Help A Beginner!!

pinkcoral

pinkcoral

New Member
Hello. I have come to the desicion that I want to begin a swf tank. I have always had freshwater but never even attempted the sw. My son has been begging me for some of the fish from Finding Nemo (corny I know) but I have decided to give in. I want to do ALL of my research before I begin. I have learned some things on the message boards but just got more confused with other things. If anyone could help and please let me know what I would need and what I should and shouldnt do. Any help would be great. I want to start with something NO BIGGER than 75 gallons. Probably around 50. Do you guys think that is too much for a begginer?
So once again I have NO CLUE what I need for this task (besides a lot of money haha ) How much live rock? Whats the cycling period? How long is it? When can I put in the LR? When can I put in the fish? What kind of chemicals do I need? I am very excited about this but I know it takes time and I do not want to get too eager too fast. Oh how does buying coral and reef work?
Thank you all!!!
 
durgeonman

durgeonman

Member
well the first thing that you should know is that one of the only fish you can keep from the movie in a 75 or smaller is a clownfish. but im sure haveing a nemo in the tank would keep the kids happy.
 
joncat24

joncat24

Active Member
i would suggest that you read and search through these threads for hours and hours and u can find out about all you need to know. I would suggest though that you go with the 75 instead of the 55 . the 75 has about 5 inches more depth from front to back and is alot more appealing to the eye>IMO
 
chutneyjh

chutneyjh

Member
Originally Posted by durgeonman
well the first thing that you should know is that one of the only fish you can keep from the movie in a 75 or smaller is a clownfish. but im sure haveing a nemo in the tank would keep the kids happy.
That's about all you could keep from the ocean part of the movie, but you could keep a couple things from the dentists' tank, like a royal gramma, yellow tang, damsels, cleaner shrimp, stars. Def. not the puffer or moorish idol though.
 
durgeonman

durgeonman

Member
i haven't seen that movie it so long i forgot about what was in the dentists tank. Your right, but that would have to be a small yellow tang...
 
laxzach

laxzach

Member
Well the first question you need to ask your self is if it is going to be a reef tank or a FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock). Also the smaller the tank the harder it is to take care of, you want as much water as possiable so that if something happens it wont effect the water quality as much. Most people will say that you want at least 1-1.5lbs of live rock per gallon the more the better. If you decide that you want a reef tank then you will have to buy lights which are pretty expensive. You can put in the liverock when you put in the saltwater and sand. Once you have the water in you will want to put in a raw shrimp. This will start the cycle. The cycle will take anywhere from 2weeks-6weeks. You will have to test your water to figure out when your cycle is done. Once the cycle is done you can get fish.
 
darbo

darbo

New Member
Hey Pink
You are doing the right thing. Do alot of reading before you start. I am going though the same thing as you. i have been reading and studying for weeks now. So far this is what i have come up with.
First if you have the room for a 75g tank go with it. and remember moving a tank after you set it up is not easy.
2 placement in room keep, Keep your tank away from windows and away from places it might get bumped in to.
3 IMHO you should start with a fish only with live rock. That way you can get the hang of it before you spent alot of money on a reef tank.
4 things you need other then a tank/stand. Protine skimmer a must have, heater, and a bio/mech filter,test kits.
5 I would go with about 80 lbs of live rock. you can never have to much live rock
6 the set up. set up the tank add what your going to put on the bottom ie live sand or crushed coral. in my opinion live sand is better. the mix up your water with the salt. and pour it in the tank. Use a small bowl to not stir up the sand to bad. add live rock. place live rock so there is alot of holes in it for hiding places and tunnels. hook up filters heater pumps and power heads. your off and running.
7 most say put an uncooked shrimp in the tank to start the cyc. test your water every few days to see when your tank is ready.
Darbo
 
bot587

bot587

Member
use cultured live rock... not cured, that will cycle your tank fine, and dont put live sand into freshwater all the good organisms will die off rather fill the tank up make it saltwater then add rock directly to the glass bottom, use sand and live sand to hold rock in place the water will be cloudy for a few days from suspended sand, but it will settle... thats the start cultured rock will cycle your tank for you...
 
clown boy

clown boy

Active Member
If you got a 75 gallon, you might be able to get a small Blue Hippo Tang (Dory) once your tank has been established for.... oh about six months. Everyone else, please correct me if I am wrong.
 
clown boy

clown boy

Active Member
Originally Posted by Pinkcoral
I want to start with something NO BIGGER than 75 gallons. Probably around 50. Do you guys think that is too much for a begginer?
Remember that the bigger the better. I started with a 135 gallon!
 
aceheart

aceheart

Member
lol, im starting out right now with an aquapod 24 gal to see how well i like it. and if that works out for me when i move in about a year i have my eye set on a 125 gal tank to do a reef/fish set up
 
cwgibson

cwgibson

Member
the blue tang will outgrow the 75 but the yellow should be fine although you will get a lot of debate on that one. if you can find a small blue tang; like i did you can keep them for a good while in the 75
 
mandarin w

mandarin w

Member

This is the tang police, as everyone so affectionatly calls us.

