New to the hobby

[9thwonder]

Hello everyone. I love your site. Everybody seems very nice and willing to help each other out. I need some help on the equipment I would need for a starter reef tank. All I have right now is a 25g aquarium. I don't have the exact specs but I will get them soon. I plan on having about 5 fish or so. Are clownfish good with coral? If so, what other type of fish would be suitable for the size of the tank? All information will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[HD Fatboy®]

Welcome to TRT
clown fish is OK with coral. 5 fish is quite a few in a 25g tank, if you are going reef. Post back on your thoughts on how your setup is going to be.

[crvz]

Welcome to TRT! You're going to need to consider lighting, water flow, and filtration. I'd agree that 5 fish is pretty steep in a 25 gallon, but a pair of smaller clown and 1-2 other small fish may do well. What are the dimensions of the tank, and what type of corals are you hoping to keep?

[Loverotties]

Welcome to TRT! 5 is alot no matter what type of tank you deside in a 25 gallon

[bella d]

Maybe think about adding a sump if you're going for 5 fish in a 25. It increases overall tank volume (for stability) and increases the "filtration" options available to you. It will make tank maintenance a breeze also.

Fish-wise I guess Damsels, Chromis, 6 Line Wrasses, Clownfish etc. will all be happy in a 25 reef. Just avoid the big swimmers like Tangs etc. and territorial fish like the Strawberry Gramma.

[Jagator]

Welcome. In a 25g tank you are pretty much limited to smaller type fish. Clowns are OK, Damsels, Chromis, Smaller Wrasse, Gobys should all be OK. However, if you are doing a reef tank 5 fish in a 25g can get a little crowded.

First thing I would do before worrying with fish is make sure you have the right lights, filtration and flow for a reef tank. What did you have in mind?

[9thwonder]

What do you recommend for filtration, and lighting? What are good brands to go for without breaking my piggy bank.

[aquawolf]

Welcome to TRT!!!

Live rock is your primary means of biological filtration.

The lighting is going to depend on what you want to keep in the tank. If you want a reef with corals, then I would suggest T5 lighting at a minimum.

If it is only going to be fish, then the lighting doesn't really matter. If you are not going to have a sump for this tank, then a decent hang on skimmer like the CPR BakPak 2R, Aqua C Remora, or Octopus would be recommended.

At least 1 powerhead for flow, probably a Koralia 2 or 3 depending on your budget. Then water changes will also be your best bet.

[9thwonder]

I went to my LFS and the guy is selling me a 24g nano cube for $200. With eeverything included including live rock and some coral. What do you guys think? Does this sound good for a beginner like myself? If I do purchase it I will be posting some pics of it.

[Ravens]

I don't know what your setup or budget is but I'd recommend a 55 gallon for a first tank. The more water you have, the more ( in general ) stable the water chemistry is. 55 gallon tanks are inexpensive and it's a fair amount of water and more forgiving than is a 20ish gallon setup.

If cash is an issue this is what I'd recommend:

55 gallon tank - get a new one, it's not worth the risk buying a used one,plus , it may have been used for a copper treatment tank and copper can leach back in to the water column months later. Get a new one.

Aquaclear filter - Hang on back

Heater -


And fish only...

If money isn't an issue I'd get a 75 gallon reef ready tank and read several books before I started...The standard 75 gallon tanks are a little deeper and gas exchange a little better.

Just my 2 cents worth......

[Jagator]

Originally Posted by 9thwonder

I went to my LFS and the guy is selling me a 24g nano cube for $200. With eeverything included including live rock and some coral. What do you guys think? Does this sound good for a beginner like myself? If I do purchase it I will be posting some pics of it.

That sounds like a good deal if he is throwing in LR and coral also. Since you are doing a reef tank there are still some things you will need for it. Maybe ask the LFS if these are included.

1. A protein skimmer (they make compact in sump skimmers for Nano Cubes)

2. Flow: A couple Koralia Nanos would work great. Might even possibly consider going Koralia 1s depending on what types of Corals you want to keep and how much flow you are looking for.

3. What type of lighting is included? I think most Nanos have Power Compact lighting (at least my 12g does) so if you are wanting all types of Corals you will probably be best upgrading to a Metal Halide light.

So even if the LFS says it comes with "everything" you might still need some items to get your tank up and going. These are all things you do not have to do immediatly to get it started though. Since you tank will be going through some sort of cycle you don't want to run a Protein Skimmer until the cycle is finished. Flow is something that can be added later if you wish since the return will provide enough to get everything going. The lighting is also something that doesn't have to be immediate, I would figure out what type of corals you want before deciding whether or not to upgrade lighting. Power Compacts should work fine for LPS and Softies but if you are wanting SPS corals you will most likely want to upgrade to a Metal Halide.

[quick_murdoc]

First Welcome to TRT!

$200 for a 24 gal nano with live rock and sand is actually a good price if its not used. If he is selling you a used tank then be a little careful and make sure that everything in the tank is up and running. Sometimes at the LFS they will give you a good deal but they wont tell you that they bulbs of the tank are old and need to be replaced which (depending on the type) can be close to another $100. So make sure to ask when the last time the blubs were replaced if its not a new tank. Also if you keep up with water changes every week you could get by without a skimmer on a 25 gal but you have to keep it up because the tank will build up nutrients very fast. Remember a skimmer will be a great help in keeping your tank helthy so they are worth it and dont forget to keep up with water changes even if you get a skimmer.

Keep in mind that there will be extras that you will need to buy in order to test and maintain the tank so you can probably tack on another 50-100.