Hey everyone I'm new to the saltwater fish life, and I was wondering I want to buy like a small(10gallon tank) just to see if its something I would like to do, and to also see if I can take care of it so things will live, and I was wondering if how many fish and what kinda I should put in a small tank like that any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
New to this life.
- Thread starter zanarc
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Frogspawn
Aquarium Advice Freak
hi zanarc. and welcome.
first, what i would do is read some great articles that are provided up above. that will explaine alot of what it takes to care for any SW aquarium. their great god knows i have used them alot when i first started. lol and second i would try to go as large as your buget would provide. due to the fact that a larger tank is easier to care for then a smaller one.
and it would also depend on what u are looking to keep. just fish or fish only with live rock or mabey even a reef set up. i have see a 1/2 gallon reef set-up ( crazy ) lol
but i am no pro at SW yet but i am quickly learning and i am loving every day of it. but if u were just thinking of Fish i would have to say u could keep 1 or mabey 2 very small fish. mabey a clown (nemo) and some other small one like a globy. their both very hardy and great to learn with.
HTH
first, what i would do is read some great articles that are provided up above. that will explaine alot of what it takes to care for any SW aquarium. their great god knows i have used them alot when i first started. lol and second i would try to go as large as your buget would provide. due to the fact that a larger tank is easier to care for then a smaller one.
and it would also depend on what u are looking to keep. just fish or fish only with live rock or mabey even a reef set up. i have see a 1/2 gallon reef set-up ( crazy ) lol
but i am no pro at SW yet but i am quickly learning and i am loving every day of it. but if u were just thinking of Fish i would have to say u could keep 1 or mabey 2 very small fish. mabey a clown (nemo) and some other small one like a globy. their both very hardy and great to learn with.
HTH
Devilishturtles
Aquarium Advice Addict
Take a look at the articles at the top of the forum, like Frogspawn said. They'll help you initially understand what is required to keep and maintain a sw tank.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=42920
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=76139
And finally http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15 (info on cycling, which is very important)
That said, a 10 gallon is a tricky size as smaller tanks are generally harder to maintain than larger tank, because there is less room for error. If you can start out with something larger, that might help. Else give the articles a read over and see if you have any more specific questions.
Welcome to AA.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=42920
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=76139
And finally http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15 (info on cycling, which is very important)
That said, a 10 gallon is a tricky size as smaller tanks are generally harder to maintain than larger tank, because there is less room for error. If you can start out with something larger, that might help. Else give the articles a read over and see if you have any more specific questions.
Welcome to AA.
roka64
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2006
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- 13,858
I agree with the above two posts. Bigger is definitely better.
I always suggest starting with at least a 55 gallon. More water volume is better. That said you can do a smaller tank but they are much less forgiving if you have a problem. I think from your post that you are thinking about starting with a 10 gallon because you think it will be easier than the larger tanks. Remember that the smaller the tank the less forgiving it will be. Good Luck whichever way you go and check out our nano tank forum.
Ziggy953
Aquarium Advice Addict
WELCOME TO AA!!!!!
You will be much happier with a larger tank...there is more room for error and it gives you much more options for fish! 55 is a good place to start out. Read the articles as mentioned above also do some web searches for reef tanks and look at what people have done. I know that here on this site there are a lot of people who have 55s and if you go to about.com and do a search for reef tanks there is a nice set of photo albums setup by tank size to look at.
Keep coming back here for your questions and we will help you along the way!!!
Happy Reefing!!!
You will be much happier with a larger tank...there is more room for error and it gives you much more options for fish! 55 is a good place to start out. Read the articles as mentioned above also do some web searches for reef tanks and look at what people have done. I know that here on this site there are a lot of people who have 55s and if you go to about.com and do a search for reef tanks there is a nice set of photo albums setup by tank size to look at.
Keep coming back here for your questions and we will help you along the way!!!
Happy Reefing!!!
roka64
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2006
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My gallery has my 55G in it. Same tank as in my sig file.
I talked to a guy that has like 16 years exp that said he would put together a 10 gallon for me so it would be well started all I would have to do is take care of the fish do you guys think that would be a smart idea or no? because size is also an issue right now.
Frogspawn
Aquarium Advice Freak
well. if u did your PWC every week or at least every 2 weeks you should be fine just make shure u mix the SW up 24hrs in advance and match the temp to the tank. u got to keep in your mind that the water quality will change very quickly if something goes wrong.
make shure u give your tank at least 5-7 weeks to cycle. some people cycle faster then others. my 30g took about 6 weeks and i cycled it with live rock. if u can get your hands on a nice piece of LR out of your buddies aquarium to help seed your tank that will decrease your cycle time for shure. if he dont have a small piece of LR u could always try a 1/2-1 cup of sand or crush coral what ever he uses.
after u get your tank cycled and u do your PWC u should be ok. just dont over stock (fish) or over feed and u should be fine.
good luck my friend and again search on the web and read and ask questions.
make shure u give your tank at least 5-7 weeks to cycle. some people cycle faster then others. my 30g took about 6 weeks and i cycled it with live rock. if u can get your hands on a nice piece of LR out of your buddies aquarium to help seed your tank that will decrease your cycle time for shure. if he dont have a small piece of LR u could always try a 1/2-1 cup of sand or crush coral what ever he uses.
after u get your tank cycled and u do your PWC u should be ok. just dont over stock (fish) or over feed and u should be fine.
good luck my friend and again search on the web and read and ask questions.
roka64
Aquarium Advice Addict
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I would think more frequent PWCs would be better, like at least twice a week maybe even three, depending on bioload.
