Starting a saltwater tank first time

[monkey471]

Hi,

i am thinking of getting a saltwater tank.i am think 30 gallons.

what fish would be good. i am thinking blennies,neon gobies,pajama cardinal fish,strawberry gramma,yellowtail damsel fish,common clown fish,royal gramma,blackfinned trigger fish,and blue green chromis. i will not be getting all of these fish. but i just wanted to know if anyone had have any problems with these fish or if they are to big for my tank. i allso like dwarf angle fish and tangs but i heard they where to big. for the setup i was thinking a powerhead and a filter. i will allso have a heater. any suggestions or tips. i am brandnew to this.

i have not purchased any thing yet.



thank you




i have a 35 gallon freshwater currently.

 

[Psychocircus91]

Hi,

i am thinking of getting a saltwater tank.i am think 30 gallons.

what fish would be good. i am thinking blennies,neon gobies,pajama cardinal fish,strawberry gramma,yellowtail damsel fish,common clown fish,royal gramma,blackfinned trigger fish,and blue green chromis. i will not be getting all of these fish. but i just wanted to know if anyone had have any problems with these fish or if they are to big for my tank. i allso like dwarf angle fish and tangs but i heard they where to big. for the setup i was thinking a powerhead and a filter. i will allso have a heater. any suggestions or tips. i am brandnew to this.

i have not purchased any thing yet.



thank you




i have a 35 gallon freshwater currently.

my first piece of advice is to get a good book and read it. You're on the right track by asking questions here as well. At first it is all very overwhelming, but once you figure it out, it's not that much tougher than freshwater. Just a few extra things you have to moniter.

Are you planning any coral?

No trigger will fit in a tank this size. I would recommend 4 small fish for a fowlr, or 3 small fish for a reef. You may be able to get away with more, but start very slowly. Use a filter rated twice the size of your tank.

 

[monkey471]

thank you

yes i am planning on coral, but will probly start with live rock. don`t you attach the coral to the live rock.com?

is 30 gallons a good size or should i go to 40. i heard that smaller tanks are harder to keep balanced.


thanks again

 

[monkey471]

i have allso seen some small colorful wrasses.

 

[Psychocircus91]

The bigger the tank, the easier for the most part. Plus gives you more fish and coral options. You will need good lighting for coral

 

[monkey471]

what types of light balb would you suggest? i think i am going to do soft corals. i heard they are easiest.

 

[gpd605x]

LED's are recommended by most. Not sure on any othhers, I'm still a noob at SW tanks

 

[Convict2161]

Bigger tank is always better as it allows for more room for error. However... You can have a very successful and beautiful tank with just a simple 10,20,30 gallon build. I have a bio cube 29 an its over a year now and it's been a pleasure and a breeze TBO. Just keep up on your weekly water changes.

Take what I like to call a "daily tank inspection" check pumps,lights,salinity,temp, check your live stock and inverts. Clean glass daily also.

Just a few things that come to mind.

Don't worry or buy into all the hype with all these products most are NOT needed. Ask questions. Ask ALOT of questions and DO NOT rush anything!

Know what you want fish wise and coral wise then build off that.

We are all here to help so ask away.

 

[Convict2161]

Here's some good reads also check this forums own article section for helpful information.

http://www.saltwater-aquarium-online-guide.com/saltwater-aquarium-beginner-guide.html

http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginners.htm

There's a ton of this helpful videos from BRS

http://youtu.be/UwRvd5kS4wY

 

[monkey471]

THANKS,

i heard that after you have your pumps setup and all of the other equiptment that you have add a hogfish. and let him swim around for a few days or a week before you add any other fish. is this true? if it is how long do you have to wait before adding any other fish?

 

[Ingy]

Forget about yellow tail damsel. Very territorial and aggressive fish. They don't play nice with others. Most fish stores won't even take them back.

Before adding fish you will need to cycle your tank. If everything is new, sand, base rock etc, it will take about 6 weeks to complete the cycle. Adding a cup of sand from your LFS will speed the process a bit. The more live rock you add the quicker the cycle as well. But it will cost you $.
Make sure you bottom rock sit on the tank glass bottom or better yet egg crate. Then add sand Otherwise burrowing fish/shrimp etc will undermine the rock and may cause a collapse.

Good luck

 

[monkey471]

i just read about the nitrogen cycle. how often do you have to do it. what is the best method?

 

[monkey471]

by the way the websites have benn a big help

 

[monkey471]

do you have to buy sand from pet stores or can you buy one of the types at homedepot.

 

[Psychocircus91]

i just read about the nitrogen cycle. how often do you have to do it. what is the best method?

You do it once. the nitrogen cycle is always going on, but at the beginning you have to "cycle" your tank.
I put an uncooked grocery shrimp in, let it decay, tested ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates every day. Super easy.

do you have to buy sand from pet stores or can you buy one of the types at homedepot.

Buy live sand or argonite or something along those lines. I wouldn't trust sand from home depot. Sand from pet stores isn't all that expensive.

 

[monkey471]

Cool thanks

 

[Psychocircus91]

Cool thanks


What sand did you use.

fiji pink and another type. i don't even remember. Any of it will work. Get what's cheapest assuming it matches your goals. Some fish need finer grain whereas some need larger grain. However for the vast majority of fish it does not matter.

 

[monkey471]

What live rock would you suggest?


Nano live rock. Fuji premium. Aquacultured

 

[monkey471]

i think my tank setup is going to be a 30-40 gallon tank. with 1-2 powerheads, and a filter and live rock.

 

[monkey471]

I might be buying the tank today