First Saltwater\reef Tank

[SKRuB]

Hello, i have been looking at stating a Reef\Saltwater Tank for a few weeks, i keep trying to research on line, i wanted to get possibly some tips or some info on what would be best as a starter size and what fish\coral\rocks would go well together.

Something iam always down for hard work and determination,

Any info would be great,

Thanks

[avalanche wolf]

55 gallon is a good start tank as it will provide you with a stable amount of water and still be manageable.

[JY13131]

Nanocubes are plug and play, but you will outgrow it quickly!

[SKRuB]

I was looking at around a 29 gallon tank, is this to small, iknow smaller tank are less forgiving?

What are the basics to starting this tank, once i decide what size i want,
so i go about adding water, getting the temp right, adding Live Rock\Sand adding fish\coral etc. iam really find this research process quite confusing,

If anyone could let me know how they started out and progressed over time that would be great too.

[Discdogge]

Check out the 24g aquapod (with hqi lighting)

I started out with a 12g nano, and that was way too small, but the 24 is really nice. Quite a bit of room for a starter tank and with the metal halide fixtures, you can keep anything you want in it. I kept two clams and they did great.

I had the 24g aquapod with 150w metal halide fixture
aqua c remora skimmer (worked awesome and was really clean cut for a hang on the back skimmer)
I did replace the stock pump with a maxijet 1200.
and I got the oceanic 29g stand.

It looked really nice.

You can find them used as well, I just sold my whole set up for 400$ ( )

Here's some shots:

[TheReefer12]

Nanos are great if you don't want to hassle with putting together a tank piece by piece. It just depends what you want to accomplish with the tank. I like putting together a tank though. Makes things a little bit more rewarding, plus you have a little bit more forgiveness when you have more water.

[Geoff]

Welcome to TRT!!!



sorry, i disagree with using a 55 as a starter tank. i have had one for nearly 10yrs. hated it every minute. they are just to thin. very hard to get aquascaping properly. the new flurry of nanos are good, but a lot need mods in order to work "properly".

depending on your budget i would start with a 30g cube. you only need one MH over it for lighting. the tank is a nice shape so aquascaping is not difficult. you are somewhat limited in fish, but that is true of any tank under a 75.

the 75g would be another suggestion. you would need a lot more light here, but the added with is very helpfull in setting up the tank.

i do suggest getting a sump regardless. a skimmer is also the most important piece of mechanical filtration on the tank. YOU DO NOT NEED ANYTHING ELSE. any other money you were going to spend on equipment needs to go into the skimmer.

G~

[know-it-all]

welcome,

my first thought is right on, start to research before you buy

trouble is you asked a very general question
we'd be able to offer some more suggertions once you get more detailed in what you'd like to keep

what corals/fish do you want

my thought for a 29 is some softies,zoo's, mushrooms

[Discdogge]

I always hear people say how hard it is to maintain the levels in nanos, but I never had a problem, it was steady all the time. All my corals thrived.
(although I did not have sps)
I used the remora skimmer, and I can't complain a bit about it, it worked great, and I filled the back chambers with liverock rubble.
My tank was always crystal clear, no problems.

also wanted to add, aquapod didnt really need any mods and I never needed a chiller either.
I replaced the stock pump with a maxijett, and didnt use any of the bio balls or ceramic rings. I did attach on a plexi glass
"fence" to keep fish from jumping over the back.
I kept 3 fish.

[SKRuB]

Thanks, this info is awesome, the setup discdogge has looks like something i would strive for. with a few Clown Fish and some of those jelly things lol, i dont know all the differences between coral, Inverts, Cucumbers, Fish and whatnot.

Just some clarification

'I had the 24g aquapod with 150w metal halide fixture'
Is this the Mechinal Filtration Unit? if so do you have any links of the product specs\details

'a skimmer is also the most important piece of mechanical filtration on the tank'

What is a Skimmer?

[SKRuB]

and which of these two Items would suit my needs.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Current-USA-Aquap...QQcmdZViewItem

or

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Current-USA-Aquap...QQcmdZViewItem

They BOth seem good, why is the more expensive one better, what does it have that the other dosent.

Thanks Everyone

[Chris86]

i want look at tank sizes from 36 galllon to 55 gallon as a starter. What size are u looking for?

[Discdogge]

Originally Posted by SKRuB

Just some clarification

'I had the 24g aquapod with 150w metal halide fixture'
Is this the Mechinal Filtration Unit? if so do you have any links of the product specs\details

'a skimmer is also the most important piece of mechanical filtration on the tank'

What is a Skimmer?

the 150w I referred to is the light fixture that comes with the aquapods.
A skimmer is your filtration unit. There's a couple options with nano tanks.
I used a remora skimmer, it worked great and very clean cut appearance.
coralife has some hang on the back skimmers, and theres a few others.

I think you should def do a lot of reading before you select your first tank, ask a lot questions. Theres a ton of friendly and knowledgeable people here. Good luck.

[betamed]

Hi,
The difference on those two nanos is the lighting they come with. The Metal Halide(MH) lighting is much stronger than the power compact (PC). If you wanted to keep corals that have a high light requirement then the MH lights would be better, but if not the PC lights will support most low/medium light corals.

[ChrisPrusha]

Welcome to TRT!! w0000000000000000000000t!!