5 Gallon Beginner Tank

[jrmorich]

I currently have a 10 gallon freshwater tank but I am planning on starting a 5 gallon reef tank. I am new to saltwater tanks and don't know how to get started. What kinds of equipment do I need for a basic 5 gallon reef tank?

[FishyFishy!]

Have you done your research yet? Search this site for days before you even think about starting a tank. When you think you have read enough, then start to purchase equiptment. There are many, many different setups that you could do, all of which will be closer to personal preference than anything.

 

Basic equiptment:

 

Tank -(choose acrylic or glass.. acrylic is nice, but it scratches uber easy).

Lights - very important

Heater - (never hurts to get a fully submersable one just in case)

Filtration - look these up... there are a billion different setups. I prefer either a closed loop system, or hang on back aquafuge mods (like the Aquaclear 50/70). You must remember that a good filtration system is key in your aquarium. Remember that the right filter could double the water volume in your tank, making you system more stable.

Sand - don't cheap out and go to home depot... Carib Sea aggrigate/or live sand is always good.

Live rock - rule of thumb is 1 lb per gallon - I wouldn't cheap out on rock either.

Thermometer (obvious reasons)

Test kits for Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, PH, phosphates

Sea salt

Buckets for water changes

siphons

 

Keys to success:

 

PATIENCE

STABILITY

CONSISTANCY

 

etc etc etc etc.. I could go on for hours... This site has a thousand threads on starting up a tank. Pull up a chair, get comfortable, and start reading!

 

EDIT - after READING random threads, I came accross this thread:

READ ME

 

Even though it is geared up to seting up a nano cube... the fundamentals are the same, and I found this to be very informative. Definately take a read.

[RedMan25xl]

I currently have a 10 gallon freshwater tank but I am planning on starting a 5 gallon reef tank. I am new to saltwater tanks and don't know how to get started. What kinds of equipment do I need for a basic 5 gallon reef tank?

 

I currently have neosporin and bandaids for cuts but am planning on doing surgeory. I am new to open heart and dont know where the chest is. What kinds of saws and needles do I need for a basic heart transplant?

[Twilton]

i like the bit about when you think you have read enough. Us with tanks soon come to realise like you will that you can never stop reading/researching. Oh and be careful starting a saltwater tank is not a hobby it becomes an addiction.

[claw]

Don't worry about some people telling you it's too hard to start saltwater with a nano. My 10 gallon is my first saltwater tank and so far so good. There will be plenty of learning experiences but that is how you learn (thus the "learning" experience). Some people are a bit pretentious about how hard a nano is and how you have to be with someone else to learn first or start bigger....luckily not too many of those on here though. Keep reading, when you feel comfortable, start buying your equipment, but ALWAYS KEEP READING!!

 

I bought a book, something to the effect of "Nano Reefs", I'd not recommend that. While a good intro there are plenty of things like that on this site and others. Figure out a rough idea of what you want and plan ahead.

 

If I only picked up easy hobbies then I would be bored out of my mind...

[cheryl jordan]

I currently have neosporin and bandaids for cuts but am planning on doing surgeory. I am new to open heart and dont know where the chest is. What kinds of saws and needles do I need for a basic heart transplant?

 

So I guess your point is you never needed any assistance, because other than that I see no point.

 

 

And yes please look at the beginners forum, you will have a ton of questions, but it ought to be a good start.

[RedMan25xl]

So I guess your point is you never needed any assistance, because other than that I see no point.

 

 

And yes please look at the beginners forum, you will have a ton of questions, but it ought to be a good start.

was a joke but damn everyone so defensive

 

My point is he has done no research period.

He is asking exactly how to start his tank, not more in depth questions like what kind of light is best for zoas or something, or what heater is best?

 

if you teach a man to fish

[cheryl jordan]

Yeah I usually research before starting a thread, but a lot of people do not. Eventually they will have so many questions that hopefully they do some research.

 

Sarcasm is so hard to read on the net, silly

[RedMan25xl]

of course we are on the same page

[TinyGiant]

if you know someone with a tank.. do this..

 

 

get 5 gallons of water from a currently setup and established tank

get some rock from the same tank

get some sand from the same tank

 

you'll bypass pretty much all the hassle of starting up a tank. thats what i did and usually do for small tanks. you can pretty much add corals and fish that same day if you wanted to The water doesnt need to go through any changes since everything is established.

