I want to start a mini-saltwater aquarium...?

ILOVEBETTAS

ILOVEBETTAS

It's Cory Lover's cat!
Oct 8, 2006
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Northern Illinois
www.thefishquestforums.com
And I have a few questions.
1. I want to use a 5 gallon aquarium with excellent filtration. What kinds of fish could i keep in there? I know its small, but... I want fish that are small, hardy, easy to find and cheap. Like under 20$.
2. Could I use regular gravel?
3. Can I use regular plastic plants?
4. How much salt do I put in?
5. An info I need to know?
6. Any info on the fish you're recommending?
7. Any equipment I absalutely need? I already have a very good filter...
8. Anything else?

And I don't have a lot of money, so please don't recommend anything very expensive.
 
I dont really want to turn you away from Marine Aquarium keeping, but even when someone is setting up a small nano-cube, the cost are high..expensive items sometimes are very neccesary..

I strongly agree with blackwolf..Go and research marine keeping, look at the cost involved. There are plenty of sticky articles on here which explain the equipment you need to run a tank successfully, and then assess if you are still going to startup on the budget that you have set on..One thing i have learned from being in Marine fish, DONT DO ANYTHING ON THE CHEAP, IT WILL BACK FIRE....

Sorry to be a little negative, but i think its best you hear it this way before you start buying anything..

Niko
 
1.no fish to keep in a 5 gallon aquarium in the marine side. Most of the smaller fish still grow to 3-4 inches in size.
2. No. cannot use regular gravel for SW tank. The substrate in SW is an important part of the ecosystem you are trying to recreate. If using proper substrate it has buffering capacity and will contain your nitrifying bacteria.
3.There really aren't too many plants in a SW environment. Would not recommend using any plants, plastic or not.
4.You would have to put in enough salt to bring the specific gravity to 1.022-1.026. To figure this out you would have to buy a hydrometer or a refractometer.
5. Lots of info that you still need to read up on. I would try to find some Marine books and read them. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist is a very good book.
6.See answer to question 5.
7.It will depend.
8.See previous response from others.

I hope I answered your questions. I very strongly agree with the previous responses to your questions. Visit the stickys here and do a ton more research. Small SW aquariums are possible but for the beginner are probably a little more intensive than a bigger aquarium which is more forgiving. When things go bad with a small tank they go bad extremely quickly. With a larger tank you have a little more room to make small errors. Any SW tank is going to be expensive. LOTS more expensive than with a comparable FW tank.
 
ILOVEBETTAS said:
And I have a few questions.
1. I want to use a 5 gallon aquarium with excellent filtration. What kinds of fish could i keep in there? I know its small, but... I want fish that are small, hardy, easy to find and cheap. Like under 20$.
2. Could I use regular gravel?
3. Can I use regular plastic plants?
4. How much salt do I put in?
5. An info I need to know?
6. Any info on the fish you're recommending?
7. Any equipment I absalutely need? I already have a very good filter...
8. Anything else?

And I don't have a lot of money, so please don't recommend anything very expensive.
Click to expand...
1. There are a couple small gobies that fit that description.
2. Yes
3. Most people don't use fake plants in marine aquariums. Live rock is a much better choice.
4. Shoot for a specific gravity of 1.023-1.206.
6. Neon gobies are small, cheap, and mostly tank bred. A great choice.
7. Filter, heater, hydrometer, salt, lights, etc.
 
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