hey newb. here with some ???'s...

[chriso]

Hey im a newbie at salt water aquariums and i have a 20 long tank with nothing in it. I want to get some fish and possibly a reef if theres one that wouldnt be to hard to care for.What are some kinds of fish that could live successfully in this size tank possibly with a reef?Also inverts. that could live with these fish would be appreaciated.
Thanks in advance,
ChrisO
p.s. what do you do to get the saltwater instead of fresh? (i know thats a stupid ? but i need to know)

 

[therock0861]

You will only be able to keep small fish in this size tank and only a couple of small fish at that. As far as inverts go blue legged or scarlet hermits and any kind of shrimp or starfish. One thing to remember is that inverts cause very little bio-load and thus you can pretty much have whatever you want as long as you know each animals individual needs. as far as a reef tank goes you will need to get the right equipment and lighting to keep a successful reef. HTH

 

[therock0861]

Oh and as for types of fish I would go with a copule of clowns or something like that.

 

[chriso]

thnx,
well im on summer vacation so im made a few extra bucks so im gonna get a 30 gal. since thats all i can afford at this time. I have the same ?'s for this tank size as i did for the 20 gal. Also would i be able to get one of the packages after i have my fish (its gunna be a lil while) with that says 30 gal. and up and put all of the inverts that come in the package in the tank.
thanks,
ChrisO
p.s.how do u get "saltwater" instead of fresh. i know its a dumb ? but i need to know

 

[musipilot]

Lemme answer your salt question...there are many mixes on the market available, and you must start with excellent quality water. Most people use RO/DI water (you can buy this at the supermarket) or they get an RO unit to make their own. I recomment Instant Ocean brand salt, I've had great results with it. The mixing varies by brand, instant ocean is 2 cups per gallon. You can buy it in small boxes, or a 200 gallon tub for about 40 bucks. You need a clean bucket, and something to stir it with.

 

[tusken]

you should really buy a good book. Im new to saltwater also. I got a book called the new marine aquarium and it has been extreemly helpful.

 

[the infamous sea cucumber]

Yes, definately go find a good book on saltwater. The library probably even has one (although it might be out of date). Also, you might want to look around for a LFS (local fish store) and see what they have set up. Even though they often times give bad advice, it is at least benifical to get an idea of the direction you want to go. Keep in mind though, keeping a saltwater tank is expensive, and a reef is even more expensive! A 30 gal reef with coral and everything will run you 900+ long term. Im using that gal*$30 rule. It possible to do things for less, but that means hunting for deals and DIY projects. Its worth it though, trust me! Just read up on the subject as much as you can, and you'll be set.

 

[richard rendos]

Instant Ocean has a mixing ratio of 2 cups of salt per 5 gallons water, not per gallon of water. Also that is only a rough estimate. Definitely measure specific gravity to get it between 1.022 to 1.025. I have all my tanks at 1.023.

 

[therock0861]

I think a good book is a good idea but if reading isn't your gig we here on the board will be more than happy to help you. Just remember the most important thing is patience. Get some Instant Ocean sea salt and mix it up in your tank or a bucket the directions on the back will tell you how to do it. Make sure before you add any live stock your tank is fully cycled.

 

[bob the builder]

Since everybody else answer the other q's, i will answer this one. Some good fish would be clownfish, firefish, damsels,and other small fish. And no, you cant have any invert you want. Good ones are cleaner shrimp, blood shrimp, emreld crabs, CC stars, serpent stars, tube worms, and much more. I hope i helped!

 

[autumnpine]

I'm also fairly new to this but FYI another good book that I found very insightful was "The Marine Aquarium Handbook" New Edition by Martin A. Moe, Jr. It goes from beginner to breeder. Good Luck.

 

[heavenly damsel]

You can find a lot of useful information on this board by doing a search. Might I suggest your first search subject be cycling your tank. It takes a while to get the tank cycled before you can add anything. You can add live rock and live sand at the beginning to cycle with your tank. The cycle will take between 3 and 6 weeks. Then you can think about fish and inverts. Good luck and welcome to the board.

 

[karvis]

well, i think the rule of thumb for a reef is inch/10 gallons, for a FO the rule is inch/2-7 gallons

 

[bob the builder]

Originally posted by karvis:
<strong>well, i think the rule of thumb for a reef is inch/10 gallons, for a FO the rule is inch/2-7 gallons</strong><hr></blockquote>
You can do 1 inch per 10 gallons...
But, you couldnt have as many fish in the tank...
A good rule of thumb is 1 inch per 5 gallons. 1 inch per 10 gallons is just not enough inches if you wanted to have a fish only tank.
If i had a 100 gallon fish only tank, i could only have 10 inches of fish, when normally, i could have 20 inches of fish.
Any rule of thumb is correct(exept anything under 1 inches per 5 gallons). Even 1 inch per 100 gallons is good. It all depends about you and what you want. If you wanted more fish, go with 1 inch per 5 gallons, if you wanted hardly anyfish, go with 1 inch per 10 gallons...