 

its cheating ... but with such a small tank its soo much easier

[Dasani]

For a 1st time reefer I wouldn't try to start with a 5g. They are hard to keep stable. I would go with a 10g+. Look into ADA tanks. there is a nice 17g and it looks amazing! I think Igreen has it, correct me if I'm wrong.

[TinyGiant]

bigger the tank the easier it will be. i've been keeping tanks for almost 17 years now and the 5g nano is doing well but its hard to balance feeding the fish and keeping the water clean enough to limit unwanted algae like cyno. i have a pump on order that might give me the flow i need. but we'll see.

 

just be ready for some ups and downs in the learning process

[jrmorich]

was a joke but damn everyone so defensive

 

My point is he has done no research period.

He is asking exactly how to start his tank, not more in depth questions like what kind of light is best for zoas or something, or what heater is best?

 

if you teach a man to fish

 

 

I already read most of the nano reef articles on this website. I still wasn't sure exactly what a basic nano reef would involve. I don't have too much money to spend and am looking for the simplest working system possible to start out with. I should have been more clear about this. I only have room for a 5 gallon tank at the moment so starting with a larger tank isnt an option. What type of filters, lighting, etc would be recommended for a beginner's tank that is this size? Like I said I don't have a lot of money to spend and was wondering what the basics i would need to get by are.

[lakshwadeep]

Read the "important topics" in the beginners forum. Also, check out the pico tank forum, both for the important topics and tank threads showing specific equipment setups.

 

What you really need are live rock, water flow, heating, and lighting. This is all that's needed inside the tank. Besides that, you need a good water source for mixing saltwater, and test kits. Everything else, like external filters, are used for specific purposes.

[jrmorich]

Read the "important topics" in the beginners forum. Also, check out the pico tank forum, both for the important topics and tank threads showing specific equipment setups.

 

What you really need are live rock, water flow, heating, and lighting. This is all that's needed inside the tank. Besides that, you need a good water source for mixing saltwater, and test kits. Everything else, like external filters, are used for specific purposes.

 

Thank you! I have been looking at several 5 gallon tanks. What type of lighting would be best? Is the lighting hood that comes with the tank adequate or would I need a different type of lighting fixture?

[lakshwadeep]

I forgot to mention that you should first consider the livestock you want. In the case of lighting, that would depend on the corals.

[jrmorich]

I forgot to mention that you should first consider the livestock you want. In the case of lighting, that would depend on the corals.

 

Could I get bulbs that would fit into a standard lighting hood that would work with most corals or would they require a different type of lighting fixture?

[cheryl jordan]

I am assuming you just have the basic fluorescent lighting.

 

You will probably have to upgrade the entire lighting if you want to keep corals.

 

I would not waste my time and money on the power compacts unless you intend to only keep soft corals.

 

There are a ton of threads on LED, T5HO and Metal halid lighting. It really all depends on what you intend to keep and what you are willing to spend.

[Spilo26]

If I was setting up my first tank I Would definatly not make it a five gallon aquarium. My advice would be start out with an all in one tank, then see if reefing is for you. Once you have some experience under you maybe start a picotype tank. People that start with tanks that small USUALLY leave the hobby, or feel that the hobby is more work than fun. It's just too hard to keep a five gallon (which with rosk and sand would be less) stable for long periods of time. Sorry to be a downer, but im just trying to help.

[masterangler08]

I already read most of the nano reef articles on this website. I still wasn't sure exactly what a basic nano reef would involve. I don't have too much money to spend and am looking for the simplest working system possible to start out with. I should have been more clear about this. I only have room for a 5 gallon tank at the moment so starting with a larger tank isnt an option. What type of filters, lighting, etc would be recommended for a beginner's tank that is this size? Like I said I don't have a lot of money to spend and was wondering what the basics i would need to get by are.

 

You might consider getting a standard 5 gal glass aquarium and buying the components (lights, filter, heater, etc.) separately. That way you aren't paying for things that you'll just have to remove and upgrade anyways. I would recommend modding a AC70 into a fuge w/ chaeto. It's very simple to do and you won't have to worry about plumbing.