Newbie to saltwater many questions and help needed

[buddah001]

Hello everyone! Well I guess i better just start the questions. I have been keeping freshwater fish for the majority of my life including the hard to keep DISCUS. And I have succeeded. But my son has been wanting to start a saltwater tank for a long time and to tell you the truth I have been very reluctant of starting one. Although I do research everything before I impulse buy I have been seriously considering taking up the challenge of a SMALL saltwater tank. I am really interested in the Oceanic Bio Cube tank. I probably will go with the 14 or 29 gallon models. He is really interested in clown fish and I am really interested in inverts. Are these setups able to handle both? Are they worth the money?How do I go by setting one up? Is everything included in the "package" to set it up completely? I do not want to go crazy I just want to keep it simple yet very attractive. I really do like the inverts and like I said he is interested in the clown fishes. Can someone help?

[lReef lKeeper]

first off ... welcome to Talking Reef !!

i suggest that you start here before doing anything ...

Talkingreef - Podcast Episodes

the earlier episodes of the podcasts are more NEWBIE oriented, which is what i suggest for you AND your son. they are full of very valuable information. i also suggest joining us on the TalkingreefLive, a LIVE call in talk show that we (Rob, Carmie, and myself) do on a bi monthly basis.

as for your question about nano's ... the more water that you have ... the EASIER it is going to be to keep a successful marine tank. it will give you more room for error than having a small tank. i would suggest going as big as you can afford.

you CAN keep both in a small tank, but you will have to keep fewer fish. most of the inverts are considered to be a part of the clean up crew.

to set one up you will need sand, live rock, and a heater (??). i would suggest a nano skimmer down the road, and maybe an extra powerhead for better flow. the tanks will come with lights, flitration (- skimmer) and the tank, so there are a few other things to buy. HTH some.

[poppin_fresh]

Originally Posted by lReef lKeeper

i also suggest joining us on the TalkingreefLive, a LIVE call in talk show that we (Rob, Carmie, and myself)..

Dont foget me Bobby!

Seriously though, I have a 14 gallon Biocube, but I would buy the 29 if it were going to be my only tank. You will have a little more options as far as livestock and filtration equipment in the 29. This is if you want to go with an all-in-one. I do agree that if you wanted to start out bigger, it might also not be a bad thing.

You could start a decent little SW tank with the Biocube right out of the box. It has decent lighting for all but the most demanding corals and invertibrates. Like Bobby said with some salt, and some Live rock (sand if you wish) you could get started in this crazy hobby.

[CarmieJo]

Hi buddah001 and to TR.

I agree that bigger is easier but the all in ones are convenient. The first thing you will want to do is ditch the "built in wet/dry filtration" (which probably means bio-balls) mentioned on every site I looked at if you want to keep anything besides fish. I have also removed the sponge that was included with my NanoCube. Besides what is in the box you will need a heater, thermometer, another small powerhead, live rock (or live + base rock), test kits, and salt. I prefer having sand in my tanks but you can go bare bottom. You may want to purchase an RO/DI unit although you can buy water at the LFS or some grocery stores.

Although techniques for discus and SW are not the same your experience with those beauties will have taught you the importance of good husbandry. This is really critical with a nano size tank because because the small volume of water doesn't leave you room for sloppy technique.

[fat walrus]

Hi. I have a few tanks and I have been at it for a while.

There are many ways to do a tank. I have no problems with a wet/dry system.

Your success will be be more based on you level of care rather than the method.

[jdjeff58]

Hi....just signed up here. I'm just about winding up my first year in saltwater and thought I'd jump into the discussion with some of my relatively new experience.

I want to say that I officially entered this hobby in Feb 2007. Although that is true, my tank didn't start up until May 2007. Trying to satisfy an itch I had for many years to get into this hobby, I began by going to my LFS 2 blocks away....to look around and ask questions. I got some decent advice there and was also given some contact info for the local reef club. I eventually got hooked up with a guy who became somewhat of a mentor. It's much easier, for me anyway, to deal with someone in 'real time'.

I stumbled upon a post that recommended some books....starter books. It looked like there were several of front runners in this category and I narrowed down my choice to 2. I ended up buying The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paletta. I figured heck, $14.95 to find out if I really wanted any parts of this hobby or not.

I must say that this is probably one of the best choices I made in this hobby. It consolidated and brought into focus the answers to a huge number of questions I had. Previous to that I was getting decent information (for the most part) but it was like a 1000 piece puzzle coming from all directions. When I'm new at something, I need to see things in outline form to make any sense out of it. That's just me.

So upon reading this book, I was able to make at least a sketchy decision whether I wanted to immerse myself into this expensive and rewarding hobby. As the book did not get into great detail, it did outline the basics of setting up a tank and in similar detail the type of fish choices to make.

Somewhere along the way I was given a suggestion to go to as many local fish stores as I could....to look around and ask questions. From the mom and pop stores to the giants....yes Petco and others. It was during this process that I had a grand realization that I was heading into a world that was going to REQUIRE me to understand the basics of this hobby. If you decide to do this, it won't be long till you realize its significance.

I'm not saying this to come off as a know-it-all. With a 7 month old tank I've barely scratched the surface. But I have realized the importance of knowledge in this hobby. I have realized the payoff when making informed decisions and not acting on impulse. I have made a bunch of mistakes...short and long term. Learn as much as you can before the first drop of water goes into the tank.

The podcasts that this site has to offer are great. I was told about this a few months ago and I only wish I would have gotten here earlier. These guys have opened up a whole new world in sharing info about this hobby. Keep 'em comin'.

[CarmieJo]

Hi Jeff and to TR.

Your experience highlights exactly what we are always preaching, research, research, research!

[lReef lKeeper]

jdjeff, welcome aboard !! glad you find them useful. we do a live show now if you would like to join us ...

click below to get signed up and join the show ...

Talkingreef Live (TRL)