Wish List...best fitting aquarium

J

journey0820

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Jan 31, 2008
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Hello,
I'm hoping to get a marine aquarium soon. My family has had them all of my life but this will be the first for me. I originally considered getting a 10 gallon but after reading posts in here it doesn't sound like a great idea! I'm space limited so I think a 30 gallon is as big as I can go. The "Nano" brand has a new 30 gallon out and I'm wondering what the pros and cons are about Nano Aquariums vs Regular ones.

Also, my dream aquarium would have clown fish, anemone, a mandarin goby (I know, I know!), and Nudebranch (sea slugs...I don't know how to spell them). What are my chances with this stuff??

Lastly, I visited our local marine reef shop today. He quoted me 550.00 for a start up 30g (lights, stand, 3 stage filtration, heater, sand, etc.). He didn't include the live rock in the cost and told me that it ran about nine dollars a pound. NINE dollars a pound??? Really? Does that sound right to you all? Does the start up cost sound remotely right??

Newbie,
Amber
 
Definitiely a good idea going for the 30g. Nano aquariums are just a lot harder to keep stable because the smaller the volume of water, the more chance there is of something crashing or peaking quicker than you can respond. You'd be really pushing it to put an anemone in a 30g, just too unstable for them. The clowns will do fine without one. The mandarin would starve in a 30g I'm afraid and you'd basically be condemning it to a slow death. $9/lb is probably about right for the live rock to be honest, although I'm not in the U.S. so don't know for sure.

Matt.
 
how about an anemone-like coral

sharkmatt said:
Definitiely a good idea going for the 30g. Nano aquariums are just a lot harder to keep stable because the smaller the volume of water, the more chance there is of something crashing or peaking quicker than you can respond. You'd be really pushing it to put an anemone in a 30g, just too unstable for them. The clowns will do fine without one. The mandarin would starve in a 30g I'm afraid and you'd basically be condemning it to a slow death. $9/lb is probably about right for the live rock to be honest, although I'm not in the U.S. so don't know for sure.
Matt.
Click to expand...


The fish store guy told me I'd be better off with a coral that was an anemone look alike. Would the clown fish like this?

I'm trying my best not to jump into anything but the power of the fish tank pull is just so **** strong...

Amber
 
$550 sounds a bit high, but that includes a filter that I don't use so no idea prices on that. what kind of light is this that he's talking about? and yes I think $9 a pound is a bit high.

I have a FO 30 gallon that cost a lot less than that because it is just a regular old all glass aquarium with standard hood. The 29 gallon I'm currently doing is going to have 30-40 lbs of live rock plus metal halide lighting and it's going to cost roughtly the amount you said with all that.
 
9 dollars a pound is outrageous...look on ebay...craigslist...local reef club should be your first step...but i would never pay that much..im going to get some for 2 dollars a lb tomorrow for a friend getting into the hobby
 
Around here (AZ) the rock is anywhere from $5.99 - $9.99 / lb. It depends on the variety of rock - where it is from (Fiji, Tonga, etc). The set-up sounds fine, but I certainly agree that the anem should be omitted. There are a number of great examples of impressive looking nano tanks. Waynecav has a great nano for inspiration http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140778. HTH, it really does depend on your end vision and you are doing well to research before you purchase.
 
journey0820 said:
The fish store guy told me I'd be better off with a coral that was an anemone look alike. Would the clown fish like this?

I'm trying my best not to jump into anything but the power of the fish tank pull is just so **** strong...

Amber
Click to expand...

Lol, it can be difficult to resist just chuckin everything you want in there. Be patient though and you'll be rewarded with a tank that will be stable and a joy to have. The clowns may host in a coral but to be honest it's not guarenteed they'll even host in an anemone and they certainly don't need to host anything.
 
wish list

Well, I'm sad about the anemone but everyone seems to say the same thing and I don't want to murder anybody unnecessarily. My research suggests the mandarin goby isn't going to happen either!

What about feather dusters and christmas tree dusters?


Amber
 
They should be fine as long as your water params are stable. I'd wait a few months before adding them.
 
I'd ask for clarification on what the 3 stage filtration is. Is it a multi-stage canister filter or is he recommending a berlin type system? I'd personally skip the canister filter and spend the money on rock.

I agree with skipping the anemone and while it is possible a clown might host some corals they'll also select powerheads, corners of the tank, sand, glass, just about anything. They don't need a host and might not even recognize an anemone.

I also agree with not getting a dragonette in a 30g.

Additionally I'd not get most kinds of nudibranches either. While some are extremely beautiful they have very specific diets and if they can't find the food they need they will quickly die.
 
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