Hello. I've recently decided to start up a SW tank for the first time. I've done some research for the last couple of days but before I continue sifting through all the information I would like to get some opinions first.
First is tank size. I was originally planning on going 10G or so before I started gathering my information. Now I figure I would need to at least do 30G. Budget and space constraints (I live in an apt and my lease actually restricts me to 20G) keep me from going beyond that. I understand that the smaller the tank, the less room for error but other than that are there many reasons not to do a 30G tank? My main concern with size is the amount of fish I can add. When a certain type of fish is recommended to have at least a 30G tank, how many could I add to a tank that size? I've pretty much figured that I'd end up with about 4 2-3" fish, is that too high? Could I do more?
Second, I really like Triggers and would like to eventually include one in my future tank. From what I've seen so far, it looks like I would like to have a couple Clownfish, a Flame Hawkfish and then a Triggerfish. Would that be a possibility or should I just scrap the Triggerfish idea and go for more docile options?
Lastly, before I continue on, I would like to get an idea about upkeep costs. I just finished school and I have credit card/student loans to take care of and I can't really afford to do this if it's going to run me $50/month to maintain the tank and feed the fish. I don't mind as much what the initial startup costs are since I have more control over that. I was thinking of FOWLR but would reef be within reach or would that be too much money and effort for a beginner on a budget?
Thanks in advance for all your opinions.
First is tank size. I was originally planning on going 10G or so before I started gathering my information. Now I figure I would need to at least do 30G. Budget and space constraints (I live in an apt and my lease actually restricts me to 20G) keep me from going beyond that. I understand that the smaller the tank, the less room for error but other than that are there many reasons not to do a 30G tank? My main concern with size is the amount of fish I can add. When a certain type of fish is recommended to have at least a 30G tank, how many could I add to a tank that size? I've pretty much figured that I'd end up with about 4 2-3" fish, is that too high? Could I do more?
Second, I really like Triggers and would like to eventually include one in my future tank. From what I've seen so far, it looks like I would like to have a couple Clownfish, a Flame Hawkfish and then a Triggerfish. Would that be a possibility or should I just scrap the Triggerfish idea and go for more docile options?
Lastly, before I continue on, I would like to get an idea about upkeep costs. I just finished school and I have credit card/student loans to take care of and I can't really afford to do this if it's going to run me $50/month to maintain the tank and feed the fish. I don't mind as much what the initial startup costs are since I have more control over that. I was thinking of FOWLR but would reef be within reach or would that be too much money and effort for a beginner on a budget?
Thanks in advance for all your opinions.