We took ours down too, Becca. We went from an 80g to now just a tub of some living rock we need to re-home; converted the tank to freshwater cichlids. They are much easier.

I'm taking the big tank down completely. It's the only spot in the house that my mother's piano will fit, and she has declared that we will have it when she decides to move out of the big house (probably sometime next year).

Becca - how hard are those nano tanks to care for? I've always wanted one that had a pajama cardinal or two and maybe a Mandarin Goby (though I hear those need quite a bit of space).

I'll tell you after I get it set up and occupied. Where's Truffle? She's had one for ages and swears it's simple.

Really?? I see all these articles that say they're not for beginners. My dad had saltwater for years but I've only done fresh, so I'm not a beginner but certainly not experienced. It'd just be so cool to have in my office at the bank or at home!

Salts tanks can be as simple or as complicated as you want, mostly depending on the type of stock you'd like to keep. Fish-only tanks occupied by the hardier varieties are just as straight forward as freshwater, you just have an extra step in water-prep and they take longer to cure before stocking. If you want to get into propagation of stony corals, on the other hand, you are looking at serious manipulation and monitoring of water quality, chemistry, and light intensity/cycles. And yes, bigger is easier simply because you have more room for error in the water chemistry.

So a FOWLR tank is really not much harder than freshwater would be? Because that'd be really cool... Dad had a 90 gallon FOWLR but someday I'd like to have a 125+...

The smaller the tank, the more difficult it will be to maintain pristine water chemistry. Most complete nano systems provide sufficient filtration as long as you test, test, test. It is hard to beat a softie/lps nano with a RBTA and lightening clown though.

I would avoid mandarins as they are very finicky eaters (pods only, and a lot of them) so unless you have a large refugium (30+ gallons) to replenish the pods, or constantly buy new pods, it will not survive long. It is possible to teach a mandarin to eat pellets but only if they choose to eat them; most choose to starve rather. I have a 300 gallon refugium in my system and only have one mandarin and I still feel like I struggle to produce enough food.

I would suggest something like a yasha, Dracula, or panda goby instead. They aren't as striking as a mandarin but you will likely have much better success and they are very cool looking fish. Another option would be a small hawkfish if you want color.

We also have an African Grey Parrot - 10 year old female named Ariel. Nice to know that Dottie and Tinkerbell also have Greys. They are terrifically smart, but do take a lot of attention to manage. Glad my wife stays home and can devote the time to ours. Ariel has a very good vocabulary and sometimes says the absolute funniest things at just the right time.

If you want to go FOWLR I would STRONGLY suggest you go as large as you can accommodate. Most of the popular FOWLR stocks include fish that require a lot of room. Be sure to have a QT/hospital system ready before you start stocking and I am a big believer in preemptive treatment for velvet/ich/flukes for 6 weeks minimum prior to moving to the display tank. Stocking order is very important in order to avoid territorial aggression. Also, be sure to buy a quality skimmer as you will likely overfeed in a FOWLR system.

The key to success is plan every detail.

For a great idea in teaching your parrot to sing, go on YouTube and search "Parrot singing let the bodies hit the floor."

Okay. I have to ask. Exactly just what is a FOWLR tank?

also, I thought nano tanks were just small tanks with tiny inhabitantsl. 32 gals isn't all that small! I like the nano décor however...the mosses that you form into little trees and the balls...really cool if you have a shrimp habitat...don't guess it would work for just anything. Who know.

"Fish Only With Live Rock," so there are no corals.

I didn't know 32 could be considered nano, either!

The terminology has become somewhat loose; what used to be a nano is generally now called a pico.

Let me clarify, most say nano is 30 and below and picos are usually 5 or less. It isn't uncommon to see anything 39 or less called a nano and 10-15 called a pico.

Fowler began in 1816, when it was formed from parts of the towns of Rossie and Russell. It was named for Theodosius Fowler[1] (1753–1841), a captain in the American Revolution and a local landowner. In 1827 part of Fowler was transferred to the Town of Edwards. Fowler lost more area to Pitcairn, New York in 1836. By 1870 the population of Fowler was 1,785.

In 1987 the Hollow Dam on the West Branch of the Oswegatchie River was constructed. It generates 900 kilowatts of power


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fowler,_New_York

The 32 biocube system is what I'm getting. It'll be sufficient for a few live rocks and a couple of small reef fish. My 12" diameter red brittle star and 10 year old scopus tang are moving next door to the neighbor's 100g tank. Haven't decided yet about the maroon clown and parrot wrasse. They're all that's left of my stock.

You might try the PJs and a Watchman Goby - we had that exact set up in a 15g and it worked beautifully.

Last thing I will say...do not get a damsel. No matter what the guy at the LFS says or how pretty you think it is, you must NOT get a damsel. Demonic little sobs.

We always had a blue one when I was a kid and it seemed nice enough! But it was the smallest fish with some others that could hold their own (lunare wrasse, Niger trigger) so maybe that had something to do with it.

But I have heard that they're usually nasty!

And they get a lot bigger than you think they will!

Or anemones. They are grumpy and they pout and they will crawl into the filter and get torn to bits just to spite you.

Wow. After reading all this nano pico fowlr velvet, ich stuff, I'm glad to have donks! A pond, a barn (well, a carport) and a little pasture and you're done.

mtngrrl, ever tried pigs? Ours live inside so it's just a litterbox, a water dish, food rug (just a rug to throw food on to slow down their eating) and a bed to sleep in (which happens to be mine!). They're lots of fun and love to snuggle

What are the donkeys like? I think they're really neat animals. I'd love to meet one someday.

A 12" brittle star fish? that's a BIG star fish!!!! !