very new ,confused

[myked1]

Hello , I would really like to get a fish tank . i have the time, what i need is some answers . A friend of mine told me if i want to have a saltwater setup it needs to be 55 gal or better . Is this true. also ive been looking at an 80 bow , should i get a corner flow or regular .if regular how do i make it return and last, most of my friends have wet/dry systems . They have some live rock and couple of fish .The question I am asking is if i do a FO,what filter do i need and if i do a FOWLR,what filter do i need.

[Karegg]

As far as I know, saltwater/reef tanks can get pretty expensive. If you're new to the hobby (like I am) you may want to start out with a freshwater tank to get some good experience before jumping into something more complicated.

As far as tank size, a 55 probably isn't a bad idea. Water volume is a good friend to have, since mistakes will have less effect with more water in your tank.

[austinsdad]

Bigger is better IMO. If you have the means an 80g with the extra water volume is more forgiving. Less water can mean things go south faster. Sounds like you really need a good book or reference to get you started. Corner overflow is fine IMO. More better for rock landscaping I think too.

A pump is in the sump or wet dry to return the water from below. BTW, I'm not a fan of wet dry systems. Never used one either, but I prefer sumps or combination sump and refugium. At least that works for me

Go slow and do some more research.

Oh yeah. I also meant to mention.... go slow.

And welcome to AA!

[myked1]

Thanks for the info , i actually had a freshwater tank for years ,but now i think its time to get into something better looking . Right now im viewing my options . I also want advice from more people , not just my friends

[myked1]

Thanks ray , I think a good book is the right way ,any suggestions.

[austinsdad]

I'm old school and still like Robert Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist". Very basic understanding from reading about substrates, fish choices, filtration, lighting and more. The one issue I have with the book that it has been around so long, it doesn't deal with fishless cycling. Just ignore the part in it about cycling with fish. That's really old school but outdated.

Otherwise, it's a good starter book. Then IMO, hang out on the forum and ask informed questions, use other's experiences, plan your tank, and begin researching equipment options.

One other thing - FO and FOWLR are one in the same. Any SW tank worth it's salt... get it? will have live rock for natural filtration anyway. For FO, I'd still think about 1 lb per gallon.

On the filter you asked about - that'll depend on what size tank, whether drilled or not (sump and skimmer vs. hang on skimmer, etc, etc). Get some plan on size tank first. What do you really want in there? Community or agressive?

Most of all - and to save a lot of money and headache... take your time. Plan.

[roka64]

Welcome to the site!
I jumped right into SW no FW experience at all. I was lucky to find this site and the folks here have taught me a lot.
I agree with Ray, bigger is better. You'll probably end up getting another bigger tank in the future.
Start posting in the SW - Getting Started section. I'll see ya there!

[pitt420dude]

Hello myked1, and welcome. I don't know squat about SW tanks, but if you're just looking for something new, check into creating a FW planted tank. It might be something you're interested in.

Good luck going salt, if you do though.

[Latitude_change]

Welcome. I am new her myself, but I have been lurking and reading everything I can for weeks now. If you want SW I say go for it!--but take your time and realize what you are getting yourself into. The book, Robert Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" was mentioned. Read it. Also pick up "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael Paletta.

SW is expensive, but if you are not in a hurry, you can look around and find bargains. Try Craigslist. Some of the deals there are amazing, because people move or need to sell for one reason or another.

Read everything you can here and don't be afraid to ask questions. Everyone here is really helpful.

Good luck!!

[blindskate]

I always get mixed opinions on the size of salt tanks. I have a 10 and a 20. I seem to enjoy the smaller ones, in my opinion it's easier...but I mean, I've never had a big one so I don't know. I like the smaller ones because it's not as expensive, the only probem I've ever had was cyanobacteria, but it's gone now, didn't do any harm to my fish. eventually I hope to upgrade, but it's all up to how much money you want to spend and everything. good luck

[melosu58]

The bigger the tank the more forgiving it will be should things go south. There are many people that do fine with small tanks but they have to be more dilligent because things will go faster out of whack the smaller a tank is.

[blindskate]

Originally Posted by melosu58

The bigger the tank the more forgiving it will be should things go south. There are many people that do fine with small tanks but they have to be more dilligent because things will go faster out of whack the smaller a tank is.

i always thought it would be a whole lot harder to keep a problem contained in a big tank .

i hear more about peoples bigggg tanks being completely wiped out than peoples smaller ones, but not many people can maintain small gorgeous salt tanks as i can

...im just cool like that :p

[Kurt_Nelson]

...and humble too. (nice use of emoticons! )

Seriously though, larger tanks give you more water to dilute all the bad stuff with. People start wanting certain fish... regardless of tank size. Often the times, folks will start with a small tank because it seems easier, yet stock it to big tank levels, or with fish that want to really live in a bigger tank. The old "yellow tang in a 20g" syndrome. They get away with it for a while, but then wonder why after 6 months or so everything either died or was covered with algae.

All the books written by very knowledgeable people say the same thing: start with as big as tank as you can physically start with. While the amount of water in a small tank may make it seem like it's easier to keep, in the long run it isn't. Really. Small tanks (<20g) should really be reserved for folks that already have learned their lessons with bigger tanks and realize the challenge they're undertaking.

[blindskate]

i am well aware of the tang police...never will i do that to a tang, im not real interested in them anyway...i like my clowns

[cmor1701d]

There is a breaking point in the bigger is better theory. I had a budget in mind and had heard the bigger is better in sw. So...I bought a 125RR which nicely into my budget. Too bad I didn'd come here first and let the lfs depelte my budget with CC, a wet/dry, NO lights, no skimmer, and no LR to start. I pretty much spent double my oroignal budget in the first year on upgrades.

Anybody want 90#s of CC?

Today I am so glad that I did go with the 125. It keeps me fromMTS though I do want a larger tank now (500-800)

[melosu58]

Originally Posted by cmor1701d

Today I am so glad that I did go with the 125. It keeps me fromMTS though I do want a larger tank now (500-800)

Tell me about it. LOL