Garbear27
Aquarium Advice Regular
I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank but want to start a small saltwater and need any suggestion on what i will need to do to get it up and going
Need advice
- Thread starter Garbear27
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austinsdad
Aquarium Advice Addict
Our articles section will likely help you. Start there. Welcome to AA!! 
Garbear27
Aquarium Advice Regular
austinsdad said:Our articles section will likely help you. Start there. Welcome to AA!!
Where do I find that at sorry I'm on the iPhone app and trying to find my way around it
austinsdad
Aquarium Advice Addict
Top of this page. Not sure if you can see it from the phone. Here...
Aquarium Advice
Aquarium Advice
What do you plan on keeping in the SW tank? You can do FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock) and you won't need that much to start with. Stock lights, sand, live/base rock, and a decent filter is pretty much all you need. You can start out with this and then see if you want to do corals in the future. Once corals get involved, you'll need to upgrade lighting (can get expensive), eventually get a protein skimmer, and make sure the tank has been running steadily for a few months.
Basically I'd start with a FOWLR until you can afford and start slowly piecing a reef together. That's what I'm doing.
Basically I'd start with a FOWLR until you can afford and start slowly piecing a reef together. That's what I'm doing.
PrettyFishies
Aquarium Advice Addict
Check out the sticky - http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f14/stock-list-and-tips-for-maintaining-your-sw-tank-73477.html
And I like Amazon.com: The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide (0097818900875): Michael S. Paletta, Edward Kadunc, Scott W. Michael, John Goodman: Books
Great read.
Good luck on your project!
And I like Amazon.com: The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide (0097818900875): Michael S. Paletta, Edward Kadunc, Scott W. Michael, John Goodman: Books
Great read.
Good luck on your project!
Garbear27
Aquarium Advice Regular
uscamaro said:
Thanks this helps alot I'm just doing a little 10 gallon to experiment cuz I already have a 55 gallon freshwater is there any fish I shouldn't put in the tank I was thinking about just doing some goby's and those mandarin fish
PrettyFishies
Aquarium Advice Addict
Typically in Nano tanks, I see a shrimp, a goby one really small angel, snails, hermits. You're going to be very limited as to what you keep.
I would recommend against the madarin. They only eat copepods and in a tank that small, you wouldn't be able to keep the supply sufficient. I lost mine when I had my 90 gal up and running. You need to grow them in a refugium and make sure they are plump. It'll be tough in a 10 gallon.
I would recommend against the madarin. They only eat copepods and in a tank that small, you wouldn't be able to keep the supply sufficient. I lost mine when I had my 90 gal up and running. You need to grow them in a refugium and make sure they are plump. It'll be tough in a 10 gallon.
If you are doing it to experiment I would do a larger tank. The more water volume the better and more forgiving your tank will be for problems or mistakes. Smaller nano`s need much more dilligence. Not saying it cant be done but it will harder. Just my experience. BTW the mandarin cant be done in a ten gallon tank unless you get one that is trained to eat prepared food.
Mandarins need to be in a well established tank or they dont do well. They eat live copeopods living in the sand & on the rock. You still have lots to choose from, just make sure its something that remains small (fire gobies, yellow watchmab goby, mabe a dwarf angel, wrasse) you can even add a cleaner shrimp...love watching mine groom the fish. With something that small you might be able to do sea horses & a pipe fish. Nano tanks are really popular. You just have to be very vigilant about water quality....since they are so small it doesnt take much for it to have a fit and having your tank crash (no matter how big or tiny) is not a fun experience.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Garbear27
Aquarium Advice Regular
abushr said:
Ok I won't do mandrins then I'll just do some goby's but thanks for the advice
Garbear27
Aquarium Advice Regular
melosu58 said:
I'm using a 10 cuz I already have a 55 gallon freshwater and I would just like to learn the basics of saltwater before I convert my big tank and I have a 10 gallon I don't use so I won't have to much stuff to buy
Garbear27
Aquarium Advice Regular
Garbear27 said:
I was also wondering if I could put stuff like crabs and shrimp in FOWLR or do they need coral
Garbear27
Aquarium Advice Regular
melosu58 said:
Ok tthanks for the help
Just to let you know, nanos are going to be much more difficult to maintain. Any minor fluctuation in the parameters could cause your tank to crash. You're going to want to do frequent water changes and definitely invest in a RO/DI unit. On the other hand, if you can master a SW nano, you should have no problem with 55+!
Garbear27
Aquarium Advice Regular
uscamaro said:
What an ro/di unit And the 55 will proubly be an investment down the road and I need to figure out what to do with all mr fish in that tank
Not sure what you meant about the first part, but the 55 definitely needs to be an investment. I'm already pushing $1000 and I don't have any corals or a decent light yet. Getting an RO/DI now would help lower that cost in the future and help you with your nano now.
Turbosnail
Aquarium Advice Freak
You don't need a ro/di yet . on a ten gallon it is easy enough to get water from walmart or cullagan, although it would be nice to have one. And like uscamaro said it will help lower cost down the road.
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