Finding small saltwater fish tank species for a small marine aquarium (nano tanks) is not difficult and they are often easily found in local saltwater reef stores and online. If you have a small saltwater aquarium it is vital to keep it lightly stocked and your water parameters stable. Make sure you research any fish you decide to get before you go to the store. Do not make that impulse buy or you may regret it later. Any fish tank from 10 to 30 gallons could be considered a small saltwater fish tank for the purposes of this article. Really, any saltwater tank under 30 gallons is going to be a chore to maintain (my opinion of course, to each his own). Nano tanks are often considered even smaller. It should also be noted that the smaller the fish tank the harder it is to keep in my opinion. Larger tanks provide so many more options for both equipment and fish species and I strongly urge any new hobbyists to get the largest tanks they can accommodate. Leave the smaller specialty saltwater tank setups for when you become more experienced later on.

The saltwater fish you're looking to keep in your small saltwater aquarium need to have a few characteristics to make the list below. You also need to keep in mind how they will get along with other species along with conspecifics. For better long term success, look for fish that: Banggai Cardinalfish - these fish stay on the small side and are not very active. Feeding wild caught specimens can be somewhat challenging at first so look for captive born specimens. They are mouthbrooders too! Pajama Cardinalfish - same as above, but most are still wild caught but they stay small and should eat most foods. Blue Devil Damselfish - these guys are on the small side but the downside to keeping them is they can be very territorial. Keeping multiples may prove to be a problem but they are generally very hardy. Blue Chromis - the chromis are one of my favorite species. They are awesome looking, stay small, eat most everything you can give them provided that it is small enough and they do well in groups.

Green Chromis - a great little fish that will sometimes get overlooked but they look amazing under bright aquarium lighting. Very hardy and does great in groups. They may bicker to establish a pecking order but in general they are good for smaller tanks and look fantastic in schools inside larger tanks. Clownfish - some species of clownfish get bigger than others. They are not active swimmers, nor do they patrol a large territory. Though many folks keep them in smaller aquarium set ups, I don't think I would keep any of the clownfish species in a tank under 30 gallons as adults other than maybe the Amphiprion or Ocellaris. Neon Goby - These are a cleaner species that stays on the small side. Many hobbyists feel they should be left on the reef but they are being captive raised nowadays... Orchid Dottyback - these dottybacks are quite striking in coloration and could be kept in smaller tanks. They can be somewhat territorial and reclusive though and need hiding spaces.

White Belly Wrasse - sometimes picked up by reef tank keepers to help rid their tanks of unwanted coral pests. This is a good species that is generally hardy and will go after most foods put into the tank. aquarium air pump modThey are farily active, so nothing smaller than 30 gallons is recommended. fish tank cleaning equipmentLots of live rock for them to pick on is good and you also need a good fitting hood because (like most wrasses) they are really good jumpers.fish tank cabinet za Purple Firefish - I debated putting this one on the list but I'm going to anyway. fish tank pump without electricity

I've found them to be somewhat challenging to feed at first. Once you get them eating though they are good to go. Good jumpers too so have a hood. Yellowtail Blue Damsel - these damsels stay small but they can be very territorial. cheap turtle tanks adelaideThey are hardy and will eat most foods presented.fish tanks for sale kent uk Catalina Goby - this is a cooler water species and could do well in a tank set up to meet their cooler water requirements.soil for aquarium in india There are also invertebrates such as many of the cleaner shrimps, snails and hermit crabs that can be easily kept in smaller saltwater tanks.can you fill a fish tank to the top

Obviously, the list above is just my opinion from years of being around them and don't take these recommendations as gospel. Research the species on your own and form your own opinion before you buy them. buddhist quotes on death and griefLook into the gobies, basslets, along with some of the wrasses and blennies for more ideas on small saltwater fish species. Author : Mike FishLore © - providing tropical fish tank and aquarium information for freshwater fish and saltwater fish keepers. Aquarium Fish SiteMap | Aquarium Fish Dictionary | Q. I have a 14-gallon nano cube that I set up about one month ago. My mushroom corals all died and my toadstool leather coral appears to be withering away. I lost most of my snails and all of my hermit crabs and my zoo polyps are not looking very good. The fish in the tank all look healthy and are as follows:I have several cleaner shrimp and a coral banded shrimp as well and they all appear healthy.

My nitrates were over 50 ppm but with daily water changes they are down to 20 ppm. I don’t detect any ammonia when I do a test. What can I do to get this aquarium back under control? My pH is totally out of control and I am using a ton of buffer solution to keep it above 8.0. I have 16 pounds of live sand and 17 pounds of live rock. My local fish store has advised me on everything with this aquarium. Should I stop listening to them? Interestingly, small marine aquariums are far harder to keep than larger marine systems. Whenever you are dealing with a very small amount of water any fluctuation comes quickly and has a more pronounced effect on the aquarium system. Also, marine systems take a considerable amount of time to mature. When we consider that your aquarium has 17 pounds of live rock and another 16 pounds of live sand you likely only have 8 or 9 gallons of water in the aquarium. Considering this, any amount of evaporation will likely cause a very severe salinity change and could affect every value in your tank, including your pH.

As far as stocking is concerned, you may have gotten a little ahead of yourself.Before keeping any corals, several values need to be established and kept in check. The first is your pH which can walk hand-in-hand with alkalinity. The pH in a marine system should be about 8.2. Considering the amount of live rock and live sand that you have in your aquarium, you shouldn’t be having serious pH problems. To successfully keep corals you need to have a stable pH and then work on your calcium and alkalinity values. Your alkalinity should test out at 12 dKH and your calcium should be around 350 to 400 ppm. Considering the severe fluctuations you are having with pH, it is highly likely that all of these values are skewed, thus causing serious imbalance in the system.Nitrate levels at 50 ppm are very high. The death of so many snails, crabs and corals has probably raised the nutrient level in your aquarium and accounts for the high nitrate readings. While I am a proponent of frequent water changes, daily water changes on an immature tank could be making these compounding problems worse.

While the water changes are removing a lot of excessive nitrate they are making it tough for your bacterial filter to get a foothold in the aquarium.When there are so many problems with a tank it is sometimes better to take two steps back rather then one step forward. I would see if a fish outlet would take your surviving corals and give you store credit for them. While your tank can support the number and species of fish you have quoted, adding them over the course of several months (to one year) is a far better approach when working with an immature tank. If they are eating and appear healthy then they are probably all right to leave be.I would recommend removing the coral banded shrimp from the aquarium. These shrimp grow large and could easily make a meal out of several of the fish species you are keeping. Once the corals are removed you can begin the process of repairing some of the issues that are present. The first and most prudent order of business is stabilizing your pH. Using buffers can work for short-term repairs but is really like applying a Band-Aid to a wound that needs stitches.

Your tank’s density should be around 1.025 so make sure that it is up to par before doing much with the pH. Monitoring evaporation and not over-topping off the tank can also help control fluctuation. Once your pH has stabilized you can monitor your calcium and alkalinity values and begin using a buffer, if needed.Once these all take shape and the tank’s water parameters are holding you can begin looking at keeping some hardy corals. Many local fish stores are far better at selling aquarium livestock than advising aquarists on how to successfully keep a marine aquarium. The definition of “success” among marine aquarists varies and what one aquarist may deem failure another sees as a positive result. In some overseas countries it is not uncommon to constantly replace corals as they die. In the United States, as far as reef tanks are concerned, success is often measured by longevity of keeping animals alive and healthy.My recommendation at this point is to invest in the most important reefkeeping tool of all, which is a good book.