New to saltwater, getting a 8g bio.

viceversa

viceversa

New Member
Hello everyone my name's Andy, I'm new to this exciting hobby of salt water fish!
Just a few weeks ago, my friend and I went shopping for new clothes, but instead we went to a LFS nearby and after seeing all the wonderful saltwater fishes I instantly told myself that I have to get a small saltwater tank!

For a while now, I've been contemplating if I should get back into the "fish" hobby again. Back when I was younger, I had a few betta fish here and there, and for a while I also raised goldfish in a 5 gallon small tank with a filter and heater system. Now that I'm older and actually have a little bit of money saved up, I want to get a small 8gallon biocube for my room to start my saltwater fish hobby.
This past week, I've been visiting different LFS around my area to check out prices and there's an 8 gallon biocube I'm looking at which is $79.99, it comes with a filter and lighting as well.
Tomorrow, I am going to purchase that 8gallon biocube and possibly buy all the supplies needed to start my hobby.

What do you guys think I should buy? I am thinking of just getting the "cycle" ready, by just getting:
1) The 8g biocube.
2) Live rocks
3) Live sand
4) Saltwater
5) A heater
6) Possibly a fish?
Well, thank you everyone for taking the time to read my post, I hope to learn a lot here and to have a successful saltwater setup!

Edit: Sorry for not stating this but in the future, I'm planning to get about 2 clownfish and some small inverts for tank maintenance!
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Welcome to the boards!! Nano cubes are cute, but they are really not for fish. They are nice for corals and inverts. In an eight gallon you could only get one small fish. You may want to think about buying a tank that is larger. Whatever you decide to do, you will have to cycle the tank before you can add any fish, inverts, or coral. For that you would need the live sand, live rock, heater, and depending on what kind of tank you buy, a filter and power head. Some tanks, like the biocube, already contain those items. Take a look at the nano tank section for ideas of what will work in that sized tank. It is also important to understand that small tanks leave very little room for error. It is such a small volume of water that fluctuations happen quite easily, which is very stress full to the tank inhabitants. Take a look around these boards and ask as many questions that you can think of.
 
fishfreak1242

fishfreak1242

Active Member
Originally Posted by ViceVersa http:///forum/post/2608469
Hello everyone my name's Andy, I'm new to this exciting hobby of salt water fish!
Just a few weeks ago, my friend and I went shopping for new clothes, but instead we went to a LFS nearby and after seeing all the wonderful saltwater fishes I instantly told myself that I have to get a small saltwater tank!

For a while now, I've been contemplating if I should get back into the "fish" hobby again. Back when I was younger, I had a few betta fish here and there, and for a while I also raised goldfish in a 5 gallon small tank with a filter and heater system. Now that I'm older and actually have a little bit of money saved up, I want to get a small 8gallon biocube for my room to start my saltwater fish hobby.
This past week, I've been visiting different LFS around my area to check out prices and there's an 8 gallon biocube I'm looking at which is $79.99, it comes with a filter and lighting as well.
Tomorrow, I am going to purchase that 8gallon biocube and possibly buy all the supplies needed to start my hobby.

What do you guys think I should buy? I am thinking of just getting the "cycle" ready, by just getting:
1) The 8g biocube.
2) Live rocks
3) Live sand
4) A heater
5) Possibly a fish?
Well, thank you everyone for taking the time to read my post, I hope to learn a lot here and to have a successful saltwater setup!

Welcome to the boards! Heres some good threads that you should go through and read since you are starting out:
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/301033/101-tips-to-beginning-and-maintaining-a-saltwater-aquarium
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/148610/beginners-equipment-guidebook
 
K

kikithemermaid

Guest
Sep is right, an 8 gallon would only really fit one small fish. And you shouldn't buy a fish the first day you get live rock and sand, it needs to be cycled first. Are you interested in the nano for corals, or for fish?
Welcome!! =)
 
M

markeo99

Guest
I would look into about a 20 if you can the more water the easier it is and a pair of clownfish in a 20 works
 
viceversa

viceversa

New Member
Tomorrow I will try to look for a slightly bigger size, I don't think I will get a 20 gallon because I don't want a HUGE tank in my room. Just want something small in the corner.
If I were to get a 12 or 15, will that be good for a pair of clowns + some inverts and corals?
Thank you so much everyone for answering my q's!
 
