Minimum Tank Size

[Zafirah]

I have 2 questions.
First, What is the minimum tank size for 1 Clown Fish and a Sea Anemone(sp?). And what stuff would i need to start it(discluding a tank, jsut tank no heater or filter or nothing)I need like a shopping lsit to give me an idea of what i need and what it cost to set up the tank

Second,
How do you clean a Saltwater tank. When you clean it do you have to start all over again adding Sand and Salt and all that.

Thanks,
Zafirah(puffer owner)

 

[GSMguy]

where to start
where to start
get a tank good lights and a good skimmer start with a lot of live rock and live sand use only reverse osmosis water to mix your salt you will need a heater and dont need a filter just a good skimmer or a refugium with live sand and cheato macro algae for now focus on a tank skimmer and lights good luck dont be scared just ask for advice

 

[GSMguy]

oh yea most anemone get to large for a small tank so your choice of anemone is important i think the easiest anemone to keep is the red bubble tip and clowns love these

 

[Zafirah]

I feel like a retard asking this but
whats a Skimmer, a Refugium, and a Cheato Macro Algea
thanks and where can i get live sand
can i get it from Petco or Petsmart

 

[IslandCrow]

I think the best suggestion for you is to get the clownfish, but hold off on the anemone until you "get your feet wet". Most anemones are very difficult to care for and need an established tank (at least 6 months, preferrably a year old) with sufficient lighting. Metal halide is usually preferred. I'm keeping a couple BTAs with mediocre success under T-5s, and VHOs may be sufficient for some of the less light demanding. Anyway, there are many types of anemones out there, and you'll have better luck with some as opposed to others when it comes to pairing with a clownfish.

As for how big a tank you need, you can probably get away with a 10-20g tank for the smaller ones (i.e. percula or ocellaris), and 30g for the larger ones (i.e. clarkii or maroons). As for setting up your tank, that's a bit more involved. Take a look the FAQ & Articles section of the home page for the "So you want to start a marine tank" article. Also, here are a couple good threads you may want to take some time reading. They're both pretty long, but you'll save yourself a lot of time and money if you follow the advice of these two experts and do it right the first time:

Want to Start a Marine Aquarium?: A step by step guide

The New Tank Thread Part I

The New Tank Thread Part II

Anyway, keep asking questions. This is a great place to get them answered and learn from the experience of other people's mistakes so you don't have to make them yourself. Just take the advice of the reef keeping sages and when all else fails. . .sloooow down. Best of luck!

 

[GSMguy]

thanks for those links it would be hard to explain all this stuff

thats what you can look forward to

 

[IslandCrow]

I feel like a retard asking this but
whats a Skimmer, a Refugium, and a Cheato Macro Algea
thanks and where can i get live sand
can i get it from Petco or Petsmart

A skimmer is a device that removes dissolved organic compounds, a.k.a. DOC from the water. It generally just looks like a tall acrylic tube with a couple other tubes going into and out of it, and a collection cup on top. I won't go into all of the chemistry involved (since I don't fully understand it), but if you've ever taken a close look at the foam generated by the waves on the ocean, you'll notice there's a bunch of gunk in it. Skimmers work the same way. This "gunk" attaches itself to thousands of tiny bubbles generated by the skimmer and it all bubbles over into a collection cup. But what you probably really want to know is why you need it. In simple terms, it gets these proteins (you'll also hear skimmers called "protein skimmers") out of the water before they can decompose into things you don't want, like ammonia.

A refugium is a "refuge" for things like macroalgaes and small crustaceans often referred to as "pods". There are no fish or other animals in a true refugium, since the theory is to give these algaes and "pods" a safe place to grow without predation. Refugiums serve two main purposes. The first is using the macroalgaes and sometimes live sand and/or live rock to remove nitrates and phosphates from the water. The second purpose is to grow/raise these algaes and "pods" to feed to fish in the tank that eat them.

Chaeto, or Chaetomorpha is a type of green, wirey looking macroalgae that's commonly used in refugiums. It's very efficient at consuming nitrates and phosphates, makes a good food for herbivorous fish, and has little risk of having any ill-effects on the main tank.

Live sand can be found many places. You can order it online or find it at a local fish store (LFS). Places like Petco or Petsmart, you'll probably only find the bagged kind, and the verdict is still out on whether or not sand kept in a bag for who knows how long is truly "live". If you can find someplace that sells freshly harvested live sand, that's probably the best. You can also buy plain dry sand and "seed" it by either buying live rock or simply by getting a cup or so of live sand from someone else who has an established tank. The second is certainly your cheapest option, since live sand is not cheap, and if you're buying it in a bag, it may not be all that beneficial anyway. Many people actually use sandbox sand that you can get at your local hardware store, but I'm certainly not the expert on that, so you may want to ask around if you want to go that route. It's certainly much, much cheaper.

Anyway, you'll have to do much better than that if you want to sound like a retard. Those are pretty standard questions when you're getting started.

