Nano's and beginer's

[saltfinsax]

Just starting trouble.
Has it been talked about trying to stear beginer's away from nano tanks, being that its so easy for the water to get out of hand so fast and critters dieing. But then if we tell them to get bigger tanks and then they stick tons of stuff in there and they let the water fail then we lose even more.
I guess my point here is, is there a good starter tank thread that sould be posted here with a cheep size tank and easy and captive bred crits for them to start with. That way the loss on the newly captive crits isent so huge.
Getting my popcorn ready

 

[coral keeper]

I read that a good beginner sized tank is 50 gallons. But I started my first SW tank that was a 8 gallon oceanic bio cube and its been running for a year and 3 months and everything is healthy and growing good.

 

[oak]

I to have a 12gallon nano that I started out with. I so far havn't had any casualties do to the water conditons being to unstable. About 1 1/2 years so far. It is to me just a little more difficult than freshwater. Only I keep docile and easy to keep fish and inverts though.

 

[perfectdark]

I believe that the implied is, as a beginner the chances of making a mistake in this hobby is high. Its assumed you are a beginner in all aspects of reef keeping or SW in general. In a large tank a small mistake would not impact the environment as quickly or as harshly as in a small tank. So you are given a wider margin for error. Where as the same mistake in a 30gal or less typically results in a major issue. Maintanence on the smaller tanks is increased, this is not only because of the demands of typically having a larger bioload in a small space but also so that the hobbiest can try to forsee, predict or even prevent an issue before it happens. Most of the time problems in small nano size tanks tend to not start slowly, but rather all of a sudden just happen. JMO.

 

[vampofvegas]

I started with a 10g for beginning and I was responsible and read every tid bit I could (i started out with FW for 3yrs). I think SW people all started out as FW people and got the hang of that and down pat. Then they moved over to SW and it wasnt much of a difference except a few more things to buy, couple more things to test for, and a better selection of fish and etc.
Now I have a 30g and a 10g for the longest time now and have not had any issues.
I think that the people who are beginners either
A. Need to start out with FW to get the hang of the every day hustle of having a tank.
B. READ READ READ. Dont listen to the LFS having you buying a tank and fish the same day.
I think it comes down to the owners of these tanks just being lazy and uneducated. So there is no "perfect" tank, if you dont know what you're doing.. GTFO. lol.
People ask me "Isnt Salt Water hard to maintain?" I usually say "Nope, unless you're uneducated".
Starter kit?
30gallon
1 clown
30lbs LR
Filter
Power Heads
DONE. lol. There are too many variables and what not in the ways of one running a tank to have a definite list of what someone should have to run a tank. Maybe they want corals in the future? Maybe they dont. Maybe they want sand sifting critters... maybe not.. so crush coral. Too many things. If someone is able to read they should be able to figure out what they want for a tank with their kind of funds and their dedication. Too much spoon fed information doesnt help much for the education of the person running the tank.

 

[fishygurl]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark
http:///forum/post/2616330
I believe that the implied is, as a beginner the chances of making a mistake in this hobby is high. Its assumed you are a beginner in all aspects of reef keeping or SW in general. In a large tank a small mistake would not impact the environment as quickly or as harshly as in a small tank. So you are given a wider margin for error. Where as the same mistake in a 30gal or less typically results in a major issue. Maintanence on the smaller tanks is increased, this is not only because of the demands of typically having a larger bioload in a small space but also so that the hobbiest can try to forsee, predict or even prevent an issue before it happens. Most of the time problems in small nano size tanks tend to not start slowly, but rather all of a sudden just happen.- JMO.
+1

i think in MOST cases new hobbiests should get the biggest tank possible, but having enough for ALL of the equipment too

 

[tomato clown]

I'm one to believe that due to basic costs of everything a lot of people are forced into the smaller tanks and equipment. The same goes for those who don't have the room for larger tanks.
Myself, I was forced into selling my 125gal. because of space issues. Didn't even get a chance to put water into it. I'm sorry to say the place that I always seen about larger tanks was here. The bigger the better, less problems, etc...
Now, maybe I'm wrong here, but if different sizes of tanks are even slightly detailed in the difficuly stages then it would not only aid first timers on what to expect, but it would also give them a general idea on the costs they'll be looking at, the space they'll need to hold a tank of certain sizes, etc...
IMO, FW is simple and petty. It's like a change the water often and that's it sort of thing, whereas SW is extremely more detail oriented and is in all reality nothing like keeping FW. Sure there are slight common factors, but in general they are completely different.
And yes, it really bites when a newby gets info, runs out spends $1500 on a larger tank, not use it once, then end up selling it later for $800

 

[vampofvegas]

Originally Posted by Tomato Clown
http:///forum/post/2617281
And yes, it really bites when a newby gets info, runs out spends $1500 on a larger tank, not use it once, then end up selling it later for $800

Its called my gain!

 

[tomato clown]

lol, Actually another member of the boards bought it. He was browsing and seen the ad. Drove up from Miami and took off with a brand new 125.
I'd love to see what he's done with it, but forgot who it was..ha ha

 

[aquaguy24]

i started out with a 24g aquapod..i knew nothin about salt tanks when i purchased it..just followd every step the guy at my lfs instructed me to do..and been successfull for over a year now...but when i was cycling the tank..i found this website and read, read, read. plus i only kept easy hardy fish and inverts..now i have a 90g and ready for some real fun...so size of tank doesn't really matter..patience, knowledge and and a lot of extra time is more important IMO...

