Reef Tank?? Fish Only tank??

[milomlo]

What are the differences between the two different types of tanks talked about on this forum? I see fish only tanks and then I think the other is reef tank? I thought they all had the same types of items in them. LR, fish, crabs, shrimp, anenomes (sp) and such. Am I wrong? Sorry for the stupid question. Just curious as to what type of tank I should be looking into. I want one with all the above if that is possible.

 

[shista]

a reef tank is when u got invertabrates and corals a FO tand if just fish.

 

[bonebrake]

Welcome to saltwaterfish.com Message Boards!
FO = Fish Only (No live rock, maybe sand)
FOWLR = Fish Only with Live Rock (Deep sand bed, shallow sand bed, or bare-bottom)
Reef = Fish, Live Rock, and corals and other invertebrates. (Deep sand bed, shallow sand bed, or bare-bottom)
Deep sand bed would be 4" or deeper
Shallow sand bed would be 2" or less
Bare Bottom is no sand with glass or acrylic showing
I hope this helps!
:joy:

 

[milomlo]

Bonebrake,
Yes thank you so much!! From your description I know that I want a Reef tank. I have ordered a book and I am waiting for it to come in so I can learn more. For now I am reading the boards and actually learning alot. Thank you for your help!!
Can you tell me what is a good size to start off with on a reef tank? What are your suggestions....anyone?

 

[reefman22]

I'm starting with my first reef in a 55. It sounds big so I got the 24 gallon nano cube by JBJ and that was just too small and I found a good deal for the 55 and I got it. Now it is the perfect size but I know that down the road I will have to go bigger. But it is all about your opinion. Go to your LFS (local fish store(s) ) and look at tanks and prices then pick the best for you. If you have the time and $$$ you are not limited to a small tank, but it is most common to start small(er) and build up.
Hope this helped! REEF

 

[hoghead]

Milo, I'm just getting into this, but I've already learned one main thing. I had to decide between a really beautiful and active reef, or my favorite fish which is the black Volitan. After I found out that a Vol can attain 15 in lengths and of course inhale everything in sight, it wasn't a hard decision. So, here I go into a nice reef--sans lion.

 

[bonebrake]

Milomlo, it is best to start with as big of a tank as you can afford to run and maintain. It is better to run a small tank with the high quality equipment then a large tank with ghetto equipment because you spent to much on the tank. Buy what you can afford. I have been reading about marine aquaria for three years and I am just starting my first tank as of two weeks ago. My wait was financially related. For a beginner, the bigger the better. The more water volume you have, the more stable it is, and perhaps even requires less attention. It is more forgiving if you make a mistake. Not to beat a dead horse, but do not skimp on equipment, buy the best lighting, the best water chemistry tests, etc. you can afford because you will only regret it later if you try to go cheap on something. Before you do anything, research and plan out what you are going to do way in advance whenever possible.
Have fun!

 

[acrylic51]

I'd say go as big as you can afford and the key is patience and alot of reading and asking questions.....I wouldn't go anything smaller than a 75 and that's pushing it.....I say this only because a 55 is narrow and harder to aquascape IMO

 

[milomlo]

Wow!! Thanks for the input. I originally was thinking of a 29 gal. Then saw some pics on here of more the types of tank I want and they are 55 gal. So I was thinking 55 or 75 gal. to start with. Will any tank work or do I have to buy specific type of tank for saltwater? Is that a stupid question? Sorry? Also when I buy this tank am I suppose to buy another tank to put under the first one??

I went to the library today and checked out a few books. 1) The New Saltwater Aquarium, 2)Marine Aquarist's Manual, 3) Marine Fish Survival Manual, 4) the Aquarium Fish Handbook.
So we will see what these have to say. Also does anyone know of a GREAT book that tells the compatability of fish and corals, and things like that? I thought I saw someone mention some sort of guide on here the other day, but I can't find the thread now. Any advise?
Thanks MILO

 

[aquapro_1]

"Saltwaters for dummies" has a list of fish, capatabilities and the fishes bio.

 

[danedodger]

A PocketExpert Guide!!! There's one called Marine Fishes by Scott W. Michael which I've used as my "fish bible" and another called Marine Invertebrates by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. which I'm just now reading.

