Please help

No reason for you to feel bad.You did the right thing and tryed to take care of the tank.So my hats to you.
Now like Piggy aked,How long untill we get to see pics of YOUR tank?
 
Thanks for the feedback. Its hard losing fish when you try your best to help them. I got attached to them and it was sad but at least I tried.

As for my tank I was thinking of a small 20 gallon reef with some fish and also a coral banded shrimp. (My fav creature so far.). I have seen some nano reef kits out there and still deciding on the type of corals. As for fish maybe a tang but if you have any ideas that would be great. I will get a list together soon.

Joe
 
You really shouldnt put a tang in that sized tank. They need at least a 75gal or larger to not be stressed and get ich or some other disease. A nano is a good first tank but you must be diligent about testing and maintenance as there is much less room for error than with a larger system. A twenty gallon is going to limit you to two to three fishes depending on what size they are. Sucks about the neighbors fishes but HE is the one that is RESPONSIBLE for their loss. What he did to you isnt right and I hope he is reasonable to not blame it on you. Learn from the experience and his mistakes. Welcome to the hobby!
 
You tried your best given the information you had. It wasn't fair that you got thrown into this with little to no instructions, and were expected to make everything just fine. As others have pointed out, if you did a small water change with salt water bought from the fish store, that was not the cause of the fishes' deaths. Don't beat up yourself over it, that tank had major problems in the state it was kept in before you came along, and it was probably just a matter of time before it crashed.

You can't keep any sort of tang in a 20 gallon tank. They need much larger tanks. A 20 gallon tank will be quite challenging to keep. The larger the tank, the more forgiveness when it comes to water quality (more water to dilute out the bad stuff). If I were you, I'd get the biggest set up you can afford or have space for. Bigger tanks are much easier to maintain (contrary to what a lot of people think). If you are looking for an all-in-one setup, there are several 29 gallon set-ups that are good quality. But anything larger and you'll have to buy the components separately.

Be careful of coral banded shrimp too, they are known to kill and eat fish.
 
Thanks, I also discovered from the buffer manufacturer that calcium might have been an issue.

I will see if I can get a larger tank. But if I stick to a 20 gallon what fish might be good? I dont want more than 2-3

Thanks

Joe
 
i got an idea!!! since your irresponsible buddy's fish all died, tell them that since you took care of his tank while he was gone and that your price for doing such a thing is so expensive, HE SHOULD JUST GIVE YOU HIS OLD TANK!!!!!! hit'm up, im new to this as well, i couldnt imagine starting out with a small tank, too much hassle and maintenance for a novice SW guy!
 
True, if everything is dead in your neighbor's tank, and he's gone for months at a time, he may not even want to deal with the hassle of setting everything up all over again. Do him a favor by taking all his junk off his hands!
 
Sicklids and Biffs on to something.Tell your friend,that since you bought so much and spent so much time trying to save the tank,and since he dont care enough about the animals he keeps,that he should just donate it all to you.

But either way,Like already stated,go with the biggest system you have space for and can afford.Decide what fish and coral you want to keep and plan the tank and equipment accordingly.
 
Thats a great idea...I will mention it and see...But if not I was thinking of those Nanocube systems I seen in some magazines. I will keep you posted on my progress.
 
hi everyone!
I am new here so please help me with the instructions of this site .
Thank you.
akkirocks
 
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