afford another tank just yet then go fit making a pica reef (like our divine moderator suggested)
shrimp are great fun as are snails and hermit crabs (ihave loads of all of them and I like them more then fish!)
on the bright side, if you can keep a 4.5lt tanks water stats stable you will ace bigger tanks later!

And as said before, think of what the fish needs. It's fun to have pets bit not when they are sad.


Ps- I see you make neon lights, have you ever worked with Perspex. It's great for making fish tanks




Sorry i only know how to make tubes with the gas/glass and a high voltage transformer.

This is some of my neon work. http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nkept5c_W0

 

[fatheadminnow]

Unfortunately, I don't think our advice here has been taken into consideration.

-FHM