My son desires a saltwater aquarium....help!!!

[azreefgirl]

Originally Posted by Formyson
What is a biocube?
It's an all-in-one type set up. It comes in 3 different sizes. I have a "Size 29" Biocube that holds about 23 gallons of water. They're relatively inexpensive when you consider everything you need to set up the tank. I got my tank and stand for $399.
Here's a pic of it when I was curing my live rock.

 

[royal gang]

good luck on is aquarium

 

[azreefgirl]

Originally Posted by ROYAL GANG
$121.00??? uhhh... :notsure: ...

Hey, don't knock it--that's more than most people earn and save on their own at that age! It's a good start!

 

[formyson]

Do you think it would be difficult for novices since it is so small?
How many fish can it accomodate? Does the 1 inch per 4 gal rule apply?
Thanks!

 

[formyson]

Originally Posted by ROYAL GANG
$121.00??? uhhh... :notsure: ...

Hey he's 9! This is a learning thing. We're going to help him!

 

[beeryc]

go with a used tank as big as you can afford. i think a 40 gallon would be too small. get as big as you can. put sand on the bottom instead of crushed coral. you can get the sand from a hardware store, buy white sand (the quikcrete brand) it works great or white sand from home depot (old castle brand). this is much cheaper than live sand from a pet store. get some live rock right away and some type of mechanical filter and at least one power head. add a protein skimmer when you can.

 

[azreefgirl]

Originally Posted by Formyson
Do you think it would be difficult for novices since it is so small?
How many fish can it accomodate? Does the 1 inch per 4 gal rule apply?
Thanks!
It may actually be a little easier if he's going to be handling all the cleaning and maintainance himself. It's a smaller area to clean and smaller water changes involved. I'm brand-new to the world of salt water, so from the standpoint of being a novice, I'm finding it pretty easy to maintain so far. For me a smaller tank is better because I work a thousand hours a week and don't have time to devote to a large tank. I don't have critters other than snails in mine yet (had to get snails to control the algae), but I have cycled my tank and it's been pretty easy to get and keep all the parameters in line. I get my salt water from the lfs so the salinity is always correct, so I don't have to worry about mixing my own and having the salinity be off. It's always at 1.024 when I test my tank each week.
I've been told I could probably do 2-4 smaller fish in the tank. Since I'm doing a reef tank, I'm probably going to stick to 2, possibly 3 fish.
Also, the larger the tank, the more he'll need to spend to fill the space (live rock, sand, critters, etc.) :happyfish

 

[1journeyman]

Formyson, there are advantages and disadvantages to a small setup.Money- Smaller will cost less to set up, get equipment for and maintain. Frankly, this is the critical one. Get what he can afford in a reasonable amount of time... Hate to see his passion dwindle because of an unrealistic timetable. Let's face it, not too many employment opportunities for a 9 year old. Sounds to me like he's exploiting every opportunity he gets!
Stability- Bigger tanks are more forgiving (power going out in your house for 8 hours can be brutal on a "nano" tank. Also water parameters can go lethal quickly. Where a fish death may not overload the ammonia fixing bacteria in a larger tank, a nano tank will get pummeled.)
Livestock- Saltwater can't be crowded like freshwater. In a small tank you are limited small fish. And, a few number of fish as well. The impulse to overcrowd will be a constant affect. On the other hand, smaller will be cheaper. Not near as much sand and rock is needed to fill a small tank. Also, not as many expensive pets can go in it.
Maintenance- No question, smaller is cheaper and quicker to maintain.
Room- What does he have room for? Is he keeping it in his room? I set up my 180 in my bedroom. It eats a ton of space.
Finally, the "I wish I had gone bigger" syndrome. We all experience it....

 

[30-xtra high]

lol, i had that syndrome for a lil wile, i have a 30 extra high, but then i kept reminding myself i'm 14 with no job, and it went away

 

[xdave]

I wouldn't worry about your son not being able to handle the maintenance responsibility of a large tank. According to this "He collects aluminum cans and sells them to the recycling company. He picks up pecans for the neighbors and rakes leaves for my SIL. All birthday money has been hoarded. He learned to wash laundry this summer and all change he finds goes into his savings." he's already willing to do more work than it would take to maintain the tank. The only thing is that the cost of water changes go up with the size.

