First reef tank... What size?... HELP!!!

P

prosper

New member
Hi, im 14 and im eager to get into the reefkeeping hobby!
I have had freshwater aquariums a while ago and I've been researching for weeks, and my father kept tanks as a kid as well. I am only going to pull the trigger on this hobby finally, because I'm moving, and I'll have my own room... I want to go as big as possible but I'm not sure if my floor can hold it, and my parents (mostly my mom) isn't sure whether or not to allow me to put it downstairs, what is the smallest tank that could hold this stock HUMANELY.
2 ocellaris clowns
1 Firefish
1 Coral beauty angelfish
1 Royal Gramma
1 Tang of the zebrasoma genus... if I can't do that in roughly a 75 gallon should I just jump to a 150? And could that have the following of I did?
1 Yellow tang
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 Firefish
1 Coral beauty
1 Royal Gramma
And probably 2-3 more tangs of different genuses, I would end up purchasing either setups off craigslist because It will be self funded as my parents already pay for everything else I do, what would be the best option?
Every suggestion will be greatly appreciated...
Thanks,

Prosper
 
I am not an expert by any means but the amount of tangs you would like to keep require a minimum of 150 and it cant be a cube as in you need a tank with a good amount of room for them to swim in one direction.
 
Start small. 40 breeder is perfect. You will make mistakes and they're much easier to deal with on smaller tanks. Restarting a 150 or 180 is a major pain in the butt. You're stocking list will change as you grow in the hobby. You may find yourself attracted to corals more so than fish. For 3 or 4 tangs I think you'd need a minimum of 180g. For a nice 180 that's going to set you back 5,000 minimum and probably much more. Don't forget to QT everything that is wet. I made that mistake and paid the price. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby. It is a big commitment to get into this hobby and a larger tank will require more time and money.
 
If you want Tangs, do as already suggested (minimum 150g). AND the bonus (IMO) a larger tank is easier to maintain as far as the ecosystem, and should be great for a first timer.
 
Thanks, I've been researching all day and I want to cut most of the fish...
Right now I'm thinking
2 clowns
1 Firefish
1 Yellow tang
1 powder brown
1 blue tang... I was thinking about a 120 with a minimalist aquascape 48×24×24 cuz I found 1 with everything on craigslist for 275, or just get a 150 off craigslist... it's not the initial investment that scares me it's the monthly cost... what would that monthly cost be? And could I pull off the 120?
Thanks,

Prosper
 
Just remember the larger the tank the more expensive it is to maintain. Trust me salt and the elements necessary will add up. Also, your initial cost will be more when it comes to lighting. The bigger the tank, the more light you will need.
 
I have no idea what size you will need but I can add this, work out the biggest size you 'think' you want and then go at least one but probably two sizes bigger ;-) THAT will save you lots in the long run as it will be a mere few months before you start thinking...I should have gone bigger!
 
Skip the blue tang if you mean a hippo tang. The yellow could be fine in a 150. But choose the 'long' rather than 'fat' footprint, for the tang. If you want multiple tangs ultimately, forget having a car and just go for a 300 gallon marine tank with commensurately sized skimmer, lights, pumps, and sump, etc. I would really advise if you are a 14 year old with a big budget you start with a 100 gallon rectangular and keep blennies, gobies, dwarf angel (1), fairy wrasses, and maybe a tomini tang, and just learn the chemistry end of things. What comes out of the kitchen tap can keep freshwater fish; to keep marine fish, you need to strip all mineral content out of the water (ro/di filter) and then put it back in (marine salt) in the right proportions, then test weekly to keep it that way, do 10% water changes weekly, and also maintain a quarantine tank to hold each new arrival to assure they don't bring in something that kills everybody. This is a labor-intense hobby, and there are no 'peaceful' fish: aggression and dead fish result when the tank isn't big enough for what's in there.

A good place to start is all the sticky files up top^^^^ and then all the questions you can think to ask. One of which is---will a Petco tank do? Answer: not safely. Glass gets thicker as the tank gets bigger. My 105 gallon with stand when shipped came in at 800 lbs and it took two strong men and three strong women to get it positioned where it stands.
 
