5 GaLloN ReEf TaNk?!?

[puppy]

hey, i would LOVE to start a 5 gallon reef. First off, how much do you think lighting would cost for it? where can i get it? how much LR should i use? what kind of Live sand? what corals are best for it? what should my water paremeters be? should i have a protien skimmer? what fish would be best for it? if someone has ever had a mini reef, could you please share your experience and give me step by step instructions for setting one up? obviously, i have never had a reef. it is my dream to have one, so i am going to start off small. I know if you have a lot of LR and LS filtration should not be a problem. please help! i am very intrested in making a mini reef!

 

[oceanblue]

Puppy,
It is a hobby truth that 10 gallons are hard to keep and generally aren't attempted until a person is experienced. The reasoning behind this is a larger body of water is more stable chemically...there's more of it, so it takes more to push it in a direction. I can understand your wanted to start off small, but in this hobby it's kind of reversed...the bigger the better...because they're easier to manage...a 5 gallon let alone a 10 is going to be difficult to keep at best. I guess the main trouble I can think of is trying to keep your calcium up, and even with supplements..you'd have to do some math and trial and error to get the dosages correct..the error part of the trial is so small that you'd end up doing full water changes just to keep it from collapsing in one way or another. I'd recommend trying a larger tank.

 

[puppy]

yes, i see.. im sorry i posted in the equipment part of the page, i didnt realized i did it!

 

[broomer5]

Hey Puppy,
What OceanBlue said is true - no doubt about it. Saltwater tanks are sort of tricky on a small scale set up. Also, when you start pricing up the necessary equipment for a very small 10 or 5 gallon tank, you'll soon find out that you could just as easily set up say a 30 gallon tank for not that much more money than a 10 gallon.
If this is your very first reef/saltwater tank - go the time proven method - get a little larger tank - you'll enjoy learning what's required in this hobby and be much more sucessful too - just my opinion
Brian