Newby Questions

[BettaKing]

Wow kind of feels weird to post in here . Ok so I would LOVE to do a SW set-up. I've not bought anything yet, still trying to decide if I want to do this. I have some questions. Please be prepared for this to be like a chat room as I will constantly be responding and asking more and more, I apologize if I'm annoying, I can't promise I won't be So my first ?
What would be a good reasonably priced, newby set-up? Something preferably under 55 gal. Not enough room for that!

[Maya]

Do you want reef or fish only with live rock? (fowlr). Craigslist is a great resource to start looking for reasonably priced tanks that can come with rock.

[BettaKing]

Could I do a reef with fish? What I meant what would be a good size set-up for a newby and wouldn't be too much. I realize they can be pricey, but a good, generally cheap, set-up.

[Maya]

Well... That's the thing. Yes you can have a reef with fish but there are some fish that aren't compatible with coral. And the tank size and dimensions can really effect your ability to keep coral as well. If you plan on coral.. Deeper tanks are more expensive and more difficult to light. But if you only plan on keeping fish and live rock, your lighting will not be nearly as critical. Most coral is photosynthetic. They need to have very specific light requirements met to thrive. So the first decision to be made is what you want out of a saltwater aquarium. After that, tank size is most dependent on what livestock you would like to keep.

[GsxrD]

+1 on Craigslist you can find killer deal's. I pick up a 55 with stand, canopy, sump, protein skimmer, 70 pounds of live rock , water, and live sand for 200. Besides Craigslist you can look at the biocube.

[austinsdad]

Moved to SW - Getting Started. Good luck!

[BettaKing]

Originally Posted by Maya

Well... That's the thing. Yes you can have a reef with fish but there are some fish that aren't compatible with coral. And the tank size and dimensions can really effect your ability to keep coral as well. If you plan on coral.. Deeper tanks are more expensive and more difficult to light. But if you only plan on keeping fish and live rock, your lighting will not be nearly as critical. Most coral is photosynthetic. They need to have very specific light requirements met to thrive. So the first decision to be made is what you want out of a saltwater aquarium. After that, tank size is most dependent on what livestock you would like to keep.

Ooooohhhh ok. Well then I'd rather do fish. Now what would be a good "Beginner" tank size and stock?

[GsxrD]

Go big from the start so you don't have to upgrade. I recommend figuring out what type of fish you want and pick a tank size accordingly

[BettaKing]

Well thats kind of what I would like suggestions on. What would be a good "Beginner" fish? I would like to have several fish, and I would like to know what fish would go good together.

[GsxrD]

Check out Liveaquria and other various marine fish sites they have beginner sections. Is there any fish you really want. Either way those sight will tell you difficulty of care and tank sizes

[austinsdad]

A pair of clowns. Gobies. Blennies. Cardinalfish. Tangs (normally with 6 ft tanks though). Chromis. Of the top of my head, those are some beginner choices. Some tangs are harder than others to keep even in a 6 ft tank.

[BettaKing]

I don't know if I have enough room for a 6 ft. tank! I wouldn't mind a "small" tank.

[austinsdad]

90g, 4 foot tank maybe?

[BettaKing]

Could a 20-29 gal. be a good tank?

[Paulm87]

It's harder to keep small tanks especially for a beginner. The bigger the tank more stable it is, if something goes wrong in a small tank its more concentrated whereas in a large tank its more dilute. you should try and go as big as you can and you'll only wish you got a bigger tank anyway, trust me lol

[Jereli]

I don't see why not. My first tank was a 20 gallon and had no issues with the size. Had it for about two years. You would just be limited to live stock.

[Jereli]

Originally Posted by Paulm87

It's harder to keep small tanks especially for a beginner. The bigger the tank more stable it is, if something goes wrong in a small tank its more concentrated whereas in a large tank its more dilute. you should try and go as big as you can and you'll only wish you got a bigger tank anyway, trust me lol

That is true. But with Regular water changes size shouldn't be an issue. Just keep up with maintenance.

[Paulm87]

I'd still try and go as big as possible, I got a 32 litre, wanted bigger then 62 litre then 130 litre lol