29 or 35 reef

[awesome kid]

before i begin asking questions i would like to say that i have never kept marine life before
i've been reading about corals and was wondering how to set up a mini reef tank the 35 is a hex tank and the 29 is regular

what equipment would i need (protien skimmer, uv sterilizer?)
what fish could i keep in the tanks?
what kind of fish/corals/inverts should i get (small species that are relatively easy are preferred)?
what substrate should i use ?
would i need to add supplements?
what kind of food should i use for the fish?

[TheOldSalt]

Use the 29. Hex tanks are not very practical in many ways which make a reef tank a bit harder than it should normally be.

As for what you need, the first thing you need is a BOOK, and a good one, like The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, or at least The New Marine Aquarium or even The Simple Guide to Marine Aquariums.
Once you have read at least one of these, you'd know the answers to these questions and many many more you don't even know to ask, and you'd be able to understand those answers.

Skimmer- yes
sterilizer- no, but handy
Lighting- powerful & expensive

Fish- very SMALL ones

Kinds of fish & critters- too complex an answer for too complex a question; we don't know anything about your would-be tank, so we can't tell you what would be good for it. The Practical Guide to Corals is another book which will help you immensely.

Substrate- oolitic aragonite

Supplements- yes

Food- hooboy, you ARE a beginner. Start with fish which will eat saltwater fishfood.

Sorry for the lameness of this response. I don't have time right now to go into any better detail, but I'm sure that you'll get lots of help from others soon, and I'll probably come back later myself.

[awesome kid]

i found a kind of clownfish on liveaquaria that said it would be fine in a 10 gal. i think it was a true percula clown
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...cfm?pCatId=756
i also saw a neon goby
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...fm?pCatId=1869
could i have 1-2 clowns and like 3-4 gobies?
i will put some Live Rock in the tank should i feed the fish freeze-dried brine shrimp ?
i also requested the books from my library so i hope i wont have to keep you people guessing on my setup
i read online on one site that i should have a plenum (whats that?!?) do i really need one?

[TheOldSalt]

1-2 clowns & 3-4 gobies--- No way, not in a 10 gallon tank. You could keep either, but not both, and you'd have better luck with the gobies, of which you could have 6-8.

They'd like freezedried brineshimp, but give them some saltwater flake food like TetraMarin as well.

A plenum is a space under your livesand which optimizes denitrification. It's very handy.

[awesome kid]

i meant 1-2 clowns and 3-4 gobies in a 29 would that be fine? sorry for the confusion

[Osiris]

Originally Posted by TheOldSalt

1-2 clowns & 3-4 gobies--- No way, not in a 10 gallon tank. You could keep either, but not both, and you'd have better luck with the gobies, of which you could have 6-8.

They'd like freezedried brineshimp, but give them some saltwater flake food like TetraMarin as well.

A plenum is a space under your livesand which optimizes denitrification. It's very handy.

What you mean can't keep them in 10g? I had 2 different species of dragonets and clownfish, skunk cleaner in my 10g healthy as can be..

[TheOldSalt]

Oh are they now?

[Cichlid Man]

Originally Posted by MalawianPro

What you mean can't keep them in 10g? I had 2 different species of dragonets and clownfish, skunk cleaner in my 10g healthy as can be..

Well, I wouldn't recommend it, even though they look healthy as can be, they'll be more prone to problems than 5 oscars in a 30g tank. And that's no joke.

[Osiris]

I agree if tank is setup properly and guys arent adults, no problems at all. Dragonets and everyone are good as can be, though unless are used to upkeep daily on a SW dont do it.

Pair of small clownfish shouldnt cause any problems. We have tiny/smaller ones here at LFS for $12

[TheOldSalt]

Un-freakin-believeable. I'm too shocked to even respond to that.

[Osiris]

I should make a comment about the dragonnets, it seems shocky to many people not only here but like nano-reef and RC as well. Rarely do you come across one that accepts prepared foods like frozen foods. Mine do, mysis, brine, something else i can't think of name offhand, but i have tons tons of pods in my tank guess the refugium has that to thank to.