What saltwater tank setup would be best for someone’s first saltwater tank?
I ask this, because I see a lot of people who are beginner’s and are already interested in saltwater fish…
I have a little experience with freshwater. I have a successful 10 gallon tank, and am currently saving for a larger tank that will also be made into freshwater tropical. But eventually, after having more than one successful tank, and for awhile, I would like to attempt a saltwater.
So, for someone how has experience with freshwater, but is a beginner with saltwater, what would be the best setup? The best sized tank? The best filter or heater? Any extra items? The best and easiest fish to start with? Would a reef tank or a fish only tank be best? Anything else I should know?
I’m sure whoever wanted to, could write paragraphs worth of information. But I’m not asking for that. Just some basic info. Unless you want to give that much information anyway.
Thanks before hand!
Tagged with: gallon tank • paragraphs • reef tank • saltwater fish
Filed under: Getting Started with A Reef Tank
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definitely a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) tank. Yes you would get the biggest tank you can afford. Anything under a 29 gallon would be way to difficult for a beginner. I get stealth heaters just because they blend in better. I would also suggest a protein skimmer it’s not 100% necessary in a smaller tank but it sure does make it easier. and I wouldn’t use a filter they become nitrate factories after a few weeks. Just lots of live rock and a skimmer and if you can afford it a refugium is great for extra food for the fish and it helps keep nitrates down as well.
as far as fish goes, it all depends on what your looking for
damsels are very hardy fish but very mean.
clowns are great beginner fish but they can become aggressive (they are part of the damsel family)
cardinalfish, gobies, or blennies are all peaceful fish for the most part. although there are exceptions in just about every kind of fish. I would say do your research on kinds of fish. just stay away from harder to keep speices like dragonets, pipefish, sea horses, butterflies, anthias, triggerfish and large angelfish(the last two kinds because of the larger tanks needed).
Start with a fish-only or FOWLR ("Fish Only With Live Rock") setup, NOT a reef tank, and use the biggest aquarium you can possibly obtain. The bigger a fish tank is, the easier it is to keep stable water quality. That’s always true for freswater tanks, and it’s about 50 times more true for saltwater tanks.
Any filter or heater that is the right size should work fine. You will also want to get a protein skimmer.
If you decide to keep any photosynthetic organisms (such as most corals, many anemones, or macroalgae), the amount and quality of lighting will become important. But if you keep only fish, you only need enough light so you can see the fish well.
As you say, there are many whole books on this subject. But there are a few pointers for now.