Smallest Tank Size

bradttu

bradttu

Member
Hello all,
This is my first post on this board. I have enjoyed reading everyone's threads on this great hobby. I have heard different people say different sizes are a "minimum" for saltwater. I was thinking it would be great to put a tank in my office. Is it possible to have a 5 or 10 gallon saltwater tank?
 
A

alti

Guest
if you dont have any experience in saltwater you may want to stay away from small tanks. the minimum i would recommend is 30 gallons. a 5 gal tank is too small for even 1 fish.
 
bradttu

bradttu

Member
I am in the process of buying a 55 gal. for my home. My wife and I went and looked at tons of different fish today. My favorite has to be the yellow Tang. I hope that I will be successful with this. I have a friend who has a 200 gal. tank and it is beautiful.
Do you have any advice for a person who is new to saltwater???
ps, thanks for the welcome! :)
 
A

alti

Guest
the best advice i can give you is DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYTHING THE GUYS AT THE LOCAL FISH STORE TELL YOU. they are looking to make money and people new to the hobby have a bullseye on their forehead.
do some research on setting up the tank before you buy anything. most people who get into this hobby without doing some research end up buying a bunch of junk that really is not right for their tank and have to upgrade later. are you planning a reef or fish only tank?
do some searches on:
DSB's (deep sand beds)
sumps
protein skimmers
and whatever fish you are interested in
 
bradttu

bradttu

Member
This will show my newbieness to saltwater.... I want corals, inverts and fish. What is the difference between fish only and a reef tank?
 
scubadoo

scubadoo

Active Member
Reef tanks require special lighting....you are limited as to the types of fish you can have..etc, etc, etc...also..that yellow tang you like even if purchased when it is small will eventually outgrow the 55..
 
A

alti

Guest
fish only is a tank with only fish and maybe inverts
reef tank is if you want to keep corals fish and inverts
a fish only system is a bit easier to start out with. fish are a bit more forgiving than corals and alot easier on your wallet.
 
A

alti

Guest
scubas right about the yellow tang. they need alot of swimming room to be happy, as do ALL tangs.
 
bradttu

bradttu

Member
Thanks for the info guys! I am heading to a book store right now to purchase a few books. I will be laying low for a while and reading the other posts.
See ya around.. :cool:
 
iceburger

iceburger

Member
hey hey...some LFS people know what they're talking about, there are many people in here that work at a LFS, including me...so........................................
 
A

alti

Guest
sorry,
i will rephrase my prior statement.
"DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYTHING THE GUYS AT THE LOCAL FISH STORE TELL YOU, UNLESS YOUR IN THE STORE ICEBURGER WORKS AT";)
 
marting83

marting83

Member
bradttu,
Definitely work with your 55 gallon aquarium for a while, but a small office aquarium isn't out of the question. Take a look at this site... Nano-reef.com. There is one particular aquarium I think would capture your interest; It is an Eclipse 5 gallon Hexagon Coral Reef aquarium. Of course he has modified the lighting, installed a small powerhead for additional circulation, and attached a top-grade heater, but he is able to house a Yellow Goby and some nice corals.
Please remember, this requires a great deal of experience to succeed with this size of aquarium. I have been working with freshwater for 7 years and saltwater for 4 months and don't see myself ready for a 5 gallon any time soon.
 
benj420

benj420

Member

Originally posted by iceburger
hey hey...some LFS people know what they're talking about, there are many people in here that work at a LFS, including me...so........................................
I agree. I have met some really knowledgable LFS employees, and some real idiots. The key is finding a good one and sticking with them, but you won't know one from another for a while. What you need to do is take several people's opinions in to account and never purchase anything without fully researching it first. Even if that means walking away from a really good deal.
There are two LFS's that I frequent. One of them is pretty big and has a pretty good selection of dry goods at fair prices, but I don't like their fish or tank setups (now that I know better). Another store is much smaller, but I fully trust the owners. They only keep a few fish on hand and special order just about everything. This doesn't bother me because I don't mind waiting for the quality of fish that they will get me.
And, just watch this board for a while. You will see who knows what they are talking about and who is full of hot air.
 
ozadars

ozadars

Member
I am new i mean i ve had a marine aquarium for 4 months. BUT i THink you can put a carpet anemone with two pink skunks or orange skunks ( my favourites) in a 10 gal tank with a Berlin airlift PS and a external filter for lighting u can use a actinic blue and a grolux lamp? I think its OK but we should aks this to proffesionels
Bye now!
Selim TURKEY;)
 
A

alti

Guest
ozadars,
anemones need alot of light. im no expert and have never kept one, but dont think 2 small NO(normaql output)flourescent bulbs will be able to support it. make sure you feed it alot since your lighting is very weak. i may be wrong again, but i think the grolux lamps for freshwater tanks.
by the way, my father was born in a small town outside of mardin, turkey. ive only been to turkey once, but it is a beautiful country.
 
fshhub

fshhub

Active Member
carpets in teh wild get over 3 foot, in tanks, tehy have been seen to get 2 feet. 10 gallon is a bit small, IMO too.
brad and zadars, welcome to the board.
 
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