Newbie with salt water tanks

[Mikejr20]

Ok so Ive never had a salt water tank myself but my parents did when I was little. So basically I'm looking for advice on what I need for a basic set up. I would like to know what an ideal tank size would be for a salt water tank and I don't want to get the cheapest filters, wave maker, etc.... I'm looking for the mid level aquarium accessories. I seen in some lfs that fish, shrimps, and stuff are a bit more expensive then fresh water fish. Average price was around 25 bucks. Is this what I should expect when I'm looking for fish? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

TIA,
Mike.

 

[mr_X]

These questions are a bit vague Mike. The ideal tank size would depend on what you wanted to keep in it. If you wanted a couple clownfish and a gobie maybe, you would only need a 40, but if you wanted to keep a tang or two, I would suggest a 125.
The components would also vary depending on what tank you chose.
Yes, salt water fish are much more expensive than fresh water. they start at around 5 dollars and can be as much as 2 thousand or more for a single fish.

 

[Mikejr20]

Ok well I was thinking of a 55 for now. Or my 29 that I have sitting around.

 

[mr_X]

Well, a 55 is ok, but hard to aquascape. The front to back dimension is only 12" and after live rock is placed in it, it doesn't leave much sand bed space. I would also not suggest tangs for a 55.
If you are considering a 55, I would suggest moving to a 75 gallon. This tank is also 4' but has an 18" front to back dimension. I would also suggest a "reef ready" tank, so you can add a sump tank to it for all of your components like heaters and a protein skimmer etc.

A 29 is a decent tank, but will limit you to what livestock you can keep. I would look at "nano" fish for that tank.

Salt fish are not like fresh water. Some are open water swimmers that grow fast and others are smaller fish that don't move far from the rock as much. The open water swimmers generally don't do well in smaller tanks.
I would go to a website like live aquaria.com and check out their stock. they have minimum tank sizes listed for the fish and you'll get an idea what you like and what you'll need to buy to keep those particular fish.

 

[Mikejr20]

Ok 75 gal is a bit out of my price range I might have to save up for that. Which would work cause I'll have to move within this year so I was gonna wait and do my homework since everything is gonna be more expensive. So which is better a canister filter or the refuge?

 

[mr_X]

A canister filter and a refugium do 2 different things. A canister filter takes more maintenance, and does nothing for nitrates. It captures particulate matter and keeps it in one spot- in the system. I would want something that removes waste from the tank all together, like a decent protein skimmer.