Desktop Saltwater Aquariums

My first marine tank post

Hello all! I've been in freshwater for several years now, but I've always been very intrigued by saltwater tanks. Would it be that difficult to maintain a 10g? I was thinking fish with live rock.

Also, what equipment would absolutely be needed for a setup like this? For my first venture in SW I'd rather not spend a fortune ;) Thanks.
 
A 20 gallon tank is a whole lot easier to maintain than a 10 - water volume is everything. The footprint is much the same.
Mike Paletta has a book called the new marine aquarium with a bare bones set up described. If you've had freshwater for a while you should be able to recycle a good bunch of that equipment,
 
For a fish only with some live rock setup you don't need to spend a fortune on a bigger tank. And as was mentioned with salt water the bigger the tank the far more stable it is. A 10 gallon really only lets you keep maybe 1 fish. A 20 gallon would let you keep a couple. Plus since the filtering is doen by LR you don't need to buy expensive filters, just something for water movement. And without coral any flourescent lighting will do at the beginning.
 
If you don't want to keep photosynthetic organisms, and are prepared to do water changes weekly plus ratherthan skimming, a 20 gal FOWLR is a cheap start for a freshwater 'old hack'.. Buy the salt , live rock and a hydrometer and you're off.

A 10 gal FOWLR isn't going to be much much fun.... 1 fish really. 20 gallons means 2 , possible 3 small fish to interact
 
That sounds good. I can get a 20g pretty cheap at Petsmart. What about invertebrates? Can I get 2-3 fish and a couple shrimps or something in there?
 
Cleaner shrimp are a must as they are just cool and with enough Live rock to hide in they will do great. Snails are a good thing as well. Hermits can be fun but many are tough and if not given extra shells they will kill snails for their shells.
 
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