# 30ltr marine - cruel or?



## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

Thoughts on this:

As a birthday present my nan would like to do something really special for me. She wants to convert my 30Ltr into a marine tank. 

Thought i'd ask you guys befor i say yes to her though.

If she did do this i would like to keep some nice corals and maybe 1 fish and an invertebrate (maybe a shrimp!)

Apart from the obvious upgrades (light, fliter, skmmer etc) my questions are this:
- Do you think 30ltr (fluval ebi tank) is too small for marine? would it be cruel?
- Im guessing the moulded backing in it would need to be removed - how do i go about this? it seems to be made up of polystyrene


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

It's fine!  Just not for fish (imo). I don't think it's fair on any fish at all. 

However saome sexy shrimps, and soft corals / zoas etc (with upgraded lighting) would be fine


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

ok shrimp!!! i love shrimp

Can i have a star fish too? or one of them... oh what are they called again... protocrab type things....looks like a pokemon...


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Frostpaw said:


> ok shrimp!!! i love shrimp
> 
> Can i have a star fish too? or one of them... oh what are they called again... protocrab type things....looks like a pokemon...


Sexy shrimps 










In a little trio 


No starfish, no. 

Which crabs? Some small crabs are fine: hermits, anemone crabs, stuff like that. Mithrax would be a bit too big again (imo)


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

those wee little hermits...

So... zoas/soft coral... a shrimp and a hermit crab!


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Obviously water quality is an issue. Is it your first? Be very very careful, take things slow and test, test, test! Slightest bit of evaporation or one dead crab and you'll get high salinity / ammonia respectively very quick. Smaller volumes are much harder, so know what you're doing


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

yeah this isnt even beginning till july. Im researching like a bitch lol

Its my first marine. 

Ive got 200ltr malawi tank, a family of fiddler crabs, musk turtle, and a 30ltr nano. Im very experienced in cold/trops. Worked all over the country with them... but ive neglected to deal with marines!!


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Good that sounds bril then  Should all be fine, but constant higher risk of a crab dying and ruining everything so be extra careful. 

I'd get an auto top-up probably, see how much evaporates I guess. They are really friggin good though for marines, keeping it very stable, and not overly expensive.


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

hahah lets start off with something hardy.... im guessing shrimp would be hardier maybe 2 shrimp instead


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

No no I don't mean crabs are more likely to die! I mean in a tiny tank you've gotta be extra careful about anything dying and getting an ammonia surge. Shrimp included.


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

You mentioned starfish, there's a good chance you'll get Asterina Anomal hitch-hiking on the live rock. They're tiny starfish and perfectly fine to keep in that size tank. If you don't, someone might be able to give you a few.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=a...sMqO60QWUkZTHCg&ved=0CHEQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=471


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

_simon_ said:


> You mentioned starfish, there's a good chance you'll get Asterina Anomal hitch-hiking on the live rock. They're tiny starfish and perfectly fine to keep in that size tank. If you don't, someone might be able to give you a few.
> 
> https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=a...sMqO60QWUkZTHCg&ved=0CHEQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=471


Yeh but they'll also deposit little white poos everywhere! Lol


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

hahaha maybe ill just keep some coral and leave it at that....


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

Frostpaw said:


> hahaha maybe ill just keep some coral and leave it at that....


In my opinion what makes a marine tank interesting is all the "creepy crawlies" running around the tank. There's always something on the move. Even if you didn't add anything except coral you'd still get them hitch hiking. You want these things though, they'll all have some role to play in keeping your tank clean unless it's a crab in which case you probably won't want it.

This site comes in very useful to begin with:

Live Rock Hitch Hikers


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## JoPwerks (Mar 15, 2012)

I love watching my starfish, he just appears from nowhere and you look again and he's somewhere else, he's facinating


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## davesbray (Feb 12, 2011)

have a look at the links in my sig. the bottom one started out as a 19ltr tank, but i have just upgraded it to just under 35ltrs. the other one is 54ltrs


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

th tank im changing is a fluval Ebi...

How do i get rid of the backing on it please?


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## davesbray (Feb 12, 2011)

sorry, never been up close enough to one to have a good look...got a pic? close up from the top of the bit your trying to remove?


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

this is it from the top, its like a built in background of polystyrene


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## davesbray (Feb 12, 2011)

cant really see much from the pic, but can you not just rip it off? then use something to just tidy it up a bit? it must be stuck onto a bit of glass at the back?


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

I did a google and saw someone say it's held on by 3 spots of glue and someone else say 6 blobs of silicone either way it shouldn't be hard to pull off. In fact people are complaining that it pops off of its own accord after a while.


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

When I set that tank up, i pulled the backing off not realising it was meant to be glued in!! Was just 4 spots of silicone holding on on.


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