Hey guys new saltwater aquarium, what do you think?

[logancollins]

Hey guys I was told I would get a better response here, so I reposted. Thanks for the help!

I just bought a 36g bow fish tank. It has all the stuff for freshwater, but freshwater fish are not really something I want. So what is the bare minimum I need to have 5 - 6 saltwater fish? I dont want corals or anything, and live rock is real expensive. I read live rock is not neccessary for a fish only tank. Is that true?

Anyway, this what I got so far -

Live Sand - 30 lbs.
Good filter (so I was told)
Light (came on the freshwater tank, seems really bright)
Cheap skimmer (ebay =[)
A saltwater starter kit - Red Sea Marine Salt Water Aquarium Starter Kit at PETCO (http://www.petco.com/shop/product.aspx?familyid=104330&cm_ven=GoogleBase&cm_cat=Fish&cm_pla=Red%20Sea&cm_ite=382981&CAWELAID=201380218)
Tank w/ stand
A heater

Is that the bare minimum I need to have just a few saltwater fish for a small tank? I really am on a small budget. I got everything listed above for about $200 total with the tank and everything.

I was told this was a great site for information and I really appreciate all of your help!

P.S. How many fish do you think I could have in a set up like this? An inch per gallon like freshwater?

[Squawkbert]

take some time, read the faqs - I suspect you'll want some LR or at least LR rubble - is cheaper than the alternatives...

[LiveOutLoud]

:iagree: Do lots of research
I'm not exactly sure how many fish you could have but the inch per gallon rule does not really work. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but you could probably have 3 or maybe 4 small fish.

Also the only other thing I can think of this late is powerheads in a FO tank you want about 10x per gallon turnover which is about 360 gallons per hour.
I'm really new at this too but I hope that helps.

[AquatiCreations]

LR/LRR is your main filter. It is pretty essential to the marine aquarium.You can get it for cheaper /Ebay among other sources. Is your skimmer hang on ?. Researching your inhabitants is a main priority.If your going FOWLR Lighting isnt an issue,infact some fish prefer subdued lighting.I agree with LiveOutLoud atleast 10X turnover but im a fan of overfiltration.

[BToast]

Hydrometer- checks salt level
Standard Master test kit- nitrates, ammonia, nitrites ect.
Pumps- do not skimp here, good flow is important
Small amount of live rock- will seed very inexpensive base rock over time (live sand too) The live rock can replace the need for an external often pricey filter.
Light- live rock and fish don't need upgraded light to florish, just good water params.

Read all the stickys on this site. It's free, and will give you the basic knowledge as to how to set up and maintain your tank. The more you read, the easier it will be to setup your tank for a reasonable amount of money. (It can be done I assure you)
Good luck, and take it slow.

[Riiz]

You can pretty much replace the expensive good filter for its equivalent in Liverock and sand. And your second piece of filtration is a good water circulation pump, basically to get enough water flowing in and around the live rock/sand. And last a decently good skimmer will be the last part of your filtration, it basically removes as much dissolved organics before the rock/filtration breaks them down, effectively lowering your bio-load.

[pistolpete3521]

:iagree: I haven't started my first nano reef yet either, but I cannot stop reading, and I am going to soon. :) .... 1:19... anyway and for a 36g Bow, I'd say 6-ish tops but it depends on what you mean my fish... do you want everything to have a spine? I would go with 3-4 until it is REALLY established or whatever the term I would use during daylight is because as Riiz said, the LR will work as a filter after a while. I have heard of people taking their sumps out and just using a skimmer and some power heads in addition to vacuuming. - AFTER it has been established well. But it is important to get the right test kits. I finally sucked it up and bought a nice FW test kit, but in SW business it is much more important to get one from the start. If you only want fish, not too many, if you want inverts and the like, your total # could go up a little.

I need to talk my mom into getting a 36... SW ... REEF ... FOWL ... Hmmmm...

But definitely get a test kit.

