Archivarium 2004

Frosted · New Members Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Location: Edmonton, AB

Hi People!!
I have 2 freshwater tanks for about a year now and am looking to start a salt water tank.

My question is...

What size is the SMALLEST the tank can be? What kind of filter is needed? And how long should it cycle for before fish are put in?

What kind of fish go well together? And will the fish eat pet shrimp? Also, what about anenome's or live rock, does it need to be in the tank?

Thanks, any advice will be helpful, because those salt water starter books are too expensive! Smile

Huntress · Moderators Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Location: Houston TX

Well you can do a yahoo search or google search on the internet for free. Very Happy

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"Feminae bene moratea historiam raro faciunt"

KDodds · Advisors Joined: 05 Apr 2005 Location: Suffern, NY

Such broad questions as this are really well beyond this media format. I would suggest a good book on the matter, possibly "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael Paletta.
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Kieron Dodds
Inside Aquatics
www.insideaquatics.com

Marcos Avila · Moderators Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Location: Hiroshima (JP)

That's right. As stated in the guidelines, this is not the place to BEGIN your research...you should read the Articles section, read existing topics, do a Google search for introductory articles on other sites (all of these things are absolutely free) and then come to the board when you have specific questions about things you didn't understand or would like to hear different opinions on.
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Success with a fish/tank is measured in YEARS, not months or weeks...

perfectblue · Regulars Joined: 01 Jan 2005

I would suggest getting a book or doing research over the internet. Before you take the plunge into the saltwater do tons of research.
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Life is better with fish

55 gallon saltwater tank

Three 1 gallon Betta bowls

Frosted · New Members Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Location: Edmonton, AB

Huntress · Moderators Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Location: Houston TX

Frosted, if you go up to your first post and re read it under the perspective of being someone else, then you might see where we got the idea. You didn't once mention you had done some research and you didn't even say what type of tank you were looking into. You didn't even ask what we thought or what our experiences were. To get things accross over the internet without us having to be mind readers you have to be exact in the details of what you want and what you are looking for.
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"Feminae bene moratea historiam raro faciunt"

Frosted · New Members Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Location: Edmonton, AB

OK! Well I'm sorry for any problems I might have caused...it just gets frustrating when you try and look for answers to your questions and you get replies to look elsewhere.

Sorry! Embarassed

KDodds · Advisors Joined: 05 Apr 2005 Location: Suffern, NY

Sorry Frosted, but your questions are really way to general to have any background information behind them. I have not read a single published account recommending any system for beginners smaller than 20 gallons. Personally, I would not recommend anything smaller than 55 or so. That said, people have done marine tanks as small as a quart successfully.

On filtration, again, your question is way to broad. You at least need to settle on what you want to accomplish, FO, FOWLR, Reef, Fish and Invert, etc. before you can start looking for appropriate filtration. What is "needed" and what isn't hinge around what you "need" to do to be successful with your chosen tank. For the vast majority of systems, filters sold at your LFS are completely unnecessary (not including skimmers).

On cycling, anyone one who has done any research at all would know that "cycling" and "aging" are completely different things. Simply allowing an aquarium to sit is not cycling. Cycling is done when it's done, period. You have an ammonia spike, followed by a drop and coinciding (usually) nitrite rise, then nitrite spike and nitrate rise. When ammonia and nitrite are 0, keep in mind this is VERY basic information, and you have gotten nitrate below 20ppm or so, the tank is suitable for fish. IMO, it would not be suitable for corals until nitrate hit 0ppm as well.

There are, quite literally, HUNDREDS of fish species available commonly for sale. It would be impossible, even in a written book, to include all of the possible permutations of those hundreds of variables. However, good books WILL steer you in the right direction by offering aggressiveness information, what fish should not be kept with a specific species, etc. Toward this end, Marine Fishes by Scott Michael is invaluable.

Some fish will eat "pet" shrimp, some won't.

Anemones are far from necessary and no begginer should ever even consider one. This, again, is VERY basic information available in almost all books, publications, and online.

Live Rock, or some other reef structure is, IMO, necessary. Again, VERY basic information.

If you think SW books are too expensive, you should probably reconsider until you can afford them. If you can't afford the $20 for The New Marine Aquarium, you have no hope of affording the tank set up itself, even without livestock.
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Kieron Dodds
Inside Aquatics
www.insideaquatics.com

akmal2 · New Members Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Location: Malaysia

I walked round to the fish shop at my hometown. there I see the shopowner keep a group of clown fish n some other fish (as clown fish size)in the tank too. just not too big just 64 litre tank (or less ) I think. the pump just use the top filter with bio-ball (also I see there was internal pump in other big tank).I think this set up is suitable for the beginners