Trying To Decide on a Tank and Setup

[roadkeel]

Hi,

I am new to the forum. I joined yesterday but I have been reading the forum for quiet some time. I have always wanted a saltwater tank but I have been hesitant about purchasing one. I don't have a freshwater tank so this will be my first fish tank. I had all but settled on a freshwater tank until my wife and I went to a local store and saw all of the colorful marine fish and that pretty much moved us back to a marine setup.

We were looking at a 36 gallon bow front with a stand for around $200 or a 55 gallon rectangle and stand for $275. One of my other downfalls is I am a neat/aesthetic freak and would rather have all my filtration out of sight as much as possible. I was thinking about doing a live sand, live rock, fish only tank in the beginning. I was thinking about 1 or a pair of clowns, maybe a blenny or goby, a tang and maybe a couple of small damsels. I would probably want to add a couple of colorful non aggressive corals after the tank is established. And then yesterday while looking around on the internet I found a Coralife Biocube 29 gallon aquarium kit and stand for around $400 after discounts. A friend of mine has something similar to the Biocube and he has a clown, a blenny and a couple of small blue damsels and various corals in his.

I will have to drive to Nashville or Birmingham to find a highly recommended LFS and talk to someone in person. I plan on doing that next weekend. I am in no hurry to buy anything yet unless I find a really good deal. I am keeping an eye on Craiglist in several cities around me for someone either upgrading their systems or getting out of the hobby. I have 6 weeks to research everything I can find right now due to foot surgery this past Friday.

I am almost finished reading "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Saltwater Aquariums". It says about $10 a gallon for a fish only tank and $20-$30 a gallon for a reef tank. It also says the larger the aquarium the greater the room for error.

So can anyone tell me if I am way off base with my plan? Even though I have a gleaned a little information from the book and the internet I really am clueless. I probably just know enough of the terminations to be dangerous.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and thanks for listening to my rambling...

 

[chefb_5]

I would def go with the 55 gallon because more fish u can fit in latter on and easier to maintain the water quality. I think smaller tanks r for people who have more experience in my mind do to know how to fix things if certain things where to go wrong because it is alot of work to keep the water par in check in a smaller tank. Things can go wrong faster.

 

[Tradewinds]

First and foremost, welcome to Reef2Reef!

What are the dimensions of the space you have available for the aquarium? If you have the space I would recommend a 120 gallon tank over a 55 because it gives you more space to arrange the rocks(aquascape), provides more water volume, and will give you more room under the tank to help keep everything out of sight.

Bow front aquariums also tend to distort the contents of the tank. When you go to the LFS check out both types of tanks and see which one appeals to you.

Are there any local marine aquarium clubs in Huntsville? If so, it would be very beneficial to attend meetings, visit other's tanks, and generally pick their brains.

I hope your foot heals quickly.

 

[roadkeel]

Thanks for the info and well wishes on the foot. There are reasons people over 45 shouldn't play kickball. I guess that is why most folks with any sense stop playing after elementary school.

I never even considered that there would be distortion between a bow front tank and a rectangle tank. Makes perfect sense, but I never thought about it. As far as size the 55 rectangle fits almost perfectly in the space we have chosen in the house. So that will be about as large as we can go now. We do intend to move in 18-24 months and have already discussed if we really enjoy the aquarium maybe making this one a bedroom or rec room tank and getting a larger one for our main living area..

 

[runningreefer]

if you are going to nashville, emerald bay USED to be a wonderful store with very knowledgeable staff and very reasonable prices. again i preface that with USED to cause it has been some years since i have been there. so might be something to looking into.

 

[roadkeel]

Thanks for the tip. I had heard the same thing and that was the LFS I was going to check into first when I get to Nashville.

 

[Dalmatia]

Go with a 55g unless u have $$$
55g will leave you some room for mistakes with out crashing your tank and give you an idea if you want to keep this hobby
And I've never had a FW tank, so do be discouraged