thinking about getting a SW tank

[fishdude07]

well...ive never really liked the way saltwater tanks and fish looked...but now ive kinda changed my mind...some neon velvet damsels caught my eye at the LFS yesterday. now, i know nothing about saltwater tanks and fish, but id like to try it out (not necessarily now, but maybe in the near or far future). anyways, the guy at the LFS told me i could have 2 in an 18 or 20 gallon...was he right or was he wrong like most LFS people are? will 2 neon velvet damsels get along in an 18 or 20 gallon tank? another question- if i were to set up a SW tank, what special equipment would i need? do SW tanks need special lighting? i was also thinking about keeping live rock...what does it look like exactly? is it expensive? i might come up with some more questions later on, but these are all of em for now. thanks in advance for replies.

 

[1979camaro]

i think they would be fine together in a 20, but you couldnt have anything else

nothing too special needed other than a hydrometer; for a FO tank you wouldnt even need a skimmer. no special lights for a non reef either. basically, a good hob filter and some live rock

yes live rock is expensive, $6-7 a pound most places and you would need 10-15 pounds probably at the miniumum

 

[dbacksrat]

as you do more research, you're going to discover that you want a reef system with fish

 

[S.Reef]

I would think the two would get along...you could probably add another small fish or two.

Basically you will need a bag of salt, hydrometer, a powerful HOB filter, heater, a single 10,000k or 50/50 fluorescent light and live rock.

The biggest expense will be the live rock. but you only need about 10lbs...also a protein skimmer is highly recommended.

 

[fishdude07]

ok, so i need salt, a hydrometer, a nice filter, a heater, and a nice flourescent light bulb...how many watts does the bulb need to be? all i want is the two neon velvet damsels and the live rock

one more question...how much sand would i need? how much do you think itd cost?

 

[NightRydaz01]

It's my opinion that a saltwater tank should be for those who really love the entire process of how it works it's more of a science than a hobby however, if you just want damsels i personally would go and buy a 10 gallon tank with a penguin mini power filter with bio wheel and some sort or aeration device i prefer bubble wand and set up the tank and let it sit for at least 3 weeks before adding fish and when you do just add one trust me I had a 10 gallon tank the was working perfectly then i moved to a 20 and thought i could speed up the cycling process and i ended up with an ammonia level of over 8.0ppm so do a lot of research before you buy your damsels these fish are usually used as test fish in most marine setups.

 

[1979camaro]

err....i disagree strongly here with nightrydaz01. the damsels can be more than simply "test fish" and they work well in many environments, a community reef simply isn't one of them. furthermore, a biowheel is not a good option for a marine tank no matter if it is reef or FO. Live Rock and water movement is the best filtration money can buy; combined with a skimmer you are golden. if you follow his setup and just wait 3 weeks you are going to have the same problem he has...chemical implosion. just like a FW tank you have to cycle a marine tank, and the process can take much longer than 3 weeks. test kits are an essential part of keeping fish...there is no way to know that you tank is magically ready in 3 weeks.

"It's my opinion that a saltwater tank should be for those who really love the entire process of how it works it's more of a science than a hobby"

This is how marine aquarist get labeled snooty uppidy ups...we are no better or worse than any other aspect of the hobby, just different

while a SW tank is to some degree a science, it really is mostly a hobby...just a hobby which uses some science...no different from FW in that respect.

edit: I mean no disrespect nightrydaz01; as I re-read this it sounded like it could come off as quasi-flaming and I don't mean it to...just trying to disseminate the appropriate information as I see it

Kevin

 

[fishdude07]

so how many pounds of sand do you think ill need? is sand expensive? and what are the light requirement? how many watts?

 

[1979camaro]

you dont need to get live sand...i would just get enough to add a thin layer over the bottom...maybe an inch...10 pounds? im not sure, its been a long time since i did a small tank

lighting wise, if all you want is LR you don't need anything special, a normal output flourescent bulb should do the trick...probably about 20w i imagine they are

 

[fishdude07]

oh ok. thanks. i wasnt talking about live sand tho, just regular sand...

 

[NightRydaz01]

It's recommended that you have a substate bed of at least 2.5 - 3" inches...goto reefcentral.com and the have a sandbed calculator that will tell you exactly how much sand you need. Camaro I screwed up ok... I introduced my fish to soon im sorry... Damsels however are a very rugged fish and some can even survive in fresh water... which is why they are ideal as test fish to new setups because they can with stand the changes the tank undergoes. Thats why most fish stores suggest to purchase a damsel as your first fish.

 

[fishdude07]

some damsels can survive in fresh water? for some reason i highly doubt that...i know almost nothing about saltwater fish...but that seems crazy

 

[aresgod]

1 " of sand should be fine for what you are trying to do, 2 -3 " isnt necessary for your set up and techinically people ran marine tanks for years with bare bottom tanks( no sand at all) in fact some still do
Brahm

 

[fishdude07]

do neon velvet damsels live in coral reefs in the wild?

 

[dbacksrat]

yeah a lot of the fish you see in the aquarium trade are still caught in the wild, right in or around the coral reef
as for the lighting, a fish only system can get by with a NO (normal output) flourescent, but with the live rock you might want some more watts per gallon

 

[1979camaro]

i disagree on that...the LR needs very minimal light...

there are two schools on sandbeds...those who believe in the DSB (3-4in) and those who do not. i do not. however, i do not care for the barebottom look either. My solution is to have a thin layer of sand and some critters to prevent it from becoming anaerobic...couple that with a run through with a stick monthly and i do not have any problems with chemical buildup. DSBs reportedly crash after 4 or 5 years releasing large volumes of toxic chemicals into the water column. furthermore, they tend to leach phosphates = algae

damsels are very hardy, but they do not live in fresh water for long before they are not so much alive

as far as damsels on the reef, they are everywhere...the problem comes not with coral/crabs/etc but with the fish living with them. basically damsels beat the holy crud out of anything in the tank, esp in that small of a water volume

an additional problem to adding damsels first (if you choose to cycle with fish, a no-no in my book) is they are very hard to catch (esp in larger systems) and after you do catch them you have to figure out something to do with them

nightrydaz01: i hold no ill will towards you for adding fish prematurely...i think we disagree on some (a lot?) of stuff but diversity is what makes the world go round after all...I really am not attacking you, im just giving my 2 cents...anyway, thats all i have to say about that.

 

[fishdude07]

thanks alot for all the info. i hope some day ill be able to start my first SW tank

 

[1979camaro]

i hope so too