Beginner Questions

kcmo lawman

kcmo lawman

Just a SimpleMan
Dec 10, 2004
241
0
0
54
Kansas City, Mo
I have just a couple questions. I currently have a 35g hex freshwater tank that has been up and running for about a year now and have had no fish loss. I have been wanting to set up a salt water tank now for quite some time, but I have never had "the guts" to attempt it until recently. I recently acquired a 75g long tank and have decided to set up a salt water tank. I will be doing this over a period of time considering I don't want to spend a whole bunch of $$$$ right off the bat. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind spending a couple hundred dollars off the top, but much more than that is going to have to wait. My questions are..
1) How many smaller sized fish would you suggest for that size of a tank?
2) How much live rock should I have in the tank?
3) What type of lighting and what brand would you suggest?
and finally,
4) What type of skimmer, powerhead, and filters would you suggest?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
I'd put 40 lbs of live rock, maybe more. If you want to do a reef tank then you can just put a few fish in there...maybe 3-5 fish and some shrimp or snails in there that dont eat corals.

I'd suggest you put live rock and live sand in there to start and let the tank cycle...that will cost you a few hundred in itself. By the time the tank cycles maybe you can get some fish at that point and start building up the tank.
 
What about fish only?

I am totally new at the salt water end of things. Would a fish only tank be easier and or cheaper? If so, what would be needed there? My only question for asking is that I have always wanted a salt water tank and have finally gotten the nerve to set one up. I want to take my time and not rush into this, so any info would be VERY helpful.
I feel that a salt water tank would help me greatly reduce my stress that comes with my job. I find myself at the lfs alot just watching the fish swim for hours. I can't wait to set one up, but at the same time, I want to take my time and do it right.
Thanks once again.

Bradd
 
If your looking for a stress reliever, forget about this hobby. I really don't know if I am being serious or not. In the beginning, if you have patience(and you will need lots of patience) the stress isn't too bad. All your doing is watching rocks in a box. Once your' ready for fish is when the stress starts. I have never nor needed, a xanax before I started this hobby.
On the other hand, I love this hobby. The things that can be learned is an ongoing process. Once you have acheived the tank of your dreams, it is so rerwarding.
I'm not trying to scare you off. Read, read some more and ask tons of questions before you decide this is what you really want. Be prepared for a time consuming hobby. If you are as dedicated to your tank as most of us are you will see how addicting this hobby is. Also, be prepared to spend all your money!!!
 
Hmmm

I am thinking about a dwarf lionfish, but don't want to put anything in there with it that is going to cause problems. I have always wanted a lionfish though. It isn't so much the stress of setting up a tank, it is the stress I have at work. I don't mind spending the money either, just don't have a lot of it to start off with right now.
I am still not sure if I should start with a fish only or just what. Any ideas would be helpful.
Thanks
 
kcmo lawman said:
I have just a couple questions. I currently have a 35g questions are.. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...

lawman: To answer your questions I would suggest this (and trust me, I'm not a pro in this game - just my 2 cents)

1) How many smaller sized fish would you suggest for that size of a tank?

You mentioned a lion fish in your previous post, so that's about all you could put in a 35g tank...and that is probably to small for a predator. I think you would need at least 100g for a lion fish.

2) How much live rock should I have in the tank?

General rule of thumb is 1 to 2 lbs per gal...the more to the top end the better. It is the filtration system for salt tanks. Don't forget your DSB of about 4". Check out this reference : http://www.rshimek.com/reef/sediment.htm

3) What type of lighting and what brand would you suggest?

I would suggest Power Compact 2X65 wt 10K/Actinic...they should allow you to stock with soft corals (leathers, feather dusters, etc.) You could go cheaper buying a dual flourescent hood with 10K/Actinic bulbs, and the soft corals would be okay, but not hard or more exotic corals.

and finally,
4) What type of skimmer, powerhead, and filters would you suggest?

Well, I went cheap with a Seaclone....don't do it! They really suck, at start up they seem to run well, but over time they don't stand up. I would suggest either a Euroskimmer, Aqua-C CPbak. I'd stay away from the Seaclones and Berlin Prism as they are either prone to failure or just not that great.

There's lots of great folk in this forum that can add and/correct my comments!

Chris
 
A dwarf will do fine in a 35gl, they only get to around 6" or so, you just cant have much else with it, since anything smaller then its mouth will get eaten eventually, and thier messy eaters.
 
If you go with fish,live rock and inverts, you won't need special lighting, an ultraviolet sterilizer, a reverse osmosis system and you won't have to worry as much about water chemistry (amount of calcium, kalk, iodine)

The reef tanks are alot more expensive. The equipment, corals, etc..

I'm doing a FOWLR and all I need besides the equipment you'd need for freshwater is a protein skimmer, salt, a refractometer, pumps and powerheads, sand and live rock.


Kim
 
The 35g is my freshwater tank. The one I will be using for saltwater is 75g. That should make a little bit of a difference. Thanks for the reply. =)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom