Tropical Fish Forums

susaben · New Members Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Location: Alabama, USA

It will be at least a year from now before I attempt a saltwater tank. I still have another year of learning to do. Just a few questions...

How big (or small) should my first saltwater tank be? I am planning to have a reef tank with soft corals/fish/invertebrates.

How much live rock is a "good start" for the size tank I should start with?

Whose opinions should I trust as far as picking out which fish go together with corals and what cleaner critters to get?
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Susan Benefield

FloridaBoy · Moderators Joined: 04 Jul 2004

wittd · Regulars Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Lexington, KY

Research, research, and research.

Nano tanks aren't typically recommended for beginners. The smaller the tank, the quicker parameters change. Depending on your budget and room for the tank, my recommendation would be a 55 gallon.

As far as the live rock goes, I'd say as much as you can afford. A general idea is 1 to 2 lbs. of live rock per gallon.

Everyone's oppinion and no one's. What I mean by this, is research as much as you can, ask questions on here, compile all the information you can get and then make a decision as to wheather you can provide a proper environment for the particular creature in question. (I also highly recommend the advice of FloridaBoy, sirreal63, and Dale to name a few reliable regulars.)

These questions are really to general to give a good answer, but this is just my two cents worth. Maybe someone much more qualified than me will chip in here.