My parents might get me a fish tank for xmas, need help!!

[Jackiee]

Hello everyone,

I'm almost 17 and I'm convincing my parents to get me a fish tank and fish for Christmas. I'd prefer to have a saltwater tank, I'd like a few questions answered.

Alright, I'm thinking about a 20-30 gallon tank at the most, and a 10 gallon tank at the least. What I'd like to know is...

-What EXACT supplies do I need in order for this to work (please include a brief desciption of each one!)
-What kind of fish I should start out with
-How to start up a saltwater tank (adding salt? No idea how to do that)
-How much is this all going to cost me (my parents?) If I'd get a 10 gallon tank or a 20-30 gallon tank?

Thank you to ALL who reply!

 

[Brenden]

I'm thinking about a 20-30 gallon tank at the most, and a 10 gallon tank at the least

a 10 gallon is "harder" than a 30 gallon. Go with the 30

-What EXACT supplies do I need in order for this to work (please include a brief desciption of each one!)

salt mix - salt mix
hydrometer or refractometer(preferred) measure salinity of water
test kits - test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc
skimmer- remove proteins/waste from the water
powerheads- prob 2 small one to circulate the water. around 300gph for fish only 500-600 gph if you have corals based on a 30 gallon
proper lighting- if fish only not a big deal. If corals/anemone 150w of lighting (30 gal)
Heaters- I would get 2 small heaters (redundancy)
sand and live rock or base rock. - biological filtration

What kind of fish I should start out with

take your pick. make sure your tank is large enough.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=1926

How to start up a saltwater tank (adding salt? No idea how to do that)

ro/di water is preferred add salt and a powerhead. Let it stir for 24 hrs. measure salinity to make sure it is correct level before adding to tank.

How much is this all going to cost me

below list is from liveaquaria. You can save some $ by shopping around. You also need to add live rock and sand, skimmer, lights, tank, there are too many options there so I did not even attempt. It is all dependant on what you want to keep. With a small bio-load an plenty live rock you can leave off the skimmer but no one ever keeps a small load long.
CD-16881 Aquarium Systems Synthetic Sea Salts Instant Ocean 160 gallon mix $37.99 x = $37.99
CD-18711 Stealth Heater 75W $16.99 x = $33.98
CD-18773 Thermometer 2-1/4" x 1-1/2" $4.99 x = $4.99
CD-920534 Test Kit Master $59.99 x = $59.99
CD-517501 Maxi-Jet Powerhead/Pump Model 400 (106 gph) $11.99 x = $23.98

Subtotal = $160.93

I also suggest you do some reading here.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showfaq.php?fldAuto=2

 

[Todd2]

If this is your FIRST tank it might be better to go with fresh water. Although, if you're determined and you do your homework go with salt.

Fresh water is generally cheaper, and easier, than salt, BTW.

 

[seaham358]

SW is not a cheap hobby and will cost several hundreds just to get it going and thats not counting any fish. If you want corals your talking another 100-200 for good lights.
FW is cheaper and is a good place to start, thats where I started 4 years ago. I got the Wlamart 55 gallon tank that comes with every thing need except a stand.
Do lots of reading before you go SW. You will also be limited to the types of fish you can get with a small tank.

 

[Jackiee]

Alright guys, thanks for the help!

I'm thinking about this tank, it comes with the illumination and filtration system in it.

https://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?sku=588342

Now, if I got this tank with these in it, what supplies would I need? The two heaters, a thermometer, test kit, instant ocean stuff, what else? Thanks.

 

[theatrus]

I'd vote no on kits. You never get what you want. And I've heard terrible thinks about the 'filtration' built into these hoods.

 

[flamingonhot]

I also say no on kits. The only ones i've seen that are remotely close to being good are those deluxe nano cubes and some other wierd one.
Most kits give you very crappy lighting and all that. Some things like the eclipse systems are one to avoid. Everything is built in so you can't change anything around or add anyhting. It also includes a biowheel, something you don't want to have in a sw tank. Im not going to go on and on about them but basicly it raises your nitrate level that algae feed on and i've also heard it competes with the bacteria on the live rock and substrate for oxygen. Read up on it a bit and just buy stuff seperately, you'll get to costumize everythingnd it'll be a lot better in the long run. Have your parents give you money or make a list of some things you want and have them buy basic things.

There's no definate equipment that you need. There's some basic things that you should have though. Filter, heater, thermometer, salt, substrate, live rock (optional but VERY good for your tank and makes a lot of difference), the tank of course, and other basic things like that. After that and other things that I forgot to mention,lol, there are a lot of other optional and little things to buy on the way. Sw is not a thing to just jump in and try to buy cheap things. For me personally my little 10 gallon saltwater tank cost 250 dollars, after that I lost track. That was also just a semi-reef. For a reef tank It can go alot higher, if you do go with a smaller tank the reef thing is somewhat limited. A lot of corals and other things get too big and need a lot of space due to sweeper tentacles to be kept in a 10 gallon.

