Thinking of setting up a small SW tank..

Maybe 10 gallons or so, or one of those nano-cube setups, possible even smaller, having a tank like ATM's 5.5G would be amazing. I'd like to get a reef tank, they are so gorgeous to look at, but I've read they're much harder to care for, especially with anemones etc.?

Just a couple of questions -

What maintenance would I need to perform on a small Saltwater reef tank?

Which fish could I have in there (and are there any marine fish that aren't picky eaters )?

What equipment is necessary?

I know that having a smaller tank means the water is harder to maintain etc., but it would make all the equipment and stuff a lot cheaper, having only a little live rock etc.

Thanks

~Bill

 

Well with a small tank it all depends on the size. bigger the tank the more choices you have. Anemones are usually out of the question for small tanks since they get rather large in comparison to the small tanks. I'm slowly making mine a reef but they are much more expensive and time consuming than a regular tank.

Maintenance weekly water change, possible mid-week top-off to maintain a steady s.g. Reef tank depending on your corals.

Depends on the tank size, smaller like mine goby, larger like 10 or more gobies, maybe clown etc.

Depends on whether reef, everything that you would need for fw plus powerhead/s stronger lighting, if corals more test kits, stuff like that.

A smaller tank isn't really harder to maintain, it just takes more dedication but it's really not that hard at all. I would suggest go for it if you can keep up with weekly water changes and do the research because it's really not that hard and it opens a whole new world.

 

Thanks for that advice Atm! Saltwater fish are so beautiful, I'd get a tank if I had lots of money, but for now it'll have to wait :-[

 

If you are happy with just fish and inverts and maybe a few basic corals it really isn't that much more than freshwater, what is your budget?

 

I don't know much about SW..we've only had ours set up for a month. My BF wants to go bigger...he wants more aggressive fish which cannot go in our 30g.
We are planning on having a some baby clown fish in an empty 10 gallon once we move.
Here's our local site....the guys there are great help. They can tell you what you may need to know. Marine Aquarium Society of Nova Scotia

 

If you are happy with just fish and inverts and maybe a few basic corals it really isn't that much more than freshwater, what is your budget?

My budget is currently -$209.96 Canadian dollars, so it won't be a possibility for a while yet by the way; how hard are those mushroom thingies to keep? they look really cool.

Thanks for that link, Allie, I'll check it out.

 

They are very easy to keep, do whatever and they will probably live. I got my setup for around 250 but I purchased 55$ light fixture which you wouldn't need if you just wanted mushrooms and simple corals, when you get the other corals you have to buy more test kits, supplements, and lighting so more money, that's where a lot of money goes in saltwater setups.