rtspeed

rtspeed

Member
My honest opinion to this after having 8 biocubes already, a 8 and a 14 gallon tank are limited to only one or two very small fish, unless you are willing to do weekly water changes and daily water tests.
 
viceversa

viceversa

New Member
Update:
I got myself an 8gallon biocube, some live sand, and 5 gallons of salt water and 12 lbs of LR. Gonna start setting up my biocube now, any advice before I start?
Thanks everyone!
Edit: Pictures will be up tonight!!
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by ViceVersa
http:///forum/post/2609644
Update:
I got myself an 8gallon biocube, some live sand, and 5 gallons of salt water and 12 lbs of LR. Gonna start setting up my biocube now, any advice before I start?
Thanks everyone!
Edit: Pictures will be up tonight!!

Place the bottom layer of rock on the bottom of the tank, then add the sand. If you decide to get a small goby, or something else that shifts sand, you want the rock to be stable.
 
viceversa

viceversa

New Member
Allright, so I got my tank up and sorta did my aquascape.
What do you guys think of this? Anything I should change or add?



This is my stock list so far:
8 gallon nano biocube
6 lbs of LR
10 lbs of LS
5 gallons of salt water
50w heater
1 hermit crab
Fish net
Magnet glass cleaner
What should I invest in next? I know thermometer is a MUST, but what else do I need? Also, how long do I leave my light on? Can I turn it off during the day?
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
I thought that you bought 12lbs of live rock. Was the crab a hitchhiker or did you buy him? Did you happen to buy a liquid master kit for SW testing? Do you have a refractometer? Those are your two next purchases, if you do not have them.
 
viceversa

viceversa

New Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/2610226
I thought that you bought 12lbs of live rock. Was the crab a hitchhiker or did you buy him? Did you happen to buy a liquid master kit for SW testing? Do you have a refractometer? Those are your two next purchases, if you do not have them.
I bought 12 lbs, but I returned 6 lbs because the rest of it was really huge peices.
The crab was a gift from the owner, just something I could look at instead of rocks.
I have not bought any kits yet and I will research into the refractometer.
Also about lighting, can I turn off my lights during the day? Or does it have to stay on?
 
rtspeed

rtspeed

Member
well i am sorry to say this but your crab will be lucky if he makes it threw your cycle, which you need to start if you haven't already.
 
viceversa

viceversa

New Member
I started the filter and it's up and running. Water was super cloudy earlier but now it's getting much better and clear.
What should I be expecting the next few days? Will I see green algae coming out from the live rocks or such like that?
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
It's fun to see someone starting out. It brings back memories

One thing I noticed in your pictures is that the front edge of the tank is protruding over the front of the shelf a tad.
Glass tanks really need to be supported across their entire bottom. Given the size of your tank, I seriously doubt it will cause a problem, but you may consider either placing it on a larger shelf, or cutting a piece of 3/4" plywood to about 1" larger than the outline of the tank on all sides and placing it between the tank and the shelf. If you do decide to do so, now is the time to do it, when it's easy to remove the water.
 
viceversa

viceversa

New Member
Originally Posted by SCSInet
http:///forum/post/2610500
It's fun to see someone starting out. It brings back memories

One thing I noticed in your pictures is that the front edge of the tank is protruding over the front of the shelf a tad.
Glass tanks really need to be supported across their entire bottom. Given the size of your tank, I seriously doubt it will cause a problem, but you may consider either placing it on a larger shelf, or cutting a piece of 3/4" plywood to about 1" larger than the outline of the tank on all sides and placing it between the tank and the shelf. If you do decide to do so, now is the time to do it, when it's easy to remove the water.
Yeah! I am so excited about this whole new salt water hobby. I want to get everything up and running smoothly and in order to do that, patience is the key.

Thanks for noticing, I might go to Ikea to look for another stand.
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
Looks good so far. I would buy more LR and definitely take the invert back. That was a bad move from your LFS. Your tank needs to cycle through the cycle before you add anything else (inverts,fish)
 
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