Wanting to Start Small Saltwater Aquarium

[sandlot13]

Hey fellow fish lovers!
Ok, so heres the deal...... Im a broke college student who is absolutly in love with aquariums/biology (hence my biology major). Me and my brother recently built our first saltwater aquarium for him (37 gal...... amazing looking). I have become obsessed with the idea of a smaller aquarium that can fit in my dorm room.... Heres where I need your help. I want to start a saltwater tank (anything from 5-15 gal) for as cheap as possible. What do I need to make this happen...... anywhere in particular that i should buy the supplies? Would I be able to get away with buying like an eclipse system and then adding live rock and live sand to let it cycle??? I will have access to a local saltwater shop if need be. any ideas, any help??? please!!!!! thank you!!!
tanner

 

[sandlot13]

Also forgot to mention...... It doesnt have to be anything fancy at all, just a small tank with one or two fish and some live rock. i just need to know what i should aquire to get myself on teh right track...... aka what should i all get
-tank
-sand/ live sand
-base rock/live rock
- filter (do i need a powerhead too?)
- lighting
-salt
- protien skimmer??

 

[reefnut]

Welcome to SWF.COM tanner. One thing to consider is smaller aquariums are less tolerant than larger systems. Usually it's not recommended to start out with such a small system... that said,
Would I be able to get away with buying like an eclipse system and then adding live rock and live sand to let it cycle???
Absolutely, it can be done. If you want corals lighting is very important and usually one of the more expensive items. Some eclipse type systems come with ok lighting but of course they are more expensive. You can also put a retro fit PC light in a eclipse hood...
You may want to watch the news papers to find someone selling a system cheap to get started.
Here's a pic of a eclipse system 6 (6g tank) I had for a while. It had live sand & live rock for filtration, a small powerhead and the built in filter for circulation, a 32w retro fit PC light, two small computer fans for cooling, one small clown fish and some corals. Weekly water changes kept the levels in line but again they are not very forgiving.
Check out the Nano Forum on this board and you can find many nice Nano tanks!!
HTH

 

[celacanthr]

oh, and if you visit the local fish store DONT trust them immediately make them earn your trust. Bytheway what do you want fishwise?

 

[sandlot13]

Great pictures, it gives me some hope!! what were the fans for, cooling the water or cooling the hood??? Ummm, fishwise, it doesnt really matter, i was thinking like a couple chromis or perhaps a dragnet or boxfish....... i wasnt going to be to particular with what fish i wanted, just anyone that could survive in a smaller aquarium. what would you guys suggest?
Also, on taking care of that nano tank, what was the biggest problems in keeping it stable....... specific gravity, or did nitrates and everything prove to be tougher to keep correct?
thanks a bunch guys
tanner

 

[teresaq1]

hi, i am also thinking about starting a 10 gal, i found a 20 inch light unit for 88 bucks. its by coralife. it like 96 wtts.

 

[mandfishes]

I am just starting out put I have a few tips for you.
-I would definately get live sand and live rock, but lr is not a must have (but do get ls).
-I would suggest a 20 gallon and up tank. And I would buy a coustom system (filter, lighting, hood, ect.).
-MAke sure you let your tank cycle before addding fish!!!!
-Read read read before you do anything.
-If you choose to not get live rock, make sure you get some porus rocks for the fish to swim in.

 

[mandfishes]

Oh yes. If you have a low budget, Walmart has some good filters for cheap. But I wouldn't get my tank or fish there. I don't even know if they sell sw fish. Good luck with everything.

 

[sandlot13]

haha thanks guys....... trust me, i would never buy fish from walmart! my budgets tight, so it might be a project extended over a few months....... but basicallly im gonna try to get a 10 gal and build from there. Probably a HOB filter, two powerheads on either side, 15 lbs live rock, some live sand, etc...... let it cycle and see how it all works out. thanks for the help and tips
tanner

 

[reefnut]

i was thinking like a couple chromis or perhaps a dragnet or boxfish.......
You will need a MUCH larger tank for a dragnet or boxfish... no way will they do good in a small tank!!!!

 

[sandlot13]

Originally Posted by ReefNut
i was thinking like a couple chromis or perhaps a dragnet or boxfish.......
You will need a MUCH larger tank for a dragnet or boxfish... no way will they do good in a small tank!!!!

ya, i did some research on fish and found that out...... but also found some gobys that are capable of living in a nano tank and love em, so thats what im thinkin of getting! anywho, thanks for the help guys...... have you heard anything about jbj nano tanks, or is an eclipse system just as good?