Setup Question...

[ExpresKeep]

Hey guys I'm sorry for annoying you with this and I know you must get a million of these. Excuse my lack of knowledge. I'm looking into getting a medium sized tank when I move into my new house this Friday. What would be a good size to start off with? 35 gallons? Also I'm intrested in getting some tropical fish such as parrot fish etc... How much should I expect to pay for the tank and a basic stand w/ all the required stuff for setup and a few astetic(sp?) things? Also how much do tropical fish usually cost? (I know there's probably a pretty big variation in prices.) Should I be able to get them at my local shop? How heavy will my tank be with water and everything in it? If I do get parrot fish can I put any other type of fish in (minus the ones that will eat them lol)? Any other tips/comments/death threats? Thanks for the help!

 

[Guest]

First off, Welcome to Aquarium Advice.

Boy this is a big one..

First, for medium sized, I would go with a 55 gal. It will give youa little more play in the water chemistry and be fairly big enough to house a parrot fish.

A 55 gal aquarium weighs 440 pounds with just water in it.. With the substrate and stand, rocks etc... it can go close to 1000 lbs...

If you are going to do a fish only tank, I would think a good price for complete setup with stand and lights, and filtration, would range about $1000. It is hard to put a price on this because Saltwater tanks are so diverse from owner to owner and some do more than others...

The fish usually range from $10 to a few hundred dollars.

There are other fish that get along with parrots, but I caution you to read about their feeding habits, because they eat crustaceans and can crunch coral and mollusks...

I would start out by reading as much as you can on the hobby before jumping into it..Good luck

 

[fishfreek]

the smallest tank I would suggest would be a 30 gal tank. But if you can go with a larger tank like a 55 that would be better. The reason is because the larger the water volume the slower the tank conditions change.

Im not sure on the evenual size of a parrot fish but I think they need a large setup.

THe price of fish and setups will vary widly depending on the area your in. I just so happen to be from staunton so I have been to c'ville and I would say your average saltwater fish is gonna run you in the area of $7-$15. Now that would be a gross average price. There will be many fish that will be above that $15 and there will be some fish below the $7 range.

Water weights 8lbs per gal. Add a few lbs per gal to that for sand and live rock and you got yourself something like 12lbs per gal. Not to mention the weight of the tank and stand.

I would guess that if you was to buy a 55 gal tank setup with all the basics you would be looking at $400 or so. You would need the tank, stand, salt, testkits, skimmer, sand, some live rock, and lights. Now I would not buy all this at one time. Get the tank, stand, salt and lights, heater, powerheads, skimmer.

Get all that working and at proper water conditions. Then add your sand and live rock. Then plop a raw shrimp or two. Let your tank cycle for a few weeks then get yourself your first fish.

I would also suggest a few books from our saltwater library. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/library.php These will become great reference tools when your looking at what kinds of setups you could have.

 

[fishfreek]

I would like to say my price est did not include the recommended amount of 55-70lbs of LR nor did it include the 3"-4" deep sandbed price. I was pricing mostly the basic equpment and some minimal rock and sand to get started.

 

[ExpresKeep]

Well that all sounds great... the only problem I'm really gonna have is money... I'm guessing my parents will give me bout 200$ to start with and I'll be able to add prob another 200$ somewhere in about 3-4 weeks. So basically will I be able to get by with a 30 gal tank and how many parrot fish would I be able to put in that... I've also had a couple people on a mustang site I post on (Mustangworld.com RULES) suggest pirrana's. (I don't even know if they're salt water... I know some are fresh but something is telling me there is a salt species) Thanks again.

 

[fishfreek]

I have not heard if there is a saltwater species or not but what I do know is they are illegal in some states and I think Virginia is one of them.

Most people think they are cool because of the rumors that they are blood hungery crazed fish that will attack anything placed in their way.

Truth is they are acutally rather boring fish from what I have been told. Like most other preditory fish they are rather sedentary prefering to wait for a meal to come to them vs go out and activly persue food.

Buy slow. There is no need to toss all your $$ into a setup from day one.

 

[PrettyFishies]

If you want to do Saltwater... get "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael Paletta

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...102-9231136-9226543?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

This is a great book for beginners and it will explain a lot of what is needed for a Saltwater tank...

You can check out fish at http://www.liveaquaria.com

This will give you some info on prices, sizes and habits... In a 30 gallon tank you should be thinking of no more than 8-9 inches of ADULT fish length (Snout to tip of tail)... That rules out Parrot fish as they get very large.

My opinion: Do some more research and then budget out what you think you'll need. Good Luck, but don't take the responsibility of providing a good environment for your fish lightly.

 

[ExpresKeep]

OK well here's another question for ya... how much would be a good price to pay for a used 55 gal tank (both with and without everything included)... Would a normal floor be able to hold all that weight? Also how about clown fish? Would they be ok in a 30gal or would 55 be better?

 

[PrettyFishies]

clowns will be fine in either... I think we paid 300 for a 55 gallon with stand and lights and cover... no canopy...