Saltwater for dummies

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sarah_au

AC Members
Jan 19, 2006
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Hey everyone.
I'm new to marine fish but i have been keeping freshwater tropicals for many years.
I was given a free 60L tank by a friend (as all her fish died and she had no use for it).
i thought to myself, no better time to venture into salties.
I have quite a few questions need to be answered :help:

Coral
1.Does corals get affected by uncycled tank?
2.Does corals need to be considered in stocking the tank? (eg. 10cm coral needs 5 gallons...etc)
3.What are some non-expensive corals for beginners?

Fish
1. What is a good cycling fish?
2.What type of hardy fish can i have in a 60L

Setup
1. difference between marine and freshwater setup? (apart from salinity)
2.is cycling and "bacteria colony" same as freshwater?
3.is RO water really nesscary?
 
Coral
1.Does corals get affected by uncycled tank? Yes.
2.Does corals need to be considered in stocking the tank? Yes and No.
3.What are some non-expensive corals for beginners? You can't keep corals for cheap.

Fish
1. What is a good cycling fish? Damsels, but that's mean.
2.What type of hardy fish can i have in a 60L? Nothing much.

Setup
1. difference between marine and freshwater setup? (apart from salinity) Lots.
2.is cycling and "bacteria colony" same as freshwater? Kind of.
3.is RO water really nesscary? Yes.
 
2.What type of hardy fish can i have in a 60L? Nothing much.

Nothing Much eh? Yeah right! I have a 29g and I have some awesome fish in there! That is pathetic that you think you have to have some 200 gallon tank to have good fish!
You would be able to have plenty of fun fish in a 60L! Clowns, gobies, starfish, shrimp, pygmy angels, etc, etc!
 
If you want to go with corals, then the biggest difference from FW will be the use of live rock for biofiltration. Depending on whether you go with cured or uncured rock, you may have only a small cycle to deal with. You can either ask more on this thread, or search the site for more information about live rock.

The biology is similar between FW and SW, but the species of bacteria are different. If you use live rock, the bacteria in anaerobic regions of the rock can actually reduce nitrate to N2 and NO, allowing it to escape the tank.

Do you have to use RO water? Depends on the quality of your tapwater, but it's usually a good bet. The nutrients and metals in many municipal systems can make managing the tank a lot more difficult. For a small tank, buying water at the LFS, or even the grocery store, is often a good strategy.biology is similar between FW and SW, but the species of bacteria are different. If you use live rock, the bacteria in anaerobic regions of the rock can actually reduce nitrate to N2 and NO, allowing it to escape the tank.

If you want a fairly cheap, durable coral, then go for mushrooms, aka corallimorpharians. Assuming your 60L is about a foot deep, you can get by with a 2X20 watt shoplight and have quite decent growth. I don't include corals when I calculate stocking for the tank.

Your fish choice will be limited because of the tank size. I would suggest starting out with something captive-bred and small like a pair of ocellaris or percula clowns, or maybe neon gobies.
 
Pygmy's Charm said:
Nothing Much eh? Yeah right! I have a 29g and I have some awesome fish in there! That is pathetic that you think you have to have some 200 gallon tank to have good fish!
Click to expand...
What's pathetic is putting words in my mouth. I never said anything about needing a 200 gallon.

60 litres is only 15 gallons. I stand by my statement that there are not many saltwater fish you can keep in a 15 gallon. Starfish and shrimp are not fish.
 
Bioload sounds fine cromis may need more swimming space and you may have agression problems with the Damsels

A pair of tomato clowns would be cool! and you could get them in a 60l at a push (no other fish)

tomato1.jpg
 
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