Help me set up my first SW

[Milene]

Hello, so I've been really interested in setting up a saltwater tank. I've never had one before but I do have 2 tropical.
I've been researching a lot and I think that the best thing for me would be a nano tank.
I really, really want a clownfish, but have been debating which tank I should get, the one I'm looking at getting is 25Liters which is around 6 US gallons I think, would that be enough for a clownfish? Also what other fish/ critters could I get? Various stocking possibilities appreciated ?

Equipment isn't really a problem except for lighting, seeing as this is my first SW should I do a FOWLR or reef?? Which lighting unit could I get in both cases? In my freshwater I actually have an led strip which has 18x 0.2 W LEDs and on the box it says it good for plant and coral growth, however at 3.6W is it really enough? (It also says 45 lumens if that helps).

I can't actually have this tank yet as no pet store in my area have any sort of marine equipment ( RO water, live rock, live sand, fish...) so I have to wait until I find a store that does.

Another question I have is would I be able to use distilled water instead of RO because I can actually get that. I know that some people use tap but I really don't want to get horrible algae which would probably put me off SW.

Thank you for your help


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[nanoreefz]

I think a better choice of water is RO/DI water. A lot less junk in it, not sure distilled water is something you could use. As far as lighting goes, I think 3.6 won't be enough, depends on what coral you want in there. And for stocking, a clownfish is way too big for a 6 gallon tank. You're going to need to stick to the smaller goby family (clown goby, neon goby, etc). I would do one of those and load that bad boy with some sweet inverts! It could be a really diverse tank that way.

 

[PNOY]

Watchman yellow goby is ok for that size, 1 or 2 snails, cleaner shrimp.


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[BigRedsReefs10]

Watchman yellow goby is ok for that size, 1 or 2 snails, cleaner shrimp.


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I would disagree with that, watchmen are on the big side for prawn gobies at ~6". A red banded hi fin goby (or similar sized) would work in a 6 though, if that symbiotic relationship interests you.


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[Milene]

I think a better choice of water is RO/DI water. A lot less junk in it, not sure distilled water is something you could use. As far as lighting goes, I think 3.6 won't be enough, depends on what coral you want in there. And for stocking, a clownfish is way too big for a 6 gallon tank. You're going to need to stick to the smaller goby family (clown goby, neon goby, etc). I would do one of those and load that bad boy with some sweet inverts! It could be a really diverse tank that way.

Ok, so no tank until I can afford my own RO DI unit :/
Would I be able to keep soft corals or would I need to upgrade my lighting? How many watts for LEDs?
As for stocking, how many litres would I need to keep 1 clownfish(or 2), 1clown goby and a few shrimp and snails?


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[Milene]

I would disagree with that, watchmen are on the big side for prawn gobies at ~6". A red banded hi fin goby (or similar sized) would work in a 6 though, if that symbiotic relationship interests you.


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Sorry, I don't know what symbiotic relationship you mean. I'm completely new to this so I apologise for my ignorance


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[Sand dollar]

Ok, so no tank until I can afford my own RO DI unit :/
Would I be able to keep soft corals or would I need to upgrade my lighting? How many watts for LEDs?
As for stocking, how many litres would I need to keep 1 clownfish(or 2), 1clown goby and a few shrimp and snails?


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Does your LFS sell rodi water? For a 6 gallon it should be pretty inexpensive & convenient, just get a 5 gallon bucket at a time.


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[nanoreefz]

Ok, so no tank until I can afford my own RO DI unit :/
Would I be able to keep soft corals or would I need to upgrade my lighting? How many watts for LEDs?
As for stocking, how many litres would I need to keep 1 clownfish(or 2), 1clown goby and a few shrimp and snails?


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So I looked at an article and someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe it's 4-6 or 6-8 watts per gallon, again depending on what kind of coral you want to keep. And as Sand Dollar said, see if your local fish store sells water. Mine sells pre-mixed salt water, so it's easier for me because I only have 14 gallons. As far as a clownfish, I'd say you need about 20 US gallons. But the symbiotic relationship is the coolest thing ever! Google the goby & shrimp relationship and you'll find some awesome videos of it!


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[treemanone2003]

Sorry, I don't know what symbiotic relationship you mean. I'm completely new to this so I apologise for my ignorance


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Symbiotic relationships are two species working together in the reef. Here's a couple examples in this link.
http://www.tfhmagazine.com/saltwate...together-symbiosis-in-the-marine-aquarium.htm


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[Milene]

Does your LFS sell rodi water? For a 6 gallon it should be pretty inexpensive & convenient, just get a 5 gallon bucket at a time.


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No fish store near me sell anything marine related, the closest store that does is an hour car drive away and I don't have a car


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[mr_X]

The watts per gallon rule is useless in this application. Your existing fixture will not be what you need. What are the exact dimensions of the tank you are settling on? BTW, you can't keep clowns for very long in a 6 gallon tank, if that's what you are considering.

 

[Milene]

The watts per gallon rule is useless in this application. Your existing fixture will not be what you need. What are the exact dimensions of the tank you are settling on? BTW, you can't keep clowns for very long in a 6 gallon tank, if that's what you are considering.

Well I was debating which tank to get but would you be able to suggest a good light for a 10 gallon ( don't want any hard corals atm) possibly something relatively cheap...


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[mr_X]

Sure. What do you consider cheap?

 

[Milene]

Sure. What do you consider cheap?

Under £50 maybe?


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[Milene]

This is what I have now



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[Milene]

Under "life support", it says for cold water, tropical and marine aquariums. That's why I thought it would be ok to use it... Is it not enough power?


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[Mattyfelts]

Under "life support", it says for cold water, tropical and marine aquariums. That's why I thought it would be ok to use it... Is it not enough power?


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no it wont work, but for your budget you could pick up a par38 bulb which would work perfect.

 

[mr_X]

You would probably need 2 of them for a standard 10 gallon. As for the picture you posted, Unless that says "36 watts total" and not "3.6 watts", it will not work.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

You would probably need 2 of them for a standard 10 gallon. As for the picture you posted, Unless that says "36 watts total" and not "3.6 watts", it will not work.

A single quality par38 will cover a 10, that's what I'm currently running over mine.


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[mr_X]

Aren't 10 gallon tanks 20" long? What kind of PAR are you getting at the height to cover it?