New to marine.....

[Mrbowdeadly]

Hello!
New guy here, used to keep cichlids when I was a kid. Been dreamin of a salty tank, lookin for any and all help. Guess I will start with, what a great site, and impressive educations you all have. I would love to ask some questions.
I have been reading much, planning to get a marine aquarium. I have been writing down types of fish I would like to have. I want to do this right the first time. Here is what I know so far...

Would like at least a 75gal.
Definately want a DSB for my substrate.
These types of fish appeal to me...
blue hippo tang
yellow tang
percula clown
bicolor blennie
fire shrimp or skunk

Now that I have all the characters from "finding nemo" (my kids will be ecstatic) some additional fish that interest me are...
sixline wrasse
royal gramma basslet
copperband butterfly
yellowtail damsel
blue reef chromis

I would also love to have anemones and stars, and maybe some clams and flame scallops. I am a color freak and love the variety.
I have listed this in the hopes that someone can catagorize my sickness and hopefully send me in the right direction to get started. If you have the time I would love your input.
Thanks!!!!!!
Jason:D

[CHughes]

Jason
Impressive list of fish, Tangs and Butterflies need stable tank conditions so I wouldn't add them till your tank is up and running for at least 6 months. I've also read Tangs should be in groups of 3 or only individual...apparently they can be aggressive as well. This may limit the number of fish for your tank The damsels you could do without IMHO, the are just to territorial and aggressive.

All the rest of the fish on your list seem to be good community tankmates.

If you want to keep clams & scallop you need to be prepared with lots of lighting from what I've read. (Read as mucho denaro!:D )

Just my 2 cents, Chris

[OrionGirl]

I can not recommend a tang for a 75 gallon tank. They really require lots of swimming space, and a 6 foot tank is the minimum recommended tank size.

Clowns, damsels, and chromis are all the same family fish. They are very territorial, and will harrass fish much larger than themselves, often to the point of death. While they school in the wild, few aquariums offer enough space to reduce their aggression, so mixing them is not a great option. Of the three, clowns are probably the best, since they will defend a specific host, rather than try claiming the entire tank.

Butterflies--hit or iss, depending on the species. Some are hearty eaters, and good fish. Many are tough to feed in the aquarium, and all are a threat to anenomes, corals, and clams.

There are many stars out there--some are good, some should not be purchased under any circumstances, IMO. So, pick the specific species, and do some research first. Many are predators--and of these, most go after mollucks.

Scallops--cool animals, bad in the aquarium. They are filter feeders, which means normally they spend almost the entire day filtering organisms from the water--mostly zooplankton. In the home aquarium, it's hard to provide them with enough food without polluting the tank. I'd pass on them.

Clams--as long as you can meet thier light requirements, they are easier than many animals. Metal hallides will be your best bet in a larger tank.

Anenomes--not a beginner animal. Clowns thrive without them, so there's really no excuse to have one. They seldom live more than 2 years in the aquarium--while they can live hundreds in the ocean. I think the best line I've ever heard: "Once you understand all of the reasons why you should not have an anenome, you may be close to being able to take care of one."

So-since you asked for direction--pick up some books. The Conscientious Aquariast by Robert Fenner is an excellent book. I am also a big fan of The Simple Guide to Saltwater Aquairums, by Jeffrey Kurtz. Read the books all the way through. Then, pick the animals you want, and research them specifically.

[Mrbowdeadly]

I plan on purchasing the book you recommended oriongirl, so thank you in advance. I am trying to curtail my curiousity, with little success. So.....In lieu of owning the book if you or chris feel like answering any other questions, I remain curious. Thank you both for your replies.

I read the article in the forum on anemones, and it makes perfect sense. I shall refrain.

I have to have a blue hippo tang, what do I need for a tank to do this properly? And at the risk of starting a giant debate, glass or acrylic?

Should I considering purchasing a used tank?

If I own corals and such, do I then own a reef tank? Are these harder to maintain than a fish only?

Your patience in answering my questions will be far surpassed by my ignorance, thank you humbly,
Jason

[CHughes]

Jason:
I'm no expert, and am not familiar with the blue hippo tang. My guess is the bigger the tank the better...perhaps a 75 gal mininum. I'll be cramping the swimming room for my Yellow tang in a 55 gal once it is stable...he's pacing the walls in the 33 gal now!

I'm a fan of glass tanks. I think acylic are easily scratched, where a similar scratch may not be as noticiable on a glass tank...just my 2 cents! Used tanks are fine as long as you can clean them up and don't require major repair for leaks or scratches. Actually new tanks are generally not that expensive so it become a decision you'll have to make.

Fish only tanks and reef tanks aren't that much different. You still need a DSB and LR for both. The big difference is ensuring you have adequate lighting for the reef tank for the corals. Hard corals requiring minimum 4 (or more) watts per gallon. Starting out, I would suggest a FOWLR (Fish Only with Live Rock) tank just to get the basics down. I'm at that stage now...patience is a wonderful thing, mistakes can be costly.

Chris

[Mrbowdeadly]

great advice, makes sense. I saw a 200gal in the paper today "complete set up" for $500 or best offer. Whaddya think?

Jason

[Kurt]

For 500.00 I think that is a good price. I have a 200 with a steel stand that I paid 1000. Canadian for. Sure wish I had the internal overflow though. That used tank will likely come with some accessories I am guessing to give it some more value.
Don't rush into buying these fish right away. Start with just live rock if you can hold yourself back.
Also I think no one has mentioned yet that the blenny you mentioned needs a mature tank with copepods etc.
Myself I have a Clarkii clown that is hosting in a larger colt. The colt currently measures 13 inches in all directions. I recently parked the colt to the edge of the tank so that the Clarkii has an easier time defending it and 3 feet from it. A percula will not be as territorial as my Clarkii.
I would recommend staying away from the Butterfly. They are sensitive fish.
For sure get a royal gramma some day.

Not sure if you have realized it yet but if your are going to have a reef tank of 200 gallons you will be investing around 3 thousand dollars minimum by the time you are done. So do lots of reading and research and ask questions.

[OrionGirl]

The 200 would allo you to keep both tangs that you want. Very nice setup, and it will be easy to stabilize. If you have the space and money, go for it.

One thing to ask about--see if the tank has ever been treated with a copper medication. Copper treatments tend to taint tanks for long after the treatment period, and copper is lethal to invertebrates. Keep in mind that you will need metal hallides to light a tank this big for a reef setup--175W per 2 foot of tank, so more than one ballast will be needed.

There are other differences between a reef and FO setup. With fish only, there is little need to supplement the tank with strontium, iodine, magenisum, etc. FO, you just need clean water, that's stable, and regular water changes will replenish trace elements. For corals, there are many supplements that should be considered, as even with regular water changes, some trace elements will be depleted. Additionally, many corals are toxic, so removing the toxins from the water must be taken into account. Feeding corals is different than feeding fish, too--and almost all of them do eat in addition to having light requirements.