i need some opinionated people here!

[widdlebiddy]

hello everybody! I have recently just gotten serious about my love for saltwater aquariums. I've wanted one for as long as I can remember. I've been kinda weary though because everyone that i know who has had one, their fishes are in fishy heaven

. Well, I am determined I am going to have one and I HAVE studied up on it, even though everyone around here advises against it. I've read alot of the threads on here and have studied various websites, so i'm getting ready!!! I am getting ready to go buy my aquarium soon and I'm not sure what size I need. I've made a list of some of the fishes, invertebras, and corals that I like. If you all could tell me what size of tank you think would be a good size for this quantity I would be very grateful.
On my list...
pink square anthias
purple queen anthias
royal gramma
black & white percula
percula clownfish
blue reef chromis
green chromis
yellowbelly damsel
fridmani
longbarbel goatfish
clown goby citron
diamond goby "sleeper"
mandarin dragonet
flame hawkfish
blue hippo tang
purple tang
fourline wrasse
velvet fairy wrasse
cleaner shrimp
blue linckia starfish
fromia starfish
I'd also like some anemones and some coral but i'm not sure how many would be okay.
Before ya'll start freaking out on me, this IS JUST A LIST!

Nothing has happened yet. I would just like to get some sort of idea of how big of a tank I need for this number of fish and probably 3-4 anemones and some coral. I doubt if i even get half of those but on down the road if I want to add some i want the extra space. I'm kinda worried about the coral though, won't it multiply and keep growing, and growing, and growing? I dont' want to run out of room and I want to make sure that the fish will have plenty of room. We are thinking about having the tank in the wall so i dont' know. Any feedback and opinions will be appreciated. Oh gosh, i just know ya'll are thinking "what the hecks wrong with this woman" LOL

 

[watson3]

300gal

 

[cjworkman]

i agree with 300 gallons.
You are probably looking at a $20,000 set up there. Live rock alone will cost you 3-4000$ for a 300 gallon.

 

[widdlebiddy]

okay, well then i definatley need to start thinking of something smaller :scared: That is way out of my budget!!!! I really want various types of fish, and very colorful ones at that. I also like the anemones and some coral. How do you determine how many fish, anemone, etc you can have by tank size?

 

[ridomart]

Big as you can.You will aiways want more.

 

[watson3]

Giving one inch per gallon..Full size of the fish..some may say more depending on the fish...

 

[widdlebiddy]

okay thanks that helps me out. I'm gonna go as big as i can. I would love to have it built into my living room wall so that we can see it from my bedroom and living room. Ahhhh! So relaxing that will be. ***) May take awhile to save up for it but it will be worth it.
By the way do you all know of any good sites i can buy relatively priced aquariums for? i live in a very small town in KY and the lfs around here are OUTRAGEOUS!!!! So i definatley need to get a quality store to buy from. And what do you all think about the fishes from swf? Have you bought from them?

 

[watson3]

The big auction site has great prices if you tell it exactly what you are looking for and where you want to get it

 

[jmick]

Originally Posted by watson3
Giving one inch per gallon..Full size of the fish..Is a starter rule of thumb..some may say more depending on the fish...

Inch per gallon is no rule of thumb, it's total garbage! 5 1" fish will make a lot less waste then 1 5" fish. Compare 5 damsels to a mid sized tang, no comparison which makes more waste!

 

[watson3]

So is that scientific..That five small things will equal the waste of one that is of their combined? Is why at the end I added..."depending on the fish"

 

[jmick]

Originally Posted by watson3
So is that scientific..That five small things will equal the waste of one that is of their combined? Is why at the end I added..."depending on the fish"

If it's a valid rule of thumb it will work across the board and will not vary on fish.

 

[watson3]

Could you be more of a jerk

 

[jmick]

Originally Posted by watson3
Could you be more of a jerk

So disagreeing with you makes me a jerk? Sorry mate, I think your rule of thumb is wrong and most people would agree and it's not something that will benefit people who are new to the hobby.

 

[watson3]

First off, if you were to google the question, it would say the one inch thing..It is a good starter point..Thats all i put..Get off of your pony, and read entire statements..Thats how you are acting like a jerk

 

[1journeyman]

The old "rule of thumb" for saltwater (not freshwater) fish was 1 inch per 5 gallons.
As has been pointed out, however, that's not very precise....
widdlebiddy, the best thing you can do is sit down and budget out how much you can spend. Then shop around for aquariums and stands and lights. After that skimmers, powerheads, etc. After that figure out the price of live rock (1-2Lbs. per aquarium gallons) and sand. Once you have done that get a book like Michael's Marine Fishes . Look though it and decide, based on the size of your tank, what you can get.

 

[nigerbang]

Originally Posted by cjworkman
i agree with 300 gallons.
You are probably looking at a $20,000 set up there. Live rock alone will cost you 3-4000$ for a 300 gallon.
If you do alot of it DIY it would come out a great deal cheaper...Steve Weast's 850 can be replicated for around $20,000
A running 300 is not going to be $20,000 the rock can be bought at a cheaper price than $3-4000..Thats like $7 a lb price..I have about $1200 in my 92gal that is up and running just fine with 120lb of LR, 70# lb of LS, filter, skimmer..lights, etc, It can be done for a reasonable price..Just take your time and do the setup you want to do...Dont just settle..You prolly will never be happy with it..

 

[puffer32]

You don't need all LR, you can get some base rock really cheap, and seed it with LR. Check around for used setups, there are some good deals out there, or if you have the time, one will eventually come your way.

 

[widdlebiddy]

okay thanks everyone. Someone just GAVE me their 50g today! Can u believe that GAVE it to me! You don't hear that very often. I think I'm gonna start out with that and build it up (do my studying too!) then when I get pretty darn comfy with that then buy my biggen!!!! Thanks for the book tip! I am sooo excited! My next thing is a filtration system. What do you all think is best in your opinion.

 

[ginarox]

welcome to the board,,good luck in your journey, but please keep us posted on your progress,,, i have a 125 gallon saltwater aquarium, and iam enjoying it very much,,,have a great day...

 

[teen]

Originally Posted by widdlebiddy
My next thing is a filtration system. What do you all think is best in your opinion.
most people these days are not using mechanical filters. the best way in my opinion is to get a powerful skimmer and a lot of live rock, then you can also add a refugium to the set up. the archives on this site have a lot of info for you to read through, try reading through most of the stuff there.