A Birthday Surprise Quandary!

[peppermynt]

Alrighty, here's the deal.
My boyfriend has been talking about wanting a saltwater fish tank for quite some time. We're about to move in together in three weeks, right at the same time as his birthday and I want to surprise him with this obsession...
I've been doing a lot of research; your guides were/are excellant and I have especially enjoyed Early Birds posts about starting his first tank. I'm definitely putting this website as a link for my boyfriend to puruse for information and as a crisis hotline!

So I have two questions:
1. Since neither he nor I know anything about swa, should I purchase a complete setup kit for him? The only kits I've found have been 15 gallons or less and I've heard that small tanks are difficult to maintain for beginners. Less water = less forgiving. (plus larger kits would exceed my budget) The alternative would be to give him a gift certificate and make him figure out all the details on his own...sort of doesn't seem like much of a present. OR I can figure out all the parts I need and purchase them seperately so that he can have a larger tank (20 or 29 gallons?).
2. Once decision #1 is made...I thought it would be fun to set up the tank, purchase live rock and try to have the aquarium cycled by the time his birthday arrived: pull off the sheet and say SURPRISE and have pretty live rock ready to go. That way he could do the fun stuff like buy the fish etc. However, after reading all your posts it seems that the REAL fun stuff is the setup process itself!! So should I leave that up to him? (like...how much fun is it to get a model car already glued together, right?)
To summarize:
1. Kit or no kit? (can I accomplish no kit in 3 weeks?)
2. Presetup or let him do it himself?
Thanks!

 

[rcdude1990]

welcome to the boards and hobby

first off this hobby takes time and payciance.
do u plan on having it reef or a fish only set up?
do u no wat kind of fish u want?
if i were u i would buy a 24 gallon bio cube. those r cool since they have everything ready for u in the box, meaning the filter and stuff r built in and it is a pretty looking tank. go to ur lfs and get a bio cube.
for the second question, if u really want to surprise him i would do all u said, set up the water, salinity, and add lr so the tank will cycle, wit a 24 gallon im sure the cycle wit end b4 3 weeks. but if i were u i would ask him, "if we got a fish tank were would we put it?" so that he will b happy were it is and u wont have to take out everything, move it all, and replace it all cause he dosnt like were it is. jus dont put the tank near a window

 

[renogaw]

Go as big as you can afford. you can probably save some money by looking in the classified section here, or in newspaper or craigs list. Remember, the tank is probably the cheapest part of the whole setup, and rock, sand, and lighting will be the most expensive. if you can get any of that used you'll save a ton of money, especially if you or your BF are not 100% sure you want the responsibility of a swf tank.
i would suggest setting up the tank together, so you both know what goes on with the tank, the joys of aquascaping, etc. for a thrill effect you could always take a picture of a tank and blow it up and say "here yougo, now lets go do it".

 

[darthgoby]

When you go looking for complete aquariums, there are options besides the kits. I would not recommend going with a smaller aquarium.
Most of the fish stores that I go to have some kind of package deal put together already (even *****). They usually throw in the tank, stand, cover, light, and a couple of other things.
I started with a 55 gallon and got mine that way. I got the stand, tank, cover, lights, and hood all for one price. They even gave me a discount on some of the other things I bought there like live rock/live sand.
You can also look on craigslist and in the classified as well. I really thought about that but decided to go with a new tank since I didn't want to inherit other people's old equipment.

 

[tizzo]

Don't do the kits. Most of that stuff is beneficial for freshwater set ups.
There is so much to buy to get started, but once you have it, maintainance is fairly easy. I don't know how much you wanna spend FOR him and how much you wanna spend WITH him, but simply supplying a tank and stand would be a nice gift!!
Maybe a bucket of salt also, and the rest you can research and buy together...
Sounds exciting!!

 

[cdangel0]

Definitely do not set it up for him. 1/2 of the learning comes from setting it up and learning how everything interacts with each other.
Buy him the tank, stand, and light. Probably could go with a 29g tank and stand for under $125 brand new, consider T5 lights as he will be able to keep about anything he wants top with them in that tank.
Give him the rest of your budget in the form of a gift certificate to the LFS. That way he can decided what he wants and where he wants to put it.
Besides, most of the stuff they include in the "kit" is beginner stuff that needs to be changed out after you elarn what you're doing.
BTW - good girlfriend!!!!

 

[nick76]

How much are you looking at spending?
I think the 24 gallon aquapod is a really nice starter for new saltwater people, it comes with most of the stuff you need for the fish, the tank runs around $210 but you wont need to buy alot of equipment cause it comes with everything.
Then again U can probabaly get a much larger tank for half that price but without any equipment. But it will equal out. But basically the larger the tank the more species of fish become avalable because u can accomodate for their size needs.

 

[rbaldino]

I would lean towards a gift certificate. It may not seem like much of a present (you could always get him something else as well) but it will allow him to make his own decisions as far as tank size and equipment go. Looking into the pros and cons of each piece is also a good way to learn.

 

[socal57che]

A book would be nice, too. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner is a good start.

 

[michaud65]

Originally Posted by socal57che
A book would be nice, too. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner is a good start.
I think this sounds like a fabulous idea. Why not make a nice package for him with the book and a LFS gift certificate placed in the front. You could also personalize the book for him to make it extra special. I agree that setting up the tank is the biggest learning curve and you really appreciate what you have and can be very proud of it. Plus setting up a tank together=more bonding time with your man.