 

[xdave]

Join a local fish club. They have auctions and you can usually get a 55 and stand and even full equipment for $100 sometimes. their auctions may even be open to the public. It's generally a good place to find good used stuff.
Heres a national directory *Links violation*

 

[soldier0117]

I think you shouldn't get anything smaller than a 55 gal. The reason being that the bigger the tank the longer it takes for problems to develop and spread. Like I said above look in classified ads for deals. I got my 55 with stand and some equipment for only $75 and it was in good condition, it only needed to be washed out and then it looked brand new.

 

[30-xtra high]

sorry but i completelt disagree... i assure you, and no offense to YOU or YOUR SON, you're going to mess up, it's bound to happen, nothing personal, but everybody messes up at first, and i think if he buys a 55, and your mistake happens to be something like water parameters, and everything dies he's will have lost everything he had, if you have a 20 or 30, everything is cheaper, salt, live sand, live rock, tank, filter, powerheads, protein skimmer, and livestock, well if you make a mistake in a 20 or 30 and everything dies, he/you'll still have some money to retry, now you have my 0.02$

 

[royal gang]

Originally Posted by 30-xtra high
sorry but i completelt disagree... i assure you, and no offense to YOU or YOUR SON, you're going to mess up, it's bound to happen, nothing personal, but everybody messes up at first, and i think if he buys a 55, and your mistake happens to be something like water parameters, and everything dies he's will have lost everything he had, if you have a 20 or 30, everything is cheaper, salt, live sand, live rock, tank, filter, powerheads, protein skimmer, and livestock, well if you make a mistake in a 20 or 30 and everything dies, he/you'll still have some money to retry, now you have my 0.02$
yes, soooo right

 

[deric203]

good mom and good kid = kid has a 40 gallon tank and mom has a 150 gallon tank. 6 months.........watch.
And these people at Saltwaterfish.com are invaluable.

 

[ol'salty]

A few more points to ponder about the size.
A lot of people start out with a small tank to see if it something they can and are willing to do. Set kindof a time goal. For example, if you still want a bigger tank and haven't lost any fish in a certain amount of time, then you can upgrade. (there are adults on here doing the same)
The bigger the tank the more it takes to fill it with live rock and sand--i know others have said this but here's an example in a 10 gal you can put approximately 20 pounds if you cram and organize. My 55 has 75ish and i need more. At the lfs it is arround 7-8 dollars a pound. Just throwing that out there.
You also have to look at his age as is he going to still be intersted in it in 4 or 5 years. It happened to me. Got into the whole girl thing and the fish were forgotten. Maybe more like 8 or 9 for his age but you know what i mean. If he wants out in a few years, you all will be out less money with a smaller tank.
The nano tanks are nice with everything built into the lid, but once his dad matches the money you could do a normal 10 gallon (or convert the one he has). You could go from scratch and buy all new stuff with live rock and all for that money, and later down the road, put on an eclipse filter top or whatever. Just research that they make one to fit the tank you go with.
Either way large or small you can always sell it if push come to shove, but you always (normally) will lose money. Losing less is better.
Sorry again for long post.

 

[uberlink]

Originally Posted by Formyson
I like the idea of used...thanks for the tip.
His fresh water equip is only for a 10 gallon tank and he's planning on keeping it.
Thanks again everyone!
Check craigslist for your area, too. Fabulous source of used equipment. (I hope I'm not running afoul of the no other sites rule...)

 

[ol'salty]

I understand completely about the drawn in thing. Like someone else said, you will have a 150 in notime for yourselves. This hobby is the most addicting thing since sliced bread. Wait, that's not how that goes...ohh well. Anyone on here will back this up, once bitten, you will always want better, bigger, more, neater, and newer. My newest part of this hobby is becoming a sponge. I am reading on this forum many, many hours a day. That is sad....
Good luck with the new hobby and measure four times and cut once when it comes to salt water. With the help of these guys on here, you and your son will be fine.

 

[cowboyswife]

Its a wonderful hobby, and Im glad he wants to learn. We have a 40 gallon, and its a good size. Eventually, we will go bigger. We got the tank itself used at a local fish store for $40, and we got the stand on sale at one of the chain pet stores for $100. My husband, 4 year old daughter, and I are new at this, and we have had the best time learning together. Its a great alternative to family movie night

 

[royal gang]

Originally Posted by AZReefGirl
Hey, don't knock it--that's more than most people earn and save on their own at that age! It's a good start!