Complete SW n00b

Aussie_hippie_2

Aussie_hippie_2

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Sep 17, 2006
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Well I've never even really thought about SW, as I allways thought you needed a big tank. But I recently found out I might be able to do it in my spare 10g. I've been told that a neon goby might work with some coral. Could I do this? What's a general price estimate for this? Also any coral/fish would have to be captive bred.

Any helpful n00b links?


Cheers and thanks for standing my ignorance.
 
Hey man yeah Neon gobies are a good choice however, a 10 gal tank is a bare minimum for these fish. im not to sure how much they cost though. If your looking for all tank raised corals I believe that www.Liveaquaria.com sells all tank bred corals, might be worth a look.
 
The trick with setting up a smaller sw tank is that stability can be more difficult to maintain since there is much less water volume than typical "larger" tanks. Because of this, it can be frustrating if you are just starting out and trying to learn the ropes.

Cost can vary widely, depending on what you put in the tank... LR, sand(?), skimmer(?), lighting, clean-up crew, corals, powerheads(?)... it's hard to say for sure, depends a lot on whether you buy new or used, decide to DIY anything, etc. Many corals can be obtained as frags from fellow reefkeepers for little to no money at all. Many will give away frags just because they need to clear out some room in their tank. If I had to guess, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it ended up costing as little as $300 or as much as $500+.
 
u need 2 start with a 20 g tank so when u git 2 know what u r doing u can used that as youe hospatl tank and git a biger one when u know what u r doing if u want u can pm me back if u want 2 know more ight
 
generally to start off bigger is better if you never handled saltwater. at my work i recommend a 50gallon for beginners. 10 can be done if you do some research and keep a eye on it every day....any serious aquarist checks the whole aquarium daily...i check mine 3 times daily...when i get up, after collage before work, and after work.
 
I believe you can sucessfully manage a 10G tank. Its still costly though. I paid about $310 for my setup. Ironically the cheapest thing was the fish. Although, I believe I overpaid for my liverock, due to the fact that the closest place that sells liverock is about half an hour away. Any other place would have been too far and I didn't want to chance the drive.

My tank completed its cycle a week ago. My tank is little over a month old. I don't want to chance any delicate fish or soft corals yet. Maybe I might get my desired fish in about a month (after I return my damsel) and start soft corals in 2-3 months.

Cost and space were the major factors in my decision to manage a 10G. I figured I can spare the extra time to put more research and work in. So far I have found it very rewarding.
 
Well, as excited as I am about this, I can't afford 300 at the moment. I'll look around, but I imagine it will have to wait a fair while.

Cheers.
 
Aussie_hippie_2 said:
Well, as excited as I am about this, I can't afford 300 at the moment. I'll look around, but I imagine it will have to wait a fair while.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

You can slowly buy the stuff. I would buy the stand, tank, and filter. You can test out your equipement during that time and also prepare the saltwater. (cost: $150) Once everything seems to be running correctly you can buy your heater and then a saltwater testing kit. (cost: $40-60). The liverock was actually the most expensive part to buy (cost: $80 for me). You don't need to buy it however. It just cycles your tank faster and you get some free critters with it. You also don't have to worry about your tank going through a mini cycle if you decide to add liverock later since you already have it.

As for livesand, that only cost me about 15 dollars.

Good luck :) I know I had to save a while also. About 3 months.
 
Well that's a relief, since I allready have the tank/stand. I have a heater and filter but should really get some new stuff. Thanks, it will probably take me about 3 months also.
 
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