I'm really thinking of setting up a salt water aquarium, what size should i get for a beginner?

Question

I was thinking of starting off small, but i want a big tank like maybe a 80 gallon of something, anyone think starting off small is better than having a big tank, I want to put the pistol shrimp and watchman goby fish in there, if anyone has any sites or books that are good for like learning how to setup a salt water aquarium it will be really appreciated

Answer 1

As a general rule for both freshwater and saltwater tanks, bigger is always better. The larger the tank the more margin you have for the mistakes any beginner can make. I don;t mean get a big tank and you can be sloppy about water changes or anything like that, just that if you add a little too much salt mix for example it will have less of an impact on a larger tank.

As for sites for saltwater I doubt you will find any better than:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm

Excellent site, excellent staff and superior saltwater information from starting the tank to as technical as you want to get.

As for books, I would suggest:
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist
as an excellent starting point.

MM

Answer 2

First let me say your standing on the threshold of an addiction.
An 80 gallon tank would be a good start i personally started with a 75 but now have plans to go up to a 300 gallon in a year. However if your only looking at the small guys like the shrimp and watchman you dont have to go this big at first. There are smaller tanks that you can do that with. Im not sure if you just walked into a poorly stocked fish store and saw them first hand or not but try browsing through saltwaterfish.com. Anyway the biggest piece of advice i can give you is let the cycle take its course. After you buy this aquarium your gonna want to stock it with the fish you like right off the bat but unless you let the bacteria colonies grow those fish will die pretty fast. Also heres another quick thought. If your thinking of corals keep in mind they need 3 or more watts per gallon. And i do mean per gallon not depth so with 80 gallons you need a minimum of 240 watts of lighting right over the tank. So if you want corals and dont have the cash for that lighting go smaller at first. Anyway please email me directly if you have any specific questions. I dont have any books that i ever used but i have done a ton of research on the subject and would love to help out a fellow aquarist to be. Hope this helps.
Added***
Yeah fish guys right those people are idiots and over price their stuff if theyre your only option buy the tank and filters from them then buy fish online youll save cash that way.

Answer 3

First off, please whatever you do, do NOT go to Petco or Petsmart. The idiots at those stores haven't got a clue about fish; I will not hire people that have worked at those stores because of the amount of misinformation they have collected from those places. Always stick with an independent full line aquarium shop.

"The New Marine Aquarium" by Stan and Debbie Hauter is a great book for beginners. It covers the bascics of most types of equi[ment available and what they do. It also has a great overview of themost common types of critters to put in your tank.

I think an 80 gallon tank sounds like a great first tank. Always get the biggest tank you budget will permit because bigger tanks are much easier to keep than small tanks.

Answer 4

I would go with the biggest I could afford. Keeping the pH and mineral balance is tough in a marine tank, but the larger you go, the easier it is to maintain. Minimum for a saltwater tank is probably 45 gallons.

Here's a good link for beginners:

Answer 5

well its really not hard to have a fish tank there are just some rules you have to follow and you will be good so take the risk and start with the biggest tank you can think of if that will make you happy

just remember to

1. buy the fish that cleans

2. change the filter every month so that the water will stay clean for a longer time

and well i bet you that if u go to petco then they can help you out on how to set it up

Good luck!!!

Answer 6

I would start with 30-55 gallon and with damsels, they are very hardy saltwater fish and are easy to care for and range from1-3 inches, also price range is good $2.99-$9.99 for most. They are great color full fish for any saltwater fish beginner!

Answer 7

this REALLY doesn't answer ur ques, but it is good advice. DONT GET A SALTWATER FISH!!!!!! they are super hard to take care of, and can die really easily. from expirience, DONT DO IT!

Answer 8

go to petco and ask them how they take care of their salt water fish while they wait for a home.