pick what i should buy!!!

[sonicboom1]

Hey guys, my buddy got a 35gal. tank recently and wow im just amazed. I can watch his few fish for hours since hes just starting out. Anyways...
I am looking for a 35 gallon tank since its perfect for space in my room and not to big nor to small! :joy:
So i come to you guys if you have any ideas on what all I should be looking for, I have 3 local shops and I can get a 35 or 40 gallon tank for roughly $140, is that a good price?
Just please give me ideas on what I should get first etc..I was planning on just buying gravel stuff and live rock at first and building up from there...well opinois please! :help: :help:

 

[annanymous]

get a 55 gal. best starter size

 

[exile415]

I agree with annaymous. 55 is a great starter tank. What kind of fish are you looking foward to get ? If you will be getting something that will outgrow your tank you will need to upgrade to a bigger tank. :jumping: GOOD LUCK

 

[firefish21]

140 sounds good for that size
BUT from what i've heard- start out with Live Sand (or atleast some) and mix it with the tropical play sand... eventually you will want it and it will be a pain to transfer from gravel
plus, live sand is better anyway

 

[sonicboom1]

fish wise umm not to sure yet i know i want some sort of starfish, crab, eel, CLOWNFISH! seahorses, tangs, just basically anythign that looks good!
my friend has a sand/crushed coral bottom i would probably do the same, does that sound like a good combination?
Im not going to be getting anything big, just smaller kinds of fish.

 

[firefish21]

well i can already tell you that the seahorses and the tangs are definitely out
seahorses are difficult to keep for one
and two, tangs need AT LEAST a 55 from what i've heard.... and they prefer larger 75+ or the tang police will get you
other than that i'm not sure about the others
you wont be able to keep many fish in that size tank

 

[clarkiiboi]

Originally Posted by sonicboom1
Just please give me ideas on what I should get first etc..I was planning on just buying gravel stuff and live rock at first and building up from there...well opinois please! :help:
IMO, the "gravel stuff" would be a mistake. Use sand instead, there are many ways to go about this.

 

[sonicboom1]

no tangs then! thats ok
I just want easy level fish for a 55 gallon tank and look pretty neat.
do you think crushed coral and sand mix would be a good fill for the tank with live rock and sea plants probably some crab then, star fish, clams, snails...basically anything smaller, i dont need any big fish.

 

[teen]

look into jawfish, clowns, dwarf angels, and blennys. those are all best suited for small tanks. i would go with about a 45-55 gallon tank, the bigger the better. in a 45 u can keep about 9 inches of fish, so thats about3-4 fish. no eels or tangs :joy:

 

[sonicboom1]

alright, then what about other non fish life what should I look for?
crabs, snails, anemones, clams, shrimp, starfish?
any of those or are certain ones maybe not good for what im looking for?
im going today after school to price a tank :joy:

 

[firefish21]

Have you checked out the descriptions in the fish and invert section of this site?
also from what i've learned, you wont be able to have an anemone for a while
same with most starfish i think

 

[sonicboom1]

Yeah im looking at the descriptions and finding fish with easy care levels and moderate temp. levels.
Would I not be able to have a anemone because the tank wouldnt have anything for it to filter feed from?

 

[sonicboom1]

im going after school, in about hour and a half should i just go ahead and buy some stuff? tank and the equipment

 

[kypitbull]

i like my feather dusters! I like um alot! my 30 gallon got a couple of feather dusters to black and white clowns and a flame angels. some crabs and snails. they seem to get along real nice with plenty of live rock.
watch the dwarf angels around the feather dusters if you go that rought

 

[ophiura]

No, the first think you need to buy is a book and sit down and do some reading. You need to really do some research or you will WASTE lots of money. Search on cycling a tank, crushed coral, etc before you make mistakes. What goes in the tank right now is not so important. You need very bright lighting for anemones, certainly NOT what comes on the tank. You may not be able to keep starfish either.
But either way, you won't be getting fish for several weeks after setting up the tank, that is, if you want to do it right. To do it right requires a great deal of patience and research. :yes:

 

[bacffin]

I'll second ophiura suggestions here. I started reading books and researching BB, then read more books until I was comfortable with my decisions. It has been 4 months and I am just starting to cycle my tank now. You would not believe the money I would have wasted if I just ran out and got everything I "thought" I needed or was suggested by my lfs. This site is a great resource of information. Good Luck

 

[sonicboom1]

yeah I have been reading on here on setting up the tank and cycling the tank etc.. so I know not to just go out and buy stuff, I wouldnt get fish for a while.

 

[crazyaqua]

yeah dont go with crushed coral it sucks. It is a pain to clean and it causes chemical problems too with trapped waste. Go with sand you can get animals to clean it for you. Besides that read read read.

 

[acekjd83]

NO CC to start! it is, IMHO, a total waste of space and money for many reasons, and live sand is just plain simple and easy. ophiura will also most likely say no to starfish (i wish i'd heard that before my LFS said they were easy) since most are hard to keep in small tanks, and some are not reef safe.
you should pretty much have everything planned out before you put any water in your tank, because its much easier to change a plan than a product, as my dad says.

 

[dskidmore]

Couldn't a beginner handle a serpent star? I know most brittle stars are filter feeders and won't be healthy in a brand new tank, but serpent stars can be trained to accept skewered bits of fish and shellfish.
You can't put fish in for a bit, but it doesn't hurt anything to plan ahead, and drool over catalogues and the fish store selection while you're waiting for your tank to stabilize:
Crabs and snails you'll be able to get right after your tank is cycled. They are part of your cleanup crew. The eel is really a special requirements fish, do some browsing on the agressive fish forum before deciding on an eel. Clownfish are entirely doable. You could very easily keep a pair of clowns as your starter fish. Seahorses don't require alot of space, but they do require very special care. If you're inent on keeping them, try to run a normal saltwater aquarium for a year, then when you have some experience and alot of research under your belt, pick up a smaller tank for seahorses. Tangs, as someone else mentioned, require alot of space. Clams and anemones require very intesive lighting and experienced care. I recomend you look into Jawfish and Gobies.
I agree with the other recomendations. Use sand. Buy the biggest tank you can afford and have space for. (Budget around $20 per gallon for all equiptment and stocking.) Starting with just sand and live rock is a good way to break in your tank.