 

[socal57che]

Good idea.
My wife and I have wonderful memories of setting up our tanks together. (we share the bad ones ,too)
ps

it makes it harder for you to dump bleach in the tank when he makes you mad... he he he

 

[peppermynt]

You guys are awesome! I can't believe how many good ideas you've come up with.

I'm at least purchasing a tank. (this suits my decorating fashion sense anyways--I don't want an eye sore int he living room) I took the idea of going on Craig's list and there are a lot of really nice and larger tanks for really cheap. So my question now is:
Is a 55 gallon tank too big for a beginner? It looks HUGE in the pictures, but there are a LOT of people selling them. I'm looking at a 25 gallon Eclipse Aquarium with stand and lights ($75 obo) and a 35 gallon Hexagonal Aquarium with stand and lights ($175 obo) tomorrow to start because I thought 55 gallons would be an enormous project for him. What do you think? (and yes, I'm going to haggle my butt off)
I also love the book idea, the printed picture idea and the gift certificate for equipment idea. So with the leftover money (I have a budget total of about 200 dollars by the way) I'm going to purchase as many of these items as I can to go along with the tank. He can buy the rest =p

 

[reefforbrains]

No a 55 is actually considered small by most salt folks that dont do nanos. Downside of most 55g is they are very short front to back, so while your volume is still 55g you dont have as much room to play with the rockwork. It often comes to close to the glass and makes it very hard to clean.
A 75g is same basic shape but deeper from front to back allowing more room.
How about just an empy tank and a book. If hes handy he will undoubtably want to build his own stand.
Also if its big enough you can give him whats referred to as a "mermaid pic" Most folks in the hobby get very addicted and over time go larger and larger in tank size. Well a goofy custom is to have your girlfriend pose IN your tank in a wetsuit.*cough* or

[hr]
....
I do not advise ---- pics but its just like an awesome pic to have for the future when everything has grown and bloomed and he cam take pride in his work building it. People ouside the hobby when they see a nice tank they are like moths to a flame and #1 question they typically ask is "what was the first thing you put in?".
JMO, but remember I am a self professed Salt nut

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by Peppermynt
You guys are awesome! I can't believe how many good ideas you've come up with.

I'm at least purchasing a tank. (this suits my decorating fashion sense anyways--I don't want an eye sore int he living room) I took the idea of going on Craig's list and there are a lot of really nice and larger tanks for really cheap. So my question now is:
Is a 55 gallon tank too big for a beginner? It looks HUGE in the pictures, but there are a LOT of people selling them. I'm looking at a 25 gallon Eclipse Aquarium with stand and lights ($75 obo) and a 35 gallon Hexagonal Aquarium with stand and lights ($175 obo) tomorrow to start because I thought 55 gallons would be an enormous project for him. What do you think? (and yes, I'm going to haggle my butt off)
I also love the book idea, the printed picture idea and the gift certificate for equipment idea. So with the leftover money (I have a budget total of about 200 dollars by the way) I'm going to purchase as many of these items as I can to go along with the tank. He can buy the rest =p
Don't want to shoot down your ideas, but there is a bit of a flaw. While the tank may not be that expensive, everything else needed to set up a 55 is going to be pricey. Bigger tanks need bigger filters, light fixtures, etc. and $200 isn't going to go very far in this hobby. Then there's the cost of buying enough sand and rock for a tank that size, then livestock, and maintenance costs once it's set up. (Live rock alone for a 55, if bought at a LFS, could easily run a few hundred dollars.) Personally, I really like the idea of the book and the gift certificate. He can then decide if he want's to spend the whole $200 on a small setup, or use it to start something bigger that he can add to when he's got the money.

 

[huntinjoe]

My girlfriend bought me a tank for my birthday also to make a salt water. i suggest get him the tank and a good saltwater aquarium book. but definitely let him set it up so that way he gets a feel for how to doing it. because it takes a lot of time and patience to get everything right and maintain it at that level. thats is how i learned everything... by doing it. but hey it is a great present i liked mine. just hope he aint like me and deciding to keep geting more

 

[puffer32]

Book and gift certificate! He will need 200.00 for LR and test kits, maybe even lighting if you can't find a complete used setup. Half the fun in starting a SW tank is shopping for the initial setup together.

 

[reefforbrains]

Originally Posted by puffer32
Half the fun in starting a SW tank is shopping for the equip NEVER ENDS.
Fixed your typo.........

 

[newtankman]

Good idea.
My wife and I have wonderful memories of setting up our tanks together. (we share the bad ones ,too)
I agree 100%

 

[newtankman]

Welcome!

My wife gave me my 29gal setup as a Christmas gift with all the basics to start a salt water tank, the salt, test equipment, lights filter and so on. The 29 was a very good size to start with, not too small and not to large for a starter. Take the help and information you get here from everyone and formulate a plan that will be with-in your budget and at the same time get you started on the right foot.
I would not set it up for him at all; starting the tank is where he will learn a lot of the fundamentals. For me, it became a family project, as we all enjoyed setting up and starting the tank and learning it together.
Be sure to have him introduce him self to us once he receives his gift.
Good luck.

 

[nixis]

I am still pretty new at this hobby but my advice is to set it up together. Its your choice if you want to buy him a tank or just a gift sertificate but I would say to set it up together that is part of the fun. I will tell you as others have stated the tank is not the most expensive part. live rock and lighting adds up not to metion fish but its an awesome hobby and well worth every penny that your put into it. I hope you both enjoy the hobby. :jumping: