NOOB to SW questions.

[partypalooza5]

For the past year or so I've spent a good deal of time researching the SW hobby. I have successfully kept FW tanks for a few years and now want a new challange.

I want to start small but in researching, I found it would be a bad idea to start with something like a 10G tank.

As for equipment, I know most of the stuff I need for a basic FOWLR tank.

My questions are:

1) If I added a 10G sump to a 20G tank would that be sufficent for a first tank?

2) WHY IS LR SO EXPENSIVE?!? I know its all the handling and processing but its a rock from the ocean... it just seems like alot of money.

3) Will everything totally die if I get the salinity just a tad off?

4) Is maintanince REALLY more complicated than in FW?

If anyone could clear this stuff up for me I would be grateful.

 

[austinsdad]

55g is a good starting tank if you can in my opinion (IMO). More water volume, more forgiving.

Do the 20 - 29g sump with that maybe. LR from various locations and with certain shape is desirable I guess, hence more expensive. Porous (holes all in it - interesting shaped) rock is a very good thing in a SW tank.

Salinty between 1.021 to 1.025 is OK, so a tad bit off between those ins't a problem at all. Don't want it to jump up and down between those ranges either too fast.

Maintenance is IMO an every 2-4 week water change, cleaning the glass, skimmer collection (maybe a few days only on that), vacuuming the sand activity. Not complicated, I think. Check out some of the articles at this site.

 

[partypalooza5]

I want to get a 55G with a 29G sump but i have no place to put it LOL.

One more thing,
Should I use live sand, crushed coral, or that aragonite stuff?

Is one for reef tanks and one for fish only?

 

[austinsdad]

Dry aragonite sand. Rinsed like heck. Crushed coral will be a pain down the road. Live sand ain't live - overpriced. Good base rock and live rock can get you started.

 

[partypalooza5]

Haha yea I was kinda wondering how "alive" the sand is when its been sitting in a bag on the shelf for a while.

 

[AquaStud]

I had a 29 gallon reef as my first tank and everything went smoothly. If you plan to go this route just make sure you have done your homework, which it sounds like you have, and everything will go fine. You could always add a 10 gallon fuge to the tank or get a HOB fuge. I had a penguin bio wheel filter that I converted to a fuge and the tank always looked good. Starting with a 55 gallon doesnt seem all that practical, since it costs so much more and takes up a ton of space, even though it might be a little easer to get better water parameters.