Need some starter info

[hellow]

Hi, I was thinking about starting a saltwater aquarium, but I have no clue where to start. The only aquarium I have ever owned was a 20 Gallon Freshwater aquarium. Could anyone recommend me good retailers for aquariums and stands, as i see that swf has none. Also, could anyone recommend me good starting aquarium residents? I was wanting to make my aquarium as realistic as i can, with lots of fish, coral, inverts, etc. Can anyone recommend good kinds of the above listed?

 

[spiderwoman]

Welcome to SWF

First I'd recommend getting a few good SW books and do research, research and more research. You are starting from the wrong end if you start with equipment with no knowledge of what you are getting into.

 

[oneradtek]

i could reccomend you going onto aol istant messenger and i could more quickly give u some tips/ advice
aim screen name - Oneradtek202

 

[hellow]

Hmm, well, i dont have a AIM account, can you do IRC? I have a account there, same as my name on here.

 

[subielover]

The advice you need to get started is at the top of this "new hobbyist" section. There are 3 or 4 threads that will help point you in the right direction.

 

[yearofthenick]

You could get a nano aquarium that's plug-and-play... something that has all the equipment built in. When I say "Nano" that usually means 30 gallons or less.
I would check out the Red Sea Max, or the JBJ NanoCube HQI. The JBJ has better lighting and is good for most corals (If you wanted to do a reef system), but the Red Sea Max has better filtration. The lighting in the Red Sea Max limits you a little but not much.
I've seen Red Sea Max's with the stand go for $699+tax. It's actually not bad for what you get.
If you wanted to find a cheaper nano tank, you could go with an oceanic biocube or an Aquapod, but you wouldn't be able to keep any corals or anemone's in there unless you upgraded the lighting and preferrably the filtration too.
Yyou'd probably be able to find a nano tank in your local classified listings, but if this is your first tank, I would play it safe and get something brand new so you don't have to worry about issues that may arise in the future with a used one.
SpiderWoman is right.... RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!!! There is a ton to learn, but once you understand what to do, it's pretty easy, and VERY rewarding.
Also, don't believe what the people at the fish store tell you - you cannot take home any fish in a new aquarium - It needs to cycle first - do more research on that first.

 

[flricordia]

As far as good residents it is a matter of preference. All are good, if you know how to care for them and none are good if you do not research and take your time with set-up/cycle and then more research. It would be almost impossible to give you all the info you need in one thread, at least within a few pages.
As stated above, get some books on S/W keeping and/or search the web. There is a ton of good info available.
Just a basic rundown, first you need a tank, then a heater, maybe a chiller if it gets above 80F in the room you are going to keep the tank in, then some good water movement pumps, probably a sump/refugium, protien skimmer, proper lighting if planning on keeping photosynthetic creatures, salt mix, RO/DI filter or a good source for RO/DI water, and I am sure I have left out a few other peices of equipment such as refractometer, thermometer, ph test kit or monitor and basic test kits for nitrate, phosphate, etc.
That is just the beginnings. Take it slow and research. Money is tight now-a-days and no sense in jumping right into it and flushing money down the drain only to learn from the death of the charges you decide to keep and/or the improper equipment.
There is no rush, reefkeeping and the animals it has to offer is not going anywhere anytime soon.
The time you take to properly research will reward you with a beautiful and enjoyable aquarium instead of a nightmare that has you running out and buying all the latest insta cures and pulling your hair out only to end up selling the tank off within the first 6 months.

 

[hellow]

How much can you fit in a 28Gal Nano tank? Also, if something breaks in a Nano tank, can it be replaced without replacing the entire setup?

 

[yearofthenick]

Originally Posted by Hellow
http:///forum/post/2749009
How much can you fit in a 28Gal Nano tank?
It depends on what you are asking. There are all kinds of things you can put in there, but a nano is very limited. You won't be able to do any angels unless you get a dwarf angel, but you could do clowns, smaller sized wrasses, things like that. It's strongly suggested you don't put any Tang's in smaller tanks because they need so much room to swim, and if you did end up getting a tang and putting it in there, be prepared to either get a bigger tank in the future or sell it back to the fish store you bought it from when it gets too big. The main problems with Tangs being in small spaces is that it stresses them out and they die... and there goes $30. "Dori" from Finding Nemo is a Hippo Tang. I have kept baby Hippo Tangs in smaller aquariums with much success, but I think they're the hardier ones in the Tang family. Again, Hippo Tangs WILL grow and they WILL get VERY BIG although it takes a few years.
You could even do a seahorse tank but it's really not recommended for beginners because of a number of things: mainly they need super clean water, and they are considered a delicate species so you'd have to be extra careful what other fish you put in with it, if any. Also, seahorses have voracious appetites and need to be fed like three times a day.
Originally Posted by Hellow
http:///forum/post/2749009
Also, if something breaks in a Nano tank, can it be replaced without replacing the entire setup?
It totally can. You can replace every component in nano tanks. Another beautiful thing about the nano tank - it's all-in-one so you don't need to worry about piecing it all together