Kurt_Nelson
Aquarium Advice Addict
zanarc said:
Personally, no. If size is an issue and you're determined to have a SW tank, then go with the 10 gallon, but make sure you're the one to set it up.
In general (not just aquariums!), I've noticed that when people don't have the time invested in something, they are not as apt to keep things up like they should. If your buddy sets everything up and gets it going, you're not the one that's sweated and stressed for the 2-3 months to get the tank up and running. I guarantee you... if you're the one that sets this tank up, you'll take much better care of it than if you're buddy set it up!
Sounds like you have a good source to help you set it up, but I'd recommend you be intimately involved and not just take possession of a stocked tank after a few months.
While it is easier to set up a larger tank... and cheaper per gallon too... I totally understand where you're coming from with size. Sometimes you just only have so much room to deal with. Just be aware that you're going to have to be on top of everything to make this tank work.
Otherwise... welcome, and have fun doing it!
zanarc said:
So would this person be taking care of this setup as well? From the sound of your post, doubtful. You will be much better off educating yourself and setting up a display so you understand how everything functions first-hand and hands-on rather than a turn-key tank.
Money constraints are always an issue in this hobby because let's be honest, it is an expensive hobby. There are ways around this, however. I think you could get away with a 20g or 30g and an HOB (hang-on back) filter such as Aquaclear 110 or a MarineLand model. There are diy sections where you can easily modify different filters to hide heaters, etc as well. This could be an easy all-in-one system without having to deal with sumps and *skimmers. If you can go larger, such as a 40g-60g, then by all means do so. These setups would require more aspects such as sumps and possibly skimmers, but they are fairly simple to understand with some diligent reading and can be found for reasonable prices through Craigslist or other advertisements.
Your best bet is to begin reading as much information as possible and decide what you want because there are a plethora of options available to you. Here are some other good websites to peruse:
wetwebmedia.com
reefkeeping.com
advancedaquarist.com
Ziggy953
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'll be the bad guy here and say that you should not do a 10g tank. I understand that space can be limited and that restricts what you can have. A SW tank requires a lot more then a FW and if you are going to go with a 10 you may do better to start with a FW tank until you can get a larger tank. With that said....
When you set up a tank that size you are going to need to do PWCs at least once a week and more likely 3-4 times a week, which means you are going to be mixing SW up almost every day. Keeping the temp constant (one very very important aspect of a SW tank) in a 10g is going to be tricky as that small amount of water will easily go up and down in temp based on room temp. With a 10g you will be limited to a couple of small fish and a shrimp or 2 as much more then that will quickly foul the water up. There are virtually no skimmer options for a 10g tank and skimming is an important part of keeping water clean. You will have to top off the water daily as it will evaporate quickly causing the SG to rise and fall on a daily basis.
All of these factors are things that we all have to deal with in any size tank the difference being on a larger tank you have a lot more room for error. Starting out small can be done but it will require 100% commitment on your part. You wont be able to "let it go" for even a day as that could be the difference in your tank crashing or not...
I don't want to sound like a jerk here but I don't want you to go into a small tank blindly based solely on your friends knowledge!
Even if you were to go up to a 29g tank that would make things much easier and you are talking a few more inches of space taken up.
Sorry to sound so harsh and negative.....
When you set up a tank that size you are going to need to do PWCs at least once a week and more likely 3-4 times a week, which means you are going to be mixing SW up almost every day. Keeping the temp constant (one very very important aspect of a SW tank) in a 10g is going to be tricky as that small amount of water will easily go up and down in temp based on room temp. With a 10g you will be limited to a couple of small fish and a shrimp or 2 as much more then that will quickly foul the water up. There are virtually no skimmer options for a 10g tank and skimming is an important part of keeping water clean. You will have to top off the water daily as it will evaporate quickly causing the SG to rise and fall on a daily basis.
All of these factors are things that we all have to deal with in any size tank the difference being on a larger tank you have a lot more room for error. Starting out small can be done but it will require 100% commitment on your part. You wont be able to "let it go" for even a day as that could be the difference in your tank crashing or not...
I don't want to sound like a jerk here but I don't want you to go into a small tank blindly based solely on your friends knowledge!
Even if you were to go up to a 29g tank that would make things much easier and you are talking a few more inches of space taken up.
Sorry to sound so harsh and negative.....
Have to agree that a 10 gal tank is not a good size for someone new to SW. Someone with 16 years experience should know better than to suggest that size for a newbie IMO.
I don't think you need something as large as a 55 gal to start but I would look at a 29 gal which is only 10" longer and 2" wider than a 10 gal tank. (30 1/4H x 12 1/2W x 18 3/4T to be exact)
I don't think you need something as large as a 55 gal to start but I would look at a 29 gal which is only 10" longer and 2" wider than a 10 gal tank. (30 1/4H x 12 1/2W x 18 3/4T to be exact)
Ziggy953
Aquarium Advice Addict
Typically with SW you are looking at 10lbs per gallon...then add the weight of the tank, stand, sand and rock...I woudl guess for a 29 you are looking at about 350-400lbs....a 55 is going to be close to 700-750lbs....
