some suggestions would be great!

[rei]

I've decided to ask the experts for advice....

I'm thinking of starting a 55gal FO tank and have been reading up on it. The latest book was "SWF For Dummies." I got to thinking that it might not be the best tool for a beginer. What books do you suggest. Is a 55gal tank too much to start with? I've also heard conflicting info on things like vacuuming. Do you vacuume a tank or not?? (LFS said no, that it causes too much fulctuation in water levels.) And how many inches of fish to gal of water? Is it 1:1 more/less? I don't want to mess up and waste fish, time, or money!
Any and all advice is appreciated! :happyfish

 

[dogstar]

I have heard that " The New Marine Aquarium " by Michael Paletta is a great begginers book. An easy read with great info but not too much to bog your brain.
I think a 55g or larger would be great cause water chemistry dont change as fast as in a smaller tank and you can catch problems befor everything crashes.

 

[texasex]

A 55 is a great "starter" tank. I had one and then had to move, so I gave it to my sister and got a 29 gallon. I thought it would be easier, and let me tell you it is a lot more work! The smaller it is, the greater any little change affects the tank. 55 is a good size to go with! :joy:

 

[fishnerd]

Yes on the 55
Yes on gravel vacumming
No on 1" per gallon. Thats a FW idealogy, SW can't carry the oxygen, nor remain stable at that concentration. I would go closer to 1" per 4-5 gallons, but do it slowly.
An important thing to remember with aquatic livestock...
Most FW aquarium fish come from rivers, lakes and streams, where one good thunderstorm can dramatically change the water quality in minutes. These fish have learned to adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions.
Most SW aquarium fish come from coral reef environments, where the water quality is very stable. The pH is always +/- 8.2 and it takes weeks for the water to change a degree or two in temperature. Thus, SW aquarium fish have not needed to rapidly acclimate themselves to changing environmental conditions and cannot tolerate fluctuations in the home aquarium as easily as FW fish.

 

[teresaq1]

No to vacume. Sand should not be disturbed. dont use gravel or crushed coral. . Good Luck.

 

[fishnerd]

Theresa, why not? Its a FO tank, so he doesn't need to worry about sessile invertebrates in the substrate. I'm not criticizing you, just curious as to why you have that opinion.

 

[texasex]

I'm with fishnerd. If if is a fish only, crushed coral is fine. I actually have both. I have crushed coral on one side (for my crazy fish that love to move the stuff around, and yes, vaccum it!), and I have live sand on the other side for my inverts and corals (no, don't vaccum it. If you try, it makes a huge mess!).

 

[teresaq1]

mainly because i have been told over and over not to use cc because of waiste causing problems. Sorry if i'm wrong, thats what i have been told on these boards

 

[lion_crazz]

Well, as for a book, I would definitely get the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner. As to the vacuuming, I would say definitely yes. Instead of doing sand, in a FO system, you want to do something a little thicker, but I would recommend against crushed coral (so go with aragonite. It is thicker than sand but finer than crushed coral, you can still vacuum it.)

 

[rei]

Originally posted by Texasex
A 55 is a great "starter" tank. I had one and then had to move, so I gave it to my sister and got a 29 gallon. I thought it would be easier, and let me tell you it is a lot more work! The smaller it is, the greater any little change affects the tank. 55 is a good size to go with! :joy:

Can you move and still keep your tank? If so, how do you move it??

 

[texasex]

You can move a tank. It is a lot of work, and I moved over 1000 miles! It would have been too stressful on the fish, unless I mailed them, and lets face it, I am just too lazy!!

I know others have moved their tanks, and I am sure if you started a thread with that question, you would receive quite a few responses!