 

[hellow]

Well, I wanted to put some fish (yes fish lol), coral, a few inverts, and anemones in. Can the biggest JBJ Nano Cube (28 Gal) handle that?

 

[yearofthenick]

Originally Posted by Hellow
http:///forum/post/2749032
Well, I wanted to put some fish (yes fish lol), coral, a few inverts, and anemones in. Can the biggest JBJ Nano Cube (28 Gal) handle that?
Yes it can, especially with the HQI - HQI literally refers to the lighting - it's a 150 watt metal halide in there and that's the best kind of lighting you can get for that tank. Because of the stronger lighting, be careful to watch the temperature in the tank, because if the fish get hotter than 82 degrees, it could be really bad for them. Also, if you wanted to get a starfish, they can NEVER get hotter than 80 degrees, otherwise they will disintegrate.
If you get the HQI then I would recommend spending the extra $2 and getting a little thermometer to keep in there so you can watch the temp. Generally if you keep the room temp in the low 70's then I don't think you'll have much to worry about.
This tank can handle fish, corals, and inverts.

 

[mr_x]

i would stay away from a smaller tank. if you truly want to give it your best shot, and want a tank with alot of diversity, you are limiting yourself with a 28 gallon tank.
i'd go with something like a 75 gallon. if you feel brave enough, a 6' tank is an even better choice. these larger tanks come with larger lighting, and filtration, so naturally, it's going to cost more, but the larger the tank, the more forgiving it is. a small problem is just that, in a large tank. that same small problem in a 28 gallon tank is a catastrophy.
anemone and starfish are far more difficult to care for than most marine fish and inverts. these are suitable for very stable tanks, and require special care. anemone need powerful lighting and target feeding to sustain them. my suggestion would be to wait a while before purchasing these delicate creatures.
flricordia said it well. it's very common for folks to jump in without proper research and end up selling off everything shortly after.
besides books, i would sit on this forum and read all the threads. most importantly, read the newcomer threads. you'll see what mistakes new folks are making and what problems they are running into.
good luck.

 

[hellow]

Hmm, well, how much more would a 75 Gallon tank that i have to piece together cost than that 30 Gallon nano? I have a maximum budget to start on this of $2000.

 

[mr_x]

i think you could do it for 2 grand. especially if you go the stuff used. maybe under 1000.

 

[girlina4x4]

I would check out your local Craigs list. Just type in "fish tank" or "aquarium". If you aren't sure if something is a good deal, you can post on here an we can help you.

 

[hellow]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2749255
i think you could do it for 2 grand. especially if you go the stuff used. maybe under 1000.
$2000 with the things that are going inside it too.

 

[subielover]

Well, you wouldn't want to put everything in right away. I think Mr. X was referring to equipment.

 

[hellow]

Originally Posted by subielover
http:///forum/post/2749326
Well, you wouldn't want to put everything in right away. I think Mr. X was referring to equipment.
Ah, ok. Yea because the tank has to go through its Ammonia-Nitrite-Nitrate cycle (Yes, i know a few things lol). I heard that live rock helps alot during that time.

 

[subielover]

Oh yeah live rock is nature's filtration. Ideally you would want about 1 to 1.5 pounds of porous live rock per gallon of water. If you put the live rock in your tank, it will cycle the tank for you. Just keep checking ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and specific gravity at the minimum. When ammonia, nitrites and nitrates spike and then return to zero(usually 3-6 weeks) you can then start by adding a clean up crew. After another week or two, if everything has stayed stable you can add a fish

After about 2 months or so you could try to start off with an easy coral such as mushrooms or my favorites zoanthids.

This hobby does require a lot of patience but you are doing things the right way, by asking questions before you buy

 

[yearofthenick]

I recommended a nano because you're a beginner - You may find that you're not really in to the hobby, and if that's the case, it's better to have invested less money
Mr. X, aside from Tangs and aggressive fish, how is Hellow being limited?