Is my saltwater toxic?

[Tamberav]

Glad I’m here, going to trade these guys in for some corral!

Sounds good. Just research purchases.. even coral ones so you know how difficult it is and lighting it likes/flow and so on. There are many wonderful small fish that will fit your tank instead of the ones you have.

 

[Abcde123]

Maybe a red linckia or red fromia two very hard/sensitive species to keep. It could’ve been a red knobbed star too. Google it and let me know.

Maybe a red linckia or red fromia two very hard/sensitive species to keep. It could’ve been a red knobbed star too. Google it and let me know.

It look like it was a red linckia

 

[AydenLincoln]

It look like it was a red linckia

Okay then that’s why they require super large established tanks typically older than a year and are hard to keep due to sensitivity and diet.

 

[Abcde123]

Okay then that’s why require super established tanks typically old than a year and are hard to keep due to sensitivity and diet.

That’s helpful info. Thank you!

 

[AydenLincoln]

That’s helpful info. Thank you!

You’re welcome also big ones too. I’d look into micro brittle stars which are perfect for a 20 gallon.

 

[ben5impson]

Unless you reef in Europe

or Australia or NZ or anywhere that uses the metric system (which is the most used system in the world) and haven't remained in the dark ages like the US 20long is 20Gallon long which makes zero sense to me a volume is not a length. but 20L is litres to many people even people who live where they use gallons read this the same way. I feel like this gallon long term should just be chucked out because it makes so little sense and it makes my brain hurt

 

[mrpontiac80]

or Australia or NZ or anywhere that uses the metric system (which is the most used system in the world) and haven't remained in the dark ages like the US 20long is 20Gallon long which makes zero sense to me a volume is not a length. but 20L is litres to many people even people who live where they use gallons read this the same way. I feel like this gallon long term should just be chucked out because it makes so little sense and it makes my brain hurt

Lol, well just to clarify ( just in case) there are long tanks and tall tanks that hold the same water volume

 

[mrpontiac80]

What do you mean 4’ Long?

I am describing a 4 foot long tank for swimming room. Some 4’ tanks are 65 gallons and some are 100 gallons.
But some 100 gallons are shorter also.
I personally feel like having a longer tank is better when talking about fish who in the wild may swim miles vs another type of fish that may stay in a relatively local area.

 

[Abcde123]

I am describing a 4 foot long tank for swimming room. Some 4’ tanks are 65 gallons and some are 100 gallons.
But some 100 gallons are shorter also.
I personally feel like having a longer tank is better when talking about fish who in the wild may swim miles vs another type of fish that may stay in a relatively local area.

Got it. Mine right now is 30 inches (almost 3’) so yes I bit on the small end I assume

 

[mrpontiac80]

Got it. Mine right now is 30 inches (almost 3’) so yes I bit on the small end I assume

And keep in mind, tangs are not all created equal. A tomini tang may get a maximum of 6” long and may be perfect in a 100 gallon tank, While a blue hippo tang may get 12” long and be perfect in a 200 gallon tank.

 

[ben5impson]

Lol, well just to clarify ( just in case) there are long tanks and tall tanks that hold the same water volume

makes a little more sense but still seems wild to label them in such a way rather than purely by dimension or volume as you find here. though the dimensions of aquariums here is usually going to be in feet or inches which is weird because that's also imperial.
this being said its still not listed as 20L I am familiar with gallons long just find it strange and 20L is more likely to be read as litres not long.
not sure why not inches long over gallons long though. though for this and I should say 30" long.
idk the term just doesn't sound right.
but at the end if the day my point was 20L, to more people, sounds like 20Litres hence the confusion

 

[mrpontiac80]

makes a little more sense but still seems wild to label them in such a way rather than purely by dimension or volume as you find here. though the dimensions of aquariums here is usually going to be in feet or inches which is weird because that's also imperial.
this being said its still not listed as 20L I am familiar with gallons long just find it strange and 20L is more likely to be read as litres not long.
not sure why not inches long over gallons long though. though for this and I should say 30" long.
idk the term just doesn't sound right.
but at the end if the day my point was 20L, to more people, sounds like 20Litres hence the confusion

I agree. I thought liters also at first

 

