Salt water noobie question

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
J

jc420

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 14, 2010
151
0
0
Cascade, hanover, jamicana
I'm totally a noob to salt tanks, I went down to the fish store and asked about a 10 gal salt tank, they told me it was too small volume for a noob.
They said I should start with a 100 or 200 gal tank to keep the water stable.

All i really want is a mantis shrimp, so what I'm thinking is keeping him in a 20 gal with some cool coral and stuff and setting up my 80 gallon reservoir to hold more water. Do you all knowing fish gods think this will work?

Any other advice on how to manage a small amount of salt water is welcome as well.
 
Cool, that just saves me some money lol.
 
do yourself a favor get a 55g or a 75g and a NICE light a test kit and

set the tank up with live sand and live rock let it cycle. mine cycled almost a month before I started to put anything in it at all. Just be patient.

and yes the larger the easer it is to keep stable but 100g too 200 dude sounds like your LFS was trying to make a few bucks off of you!!
 
check out this website http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+525+1702&pcatid=1702

Notice the Reef compatible: no
Temperament: Aggressive

So I say no to the shrimp yes to the coral. You can do it in a 10 gallon. I've seen it done several times. I understand that as a noob you don't wanna dump a grand into a 100 gallon+ tank. The bigger the tank the easier the maintainence. So basically the 10 gal will be alot of work but doable.

Do a search it's been talked about on here a few times.

Also what store did you go to? Major chain or lfs?
 
I think he said like "100 gallon is good for a starter, you would probably want a 200 gal" I don't know if he was calling me lazy or saying I like big fish, but i admit to both.
 
It was a local fish store. They know me.

I think it would be best for me to have more than 10 or 20 gal. I would hate to lose a pet, but I want to keep him in a small area so i can always find him. I was thinking I could grow his food in the reservoir or maybe set up some kind of kelp or something if it would help clean the water. Or both.

Anyone know a site were i can find a good newbie salt water guide?

If i did that should i keep a constant flow and just set it up on a timer?
 
I wouldnt do anything under 55 gallons for a first tank. I was once in your position once, my first salt tank was a nanoreef and it was so much work for such a tiny tank. Always had to dose it for something. With smaller tanks its harder to keep them stable and being a first time salt keeper doesnt help.
 
Anyone who tries to start keeping corals in a 10g tank deserves to lose all their stuff. For your first reef tank I'd do nothing less that 29g. I'd say 55 or 75 would be better, but 29g minimum. Water parameters change so fast in small tanks that it's would likely just frustrate most new reefer.
You could start a Mantis in a 10g depending on the species, but I think that a 20L would be good for a long time.
You just have to figure out you tank personality. If you're a reef enthusiast, buy QUALITY lights and some other key equipment (QUALITY skimmer, power heads, ect.). Let you tank run for a month or two, then add a small fish, let t go for awhile then add more slowly. I wouldn't add any corals for at least 6 months, your tank wouldn't even be fully cycled for close to a year.
If you just want a mantis because it's an awesome invertebrate, let your tank run for a month, add some saltwater mollies, wait another month or so, then add the mantis (He take out the mollies pretty quick). The key for keeping the mantis in a small tank is to keep the salinity steady. Invertebrates are really sensitive to changes in salinity and pH, and the greater water volume you can get, the easier it will be.
 
jc420;4905409; said:
I think he said like "100 gallon is good for a starter, you would probably want a 200 gal" I don't know if he was calling me lazy or saying I like big fish, but i admit to both.
Click to expand...

Crazy LFS.

I will start by saying that "lazy" and saltwater do not go together.

I do agree with everyone that the bigger the better on the tank and a 10 gallon would be hard. I would recommend a 20 gallon or more. Enough to keep it stable enough while not having to set up anything crazy.

If you are planning on adding live rock you will not see your mantis shrimp at all no matter how small the tank is. They are nocturnal predators and they hide in the rock during the day. This is something to consider because you will be setting up a "rock tank" with no life seen whatsoever. You will just know that there is a shrimp in there.

If you do end up looking to go bigger when you set up a tank I would stay away from the 55 gallon size. They are impractical because they are so skinny compared to the length. I tell everyone that if you can do a 55 gallon you can do a 75. The length is the same and the only additional space taken up is 6 more inches of width. It makes a big difference within the tank however in setting up rock and corals.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom