30 gallon as a salt tank?

[Fantasy]

I just went and picked up this tank from lady my boyfriend works with.
The tank had two freshwater fish in it and was just nasty dirty. Ive broken it all down and cleaned it out gave the two fish left in it a new home and Im debating if I want to go Salt in this tank or not.

Its about a 30 gallon from what I can tell might be a little bigger.
Will this size work well for someone just starting into saltwater?

I checked on liveaquarium.com and mots of the marine fish Ive been thinking about starting off with say they would do fine in a minimum of a 30 gallon. With time I do plan to get something bigger but Im thinkign this might be a good place to start learning.

Any advice is very much appreciated! Thanks in advanced!

 

[RLG2182]

A 30 would be great! BUT... make sure you keep your fish stocking plans to a MINIMUM... I'd say just a couple small fish tops... gobies or O. Clowns, etc. A 30 gal will fill up quick with the bio load. With a tank that size, testing is also important as well since the smaller the tank, the faster swings in water parameters will get. The larger a tank, the more stable it'll be in chemicals and temp.

What plans did you have? Reef? FO? FOWLR? Let us know.

BTW... WELCOME TO AA!!

 

[Fantasy]

Thank you RLG
Im still debating lol I really would like some clown fish Ive been looking into liverock and I plan to go out this weekend and see whats available locally.

I did think of another question the tank came with a filter sometype of undergravel filter the tubing and everything is covered in deposits and algae. Would my best bet be to just discard the old system. It was pretty much apart and honestly Im not sure what went where with it.
If Im going with salt what will I need as far as filtration?
I want to get a copy of the book mentioned in one of the other threads and Ive been doing a lot of reading. Till now Ive only had freshwater tanks but this has been something Ive wanted to do for a long time I think its time!!

 

[mjvincent]

Here is a good starting point to answer frequently asked questions in saltwater...

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

 

[Reese]

My tank is a 30 gallon, but that was only because initially I planned to do a FW tank. Had I done the research and gone into it knowing that I was doing a SW tank, I definately would have opted for a bigger tank (55 gallon minimum).

Bigger is better with SW tanks. Not only are you limited with which fish you can stock and how many with the 30, there's also less room for screwups.

That said, you can still have a great tank with a 30. Good luck.

 

[RLG2182]

Fantasy... read up before you put anything in. It will all depend on your budget and tank plans to what you do put in. Most people (including myself 100%) will invest most of their money in Live Rocks (LR), lighting (if you want any type of coral) and a skimmer. No other "filter" (ie canister filter, HOB Penguin style) is needed if you have 1.5-2 pounds PER GALLON of LR in your tank. (can be a mixture of Base Rocks (www.hirocks.com , etc) or LR (www.liverocks.com , etc). Other than that... just get yourself a couple powerheads and you'll be set.

Lighting is not critical if you're just going to do a Fish Only With Live Rocks (FOWLR) or a Fish Only (FO). But it IS one of the most important factor for corals... most likely some kind of VHO/PC/MH setup. This is just touching the surface however... read all you can, take it all in, and then ask on here for clarification. And get yourself a good book! (Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist)

HTH

 

[Fantasy]

Im definatly taking my time on this. Ive got lots of reading to do and I plan to order that book! Im sure Ill have lots of questions and Im really glad I found this place! All of your input and comments have already been very helpful

Like I said Im going to do some in town research this weekend get some prices from around town and see whats avilable so I can start figuring out my plan of attack.

 

[oyf709]

30g i belive is still consider to be a small tank for salt water, keep the water change more often and u should be able to keep your fish alive and happy.
But cuz limited by the size of the tank, once again i suggest u need to check the info on the fish u will purchase so u won't end up with a 10 inch fish later that need to buy a new bigger tank.

 

[X the Outsider]

I have 29 gallon, and mine is fine. I do water changes every two weeks, and have a filter rated for a 50 gallon tank with a skimmer for a 100 gallon tank. As you can see from my sig I have four small fish. I'm at my limit if not a little above where I should be. I would do some very serious research into exactly what you're getting into before you take the plunge. Cost is probably one of the biggest concerns for most people. I've spent well over 1000 dollars since mine has been set-up. While you don't have to spend that much it certainly adds up.

 

[gooyferret]

Well like they said you have a few options with what kind of tank you want and what fish you will want now and in the future. IF you want a tang or any kind of surgeonfish you will need a bigger tank. If your going for a reef tank, I have seen some reef tanks as 30gal that look just awesome! Easy to fill with corals and look awesome. $$ is also a key factor in this hobby...ask yourself how much do i want to spend for the initial setup...because thats what the killer part is. The initial setup will hurt the pocketbook if you do it properly unless you get good deals. Most expensive will most likely be the LR. Another thing are you going to run a sump on the tank or no sump? With a 30gal tank a sump might be a good idea, otherwise you might end up getting alot of stuff inside the tank and might not like the look of it. Good Luck with the tank and research.

 

[steve r]

with a little planning and work you can have a great tank. here is my 29 gallon a few months ago. everything has grown a ton since this photo. the best advice i can give is listen to the people on this forum. i have not been steered wrong by them, the LFS is another story.

steve r

 

[steve r]

sorry the second picture was an accident, but it does show the progress.

steve

 

[gooyferret]

Steve r tank looks awesome you might wanna consider a little more flow it looks like you have a film on the top of the water.

 

[steve r]

the picture that is shown on top is newer than the bottom picture. i accidentally downloaded that one and i cant remove it. the top picture is after i installed my sump and split my return to have two spouts pointing at the surface. this took care of the film. the original problem wasnt the amount of flow just placement of it. i have about 1000 GPH.

steve r

 

[gooyferret]

WOW a 1000gph on a 29gal that is turing the tank over 34 times yup i think you have enough flow thats for sure....LOL