5 gallon saltwater aquarium?

[triplesnipers]

I was recently gifted a 5 gallon tank. Is it possible to make a saltwater tank out of it? Would it need a special pump? What creatures would be best to put in it? I am brand new to any sort of aquariums. Would it be possible to put sea urchins in it?

 

[mtfish]

That is on the small side, but others have started tanks that are less than that with success. Look at the list of gobies available. Are you trying to have a fish only tank, or fish with corals. That would make a big difference on what you would need to make this work. If it were me, I would just do water changes to keep parameters in check. Give us more details on what you want as the end product so we can give more suggestions.

 

[triplesnipers]

That is on the small side, but others have started tanks that are less than that with success. Look at the list of gobies available. Are you trying to have a fish only tank, or fish with corals. That would make a big difference on what you would need to make this work. If it were me, I would just do water changes to keep parameters in check. Give us more details on what you want as the end product so we can give more suggestions.

I appreciate your willingness to help. I am not so sure what my final goal is, at this time I was just wondering if a 5 gallon would be possible. Since I have never kept an aquarium at any capacity before, this would be a fresh journey for me.

What are some good starting tips for this hobby? I hear people talking about '100% swaps weekly', does that mean I have to flush all of the water weekly and replace it? Say I had a mainly plant-based habitat, could I have some little shrimps in there that would clean the tank?

In short, I have no idea what I'm doing, or where to even start!

 

[mtfish]

My suggestion is to look at the "nano reef" section of this forum and see what others have done. Once you see what they have going on, then maybe come back with a plan. You could for sure keep some shrimp and plants.

 

[adamg77]

It absolutely can be done and welcome to the hobby it is an absolute blast! Being new at any hobby you will learn there are many ways to accomplish a goal. As a man with many hobbies this hobbies largest barrier to entry is knowledge. Ignorance is bliss. This is a video series I would highly recommend which goes over a lot of common questions and even goes over how to start a tank. Try and gain as much information as possible prior to filling it with water! I'd also recommend reaching out on Facebook to find any local groups as most people are more than willing to help and you might make some great friends. I'd also recommend looking at what animals you are attempting to create an ecosystem for. Just as if you were to purchase a dog or a lizard they require vastly different diets, maintenance, medications, and time requirements.

That being said invertebrates are one of the best in my opinion to keep in a tank this size as most do not get massive. Crabs are incredible little creatures and are great at keeping.

The 100% "swaps weekly" you describe are probably talking about water changes which remove unwanted elements (some of which are toxic) to your soon to be pets. Like I mentioned there is a lot of information to learn but you are doing a great thing by asking questions!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I used to keep a 5 gallon tank, its had coral banded shrimp in it, thats it, 5 gallons is not really big enough to keep anything happy and healthy besides a shrimp or a crab.

There really is a lot of information needed to have a successful tank, its not an easy hobby. This is a good starting point.

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[mtfish]

If it were me, I would get a yellow clown goby for this tank. They only get like 1.5 inch at the biggest. But I am a fish guy and could not set up a tank without at least one fish!