New guy and a 15 gal. designer tank needs comments

wymike

wymike

New Member
Hi everybody! I would like your opinions. I purchased a 15 Gal. All-Glass tank for my office. You can see it at http://www.all-glass.com/products/aq...s/designer.asp . It was a Christmas gift to myself! My office is only approx 10x12 and this tank has a small footprint.
Currently I am setting it up for FW until after the holidays. Right now I want to start getting the equipment I need to launch a SW tank. A friend runs a 5 gal tank and said I can use the 15. I've read through 10+ pages of posts and now need your thoughts.
1) What equipment shall I start getting, a little at a time, so the cash outlay isn't so huge!
2) Have I read correctly. You can use playsand from the home improvement stores for the bottom?
3) I would like to have 2 clownfish, a Cleaner Shrimp and maybe a crab or two and a blennie. Any other suggestions for a small tank community?
A SW tank has been a goal for several years but I move a lot. An office tank will whet my appetite and provide some experience for a larger tank one day. Any help and/or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Hey Mike,
I'm afraid my recommendation is to keep it FW. Small SW tanks are difficult even for the very experienced. Setting it up and understanding the chemistry and mechanics is just too much for those unfamiliar with SW. This is compounded by the fact that it must maintain itself over long weekends.
I think it's just a bad idea... sorry :(
Guy
 
T

thomas712

Guest
First of all for a small saltwater tank like that there is very little room for error. Larger tanks like 90,125,180's are all more forgiving of small mistakes. Don't get me wrong many people have nano tanks and keep them well.
Second with a tall narrow tank like that you will not have very good surface oxegen exchange, In my opinion a larger surface area is always better in a marine tank.
Third you will have to give some thought about lighting so you will need to decide what type of tank you want Fish only=FO, fish only with live rock=FOWLR, or a reef. All can have different lighting.
Just some thoughts
Thomas
 
exotickeeper

exotickeeper

Member
I agree with above, I HIGHLY recommend you keep it freshwater. With a small aquarium, it is harder to manage with the salinity and you have to top off quite often. The chemical balance of saltwater is hard to deal with when a small aquarium is involved!
And you the aquarium from your link appears to be bigger in height, which is not neccessarily the best thing. Surface area is best for exchange of gases, but more importantly fish (generally) don't swim up and down as much as left and right.
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
I am the opposite. I thik small salt water tanks, though very difficult, are cool.
If you really want to set one up, first... READ READ and then read some more. Be very patient and do not overstock. One very small fish will be about it in that small tank. But, lot's of rock would still look cool in there.
 
kev

kev

Member
Although everyone says that small tanks are very hard to maintain. I started this hobby out with a 20 gallon, and I think anyone could keep it up if they just had basic knowledge about SW fish tanks. It might be harder to pull off a nano reef(with delicate corals), but if your gonna make it a FO, or just keep the hardy corals, youll be fine.. :D
 
j21kickster

j21kickster

Active Member
but before you try- hang around this board and read all the posts you can for about a month- then give it a shot
 
entice59

entice59

Active Member
yes its not impossibile, i started with a 15 gallon hex then moved to a 15 gallon rectangle.... 15 isnt as small as the .75 gallon tank i saw!!!! behold, i hope the owner of the picture doesnt go after me but... here are the pics i saved from another message board
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
OK Nano guys :) Just one question.
Would you be comfortable leaving your nano unattended 12+ hours a day, every weekend, and several 3-4 day weekends?
 
wymike

wymike

New Member
My other concern is good lighting. The tank measures 13x13x26 with only one 10" light. The one which came with the tank states it's only 8 watts.
Possibly in a few months I will pick up another tank. I'm hoping a 70-90 GAL will surface in the classifieds after the Holidays! :::Looking for a deal!!!:::
What about converting the designer tank to a QT???
 
amyrosea

amyrosea

New Member
One thing to keep in mind, no matter what you decide to do, is that in a high tank like a hex, it is harder for the light to penetrate down to the lowest level through all that water. So this kind of tank may have different lighting requirements than the traditional type of tank. Good luck no matter what you decide!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top