 

[gmann1139]

I think the problem with steering new aquarists to 'bigger' tanks like a 55 or 75 is the cost involved.
I set up a 12 Nanocube for a friend, telling him I could set it up for $300. It ended up being $350, which is a lot for someone to 'try out' a hobby.
I also quoted out a 75 for myself, and the tank/plumbing alone was over $1,000. I know I can that for 1/3 used, but your average newbie isn't going to realize the 'benefit' of a used tank.
I would personally recommend a Nano for someone who is getting into the hobby. It teaches you the basics of the hobby without the capital investment a larger tank requires.

 

[bgbdwlf2500]

the problem is not the amount of water. my first was a 29 gallon. never had any major problems until i started trying fish other than clowns, a sailfin and damsels.
in my limited experience (1 year total - dont go by my post count, i just found the site) an outbreak of Ich on a flame angel killed the angel but it never affected my clowns that were in the same tank. i always removed the sick fish and the hardier fish didnt get sick. 1 time my sailfin that i have, got ich and i was able to cure it with just ich treatment in a QT.
it took me 3 tries to find a coral beauty that would make it past 2 weeks... the one i have now was in the store for 2 months before i bought it and knock on wood been fine for 2 or 3 months now.
what im saying is, from my experience in salt water, water can be perfect and fish still die. i did freshwater first and still have a Discus tank and will always have one along with a salt tank. Discus are supposedly the most sensitive freshwater fish but ive only lost 1 discus and it died 2 days after i got it for no obvious reason. 1 out of 12 isnt bad knock on wood.

 

[saltysteele]

Originally Posted by gmann1139
http:///forum/post/2619582
I think the problem with steering new aquarists to 'bigger' tanks like a 55 or 75 is the cost involved.
+10!
a LFS told me it'd be about $400 to get into a decent SW tank. the more and more i've looked into it (been researching 2-3 months now), i realize he either didn't know what he was talking about, or was full of BS!
i've been watching craigslist, though, and had i have had the cash, could have gotten into around 120-135 gallon for around $500-800 (3 different tanks). those were predrilled, plumbed, skimmers, blah, blah, with the only upgrade needed being lights. 3 separate aquariums in the last month, all with nice wood stands and canopies. plus, they all had over 150 lb live rock, and at least 4" of sand!
used is definitely the way to go when getting into this hobby!!

 

[bgbdwlf2500]

Originally Posted by Saltysteele
http:///forum/post/2621451
+10!
a LFS told me it'd be about $400 to get into a decent SW tank. the more and more i've looked into it (been researching 2-3 months now), i realize he either didn't know what he was talking about, or was full of BS!
i've been watching craigslist, though, and had i have had the cash, could have gotten into around 120-135 gallon for around $500-800 (3 different tanks). those were predrilled, plumbed, skimmers, blah, blah, with the only upgrade needed being lights. 3 separate aquariums in the last month, all with nice wood stands and canopies. plus, they all had over 150 lb live rock, and at least 4" of sand!
used is definitely the way to go when getting into this hobby!!

i learned that real quick after buying a few 55's new...

 

[dkfloyd]

I started with a 12 that I gave to my son. I have a 29 and am very happy with it. All is doing great. I think its even easier than FW. I knew absolutely nothing when I started. I researched, read and asked questions. I am very happy with what I have now. Personally, I can't go bigger because even with all the research and reading, I don't know enough or feel confident enough to have all the stuff needed for a bigger tank. Let alone the cost.

 

[bgbdwlf2500]

Originally Posted by dkfloyd
http:///forum/post/2621746
I started with a 12 that I gave to my son. I have a 29 and am very happy with it. All is doing great. I think its even easier than FW. I knew absolutely nothing when I started. I researched, read and asked questions. I am very happy with what I have now. Personally, I can't go bigger because even with all the research and reading, I don't know enough or feel confident enough to have all the stuff needed for a bigger tank. Let alone the cost.
if you have a 29 thats doing good (not knowing whats in there) you do KNOW enough but youre not confident enough... AND the cost....you could do a bigger tank just fine but there are some factors that wont LET you...

 

[globaldesigns]

I have a 28 gallon reef and have been quite successful.
To have a larger tank, means having the money to have all the necessary equipment to run it properly. Beginners may not have this, therefore they may be doomed before they start.
Nano's like the JBJ come complete, and IMO a very high quality self contained tank. If the beginnner reads and takes their time, and follows a cleaning routine, there should hopefully never be an issue.
I have seen large tanks lose 10- 20K of stuff, I have seen small tanks crash, it really doesn't matter the size, it can happen to anyone.

 

[saltysteele]

as a beginner, i'm going larger (60 gallon), because i KNOW i won't be satisfied with a nano. doesn't hurt having the "buffer" of more water, either, though

the nano tanks are nice, though, the way everything is contained
i just want a larger aquascape and more fish than a nano can allow. so, while i acquire everything (saving and getting piece by piece), i just surf these forums!!

 

[bgbdwlf2500]

Originally Posted by Saltysteele
http:///forum/post/2623767
as a beginner, i'm going larger (60 gallon), because i KNOW i won't be satisfied with a nano. doesn't hurt having the "buffer" of more water, either, though

the nano tanks are nice, though, the way everything is contained
i just want a larger aquascape and more fish than a nano can allow. so, while i acquire everything (saving and getting piece by piece), i just surf these forums!!

thats the way to do it

 

[prime311]

12 gallon Nano with 200 gallon Sump. Not a lot of room for Livestock to lose and plenty of water for the beginner