New Member help!

[andrewmack]

Hello, My name as you can see is Andrew , I have been interested in aquariums for a while and now I want to try my own, I'm only 16 and have had a few tanks in the past, as of now I have a small 5 gallon corner shelf tank, it is freshwater with only angel fish. But saltwater has allways been a big interest to me. I have been looking an reading on how to start stuff but it is not much help, I pretty much wanted to know what size tank I can start with, how much it should cost, and what fish. The fish I like are clown fish, atlantic longnose, copperband butterfly, and blue hamlets, along with a few others, Please help?
Andy

 

[masala4080]

its good to see someone younger here. (im only 17.) Most people reccomend a 55 gal. It is great starting point, not too small, not too large. 30 gallons are so is on the smaller side and will be harder to maintain, but nothing smaller. Unless you are a little more experienced anyway. A lot of people say bigger the better, and get the biggest tank you can afford., but may not be the best advice.
It all depends on what you want in the tank for the cost. If you just want to do a a fish and live rock tank then it will be cheaper then doing a coral / reef tank. Reef tanks need better and more expensive lighting, more water flow, and better water conditions. The corals also cost a good amount of money to though. (its recommended to not do the reef tank as a beginer, and wait around 6 months to a year to add corals, to insure great water quality, and for the tank to fully "mature".
Those fish are pretty cool. Definitly do a search on this site or anywhere else though, to find out more about them. I know a couple of them need fairly large tanks though.
Good luck and welcome to the boards.

 

[maeistero]

i'd think you're ready for a salt at an early age, congrats and props to you. angels are pretty difficult sometimes, if you've bred them then you know you're ready. i've known discus breeders who are scared of saltwater.
big tank yes. i really think that the more skilled you get at saltwater tanks shows by how small of a tank you can maintain. it's expensive. fish only tanks need testing at least once a week if not more and we all know test kits aren't cheap. live rock isn't cheap either. price that and live sand to match. you don't need expensive lighting for a lot of stuff, do some research and you'll find some deepwater things that are awesome and cheap. i like 1-2 fish in my 55. things happen with live rock that will blow your mind. i turned on the light an hour ago - 2:30 am and all these things ran back to the rocks. i have no idea what some of them were (and i know what copepods look like)
i say go for it, but i wouldn't recommend lots of fish. my tank cleans itself (aside from the skimmer and filter) and is sooo much easier than my freshwater tank (oscars and pacus).

 

[andrewmack]

Ok, Does anyone know where i can buy complete tank setups, they sell em at walmart for like 125, 55ga, it has the tank, the filter system and thats about it. What else is mandatory to start the tank? I was kinda wanting three fish, two clown and something else, maybe a copperband butterfly or a foxface. Any an all help is much apreciated. If someone could put a list of stuff i need i would be so thankfull. And how much are test kits usually, i see about 20 diffrent ones, I dont need all them do I?

 

[snipe]

Try a famouse auction site and see if there are any local to you. Or try posting an add or searching your local papers for a complete setup. You can usually get big completes setups around 100 gallons for around $500 to $800 "super cheap"

 

[dvs]

Hey Andy. Welcome aboard. One thing to keep in mind with fish... 1" of adult fish per 5 gallons. If you go over to the fish section you'll see sizes next to each selection. This is the size of the fish when it gets shipped to you, not the adult size. If you plan on getting a 55gal, I would highly suggest you rethink the Foxface and the Copperband. The pair of clowns is fine. Keep us posted!
:jumping:
Jen

 

[masala4080]

you can get tanks anywhere. Usually and with my experience All-Glass tanks are the best. The ones you find at walmart and whatnot IMO easily leak water. You can get all-glass tanks at mostly any LFS for around the same price, just better quality.