I think I've done a 180... I think I'll get an 150 off craigslist when I find one, as far as stocking I'm going with
2 clowns
1 Firefish
1 Yellow tang
1 blue tang
1 powder brown
And 1 Naso if that would work... what would the monthly cost rate be? I can afford probably about 100 a month + or -... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,

Prosper
 
prosper said:
I think I've done a 180... I think I'll get an 150 off craigslist when I find one, as far as stocking I'm going with
2 clowns
1 Firefish
1 Yellow tang
1 blue tang
1 powder brown
And 1 Naso if that would work... what would the monthly cost rate be? I can afford probably about 100 a month + or -... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,

Prosper
Click to expand...

Where do you plan to get your water?
 
with those fish you also MUST HAVE A QT tank. Which you should have anyway...

I agree with above you should start with something much smaller.There is a lot of effort with a 150 gallon plus system.. Water changes can be a super chore moving the water around and so on..

Then there is the whole money part.. Your to young to be FISH POOR...

We waited to get super big until our Home was paid for..
 
I am not trolling... I'm just inecperienced, I think I'm going to do a 75 because of the Fish Poor problem mentioned in the latter discussion.
I think I'm going downon the biolad, but I still want a tang,
Her we what I've narrowed it down to,
2 Ocellaris Clownfish
1 Royal Gramma
1 Firefish
1 yellow/powder brown tang (which one?)
Thanks,

Prosper
 
If you're worried about monthly cost, than a large tank is not a good option, especially if you want corals. For a fish only tank, your monthly bill won't be too bad once you already have all the equipment you need. But gathering everything you really need is going to add up fast. You're probably best trying to find a full setup off of craigslist to avoid as much of the unexpected costs as you can. An RODI will set you back at least $100 and salt will be maybe $20/month. you'll need lighting, power heads, heater, filtration, skimmer is recommended, and test kits. Once you have the bare essentials for running the tank, you'll inevitably find you want to upgrade things to either make the tank better, or to ease the burden of maintenance. One such thing would be a water mixing station. Mine is very simple and set me back about $300. All of the stuff you'll need, especially for a larger tank, will take up a lot of room in addition to the tank. I have a 65 gallon tank and I have a whole room just for all of my supplies and maintenance stuff. Of coarse I also have a full reef which comes with more needs than a Fish only tank.

All of that said, I'd go with the 75 and I'd personally get the yellow tang. Plus a bonus with the 75 is you shouldn't have any worry about the floor not supporting it. It only weighs as much as 4 adults standing near each other. You'll get plenty of enjoyment out of a 75 while learning husbandry and a tank crash will not be as devastating as a large tank.
 
I also assume the parents are the ones paying the electric bill and wouldn't mind a jump in the bill? If you're doing LPS or SPS as you said in your duplicate thread, you'll need some strong lighting. Electric costs of a 75 are likely to run about $50, and water costs if your on city water will probly add another $10ish/month. All in all, I'd say your monthly cost without adding anything extra to the tank would be close to $100 to be on the safe side. As said before, this is a big commitment, and once you get a bit older and have a car and car insurance to pay for, gas money, going out with friends money, and not too long after that college money...soon $100/month will likely be very hard to swing. I had lots of disposable income when I was 16 until I got my own car. Then suddenly I never had more than $100 to my name. Then once college hit I just watched my debt rise every semester. Just be sure you are ready for the commitment, or ready to give the tank away if it comes down to it.

the more I think about it, the more I want to suggest against it. I waited until after college to get my first tank and I'm glad I did. I struggled enough without the cost and time burden of a saltwater tank.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2591559&highlight=running+cost

Take a read through the thread above to get a feel for the cost of a tank. Many people have listed their equipment costs and it's staggering even for a smaller tank.
 
step 1 get a part-time job
step 2 get a car
step 3 meet some fun people
step 4 this hobby will be right here waiting for you enjoy youth being out careless but safe fun
 
This absolutely is a big investment. And I can't believe people are really recommending these large >100 gallon tanks to a 14yo. The advice about a car, social life, and college are spot on. However you don't have to wait until after college to start. Get yourself a small 29g all in one tank. They're cheap, especially used. Small footprint, small investment. You can get a few fish and try your hand at corals. Easy to move when the time comes, not a huge loss if the hobby doesn't work out. Easy on the utilities. Just my opinion....Check out some of the build threads in the nano section. There are some very impressive setups.
 
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