 

[danedodger]

The fish one I mentioned has nice pics and good info on many commonly found saltwater fish, minimum tank size, reef compatibility, food, normal maximum fish size, etc. The invert one isn't as easy to just look up and read about a particular invert you might want but so far has loads of great info. And, as the book points out, it can be wicked hard to differentiate between different invert species many times so I appreciate that the author didn't try to assert that HE knows exactly what each invert is, what it eats, etc.
I personally like the Saltwater for Dummies book too :joy: It does give some info on commonly found fish and inverts plus gives you a lot about tanks, filters, the cycle, etc. that's useful to know. There's loads of other really good ones though so read everything you can get your hands on. I think the one most commonly recommended here is The Conscien...(something or another that I can't seem to spell right now

-!!!) Marine Aquarist and it is excellent too.

 

[danedodger]

Argh I'm not awake yet and keep forgetting stuff, sorry!!
Ask EVERY question no matter what it is!!! No question is "stupid"!
Yes, bigger is better in many ways like people have already said so if you can afford to outfit it properly go with that. No, you don't have to have some special kind of tank. Any tank that will do for freshwater will do for saltwater.
You don't HAVE to have a tank to put below your main tank at all! I think what you're thinking of is many people like to put in a sump filter and/or refugium under the main tank. Both do have many advantages which are worth looking into.
As far as setting up a reef system goes I'm guessing you'll also want some fish in there? If so you can always start out with a fish only with live rock (FOWLR) tank since the equipment you need for that is less, and upgrade as you go. I.e., fish only don't have very particular lighting requirements so you can cut the cost on lights at first then before you add your first invert look into what lighting it needs then buy that. The tank should mature for awhile before you try adding inverts anyway. Or, depending on your financial situation, you could always just buy "the best" right off the bat on everything but wait till the tank matures a bit before adding inverts.

 

[milomlo]

Thank you Dane,
I think that book you mentioned is the one I was referring to. So I do NOT need a sump to start off with? I just went to my LFS to check pricing and what not.
He said he had a full set up for a Marine Land 55 gal for $398.
It comes with:
Salt
Hydrometer (which I already have)
water conditioner
Emperor (sp) 400 filter
Fasttest Master Test KIT (sold seperatly for $50.00)
no stand or anything
Does this sound like a good price? I personally was thinking it was high, but I have no idea. Any input?
Then he said I should get a damsel to start my cycling process (when I am ready of course). However on these threads I have read that those can be aggressive. Since I am not sure about what all I want to put in the tank I am wondering if that is a good idea.
Another question is: Do I put the LR in the tank after it cycles or during? Does that matter? Also, do you always get something that grows on the LR? I mean does something always come up? Has anyone ever purchased LR and nothing grew from it? I hope that makes since.
Also, I was looking at the LFS items and the anenome tank/coral tank had some sort of stringy alge in it. Is this ok? Some of the LR looked like it had black stuff on it. There prices were $6.99 lb for LR and they had a sign up for 42.00 for 2 corals. Is that a good price? Is an anenome considered a coral?

Thanks all!!

 

[milomlo]

Also, I know I want a REEF tank. I need to ask about filtration. What is best? Is the undergravel filters the way to go?

 

[milomlo]

OK I just read in this book The New Saltwater Aquarium Handbook that you can mix the salt mixture with tap water. I have read on this forum so many times not to, so now what?

 

[bonebrake]

Don't buy anything until you read a lot and research the best deals for products. That tank is not a good deal, you should not cycle with a damsel, $6.99/lb. of live rock is a rip off, especially if it has black junk growing on it, and never ever ever never ever use tap water in a marine aquarium use DI, RO, or RO/DI only.

 

[bonebrake]

Go to the Archives & FAQ section at the bottom of the message board list and read the pertinent topics to a beginner.

 

[wax32]

You can use tap water but it isn't the ideal choice. You end up with lots of ugly algae and the phosphates in tap water aren't good for corals in large amounts.

Don't let this happen to you!

 

[legendary]

If it is possible I would like to help you on your way to starting your own saltwater ecosystem. I help lots of people in my area get started, first thing is getting a tank, there are quite a few places you can get 1. STarting with want ads, walmart even has a 55 setup for 150 or so and a stand for 70. you will need 2 power heads and we can talk about lighting at a later date. From what i have read your on the right track, I have a system that works if you need help ask everyone on this site will do thier best to help.