 

[ky reefer]

hey andrew welcome
i just resently got on this sight it is great. i am starting out with a 50 gallon and it is going great i just got some live rock today and it looks awsome!! if i were you i would get a 50-55 gallon at the least you can go 30 but it will just be that much harder. what are you willing to spend????
patrick

 

[ky reefer]

list of stuff you need
filter
power head
heater
50-55 pounds of sand (or more for higher sand bed)
you can get tap water and purify it or just buy it
stand
lights (if you want corals and enemones you need higher power light)
lids for the tank
salt
thats all i can think of to get you started

 

[jacknjill]

and you need a skimmer

 

[andrewmack]

Ok, Thank you, I am going to price all this stuff and see what I come up with. It will prolly take me some time, cause I am not rich and I wanna do it right the first time. I was gunna start with no fish, just get some live rock and everything else and wait like 1-2 months before I add any fish. Any suggestions, I really wanted to get like a 20-40gallon tank.

 

[andrewmack]

And what about test strips? what do they cost how many do i need? is this something that will cost me 20 dollars a month?

 

[andrewmack]

I found a 55gallon tank kit for 150 and it had this, please tell me what else i need, if missing anything. This site has been so helpfull, thank you.
1 - All-Glass 55 Gallon aquarium (black trim, clear seal, branded, manuf date 6/04)
2 - All-Glass 24" flourescent hoods w/lamps (branded)
1 - Whisper PF-60 HOB filter which was branded everywhere with "Tetra" and "Whisper" except on the top cover which was gray instead of black and said "Top Fin" in silver and was packaged in a "Top Fin" retail box.. go figure.
1 - Marineland Visi-Therm 200w heater (white boxed, branded on heater)
1 - Tetra 6" net
1 - stick on LCD thermometer
1 - sample packet of Top Fin tropical flake food. "Improved Formula" .. Oooo.
1 - sample packet of Tetra tropical flake food in a resealable pouch
1 - 4oz bottle of Aquarium Pharm Stress Zyme
1 - 4oz bottle of Aquarium Pharm Stress Coat
1 - "Maintaining your new aquarium" VHS video.

 

[snipe]

1 - All-Glass 55 Gallon aquarium (black trim, clear seal, branded, manuf date 6/04)
(You will need this of course
2 - All-Glass 24" flourescent hoods w/lamps (branded)
( these lights are great for fish only but if you want corals ditch these and upgrade)
1 - Whisper PF-60 HOB filter which was branded everywhere
with "Tetra" and "Whisper" except on the top cover which was gray instead of black and said "Top Fin" in silver and was packaged in a "Top Fin" retail box.. go figure.
(Take the filters out and place carbon in there)
1 - Marineland Visi-Therm 200w heater (white boxed, branded on heater)
(You will need this or mabey have to upgrade)
1 - Tetra 6" net
(Dont really need it but it is handy "you cant ketch stuff very easy once its in there with a net just placing them in ")
1 - stick on LCD thermometer
(Not very reliable buy a thermo that suctions on the side of the glass there like $1.09 at walmart)
1 - sample packet of Top Fin tropical flake food. "Improved Formula" .. Oooo.
(Wont last very long better buy some stuff for what you plan to keep "filter feeder food, dried seaweed and vegie clip, freeze dried and frozen food")
1 - sample packet of Tetra tropical flake food in a resealable pouch
(same as above)
1 - 4oz bottle of Aquarium Pharm Stress Zyme
(Wont last all that long when QT a new fish you should use this)
1 - 4oz bottle of Aquarium Pharm Stress Coat
(It is basically the same thing as the stress zyme)
1 - "Maintaining your new aquarium" VHS video.
(dont really need it you have this site)
You still need to get a skimmer, sand, rock, and some cocktail shrimp to cycle your tank.

 

[andrewmack]

Ok, Thakn you guys very much. So I can Prolly start a tank for 500 bucks. But I have a challenge for myself. Im going to change my 5 gallon fresh water tank to salt for a few weeks. buy some test kits and get the hang of trying to keep the water good. Where can I buy a small amount of live sand an maybe a live rock or some kinda shrimp? I think a few test first will be great, that way I know if and when I'm ready!