need help new hobbyist

eelman101

eelman101

New Member
im startin out in saltwater with a 5 gallon nano i need help i have a skilter 250 filter i am only 13 please help!!!!!!!
 
ddress007

ddress007

Member
For anyone, the smaller the tank the more maintenance and more room for error. For a beginner the errors can be compounded. I would read all the archives.
 
weberian

weberian

Member
I just started with saltwater less than a year ago, and the first fish store I went to I said I wanted to try a 10-gal tank ("nano") and the guy said I should only consider larger sizes because it would be very difficult for me to keep my water chemistry in balance (and also has larger percent temperature fluctuations). The store-owner's words were confirmed by what I also read in a book. I wanted a good book to have from the start.
I don't know how much time per day other people here spend on this hobby, but I think it takes several hours a day devoted to research, taking care of the tank, equipment, food. Personally, it's heartbreaking when one of your creatures dies, and you realize it was your own fault, so I like to put as much time into it as I can.
There's so much science to learn in this hobby: biology, chemistry, engineering, materials science. I wish you the best of luck.
 
ddress007

ddress007

Member
In my experience: initially it is more hard to balance the water parameters in a big tank but once set, there is less variability in changes. In a small tank I have found my self always doing maintenance operations. When I started, I had a 10g and a 20g. I spent most of my time on that 10g. If there is a change in a small volume of water the impact spreads far more rapidly. However, in a larger volume of water this variance changes slower over time allowing for less maintenance. imagine a tank vs a pond. I now have a couple of 55's and that 20 is still-up. Now, the most of my time is on that 20.
 
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