I want to get this gift for my lil sis....do you like the idea??

Question

my little sister starts college in the fall (ha, guess i can't call her lil sis anymore lol). she's studying to be a marine biologist so i think i want to get her an aquarium. I know that our mom and dad got her a 10 gal for her bedroom last year and she loves it, but she’s always wanted a salt-water. So I want to know what size I should get her, (it’s a privet dorm room), what kind of fish and accessories do you think she would like and what kind a fish would do well together? (I know that the tank has to be established for a week or two before adding the fish.) so, any suggestions guys? Thanks!

BTW I know that it's harder to get a smaller tank to set up for salt water...so would it really be better to just do a fresh water? if so, what accessories should i get and what fish do well together??

Answer 1

One thing I'd suggest that you do first is to check with the school where she's going to see if they have any restrictions on aquaria in their dorms. I taught at a university and the policy at our school was that you couldn't have any tank over 10 gallons. It's a nice gesture for you to want to get her a tank, but it would be a shame to get her something if she's not able to keep it where she's living so she could enjoy it.

The time really shouldn't be an issue - I kept four aquaria going when I was in graduate school, and it didn't take more than 1-2 hours a week to maintain them. I thought having them was a great stress reliever between rounds of studying.

If she is able to keep a larger tank and wants to try saltwater, I would suggest getting a 29 or 55 gallon if she'll have the room to keep it (dorms aren't necessarily known for being spacious!). At a bare minimum, she should have the tank, a filter (gallon per hour rating at 5-10 times the tank volume minimum), a heater (5 watts per gallon of tank volume), hood/cover to reduce evaporation, lighting (type will depend on what she's trying to keep - more on this later), salt mix, hydrometer (used to mix the salt to the proper concentration), and crushed coral/aragonite substrate.

For lighting, if she's only planning to keep fish, the standard lighting hoods sold for freshwater will be fine. If she would want to keep anemones or corals, these rely of photosynthesis for part of their food, so a more intense lighting system would be needed - either a compact fluorescent, T-5, or metal halide system.

Some optional equipment would include a protein skimmer (used to remove dissolved organics from the tank before they contribute to fertilizing algae), a powerhead (for additional water circulation), and live rock (coral fragments that have bacteria for cycling the wastes in the tank, as well as small shrimp, snails, sponges, and other organisms living on it - this is a "must" in reef tanks, but optional for fish-only tanks).

As you can see, there's a lot involved in saltwater. Another consideration for you is the distance involved in where she's going to school - will she have to be moving all this back and forth between semester breaks? If so, freshwater will be easier.

As far as fish selection, this is a matter of personal tastes. I like smaller, semi-aggressive fish, such as clowns, cardinalfish, long-nose hawkfish, and some of the gobies and blennies, but your sister may prefer others.

You may want to get some input from your sister on this as well, while this is still in the planning stages. She may decide to just stay with the 10 gallon for a while, or may be limited to a tank of that size by school restrictions. If she'd like larger, but school policy or travel keeps her from getting one, maybe you could get her a good book on keeping marine aquaria (I highly recommend The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1and/or The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5) for now, and plan on a nice graduation present instead!

I'll post some websites below for the two of you go to over:

http://www.apapets.com/MarineEcosystem/whatto.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginners.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=16
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/

Good luck to your sister on her studies!

Answer 2

See if you can find out what the policies are for tanks in the dorms and how much room she will have. I had a 10-gal freshwater tank that fit nicely on a shelf in my dorm room, but I had a friend (who is now a marine biologist) who had a much larger saltwater tank/stand in his room.

If you go to most pet stores, or specifically an aquarium store, they can give you good idea of what fish get along best. They can also tell you how many fish are appropriate for a cetain size tank. I would recommend adding an algae eater (sorry, don't know the scientific name). They def. help keep the tank clean. And make sure there is a good filter system - the 10 gal. tank I had came with a pretty crappy filter and I was forever buying replacements.

By the way - what a nice sibling you are! Is this going to be a surprise? Maybe she would enjoy picking things out with you.

Answer 3

Hi Bubba, that is such a nice thought but I'm afraid I'm going to throw a spanner in the works! Several of the members of the Goldfish forum that I am in have had aquariums at college but then run into unforseen problems during holidays when they either have to leave the tank running unattended (some places shut off the power during breaks) or take it all down & transport the whole thing including water & fish in many containers which proves quite a logistical nightmare as well as stressful for the fish. This is especially true if it's a very long way from home & after the break you have to do the whole process in reverse. Even if you can leave a tank running at the college it's not a good idea to be unattended for any length of time. I'm sorry to put a damper on your wonderful idea but please take this into account before finalising any plans.