For the actual tank I think the 30 gallon would be the wisest choice. And no it's not because of the problems in smaller tanks, but because of other things like boredom. In smaller tanks ,ike a 10 gallon for example, it's so small and the water quality can get so bad that usually only 1 or 2 smaller fish can be kept. Your also going to be wanting another tank, usuall like 3 times the size of your first ne, so just go with the bigger tank and save you a lot of money and stress in the long run.

Sorry if I went on way too much! I hope some of what I said helps in someway.

 

[flamingonhot]

Oh yeah, also keep in mind that a 10 gallon can get borng sometimes. There are some problems in maintaining one and checking it everyday but it is possible and can be somewhat easy if you know what your doing.

Just wanted to put that in because one time I forgot to mention that and I got a big post critisizing it lol.

 

[AMANIQU77]

Two things, my friend:

1. That petco deal sucks. The tank is expensive. I could get a 55G kit from walmart with that money. That's just my opinion.

2. Second, I would like to invite you into this hobby. It is really fun. Especially in the saltwater hobby. People that join the saltwater community has this urge to learn more about the animals (or specimen, as they call it here). There are a lot to learn in this hobby. But the first thing you should know is that you should prepare yourself for the work ahead. You should always think of the fish as someone completely dependent on you. So it is a responsibility. You have to be compassionate to the fish.

Some kids join in for the "show" of it, you know. Not you, but there are some. The difference with you is that you actually did some research and started consulting with our friends here at the forum. Some don't even end up in the forum and just buy stuff. So you are doing really great, dude. Kudos to you.

Finally, the thing I learned from everyone of the experts that talk to you hear is this: The first thing you think about in the hobby is the fish, not the tank.

So figure out first, through research, which types of fish you want. Then once you figure out what types of fish you want, figure out what size tank they can fit.

Most of us start up thinking "Hey let me by this tank. By the way, what can fit here?". You usually know who they are when they post "so and so gallon tank stocking options" or "stocking ideas" and stuff.

But you should find the Fish you want, they look for the tank that can fit them, instead of the other way around.

Most of all, my friend, read a little bit about the Nitrogen Cycle. You are already half the battle if you learn that.

Good luck and welcome. IT is such an exciting hobby. We always think of the fish tanks whenever we are out there, you know? It's something to look forward to. And the healths of our specimen is always paramount in this hobby. So we go out of our way to make sure that the water they swim in is always in tip top shape.

Take Care! Hope that helps

 

[mattt6511]

I would dissagree with everyone else, if your planing on doing a fish only saltwater tank with some live rock that tank you showed looks fine, a little expensive tho, but it comes with a biowheel filter which isnt bad not sure what size biowheel it comes with though... But honestly your best bet is to start off easy something like that, and keep a few damsels in it. This will teach you the basics and how to maintain a tank so in the future you can consider a nice larger reef tank.

 

[AMANIQU77]

Biowheel wouldn't be a good idea for SW setups. By experience, and through peer reviews, biowheel is a no-no.

You wouldn't want to get the Eclipse setups because their hood is too piled up with stuff that you won't be able to do anything. You probably wouldn't have a HOB filter (if you feel like adding additional) opening or a skimmer opening with those setups. That setup wouldn't be good for marine aquariums. For freshwater, you can probably get away with that. But it's too darn expensive. You are only paying for the "design" of the hood. It's not worth the bang for your buck. JMHO.

 

[Jermz79]

I agree with matt6511 ... I have a 29gal that I set up as my first SW tank. It is a FOWLR tank and I run the Eclipse3 Lighting and filtration hood on that tank and it's absolutely great. No clutter hanging off the back of the tank and what not and looks very sleek! If you have plans to go Reef later on then that hood will not be sufficient and you will have to ditch the whole thing!

Another thing you may want to look at are the JBJ NanoCubes ... I have the 12gal Deluxe model and it is AWESOME!!! The tank comes with everything you need, Filter, pump, PC lighting (48watts) and makes a nice little reef tank! BUT like everyone stated smaller tanks are harder to care for! So check into your ability to maintain this type of tank!

Another thing ... that Tank you posted is VERY expensive! Shop around and piece things together from different places and you'll save money ... trust me!


Good Luck and Enjoy the site ... THIS PLACE IS GREAT!!!!
before you know it you'll be a FINatic!!!


Jermz79