Eclipse is to freshwater as (blank) is to saltwater....

i too would go for a unique setup of a 10 or so gallon tank over a cube. Do some research and figure out what you want and what you need.
 
BeelzeBob said:
if you just get a nice tank, drill it or spent the money on a RR tank, its very easy to get all the stuff you need, and still be right around what the cubes will cost.
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drill it? RR tank? I'm a saltwater newbie and don't speak your foreign language. :-)

Ok, so it seems that most of you prefer the DIY method. I'll trust you. joander123's list seems the easiest. The fish I want are clown fish and gobies. I'd love to get a Mandarin fish but they say they're hard to feed, and jawfish are awesome but EXPENSIVE at my lfs. Would I be able to keep shrimp (lg) or crabs with those fish/anemone's? An speaking of anemone's, which species are good for clownfish, easy to care for, pretty, and not an arm and a leg? The guy at the lfs told me the regular orange clownfish (nemo) don't need an anemone but the fancier ones do. Either way I wanna get one.

BTW you guys are great....thanks!
 
None of the clownfish need an anemone. None. In the wild they are always found with one yes, but thankfully more and more stores are not selling wildcaught clowns and instead selling tank raised ones which often have no clue what an anemone even is.


If you really want to get an anemone I'd first get a larger tank as I don't believe a nano is suitable for most sold in the hobby. I'd then wait at least 6 months. At least. Some suggest a year. Your reef needs to mature to the point that the ecosystem has established and you need to mature as a reefkeeper so that you are able to keep the pristine water and enviroment that an ameone requires. It is not a beginner species. Of the species available I'd probably suggest a bubble tip anemone. They aren't easy by any means and you'll find even conscientious reefkeepers with stories of trouble with them (sucked in powerheads and such) on this site and others. But they aren't as difficult as some other species. The last note, I'd also make sure I was willing to spend the money on appropriate lighting as they do have high light needs.
 
Thank you Grins, this information helps a lot.

Can anyone tell me what some good beginner reef inhabitants would be (other than the bubble anemone she suggested)? I would wait several months so the tank is established if necessary of course. What defines "reef"?

I guess I don't like the barren look of just rock.
 
PPMN said:
Thank you Grins, this information helps a lot.

Can anyone tell me what some good beginner reef inhabitants would be (other than the bubble anemone she suggested)? I would wait several months so the tank is established if necessary of course. What defines "reef"?

I guess I don't like the barren look of just rock.
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I'd not consider the BTA a beginner reef inhabitant for reasons I stated earlier. I'd look at mobile inverts like shrimp. Corals like mushrooms and zoas to start.
 
Glad to see you are slowly figuring out what you want. I also agree that its best to piece everything together. And I wouldn't worry about drilling or sumps yet. Personally, I would start out simple and see how you like saltwater first. Joander gave a nice startup list. Its very similar to what I have. My nano has been going strong for almost a year now.

If you want to save a bit of cash then I would look into some used lighting. And, if you don't want to spend all your cash right away (gives more time to save) you can always start your cycle without a lighting system. That will allow you to buy live rock (this can be pricey) right away. Adding live rock later in large amounts might start your cycle over again so its best to do it all in one shot.

Ah and top offs aren't horrible in a nano. I keep a 3G jug of RO freshwwater right next to the tank and it usually lasts me all month. During the summer season (it gets really hot here) I add some freshwater every two days and during the winter I add freshwater every week or so.
 
my top off is a 1 gal jug of just FW or kalsawasser with a tube in it. i just suck on the end to start the syphon, and tie a knot to adjust the drip rate.
 
Ok, dumb question time again. Why are you adding freshwater to a saltwater tank??

This will be slow going, so I have time. I'm hinting to my husband for an aniversary gift, but that's not till the end of April.

So just how expensive is lighting?
 
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