HELP! New to Sw

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Mrs.Rich

New Member
Hi! I’m new here and haven’t even started my SW tank yet. I have been doing some research and browsing. I’m a bit nervous but very excited and know I can handle this adventure I’m about to take on. But with all the information out there it can be a bit confusing as to what’s best so I decided to sign up here and get advice from you all. Where should I post my question as to which aquarium to get? I will post here but if need to post elsewhere please let me know. Haven’t started browsing this site much so I guess I can give that a go as well. I’m new to this so any help would be appreciated.

I am looking into a 45-95 gallon aquarium. I saw some for sell on OfferUp and letgo for various prices so wanted some help with that to make sure I’m getting the best deal. One was a biocube with some live rock, a crab and snail for $150. I will likely get rid of the biocube setup and start from scratch.

The other was 95 gallons with live rock and I believe a sump set up for $300. I like their set up a lot more. Hope you all could share which one you think would be best. We plan to have 4 to 5 fish (clownfish for sure) and some beginners coral along with some cuc.

Would the 45 gallons be less expensive to up keep than the 95 gallon tank? Also I heard with the biocube I can clean every 3-6 weeks versus the other tank which would need weekly cleans. I’m sure this may also be due to the setup as well. Is it possible to at least do biweekly cleans or longer with the 95 gallons. I have a 1 year old so not doing weekly cleans would be very convenient but I am open to it if it’s necessary. I surely need help I am almost clueless as to what to do but really would love to take on this hobby. Thanks in advance!
 
Pancho75

Pancho75

Well-Known Member
Welcome to RS!!!

The smaller the tank the cheaper is to maintain it but it is also harder to balance it.


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Mrs.Rich

New Member
Pancho75 said:
Welcome to RS!!!

The smaller the tank the cheaper is to maintain it but it is also harder to balance it.


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Click to expand...
Thank you! Would a 45 gallon be a bit of a balance of the two meaning not as expensive and better balance?
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
At this point you want to put a lot more time into planning and gaining knowledge. Don't buy anything until you figure out wnat your trying to keep in the tank and where you want to go with it. I've posted this many times before, but it's worth repeating. It's the best advice I can give someone new to the hobby.

DaveK's Standard Lecture #1 – Advice for people new to the hobby

The very first thing you want to do, before you spend any money on equipment or livestock, is get yourself a few good books on state of the art reef systems. Then read and study them, so you have some idea about what your are doing.

Here are two to start with -

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner
The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paleta <---This book has an especially good section on fish suited to someone starting off in the hobby.

A note on the books. You can often find used copies at much lower prices at places like Amazon. In most cases these are going to be as good as new copies, especially when your first learning.

This is information that you can not easily obtain from the net. While it's out there, it's all over the place, and there is a massive volume of information. There is also a lot of bad information out there.

Once you get that done, plan or rethink your system. What do you want to keep? Do you have the necessary equipment? Do you have the knowledge to keep the livestock you want? Do you have the time to dedicate to keeping a system and it's livestock?

Many salt water fish, corals and inverts often have very specific requirements. Some are extremely difficult to keep alive, even if you do everything right. Before you get anything, research it, and be sure it will work out in your system.

Lastly, you will find that most LFS people are clueless when it comes to SW systems. Verify their advice, until they prove otherwise.
 
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