[TheReefDiary]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the saltwater hobby, I’ve had a 20Gallon Long saltwater aquarium for around 11 weeks now. In the aquarium, I have 3 clownfish, a blue hippo tang, a damsel, two shrimp, a few corrals and several snails. I had a starfish and two gobys (did not have the gobys at the same time) in the past but they all died. I noticed that the star fish began resting at the top of the tank for around 1-2 weeks and began losing his arms little by little. My first goby died relatively quickly and my second goby died after maybe a month. I am starting to wonder if the bottom portion of the water in my tank is toxic, is that possible? All my fish seem to be healthy. I use a canister filter, have a wavemaker, and try and do regular weekly water changes (sometimes i don’t do it for two weeks). I just tested my water and everything was fine except my nitrite was a bit high (0.8) and my PH was a bit low (7.8). I just began dosing my tank with the recommended PH booster as well as another bacteria bottle to lower my nitrite but is that what could have caused it? I find it strange that most of the species that live on the ground level are dying or struggling (I even found my cleaner shrimp moving more towards the top for this past week). Has this happened to anyone before? Or does anyone have any advice? Thank you!!

Too much stock for a 20 gallon tank in my opinion. How's your filtration? With that many fish I would run a protein skimmer.

 

[Miami Reef]

And keep in mind, tangs are not all created equal. A tomini tang may get a maximum of 6” long and may be perfect in a 100 gallon tank, While a blue hippo tang may get 12” long and be perfect in a 200 gallon tank.

Very true!

I have a naso tang in my 260 gallon. It is currently happy and is considered ethical, but in the long term future (many, many years) it will outgrow my tank. The 260 gallon size is fine, but it’s only 23” wide which will not sustain a fully grown naso since it needs to comfortably turn. I do plan to upgrade my tank to a proper size when that time comes (in many, many years from now).

So, every tang has different requirements. In a 20 gallon, there is no tang that can live there (unless it’s a temporary QT).

 

[Miami Reef]

That blue tang will outgrow that tank in only a few months.

 

[Cyanohater]

My tank is 20 gallons Long!

That's still wayyyyyyto small for a hippo tang. Your water probably has ammonia problems. To many fish, I recommend maybe the 2 clowns, if you really want and maintain like you should the blenny. No more fish.

 

[Cyanohater]

All the fish seem to be thriving and they have a lot of room (picture is above). I’m just worried about a select few

The three clown fish will kill each other. In that small of a tank 2 clowns are the maximum. They will pair.

 

[Cyanohater]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the saltwater hobby, I’ve had a 20Gallon Long saltwater aquarium for around 11 weeks now. In the aquarium, I have 3 clownfish, a blue hippo tang, a damsel, two shrimp, a few corrals and several snails. I had a starfish and two gobys (did not have the gobys at the same time) in the past but they all died. I noticed that the star fish began resting at the top of the tank for around 1-2 weeks and began losing his arms little by little. My first goby died relatively quickly and my second goby died after maybe a month. I am starting to wonder if the bottom portion of the water in my tank is toxic, is that possible? All my fish seem to be healthy. I use a canister filter, have a wavemaker, and try and do regular weekly water changes (sometimes i don’t do it for two weeks). I just tested my water and everything was fine except my nitrite was a bit high (0.8) and my PH was a bit low (7.8). I just began dosing my tank with the recommended PH booster as well as another bacteria bottle to lower my nitrite but is that what could have caused it? I find it strange that most of the species that live on the ground level are dying or struggling (I even found my cleaner shrimp moving more towards the top for this past week). Has this happened to anyone before? Or does anyone have any advice? Thank you!!

You sure that's 20g?

 

[WheatToast]

The three clown fish will kill each other. In that small of a tank 2 clowns are the maximum. They will pair.

+1. Mixing clownfish species is also usually unsustainable.

 

[Cyanohater]

So what should I get the clean the tank up? Just snails? And I am not 100% sure the exact type, one may have been a diamond goby. Both sandshifting

There are alot of different saltwater inverts. Personally for a 20g I'd stock it with an emerald crab, blood fire shrimp, 3 cerith, 3 trochus. I might would throw in something to stir the sand bed but that's about what I'd stick in there. For fish I'd only do the 2 clowns and maybe a goby. If you wanted too, instead of blood fire shrimp you could try a goby pistol shrimp pair. So you'd have a clown pair and a goby pistol pair. That's my 2 cents from my experience with these animals.