Is this a good idea???

[flynngriff]

Hi all.

I've never had a saltwater tank before, and I was thinking of getting one of those nanocubes and setting it up as a reef tank... I've heard that the small reef tanks are very stable once established, and don't take much maintenance at all.

I have a pretty good amount of freshwater experience, and this sounds like B.S. to me...

Here's my question... What is the best type of SW tank for a beginner who has a lot of freshwater experience? I know what freshwater fish are hardy and good for beginners, but I don't know anything at all about saltwater. Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[Fishfirst]

well whoever said that small tanks are more stable and take less maintenance to keep has it backward. LARGE tanks (over 200 gal) are pretty easy with the right clean up crew and filtration, although water changes are a pain at times, they stay fairly stable salinity, and chemistry wise. Small nano cubes need to be constantly monitored due to thier rapid evaporation/small bioload. I would say that a 55 or 75 gallon is the best for beginner. With a quality skimmer and lots of live rock (1lb per gallon). Good fish to start with after a fishless cycle are, clowns, cardinals, firefish, gobies, blennies, dottybacks, and damsels (but damsels get pretty aggressive). A slightly okay rule for saltwater is an inch of adult fish per five-ten gallons. Although there are quite a few exceptions... example Tangs, Lionfish, large angels, mandarine gobies, and Butterflies.

[flynngriff]

How are those examples exceptions to the slightly okay rule of 1 in./5-10 gal.? Are you saying it's okay to have more of these, or less of these, or something else entirely?

Thanks for the advice!

[Fishfirst]

those need more room than the 1inch per five gallons IMO... I really don't like the rule, its just a fairly good rule for beginners.

[TheOldSalt]

Actually, it's a horrible rule for beginners. Terribly meaningless and misleading. Do youself a big favor and forget you ever heard about it. A fish which is taller or wider than another fish will NOT have the same requirements as a skinny fish.

Okay, since you asked, NO, a nanocube reef as your first marine tank is not a good idea at all. Nanotanks need a LOT of maintenance and attention, and a newbie won't even know what he/she is looking for in the first place.

Your first saltwater tank? If it's under 30 gallons you'll never have a chance. Sorry, but bad things happen awfully fast in a marine aquarium, even faster in small ones, and you have to have time to see the changes, understand them, and take correct action. A small tank is no place for a beginner to try to learn; the tank would go kablooey before you ever knew what went wrong.

Yes, you have lots of freshwater experience, but that just means you have that many more bad habits to break. The keeping of fresh and salt is very similar, but also verrry different. Do yourself, and your would-be pets, a big favor and forget about a nanotank until you've first tried a big one. Once you understand the workings of the maring aquarium, you will understand why a nanotank is never a good idea.

[flynngriff]

Thanks for the advice! I was pretty sure they were just trying to sell me an aquarium... Like I said, I thought it sounded like B.S. Sadly, I think I'll have to put this off indefinitely, or at least until I move into a bigger place... My 125 freshwater is in the only available spot for a big tank. Who needs a dining room, anyways? Fish rooms are so much better!

Thanks!

[Fishfirst]

Its not a horrible rule for beginners, its a start... of coarse the best way is obviously to research your fish before buying, but I'm saying with starter fish such as Damsels, Gobies, Dartfish, Cardinals, and Clowns, 5 gallons per inch is pretty much what you need... there is a lot of fish that need more room, but they aren't really for beginners, with the exceptions of some Tangs small Triggers and Lionfish so in MY opinion, its a starting point that will put them on thier feet in the saltwater hobby.