okay I'm thinking about trying saltwater. what would be a minimum tank size, what would i need, what would be some good fish to start with, how would i set up the tank, and i would prefer live rock and coral.
with saltwater, the bigger the better, and most recommend not starting with anything smaller than 30g with 55 and up being better. you would need to have a good filter, canister would be good and a protein skimmer is a must. Dont skimp on the skimmer, get a quality one will save you money and headaches in the long run. with coral you will need special lighting and i would have to defer you to someone else on that. also power heads are good as saltwater holds less oxygen than regular water. clown fish, damsal fish, cardinals are all good starter fish, but alot depends on the size of tank you get as to what fish would be best hope this helps some
What kind of tank do you want to keep? If you are going to use live rock, this provides your biological filtration. With the LR, the canister filter would be ok, but a simple HOB filter would work to provide the chemical filtration (activated carbon). Clowns are some of the hardier fish, but really it's difficult to recommend anything until you decide on the size tank you are going to use. I would recommend going as large as possible because the chemical swings will be less in the larger tank. Dave
Fire fish are somewhat difficult to raise unless you do a reef tank I would suggest starting out with live rock and a good sump with a protein skimmer. Size of tank depends on Fish or reef. You will also need suffeciant lighting for live rock. Just depends on what your plans are?
crabs n snails are a must, and I've had good luck with firefish in a FOWLR setup in a 14 gallon biocube that was my first sw tank..... I've had many other FW and Brackish tanks prior to my biocube though... so I was a lil used to the maint that was going to b involved.
If thats what you want than give it a shot but make sure you do some homework first then decide on what you want in a tank but I will be very honest with you it will take at least 3 months for live rock to cure to its fullest power and add a fish or corals if you want them to but first is LR then cleanup crew then a fish or two but do it slowly or problems may accur and that you want to avoid if at all possible. The main key is setup for you tank such as a refuge or sump skimmer and most importantly lighting it all adds up to a good price and is very rewarding once you acheive that goal. if you need any advice write me on my post or ask other. I would like to help you if this is what you would like to do.
