Newbie Salt Water FISH!

just start out with an empty tank with water in it! you can have water without the live rock..but you can't have live rock without the water..or it will be dead rock! real fast!

edit: once you get the tank filled with water and those expenses out of the way that will buy you some time to get the live rock/base rock and sand

 

You will want to get the basic equipment first and everything to get the salt mix right. If you salt level is off the bacteria in the live rock will die. If your tank temp is off too much they will also die. You will need the power head to get flow going in the tank. This will help keep the stuff that dies in the live rock due to moving it off the rock and will help the bacteria get going.

You can get a cheap power head at Wal Mart for about $20 that should do the trick. Been running three of them on tanks for over a year now with no complaints.

 

After looking for cheap thank here and there I think I may have came across a good tank on craiglist. FISH TANK moving sale !!

What do you guys think? I was just planning on buying the $120 set one, withought filter...is that good price? How much do 55 gallons in craiglist normally go for? Around

Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Sand at PETCO
I think this is the live sand you guys were talking about.
For 55 gallon how many would pounds would I need? Also is this a good choice?

Or should I keep up with 20 gallons or less? and move up to +50 gallon once Im more experinced? Since I am new to this world
Oh and also any light that I buy with fish tank kit from craiglist, wont fit with sea life? Would I need to buy a seperate one?

 

With a 55..a skimmer would be necessary...you wouldn't want to do that many bigger water changes..you could handle a weekly water change on a 20..but not a 55 IMO..and a skimmer would just be another 100+ you'd have to spend..then once you got the HOB skimmer..you'd get tired of the fluctuating water level to keep the skimmer consistent and you would want to build a sump...more money..if i were you..i'd just go for the 20! just the tank isn't too bad..you can go to petco/smart and get just the glass box (all you really need) for pretty cheap

 

So there will be water changes every week for 20 gallon? Untill I buy a skimmer? What does a skimmer do?
Also do I am going to buy 20 gallon tank, filter, live sand and live rock. Please correct me If I am Wrong...I should get 30 pound for sand, and 20 pound for rock right?
And instant ocean salt. Will those be the good basic item to get started? Do I also need to buy some special lighting for the ocean tank? Like T-5 someone mentioned before earlier topic? is it needed?

 

Hey Mkizla this is the right place! Keep asking questions these guys and galls are very helpful and will have you squared away in no time! Just remember to be patient!

 

If you dont have a skimmer..yes..water changes SHOULD be done weekly..but with a 20 it will be less than 5 gallons each time..so that will take you 5 minutes if you're slow! lol a skimmer removes dissolved organics from the water (poop etc..). it is just another type of filtration..but with water changes..it isnt completely necessary..just makes live easier. You don't HAVE to buy the rock/sand on the same day you get the tank..i would actually suggest you dont so you have time to get the tank all put together without worrying about the liverock dying..if you have the money you could get it the next day if you wanted to..so for the first day i would get:

tank
stand (or build you own beforehand..or a sturdy table if you already have one)
HOB Filter
Salt (instant ocean is good)
Heater
Powerhead

Then when you decide to get your liverock/sand place the rock in FIRST..then pour the sand around it for structural stability..you should only need 20 lbs..1 1/2 inches should be fine. On this day you should also buy a test kit for ammonia, nitrate, nitrate, pH, and Alk (there's usually a kit thrown together for you for around 40 bucks) you MUST get this though to moniter your cycle

When you get to this point start another thread or do some research on your own..there's lots of good threads about cycling tanks on here

Don't worry about lights until your cycle is complete as all they would do is help out algae during your cycle

 

well don't let me discourage you or anything. You're deff. in the right place... but.

Marine aquariums are NOT a cheap hobby no matter what size tank you have. And really the smaller the tank the harder it is to keep it thriving since as already said water conditions can fluctuate much faster and harder in a small tank.

If you're as patient as you think you are I would suggest you save up at least another $250 ($500) then look into a good used set up. You can often find complete systems on craigslist for $500 that are in 50+ gallon tanks with everything.

If you want to get started now, I would buy a 30-55g tank, do NOT buy live sand, but just regular dry sand, and a few pieces of live rock, and start a slow "natural" cycle. The live rock will mostly seed your sand, and if you can get a few pounds of live sand from an established tank and add that. Live sand in fancy bags are just wet sand with a few bacteria in them that have been able to survive in the bag for months.


keep in mind a big tank WILL cost more to maintain in the long run however, so don't get crazy and buy a 300 gallon tank on CL for $100 (seen it, passed on it). Figure for every 50 gallons you'll be spending about $50-75/mo on keeping it alive and healthy. Maybe more maybe less - main cost is salt and electricity.


Main start up costs for me were (in this order): lights, rock, tank, filtration, stand, sand.

Oh, you'll also need a power head or two to keep the water from stagnating. the rock needs flow.

I think for $250/mo you would spend 3-4 months building up a decent tank, which would certainly have the up side of making sure everything is right before going to the next step... but if in 3-4 months you can save more money, that's just another option.

Good luck, keep asking questions, and search the forums.

-Doug

 

Just for a comparison, I got my 55 gal with stand hood and lights off craiglist list for $80. So there are better deals out there.

 

I dont believe a skimmer is necessary for any tank size. If you bacteria is conditioned without a skimmer they wont even notice the difference. Check out this tank and it should give you some ideas.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/20-gallon-seahorse-tank-65436.html

I have the following on this tank:

20 gallon tall tank
20 lbs. live sand
10 lbs. live rock (pre cured from my reef)
CPR In-Tank Aquarium Refugium filled with chaeto
Marineland Penguin Bio-Wheel Power Filter with small bag of carbon in chamber
titanium heater
Azoo Neo Light LED Not good enough for coral but good for fish.

This is the key

ReefCleaners.org | Clean Up Crews and Macro Algae - 5 Red Mangroves about 10 of these planted in the tank. They suck up nitrates and phosfates so fast I have never even seen algae in this tank.


No skimmer on my tank and I do water changes umm never. There is a lot of built up rumors in this hobby about what you have to have. Being that you are a beginner it probably would be a good idea for you to have a skimmer. It will make your life a lot easier and when you start out you should do water changes. It will give you more time to find and fix problems.

So to sum up there is a lot you can get away with that people will tell you not to BUT you will have more problems and you will loose more fish. Take your time getting set up and put some overkill equipment on your tank. The equipment will end up costing you less than the fish and coral you will loose otherwise.