Answer 4

Wow... this is a cool idea. But to answer your question... I have owned fresh, brackish and salt and for a dorm room I would definatley recommend fresh or brackish. Salt tanks really should be at least 80gal to start with. A lot of the fish are delicate or are inverts so if she gets jammed and forgets or puts off a water change she could loose an easy couple hundred $ in fish. Smaller tanks require more frequent changes and also.. a lot of salt fish will grow to be too big for the smaller tanks. Fresh and brackish on the other hand are a bit more forgiving and are easier to maintain in smaller tanks. You could do a 20 gal brackish for a fraction of the price of a salt tank. You could give her a gift certificate to a local fish store (stay away from chain stores like petco, petsmart and walmart for the fish). She could set up the tank.. you have to cycle it for 4-6 weeks. Then she could go down and pick out the fish she wants for whatever size tank you get her. A word of caution... if you don't let your tank cycle you stand a larger chance of your fish getting sick and dying when you introduce them to the tank.
To give you a rough idea of what I spent on my tanks.... I had a 20gal hex that was brackish that cost about $150 all said and done. That included the tank, gravel, salt (brackish does need some salt), fish food, heater, pumps, decor, chemicals (dechlor, etc.), and last but not least-fish (we had three puffers, two archers (archers were only in that tank until they grew big enough to go in the 'big boys' tank) and a clown plecostomus). Then it only cost under $10 a month for fish food, dechlor(dechlorinates the water for water changes) and aquarium salt (one box will last months).
My salt tank on the other hand has cost me so far.... about $1200. We still need to buy about 60lbs of rock which costs anywhere from $4-8 a pound, 3 more bags of sand which cost about $20 a bag, lights about $100 and that is the cheap ones. And our tank is just starting!!! This is only the tank(we bought one used), stand, protein skimmer, wet/dry system, heater, salt (for only set up, salt is about $20/month for an 80gal because of water changes), only 2 bags of live sand and 20lbs of rock, fish food, and last but not least a 'cleaning crew' to help the biologicals get going. That is it! Salt tanks are really expensive to start up and it is really important that it is done right the first time or you kill off fish (and fish ain't cheap for salt tanks) and have to do it right at some point to get things to survive.
Definatley I would get her a small tank that doesn't need a separate stand, that would be easy for her to transport in case she moves and with fresh and brackish you stand a much better chance of getting hardier fish that will survive finals week at college. It is easier to find space for a smaller tank and the upkeep is much more budget friendly for a college girl.

Also keep in mind that her dorm may not allow her to have a tank bigger than a certain size. I would call to verify that aspect before buying anything yet. I would hate to see her get her tank all set up and then have to get rid of it. My nephew went to a college where they weren't allowed ANY pets of any kind except a (singular, lol, one) fish that could be easily kept in a one gallon tank. That was the dorms rules. If you were found in violation, they could kick you out of the dorm. So, be careful with that.
I really hope this helped you out some!! You sound like a very thoughtful sister. Good Luck!!

Answer 5

You can do a smaller tank with saltwater. That thing about it being harder to set up is a myth. If you have more water, then the longer you have to catch something wrong with the water parameters though. You can get her a nano tank. Those are really in now. It would also be cheaper to set up. Look for bio-cubes or bio-orbs. Those are good looking and they have everything you need, except for substrate, live rock, water, fish and corals. That's what I would suggest. They aren't cheap though. By the way, I still call my brothers, my lil brother even though they are about a foot taller than me. ; )

Answer 6

If she is studdying, she likely won't have time to maintain a saltwater aquarium... it is very time consuming to balance the chemicals. You might be better off taking her to the pet store and letting her pick out her own stuff, that way, she won't have a problem with your decision (I am talking about a freshwater tank.). She obviously knows about fish, so I don't think I am going to have to explain anything... If you have any questions, email me at [e-mail].

Somebody said to get an Algae Eater, well, don't! They get very big and very aggressive. They are also very messy fish. They are just not good choices. For a freshwater tank, if you really want something that will keep it clean, get Ottos (Otocinclus Catfish). They stay about 2 inches and eat algae forever. Good luck!

Nosoop4u

Answer 7

Petco has aquarium kits-saltwater and freshwater. It is all you need for the aquarium, minus the fish and gravel or sand. They have them starting at 10 gallons. Talk to your pet store where you are going to purchase the fish about what fish will work well together. Pick out accessories that you think she will like. This is something special you are doing for your sister, she is lucky to have such a wonderful brother.

Answer 8

its really a good idea for you to give those things to your sister.. well, straight forward, a salt water tank is very difficult to maintain specifically because of its different water conditions. but i have good news for you... you can have almost colorful fishes just like in a salt water tank but in a fresh water tank.. the fishes are called african cichlids.. they are the counterparts of salt water fishes. its better for you to give your sister a bigger tank (55g) ifever available. add the heater, powerfilter, gravel (usually owners uses black or white sands), and some decorations.


enjoy and good luck=)

Answer 9

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Answer 10

try getting a 55gal they are very good tanks for salt water but salt water tanks are really expensive because you have to buy salt or them all the time otherwise they will die and id say get some clown fish or some sea horses i don't really know much about salt water tanks so don't get mad if i gave bad advise I'm just going from what i know about salt water tanks