Just MO :) HTH :crazy:

[rescue]

haha nice! I too am getting a 36g bow.. next friday =) I heard the 1 inch per gallon applies to freshwater only. don't know much.. I'm new like you as well.. so I'll be reading this thread for sure.. good luck!

[archer772]

Live Sand - 30 lbs.

I wouldnt waste money on live sand just get dry sand it will become live, maybe just get like a cup of live sand from your LFS

Good filter (so I was told)

Spen your money on LR and a good skimmer

Light (came on the freshwater tank, seems really bright)

Will work fine if you dont get corals

Cheap skimmer (ebay =[)

You will get what you pay for and lots of headaches

A saltwater starter kit - Red Sea Marine Salt Water Aquarium Starter Kit at PETCO

Most starter kits I have seen only have about half of what you might want and the other half is junk

Tank w/ stand
A heater

Those are just my opinions

[Andrew225]

Only thing i can think of that hasn't been mentioned is to buy a Nitrate test. Your test kit didn't come with one, and their rather handy (Amonia, PH< nitrite and Nitrate are the four msot crucial to a fish only tank)
Also...

Research!
You'll find it easy to do here, as you can find topics on just about anything!

Google is great
And Youtube is something i use alot to see how certain set ups work (Just type in your tank size and the fish, and you'll -probably- find something about them. You get to see how they interact in that kidn of an environment first hand. Very nice)

Good luck!

[Riiz]

haha nice! I too am getting a 36g bow.. next friday =) I heard the 1 inch per gallon applies to freshwater only. don't know much.. I'm new like you as well.. so I'll be reading this thread for sure.. good luck!

Never, ever go by the 1 inch rule, even in freshwater. Do research on any fish that you wish to keep and see what is recommended for their adult size.

[davina]

I would really wait until your tank has completely cycled before adding too many fish. Honestly I would only have 2-3 small fish or 1 large fish in a 36 gal tank. I know it seems like a lot of water, but it's not. When you visit your LFS don't be fooled by the amount of fish they have in one tank. They have massive reverse osmosis filtration systems, with cycled water, usually in the back of the store that are more than adequate for the fish they have, plus they sell them off, so the fish are not constantly in an over-populated tank.

I had horrible luck with a 20 gal set-up I had (after moving my fish from an older 40 gal AND using half the water from my cycled tank) with ammonia spikes and I lost all my fish...even the ones I had for 2 years. I have lost $100's in fish. S.W. fish are very sensitive to all the conditions that people are talking about (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, p.h., temp, salinity). We as humans are doing something completely unnatural by taking these fish out of a very complex and well established ocean home and trying to duplicate that in a teaspoon of water in our livingrooms...let's face it.

What you will find is that a 36 gal tank will fluctuate more rapidly than a tank with more water volume. You will most likely end up with the problem I have now...ICH. Water quality fluctuations, along with stress from ammonia spikes, or the fish being transported to your new tank will bring on the ich parasite and you will lose all your fish if you don't catch it early enough. You may lose them regardless. (My current ich was brought on by an infected blue tang I bought a couple of weeks ago, but that's what I get for trusting my LFS and not having a q.t. tank). I actually went up to a 60 gal 1.5 years ago, where the fluctuations are minimal, and most people would recommend that as a MINIMUM for saltwater.

I know as a new s.w. hobbyist you want to have a tank full of pretty colorful fish...I've been there, but all I can suggest is that less is more. You should just pick out 1-2 fish you really like and stay with that. When you are spending $30 for a fish and losing him, you are going to get very frustrated and give up on s.w. You could always add a chocolate chip starfish, a couple of cleaner shrimp, or some hermit crabs and snails if you want variety, as long as you have live rock and the proper blue spectrum lighting for invertebrates. Make sure the fish you choose is reef safe and will not eat invertebrates! Good luck to you! I hope this helps and you can learn from my mistakes. :eek:

[jenjen2008]

I don't know where you live, but try checking for a local reef club in your area. Members are usually pretty good with helping newbies get started. Sometimes you can get free rock/fish/frags or at least some really good deals on things you need.

Good Luck and keep us updated!