But I take it is stride, There is a reason there is this argument about weather tangs can be kept in a smaller tank. (55, 75, 80, & 90) . You are new so I will explain it to you. (And maybe others)
You go the LFS (live fish store) and they tell you, ofcorse you can keep a tank in XXgal tank.
You see it in there just fine. So it must be ok. There are professionals, they wouldn't do anything stupid. What most people don't realize is that those fish don't stay there for long.
Also most of the time, those tangs are 3-5 inches in size. They are still babies, Tangs can get as large as 10, 13 and some up to 16 or 18 inches in size, now picture that in a 55 or 75 gal tank.
Now for the controvery ( i know sp), Tangs by nature are swimmers, some fish swim a little, some float or hoover in the tank, Tangs SWIM and they need to swim to stay healthy. A small tang will fit in your 75 just fine, ( But the end of a shot gun will fit in a persons mouth, doesn't mean it belongs there!!!!!) In a tank that is smaller than 6 feet long the tang has to stop swimming and turn around before it can get good speed going, so therefore it can not get the excercise that it needs to stay healthy and thrive. If your doctor tells you to start walking a 2 miles everyday to get a good cardial workout. He means to walk at a brisk paces. Now picture you deciding to do that workout in your bathtub. walk to the end stop turn around, walk to the other end stop turn around and do this for your 2 mile walk, You are never going to get your heart rate up enough to do you any good. you are just wasting your time. Same for the tang. They can not get their excise in enought to do them any good.
And what about when the tang grows to large for the tank, is it going to be that easy to fish him out and take it back the LFS or sell him. This is suppose to be a pet. And last point, Tangs stress easily. Some easier than others, but they all stress easily, so how do you know that chasing it down and finally catching it to take it to other tank, won't stress it out to the point where it developes ick and dies.
Yes, you all call us the tang police, That is fine, Appearently someone's got to do it!!!!
 
leftyblite

leftyblite

Member
For help in research, get the book 'The Consienctous Marine Aquarist' by Robert Fenner. The book along with this site has been invaluable in setting up my tanks. Good Luck!! :thinking:
 
grumpygils

grumpygils

Active Member
Originally Posted by mandarin w

This is the tang police, as everyone so affectionatly calls us.

But I take it is stride, There is a reason there is this argument about weather tangs can be kept in a smaller tank. (55, 75, 80, & 90) . You are new so I will explain it to you. (And maybe others)
You go the LFS (live fish store) and they tell you, ofcorse you can keep a tank in XXgal tank.
You see it in there just fine. So it must be ok. There are professionals, they wouldn't do anything stupid. What most people don't realize is that those fish don't stay there for long.
Also most of the time, those tangs are 3-5 inches in size. They are still babies, Tangs can get as large as 10, 13 and some up to 16 or 18 inches in size, now picture that in a 55 or 75 gal tank.
Now for the controvery ( i know sp), Tangs by nature are swimmers, some fish swim a little, some float or hoover in the tank, Tangs SWIM and they need to swim to stay healthy. A small tang will fit in your 75 just fine, ( But the end of a shot gun will fit in a persons mouth, doesn't mean it belongs there!!!!!) In a tank that is smaller than 6 feet long the tang has to stop swimming and turn around before it can get good speed going, so therefore it can not get the excercise that it needs to stay healthy and thrive. If your doctor tells you to start walking a 2 miles everyday to get a good cardial workout. He means to walk at a brisk paces. Now picture you deciding to do that workout in your bathtub. walk to the end stop turn around, walk to the other end stop turn around and do this for your 2 mile walk, You are never going to get your heart rate up enough to do you any good. you are just wasting your time. Same for the tang. They can not get their excise in enought to do them any good.
And what about when the tang grows to large for the tank, is it going to be that easy to fish him out and take it back the LFS or sell him. This is suppose to be a pet. And last point, Tangs stress easily. Some easier than others, but they all stress easily, so how do you know that chasing it down and finally catching it to take it to other tank, won't stress it out to the point where it developes ick and dies.
Yes, you all call us the tang police, That is fine, Appearently someone's got to do it!!!!

I am just wondering......can anyone show me a picture of a 16 inch yellow tang in THEIR tank? A a 12 inch........ a ten inch? I am sure they are out there I have just never seen one?
Mc
 
mandarin w

mandarin w

Member
yep, I checked and double checked, I did not at one single time state yellow tangs in my first reply. I stated tangs. But for your info a yellow tang can get up to 8 inch in an aquarium, and even larger in the ocean. Maybe you don't see them that large in your tank because you are stunting its grown, or it maybe isn't as healthy as it should be. Different tang grow to be different sizes, the yellow being one of the smallest at 8 inches. which in fact is still way too large for a four foot tank!! This fish like to and needs to be able to swim to stay healthy!!!!
My point to the person asking the question and any others who CARE about their fish. is to be responsible. We are taking these creature out of the natural habitat and putting them in a man made one. It is our responsiblity to ensure we care for them properly and put them in an enviroment as close to what they would be in naturally. And a 4 x 2 is not right for a tang!
 
grumpygils

grumpygils

Active Member
Originally Posted by mandarin w
yep, I checked and double checked, I did not at one single time state yellow tangs in my first reply. I stated tangs. But for your info a yellow tang can get up to 8 inch in an aquarium, and even larger in the ocean. Maybe you don't see them that large in your tank because you are stunting its grown, or it maybe isn't as healthy as it should be. Different tang grow to be different sizes, the yellow being one of the smallest at 8 inches. which in fact is still way too large for a four foot tank!! This fish like to and needs to be able to swim to stay healthy!!!!
My point to the person asking the question and any others who CARE about their fish. is to be responsible. We are taking these creature out of the natural habitat and putting them in a man made one. It is our responsiblity to ensure we care for them properly and put them in an enviroment as close to what they would be in naturally. And a 4 x 2 is not right for a tang!
Not going to go there on tank size.....old issue. Does any one have a PIC of any tang over let's say 8 inches in their tank? I know they are out there but have never seen one?
Mc
 
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