A Simple Salt Setup For A Newbie? Help!!

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GermanRam

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 5, 2009
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East Texas
Hi, I have been a fish keeper for over forty years now but have never gotten salty before. I just started a GSP tank and it is doing great so far, so I have the first small step taken in the salt world.
Now my new bride has got the fish bug. Thing is she would like to do something differant than all of my tanks....she wants to go salt.
She wants to buy a small tank to keep the cost down and to fit a small space we have in our kitchen (the only other room that I don't have at least one tank is the bath room).
I know from experance that bigger is easer to keep and that is multiplied when you talk salt. But then $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
She is in love with color and shape that you can only get in salt fish and I gess that is what draws most people to it.
So what can I do with a small tank (cheaply) 10L to 40T that will look good and work well?
And what would be some nice newbie fish that can hang in there while we learn?
Any advice or pics would be great! :popcorn:
 
I've found the costs don't actualy get that much higher as you get bigger if you know what you are doing/can DIY stuff, but my methods for money saving are quite a bit more effort then the average person is willing to put in.

40T?? are you reffering to Tablespoons? haha as if you are thats teeeny and impossible for salt. Tanks that small (10L) are hardly worth building to be honnest... their maintenance is high and there is just about nothing you can put in it and I'm not trying to discurage you, but ther are just about no fish in the salt water world that would be ok in a 10L you could maybe have a few tiny corals and a shrimp or something but thats about it. You basicaly need a minimum of 10gal (40L) for a salt tank and even there you wont be able to add the fish that your wife fell in love with as the majority of fish that are ok in a 10gal are rather dull (in my opinion), no angels, no clowns, no tangs etc.

You have to keep in mind these fish come from the largest bodies of water in the world where they have the freedom to move, and their wastes are disposed of the insant they are produced (almost litteraly) so in a small closed system like a tank the fish just cant cope with the higher toxins and an small areas.

I would be willing to help you design a small system if you want one, and I'd be even more willing to help design a huge one haha, but either way it would have to be bigger then you have planed, and if you a DIYer then I would suggest 20+ gal as the costs wouldnt be that bad and it would be easier/better for the fish. With a bit of research and a little insite from some of the more modern reefers you will also find that alot of the things they say are required for a system are myths and have cheaper/easier substitutes (for one the rediculus water changes there are much cheaper ways around those).

Again there is just about nothing you can do with a 10L, 10gal yes, 10L no. If you are willing to go bigger let me know and we can discuss options and I can send you some links to some good info for general knowledge and for DIYing stuff.
 
I think the OP was referring to a 10Long or a 40Tall in Gallons. Us silly Americans are not on the metric system.

I have a 7 gallon nano reef in a spare bathroom and I personally hate it. Way to much maintenance and nothing goes in it well. Also a lot of equipment you buy for smaller tanks seems to work best on the 30+ gallon range. It gives you more freedom with the equipment with a larger tank.

I would go with a standard 30 tank. A HOB filter for mechanical no bio. A circulation pump in the tank. A compact florescent, Coralife makes some good ones cheap. later you can upgrade and add a skimmer if you feel you need to with the stocking list. I added only the coral's that I knew where hardy for such a small tank and it has worked out well, except for being limited to what goes in.
 
Oh ok that makes more sence, haha, I sometimes lose track of the different units haha. In that case thoses systems are doable, though I tend to agree with The1andOnly a 30gal standard or a 40gal standard would be the best bet, easier to maintain and more verstile.
 
Def go with the 30 gallon. I bet within 6 months of having that tank you will want to upgrade to at least a 75 gallon. LOL i went from 24 to 265 before I sold both sw tanks.
 
Yeah my wife wanted one too somehow i ended up taking care of it and after 2 years of keeping a 20h nano reef enough was enough....way to much work. I decided at that point no matter how pretty they looked I'd never do saltwater tanks ever again, least not reef. Costs are really based on what you keep and not so much the size of the tank ( although obviously bigger skimmers and bigger tanks and light cost a bit more ,but cost is still high either way.
 
Kevin8888

Thanks for your reply. I was talking about a 10 gallon to 40 gallon tall. Any help that you can offer would be much appreciated.:goldfish:
 
Well, a picture is worth a thousand words -

I have some soft corals with only a basic light above them, some sort of furry mushroom i believe. I have one Damsel fish (very hardy, so suits smaller tanks), one hermit crab, one snail and one shrimp. There is no skimmer, just a filter and let the live rock do the rest of the work.

One thing i would say is a tank this small (under 4 gallons) requires a LOT of upkeep, i have to regularly top off the water with fresh water to keep the salinty in check, but i think its worth it, it keeps me company beside my desk. Its my first step into salt and its been no problem at all, although many hours of research went into it.

And the pic (sorry for the bright flash, i can assure you its not this bright in real life, and i only clean the front of the tank)

picturewk.jpg
 
Your setup looks realy nice! Great job and thank you for the info.
 
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