Getting started but not sure how.

[Blueknight704]

Hello,

I'm new to salt water tanks and am wanting to start out small.
I have a 10 gallon tank and was thinking about 2 fish max.

Just wondering what products I should buy and how to get things rolling before I even think of what fish to buy.

Keep in mind all I have is a 10 gallon tank, nothing else so i'm starting from the ground up here but I really want to do it right. Also not alot of cash to spend so I don't need top of the line, just enough to get started and later on I can work my way up to bigger and better things.

Thanks for any advise you can give.

 

[austinsdad]

I'm kinda wondering about the price difference going up to a 20 gallon. 10 is very small and subject to bigger swings in water quality and temperature. Also based on the 5" per gallon rule, your 2 fish would need to be 1" max - each.

I like to suggest Robert Fenner's book (see the library at this site) for newcomers. It'll help you "do it right".

Oh yeah. Welcome!

 

[Blueknight704]

Well I would like bigger but for now i'm working with very limited space also, so 10 gallons was kinda big. Also i'm only wanting small fish, like damsels.

Thanks I'll check and see if my local library has that book.

 

[lando]

I seconded the Fernner book. Keep in mind that a 10 gal. SW tank is going to be very hard to keep. Especially for someone new to SW. Even advanced hobbists how have been doing this for years find small tanks very challenging. Small tanks require constant water parameter checks and due to the low volume of water they are very suseptible to crashing. The larger the water volume, the more stable the tanks becomes. I would recommend a minimum of a 29 gal. to get started. A little more room for error. In the mean time, grab a good book and keep asking questions here. Welcome to the forum! Lando

 

[blorkiemom]

I'm gonna . . .third? the advice to go bigger. I was going to get a 10 gallon QT tank and the good folks at this site convinced me to go to a 20 and now that it's up I'm really glad--even the 20 requires constant vigilance. For a few $ more you can get an 18 tall that has the same footprint as a 10. Not the ideal tank shape, but way better than a 10 IMO. Have fun learning--I've been reading for 3 months and still don't know anything!

 

[captivereefs]

Do you just want fish or do you want corals?

 

[austinsdad]

Good question to answer, but doing your homework first (the book) will help you answer that better IMHO.

 

[youronlysin]

For a few $ more you can get an 18 tall that has the same footprint as a 10.

Keep in mind that this tank is not 18 gallons, but only 15. It is the same footprint as a ten gallon tank; 10x20 but is 18 inches tall.

 

[blorkiemom]

Really? Dang, I never figured the volume; just trusted the label. I know the tanks are usually a little smaller than advertised but I didn't know that much! No wonder I had nitrate problems in it (goldfish). Okay, let me try that again . . .

You can get a 15 gallon tank with the same footprint as a 10 gallon; not an ideal tank shape but 5 extra gallons.