# just thinking bout it



## teddyzaper (Aug 30, 2009)

hi,
i was just wondering what i would need for a 5-10gal coral tank. i know its tiny and very hard. im not that knowledgable and am planning on reading up A LOT before i buy but my dad has been keeping fish for over 30yrs and had a couple saltwater tanks before so he knows what to do really well. i am asking because i would like to know an aproxamate cost. please include EVERYTHING and if this isnt posible then tell me what is. i would like to get some live rock. where from? also some coras again where? and mabey a small shrimp. thats it. i think i would need light, pump, some salt, and live sand. anything else? and also can u recomend some items and sites to get them please! i know this is a lot to ask for but i am just venturing into the saltwater world! i know it takes patience and i will consult here before i do anything stupid. i will update my tank if i get it. please be critical, i can take offences. i know this size tank is really hard but i think with a lot of effort i can do it. i am home at least 6 hrs a day so i have time to do stuff. THANKS!:shock:


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

Dollar for dollar, there is not much difference in cost for a 20 gallon vs a 10 gallon tank. Even a 29 gallon would not be much more expensive. Why do you insist on such a small aquarium? What is your budget?


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## teddyzaper (Aug 30, 2009)

ok well my budget would be anywhere from 100-500 dollars, depends when i get it and if i get some money for christmas. i just think a ten gallon looks a lot cooler then a 30gal but i do own a empty 20gal tall. would that work? i dont think i really like the looks of the tank because its so tall i like flatter tanks. and also i insist on a smaller tank because in the summer i can bring it out to the living room but in the winter it gets cold and the power goes out so my room is really warm with 3 fish tanks at 80degreese F. if this isnt posible please tell me.as i said i dont really care if there is a fish in there or not. i perfer inverts. i just really want some corals. also off the topic but just curious how many gallons would i need for a finding nemo tank. u know the part where he is at the dentists. there is a puffer, nemo, i think a goby, a starfish, an angel i think (gill), and a shrimp, a black and white angle looking fish (with the reflection), a yellow angel i think (BUBBLES). i know its gonna be like 100 gallons but just curious


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

it would be very interesting to see that tank if you are able...pasfur will be back with some input


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I have considered on several occasions doing the tank from Nemo. Unfortunately, some of the fish that are in the tank are extremely difficult to maintain, especially not in a 29 gallon tank that you see in the movie. I would suggest setting up a 29 gallon tank with the same decorations, but picking your own fish. You could easily have an Ocellaris Clownfish (Nemo), a Cleaner Shrimp, and a handful of other small fish.

For your existing tank, I would suggest you purchase a 20 gallon long. This will give you a lot more swimming space and make it much easier for us to recommend fish that are compatible with each other. Also, the tank is shallow which allows for better light penetration.

You will want live rock, aragonite sand, and a protein skimmer as the guts of your system.


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## teddyzaper (Aug 30, 2009)

thanks! a few more questions. i was planning on doing a coral tank and i have a light with 60watts whats the biggest tank i could do with it the light is 24-24.5 inch long. what size tank would fit that. i was thinking of a cube tank but if a long is what u recomend ill do it. i was planning on 1 mabey 2 fish since its a reef, and mabey a shrimp. i went to a reef store and they had a full 20gal cube with live rock (20lbs) for $500 brand new. these guys are really good and the package is set up by the guys there. the only thing is they use a normal filter instead of a skimmer. the finding nemo tank was just a question from my curiosity, i would not actually do it. whats aragonite sand? is it live sand? and what type of live rock, i know there are different kinds but is it just preferance. the price for live rock at the store was $8 per lb and they had really nice corals and fish. the worst thing i saw in there tanks was some fin nip on 1 fin of a fish with really big eyes 0_0. also how much would a beginer coral and fish setup cost, as i said 1-2 fish or 1 fish and invert. u can do the rest of the calculations but i really dont know the price of the fish or corals. the fish i like. a version of nemo but it has a big white splotch in the middle with a black line and orange, a black nemo, puffers ( any dwarfs?). inverts i like: candy can shrimp i think its called, crabs, brittle starfish, and normal starfish, sea slugs, hermits. corals: clams (any dwarfs?), anenome, shrooms, tube worms u know the ones with the tube and the little tentacle things sticking out the top that u use for bait when fishing sumtimes, something flowery. ok that is a LONG post. hope u can answer all my questions! good night its midnight here


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

i cant answer all the questions but a 20 would fit that light.....i guess you could call it a 20 tall the dimensions are L24 D13 H17....this is the kind i have


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

Sometimes I miss the feeling of what it was like to be a beginner, with the entire realm of the saltwater hobby in front you of. Unfortunately this hobby has a way of quickly giving us a reality check, so here goes!

Am I correct that this is your first attempt at a marine system? If so, you should know that the majority of the livestock you named is not livestock that you will want to attempt until you have a lot more experience. In freshwater you can pretty much keep anything , so long as you have the correct equipment and tank size. In saltwater you need EXPERIENCE. This is a vague concept that is hard for a newby to understand, but every experienced marine aquarists understands exactly what this means and why it is important.

Lest look at the list. 

Candy can shrimp: nice choice for you.

Crabs: depends on what you mean. MOST of these are not compatable with corals and inverts. They are opportunistic predators and will eat pretty much anything they can catch. You should stick with the small Hermit Crab varieties, such as Red Legs and Blue Leg Hermits. 