 

[JamesJR]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8582502#post8582502 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zafirah
I feel like a retard asking this but
whats a Skimmer, a Refugium, and a Cheato Macro Algea
thanks and where can i get live sand
can i get it from Petco or Petsmart

Zafirah, there are a whole lots ways of setting up an aquarium for anemones and clownfish. And with some patience, research and attention to all the details there is no reason why you can't have a nice aquarium for clownfishes and an anemone.

The first thing I would do is to read a few books on clownfishes and the marine aquarium. I would recommend that youread The New Marine aquarium by michael Paletta. It is a very enjoyable book to read and is written so that people who have never kept aquariums can have success from the very beginning.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aq..._bbs_sr_1/104-9316115-7195926?ie=UTF8&s=books

If you want to know more, Joyce Wilkerson wrote an outstanding book on clownfishes.

http://www.amazon.com/Clownfishes-J..._bbs_sr_1/104-9316115-7195926?ie=UTF8&s=books

The next thing I would do is to check out the local aquarium stores.
Petco and petsmart sell basic things that cater to the large masses and won't have all of the specialized equipment that you will need.
Try to find a store that only sells aquarium supplies and fish, as they
will have more of the types of things you will need.

Be cautious in going to aquarium stores. If their display tanks don't look good, then chances are they won't be able to help you make your tank look much better. also, doing some research will really help you avoid costly mistakes or poor equipment choices. Now that you are a beginner, you need to realize that lots of stores will try and take advantage and sell you junk to make a quick buck.

First off, there are around 10 different species of anemones available that naturally host clownfish. None of them are really easy to keep, but people do have success with them.

There are several things to keep in mind. First off, you need to decide what size tank you would like to keep. A whole lot of factors go into tank size but I would opt for something medium sized and not too deep. A tank of around 30-60 gallons would make a nice sized first saltwater tank.

Lighting is a critical aspect of anemone care. You would be better off buying only the tank because the fixtures that most aquariums come with are not going to provide enough light.
there are 5 types of lighting available that would work. Once you decide on the tank. just talk with us at RC and we can help you decide.

T-5
VHO
Power compact
metal halide

there are different types of filters, hang on the back (HOB) or in sump. Hang on the back filters are exactly what they say-they just mount on the back of the aquarium. They are very simple because they don't require any fancy plumbing or expertise, most work almost right out of the box. Some protein skimmers are also hang on the back as well.

One thing you may hear about is a sump. It is a seperate "Tank" or a reserviour to hold equipment so that you don't have to keep all of it inside the tank. very helpful. a sump is advantageous because you can not only make your tank look cleaner with out all the equipment in it or hanging off of it but it will also allow you to choose from a larger variety of better equipment.

There is really a whole lot to it, but those are the basic things I would worry about as you consider your first purchases.
happy fishkeeping!!!

 

[Zafirah]

Thanks ill go read that

 

[dc]

[welcome]

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

Do you have the time and money to have a new baby... well its not that bad. Honestly, time and money are very importent initial concerns. You're probably guessing this with all the gizmos and doo-whats. I got thrown into reefkeeing without this knowledge and its one of the best things to happen.
When researching getting started keep in mind there are many styles of reefkeeping. Most are based on a few things: light, flow, a nice amount of healthy live rock, and a means of exporting wastes. Lighting is without doubt most critical, you're likely to always want more than what you have, so try to start off with as much as you can get. Flow is easy, and again it's hard to have too much of it. A large amount of healthy live rock; research it and buy the best that you can. You have a lot of choices when it comes to filtration; the most basic filter uses some sort of media usually a sponge of some kind which, through the cycling process becomes saturated with nitrogen reducing bacteria. The more basic the filtration the more dedicated you need to be doing regular partial water changes. Depending on your desires all other filtration devises may be optional, skimmers included, even though many won't recommend that. A heater, a basic set of reef keeping water chemstry test kits and a few cleaning supplies are also needed.
Cleaning becomes an estableshed routine. Roughly 10-20% the tanks volume of salt water is made up the night before with the use of a power head, a bucket, clean water (tap water is not likey good enough), and quality synthetic seasalts. Most important to me when cleaning my tank is to get the accumulated wastes called ditritus out of the nooks and crannies; a turkey baster does a good job, but I like to attach a length of vinyl tubing to a power head and use it like a hose to lift the detritus into the water, so my filter can suck it up. Next I use the same tubing to syphen off the water I'm replacing. I don't do anything to my sandbed, but depending on the style system used You may need to vacuum it the way one does a fresh water tank, or at least blast it around with the powerhead. There's more to do, but thats the basics. If you skim, the cup catching the foam is cleaned often. Plan a decent amount of time for maintenence.
The basic factor for success is dedication; with rare exception this is not a turn key hobby. Its filled with ups and downs, constant planning and research, and is not for everyone. Ask yourself before you get stated if you would rather watch the anemone and clownfish on a new plasma tv, because that is the kind of money that is envolved; for me the tv will wait!