advice for 5-12 gal

[amazonlover]

Hey all
This is my first post here, first of all i have to say great site lots of info all over it and everyone here seems to know what there talking about sooo im here asking about my first ever nano saltwater tank(my first saltwater tank realy) im first asking what i will need and if there are any starter sets i could go with my lfs is very good with saltwater set ups so i can get all the top quality stuff easly... also if anyone has tips for the setup to that would be great and what types of fish will live in it happly o and the live rock/ coral that is good for it...... thankyou all im very excited and waiting for the replys :rollface: i do have an emty 20 gal that i could use but im not sure how much it will cost to set it up. id rather stick with the 5-12gal setups.

 

[ShY]

Welcome to Reef Central you have com to he right place to find out information on marine animals. This is a good artical to get you started http://www.reefcentral.com/modules.php?s=&name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=1 . The most important piece of advise i could give you is read read read and then read some more on here. You want to learn from other peoples mistakes so that you save yourself some money. Cause this can be an expensive hobby.

 

[spline9]

I have a 3 gallon tank that has a small H.O.B. (hang on back) filter, a small powerhead, a heater and 26 watts of PC on top. Works great.

You can do the same but I recommend starting slow. Get a tank (doesnt have to be 3 gallons like mine) and a filter unit (mine is a small Penguin, get a size that suits your tank size), and a heater (approx 5w per gallon).
Fill the tank with your salt water, some sand (some live sand from an established tank would be ideal) and some live rock, the more the better. You'll probably find some interesting life emerging from the rock itself so this should keep your interest until the cycle (aka "new tank syndrome") is over.

After about 2-4 weeks start testing your water for the basics (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH) to make sure things have leveled off. If your tank got cloudy at any point during this time, ignore it. Dont try to clean it. Let it clear up on its own. This is part of the cycle that needs to complete. When youre sure that things have leveled off, you can add the beginnings of a cleanup crew (snails, hermits, shrimp, etc) and enjoy them for a bit.

By this time, you should have read enough on here to understand what you can build off that (adding more critters, corals, lights, powerheads, etc). Use this time to plan what you want to do with your tank. This would get you to a good start. This way, its also not too traumatic if things go wrong. Remember, patience is key so take it s-l-o-w. Things WILL go wrong if you go too fast (and you will regret certain decisions that sounded like a good idea when you thought of them). Besides, its easier on the pocketbook when you take your time.

Just use this as a guide, though... Other people have their own methods which im sure work just as well (or better [or worse!])but this is my personal experience (done this a few times now) and its always worked for me. Every tank is different, though so methods need to be adjusted accordingly.

Remember, dont obsess over it and make this a job. Its for you to relax and enjoy. Fussing too much over it will make you burn out.

Good luck!

 

[AdriftQuasar]

I'm in the same boat you're in, so don't feel too bad about asking any questions you might feel are stupid. In fact, my nano reef will be my first aquarium ever.

 

[amazonlover]

ok iv got a 5 gal tank now what size side filer would be good i have one made for 10-20 gallons .. but i need to know a list of what i need because im finding it hard to figure out what things are on here because of name brands getting in the way ect..this is what i think i need tell me if im wroung...:
side filter
power head
live rock
live sand
sea salt(the stuff from the lfs of coures)
hood with lighting
heater

is that all and when im cycling do i use the power head with my side filer ?? or onyl when i start adding clean up crew/fish? last of all how much live rock/sand would you guys/girls recomend? for 5gallons

 

[AdriftQuasar]

That list you have is all the stuff you need while you are cycling from what I understand. Once your tank has cycled, you can add the begginings of a clean-up crew. I have read good things about blue-legged hermit crabs and the turbo snails. The peppermint shrimp is also supposed to be an interesting critter. Once everything has adjusted from the bio-load of the clean-up crew. You can start adding corals. The type of corals you can add depends on the type of lighting you have. Some good beginner corals are the leather corals. the zoanthids, and the mushroom corals. There's also the kenya tree corals and the pulse corals (xenia). Once the system once again adjusts to the corals that you added, you might be able to get away with a fish in a five gallon, I'm not sure. I would definately reccomend something small like a damsel or a goby. I know I'm not really one to be giving out advice, but I'm more than happy to relay what I've learned so far. Anyone who notices any flaw in my advice, please let me know so that I know I'm wrong.

 

[amazonlover]

o man thats alsome yea im not putting any fish in it anyway just soft corals and inverts ..... im so exicted but im very good with waiting times for tanks becaus eiv had 3 years of fresh exp and i know what happens if your not S L O W with the procces...

any way thanks for the advice the onyl thing im waiting on is to have some info on how much lr/ls to use and if my 20gal side filter is fine...

 

[amazonlover]

hey lol anyone think a o.5gal nano would be a cool DIY project?? because i have one infront of me right now and it would be so easy to setup/keep healthy it would be cool what do you think (its only gonna be LR/LS and like a few shrimp)