can I do this without breaking the bank?

[dewilde2]

So I have an empty 5 gallon and also a 10 gallon that I could potentially convert to a saltwater. Initially, I was going to try a picotope in the 5 with no fish. Now I've decided a) that I really want fish and b) that being the poor student I am, the corals were what was going to be the most expensive part-between buying the frags, supplements and proper lighting. So I'm thinkin no corals now, just fish and live rock.

Sooooooooo...I am thinking:
1. 5 gallon with live rock, live sand, yellow clown goby or yellow tail damsel. I have heard conflicting reports on whether this is enough room for these fish. The plus of the 5 gallon is that I will be moving 3-4 times in the next 2 years, and this would be easy to move and transport the 200 mile distance.

OR

2. 10 gallon with live rock, live sand, 1-2 clownfish IF this will be an appropriate home. And if so, what would be required to keep an anemone? I know they don't need it, but it would be cool.

Since the tanks I have are freshwater setups, and I don't want corals, what additional equipment will I need? I don't have a filter yet for the 5 gallon, and the 10 gallon has an HOB that I was hoping I could still use somehow. Any special lighting?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[jojo22]

ananome= bigger tank they will all grow to large for a 10.

 

[TropicalNorth]

I would go with the 10g, bigger is better because it will be easier to maintain stable water params. I agree with jojo, anemone's usually require a bigger tank and they also require very good water params plus strong lighting (not recommended for the beginner).

A 10g would be good for 1 small fish plus a few invertebrates (shrimp, snail, hermits). Any lighting will do for a FOWLR tank, standard fluorescent is fine for a tank without corals or anemones. On a marine tank you want a turnover at least 10 times an hour, you can use the HOB filter for flow plus mechanical filtration (the live rock will do all the biological filtration).

For that kind of set-up the biggest expense will probably be the live rock, so setting it up won't break the bank. Do plenty of research, go slowly and you can definatley have a small marine tank on the cheap.

 

[SigPiPup]

I set-up a 10g nano reef while I was living in the dorms and it has been running for about six years now. It has been moved at least 10 times now with little or no ill effects.

10 gallon with live rock and live sand. 1 Clownfish, 1 yellow goby, 1 xenia. I started with a 32W PC light and upgraded to a 96W PC Quad. I have 1 powerhead and one HOB filter. The HOB has no media in it and is used only for circulation.

If I had to estimate, the whole thing maybe cost somewhere around $400, but I knew someone at the LFS so I had a hook-up.

The cheapest purchases will be the equipment. If you buy things in stages it won't be expensive at all....er....at least it won't be such a big hit to the wallet.

 

[dorkfish]

Since your moving a lot... axe the sand and go bare bottom, or atleast a shallow sand bed (1/2" or less)... The sand bed would be heavily affected by moving the tank, meaning a lot of your bacteria would get screwed up, not to mention the detrius that builds up in the sand bed. Bare bottom or tanks with very small sandbeds tend to recover better from the moving process, and it's also a lot easier for you.