I have been planning to start a saltwater tank for a while, and I'm planning to set it up within a year. I'm going to get a 40 gallon tank with all of the filtration provided by live rock and a protein skimmer. I think that I'll use a deep sand bed, but i'm not sure. The fish I plan on keeping are 2 percula or occelaris clownfish, 1 or 2 firefish, 1 bangaii cardinalfish, and (maybe) 1 coral beauty angelfish. After a while I will add a cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis). Eventually I will add a few corals. These include zoanthids, mushroom corals, and star polyps. Ive done a lot of research but I want to know if I have any compatability issues here. Also, I can find no reliable information on the number of firefish per tank. Any help would be greatly appreciated! *BOUNCINGS
First Saltwater Tank
- Thread starter Anabantid Guy
- Start date
sump/fuge is the way to go if you have the room for it. I don't so I actually run a fluval 405 with my set up...a lot of ppl will tell you not to do this with a fowlr set up however as long as i keep up with my cleaning and check my levels i have had no prolems with running a mechanical filter but I also have two fw tanks so the upkeep with the fluval is second nature to me. Surf the net for diy sump/fuge set ups...it will save you money and if you are able to do it yourself it will make you take care of it more as well. Lotus is right about the lighting...you don't need to worry about them now until you get your corals which you don't need to worry about until your tank is cycled...they are very sensitive to the water parameters and it would suck if you spend money stocking your tank with several only to have them die off on you. Check out this link for info on begining fish...it also includes a compatibility chart that is easy to read Beginner Fish: Tropical Fish for Beginners in Saltwater Aquariums
My biggest suggestion is to read, read, and read some more
There are a lot of helpful topics on this forum but also see if there is a local marine/reef society near you as well
My biggest suggestion is to read, read, and read some more
There are a lot of helpful topics on this forum but also see if there is a local marine/reef society near you as wellOk, i've done a lot of research and I've come up with my fish and equipment that I'll use. For fish, I'll have 2 Percula Clownfish (Amphiphiron percula), 1 Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica), and 1 Bangaii Cardinal (Pterapogon kauderni). For invertebrates, I have decided upon 2 to 4 cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) some mushroom corals, green star polyps, and Zoanthus sp. polyps. For equipment, I wil use a 55gal. tank, a refugium, T5 lights, aragonite sand, a heater and a thermometer, with a protein skimmer and live rock for filtration. I decided against a sump due to lack of funds and space. However, even though I have all the information I need, sadly I have to postpone setup for a few months.