First saltwater tank questions

[phata31681]

Hello I am new to this hobby and looking to get my first tank going.

What size and equipment would you recommend for a first tank? I have been reading about the Coralife biocube 32g tank and looking on Craig's list for tank with a full setup.

Live rock vs dry rock?

How much time do you have to invest on a weekly basis?

How much money can I expect to spend monthly on this hobby after initial setup?


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[noob916]

Welcome

Biocube or nano cube is good to start with. If you get a used setup then cost isn't as much as starting from nothing.

 

[homer1475]

I personally started with a biocube 32. Great setup for beginners as you basically have everything to get going.

I would stat with dry rock again with like 1 large piece of live rock from the LFS that is well encrusted with coralline.

As far as time a day, maybe 20 minutes... Never really timed it. Feed the fish, look in and check to see if everything is kosher, check filter sick, change if needed. Thats basic daily tasks.

Once a week I spend about 2 hours doing maintenance. Changing water, changing media in reactors, cleaning sand, blowing off the rocks of detritus, etc etc.

Money wise, never figured it out. It's a hobby, the money spent is negligible. Intial setup is expensive, but monthly maintenance costs are probably somewhere around a hundred bucks. Tis does not include electricity, or the cost of making water. It's only salt, media, and testing supplies.

 

[scooter31707]

Honestly, I think for a beginner, a 55 gallon would be a good size. Smaller tanks tend to get frustrating for beginners, as they have issues with maintaining water parameters.