Brrittle starfish: No way. Starfish are extremely difficult in any system, and your tank is to small to have enough diversity of micro life to support a starfish's dietary needs.

Sea slugs: Near impossible to keep, even for the advanced hobbyist.

Clams (any dwarfs?): Not for you. Clams are the for highly advanced reefkeepers only. Dietary needs and lighting needs are very specific as well.

Anenome: Also extremely difficult. They are often purchased and rarely live longer than 6 months in captivity, despite a natural life span in excess of 200 years.

Shrooms: Great beginner coral

Tube worms: Controversial. Some say they can not thrive in captivity, others report success. They are inexpensive and readily available, with no special light requirements. If you decide to give it a go, be sure to feed it with some of the smallest micro sized liquid foods. I personally do not keep these, having accepted that they just don't live in captivity.

Other good beginner corals will include Green Star Polyps, Yellow Polyps, Button Polyps, Zooanthids, and some Leathers. (Beware Leather corals grow fast and LARGE!)

As for the 20 gallon cube for $500. This is a horrible deal in my opinion. These setups are for people who want instant gratification and are unwilling to go through the learning process. The equipment is not what you would naturally select, and the price is very high.

I would start your aquarium project with this deal:
40 pounds dry rock & 40 pounds aragonite sand $105 from 40 Pound box Key Largo Rock, <br>40 Pounds Bahamas Aragonite Sand<BR>pay shipping on rock only - KL40-40.

This will give you the rock and sand you need for a tank up to 29 gallons in size, at a great discount below retail. For lighting, I would look into compact florescents. You can find some nice fixtures on eBay at a great discount. This is a beginner system, so there is no reason to overboard with costs or fancy equipment. You are just getting your feet wet until you upgrade to a much larger tank in the future.

For a skimmer, you will use a simple hang on model. This should be a significant portion of your budget. You have to realize, the skimmer is the MOST IMPORTANT purchase you will make. It will make or break your success in this hobby. For you, I suggest Super Skimmer with Needle Wheel - Up to 65 Gallon | Venturi Models | Protein Skimmers | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com.


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## teddyzaper (Aug 30, 2009)

omg thank you! i thought the deal wasnt that great and yes i am a first timer. although i do have a thriving planted tank and 2 more tanks (freshwater. i know that doesn't mean much to you but it means to me that i know how to deal with water, putting meds in, etc. my first question is why dry rock? is it the same as live rock. what is live rock and why cant i just grab some rocks wash them off and put them in my tank? it there something growing on it already and can it be achieved by a dry rock to? do u think the light is enough? its 6700k 65watts coralife bulb with a coralife fixture, like 10 yrs old but the light works great, fairly new bulb. it says that skimmer is up to 65gals why not get a skimmer rated for my tank, whats the benefits of it? im not arguing cause if that's what works the best ill get it. i know u know so much just from reading other posts. my dad has these two really old books (10-20yrs old) and its funny how much I can notice that is wrong just from my experience in freshwater lol. some of it seemed like really good advice though like how to feed clams and corals and stuff. i looked online and i saw some really cool fish and stuff. ill post a link to all the stuff i went to under this.
Gobies, Saltwater Fish | Pet Solutions
Nano Pack, Coral Packages | Pet Solutions
Mini-Reef Live Rock, Saltwater Live Rock | Pet Solutions
Arrow Crab, Crabs | Pet Solutions
Neon Blue Stripe Hermit Crab, Crabs | Pet Solutions
Candy Stripe Pistol Shrimp, Shrimp | Pet Solutions
Mushrooms, Saltwater Corals | Pet Solutions
Soft Corals, Saltwater Corals | Pet Solutions
Zoanthids & Palythoa, Saltwater Corals | Pet Solutions
ok some more questions. whats LPS and SPS? i decided agains tube things cause of what u said, i would like as little amount of casualties as posible. do you think this website is reliable? i ordered lights, gravel, heater from them for my new freshwater and they came great! also go check out there sand section and tell me what one is the best, they all look the same to me... from what i said about the saltwater store do u think it would be a reliable source to get my fish and inverts and mabey corals there? he seemed to know a lot about the fish because when i told him my dad had one of the fish he instantly splurted out the scientific name of it. ok another long post but hope u can help me! also iill add some pictures of what i would like the tank to look like! prob some drawings to!
:shock:


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## teddyzaper (Aug 30, 2009)

could someone please answer my questions  not to sound restless but i am really getting into this


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I'm not sure what question to answer! LOL You are full on energy on this, that is for sure.

I like the fact that your fish guy at the LFS knows the scientific names. This is actually a nice sign. The next question is, does he have the patience and desire to help someone new to the hobby. 

"Dry Rock" is porous aragonite grade rock that will become live rock when introduced to the micro life that makes live rock "live". You simply seed the dry rock with a handful of experienced sand or a few pounds of experienced live rock. If you look at my 180 build thread, you will see exactly what this is, how it is used, and the quality of rock that it becomes in your aquarium.


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

teddyzaper said:


> ok some more questions. whats LPS and SPS?
> :shock:


For the sake of easy communication and discussion, some things you really just need to "google". 

Large Polyp Stony coral & Small Polyp Stony coral.


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