Starting out! Total Newb!

[mythrenody]

Hey,I want to start my own Saltwater aquarium,It will be all Fish,or Mostly. I'm buying and tank (30-40 gallon,low on space) soon and wondering what are some suggestions for a filtration system and skimmers and other equipment! and wondering if there's and aquariums that are between 30-40 gallons that are long,length wise. Thanks Guys!

 

[rainfishy]

Welcome to the board!!
Don't know if there is such thing as a 30 or 40 gallon long, but as far as equipment set up there are a lot of different ways you can set up your tank. And if you read a lot on this board you can learn and understand them all.
The way I do it is run a skimmer and powerheads, no filter. Although my skimmer can run carbon. I let my live rock and sand be my filtration system. I use to use a cansiter filter, but found it to be a nitrate factory.
I am sure others will chim in and tell you how they do it.

 

[exile415]

What kind of fish do you want to keep ? 3 Options : Fish only, fish only with live rock and a reef. If you want aggressive fish, You'd probably need a larger tank. 40 gallons is very small for saltwater aquariums.

 

[mythrenody]

I'm probably going to keep a couple of Clownfish and Damsels to start with. I maybe going with a 55, And if a fish-only tank can live off of live rock and sand I may go with that. Thanks Guys!

 

[salsells]

i am new also and i have a 40 gal long tank with live rock and live sand, doing really well so far. good luck. I have 2 clowns, 2 damsels, scooter and wrassa, would not reccomend wrassa, aggresive.

 

[rainfishy]

Hey, I wasn't suggesting just LR and LS, you definitaly need powerheads for circulation and a skimmer.

 

[ktsdad]

One other VERY IMPORTANT issue to keep in mind before starting this hobby --
This hobby is VERY addictive!

I started with a used 55gal 6 years ago. Never seemed to be enough.
So I bought a 95 to go with it, then a 30 to have at work.
Last week we started our new 250gal!

Just want to warn you about what you are getting into!
This hobby can be very rewarding! But that makes it a vicious cycle! The more rewarding it is the more you want!

On a serious note - this hobby really does take ALOT of patience. Don't try to rush things and you will really do well!

Good Luck!

 

[carshark]

KTsdad should definitely post his set up as of now, to give you an idea of what he is talking about when he said its addicting, that set up is pretty schweet

 

[ktsdad]

Awe shucks, you all want to see more pics of my new tank?? (Thanks Carshark)
Well Ok, if you insist........
My wife is telling me to make sure that MyThrenody also knows how expensive this hobby can be also

 

[mythrenody]

KTsDad,Sounds good and i'm patient with things that im pressed on. And I've been into some other addictive hobbies,Paintball. But ya,I've already noticed that this can be an expencive hobby just buy looking at the bigger tanks! And your tank looks real nice!

 

[mythrenody]

I'm also wondering if i can put live sand in instead of uncured rock? And do i really need an Osmosis comtraption? On a site at my bud's house i saw a water purifier that says it could do just the same and it was like 40 bucks.

 

[mitzel]

a few things to keep in mind .
bigger tanks are easier to keep in perameters .more water to disapate any toxins (nitates nitrites amonia ). They are also a lot more expensive to put together.
Live rock and sand would be a very good place to spend some money . they will help keep your water in good peramiters. and since your new you will need all the help you can get.
Deppending on what kind of fish you want will tell what kind of filters you need the more aggresive fish need a better filter system. this also goes back to tank size as most aggresive fish will need a bigger tank to live in and they will also make a mess of a small tanks water. BIG MEAN FISH+ SMALL TANK = lots of water changes.
even with live sand you will need to cure your rock. curing it will help to get rid of dead criters hiding out in the cracks and holes.

 

[mythrenody]

I will invest in Live rock from what I've heard,And I went looking at Tanks today,May get a 40-55. Still haven't decided. And i found a used tank for cheap,Is it a good idea? I'm affraid it could have problems. At this moment the only fish i will be buying,once everything is running smoothly,is Perc Clowns,Chronis,and a Coral Beauty (My fav fish!) but the Beauty looked like it had parasites on it,whtie specs.

 

[ldes]

Originally Posted by ktsdad
Awe shucks, you all want to see more pics of my new tank?? (Thanks Carshark)
Well Ok, if you insist........
My wife is telling me to make sure that MyThrenody also knows how expensive this hobby can be also

Nice setup. What are the specs on the equipment? Was it a package or did you throw it all together from parts? How much did it all cost minus the sand and rock.
Thanks,
Leon