I am thinking of setting up a small salt tank, no bigger than 20-30g but probably on the smaller end. Im looking for opinions on salt tanks, like how hard is the maintenance, is bigger better, what kind of fish/inverts/corals and what not to get. It wont be for a few months, probably closer to christmas till i get it but i am gonna start doing research now so im sure im ready. Anyone with experience in salt tanks gimme everything you know, and would be interested in seeing some of our salt tanks forsure. I need an equipment list and if you happen to be selling some epuipment tell me i might buy it. Al info and input greatly appreciated. Cheers!
I started my SW project last Christmas so I am quite a SW noob. I have slowly worked at adding a frag here and equipment upgrade there, because I didnt have $1,000 to drop on a tank all at once. Thats a ballpark figure people can beatup on in this topic but I think its fare to say that a thousand dollars wont last long setting up a 30g. And we are not talking a nice stand either! Thats just the basic equipment, the LR, a few frags and some fish. I am just running a basic reef system with minimal equipment.
Julie and I started out apx the same time and both of us have small tanks so I'm interested to see her oppinion in this respect. But my first advice would be to decide on a budget you can manage easily and let that dictate some choices to start off with :)
You can take a look at my tank by following the green glow in my signature. There are some fresh shots there I uploaded today and if you read the picture descriptions you can find my equipment list.
I have a cube tank that i'm going to turn into salt at some point, its already been drilled in one spot but from what i read i want some more drilling to be done it for some closed loops and some open loops for a sump but i have tons of ready to do yet!
http://www.aquariacanada.com/ i find fairly useful and http://www.reefcentral.com/
EDIT: i'm assuming others have drilled tanks, i was wondering where they got that done and what is the approximate price?
The bigger the better, the smaller ones such as mine at 20 long are possible but require diligence.
Your light will be the greatest expenditure initially; and will cost most if you are going reef.
Often there are some good used ones for sale.
Get a tank without any scratches because they are very evident under the sw lighting.
Hydrometer or refractometer.
Live Rock 1.5-2lb per gallon and a bag of aragonite sand and salt.
That's all thats required to start with, and a test kit would come in handy.
wow Julie you got lots of stuffs in your tank, nice!
back on topic, i like to think my 22gal SW reef did great, i had 10-15 med/large corals, also fish/shrimp/hermit/snail/star, lots of bristle worms too......i took it down a little while ago though!
so, IMO small tank isn't a big problem if a proper balance is maintained (be careful with temperature and water level=salinity), but its such an addictive hobby, if you gonna go one tank, go BIG!
I would love to go big, like 90-120g but i still live with my parents and wont be moving out for atlest another 2-3 years(being 15 n whatnot) and with all the stuff i already have and the reptile shows coming up theres gonna be even less room. The biggest tank i will have space for is the basic dimensions of a 33g but can be as tall as i want obviously. Anyone else that has info/tips/experinces lemme know, there all usefull!
What about a 36" 65g?
I started with a 36" 33g, but quickly found it was to small for everything i wanted to keep in it.
As you are in no rush currently, watch the classifieds for a good deal on lighting and you can save a bundle. The same applies for a skimmer.
As Julie mentioned get a tank with NO scratches, prefferably a new one or very close to new.
What is your budget for the tank? Can you afford to get it drilled and run a sump?
drilling whole $25 each x2
plumbing $100
Return pump $100-150
just a rought outline on prices...
What are the advantages/disadvantages of drilling and adding a sump?
There are quite a view advantages:
greter water volume = more stability
all your equipment can be hidden in the sump
you dont have to run a hob skimmer like the prism or sea clone :)
making a refugium in the sum
return lines from the sump create more flow with less equipment
easy to add carbon if needed
allows for future upgrade than may not fit in the tank like a calcium, kalk, or phosban reactor
Disadvantage:
cost
i might be selling my 15 gal setup with the lights and such. i will let u know. nothing inside tho. im going bigger.