Jace Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 hello all- first of all i want to say that you have a nice site here and i look forward to to being a part of this group. my friend is getting me interested in saltwater reef tanks(he has an 80gallon tank) but im leaving to the armed services in late july so i want something small(5-10gallon). so when i leave i'll either let my parents take over for me or just give it my friend.. anyways- to my questions... since i want a small tank would a 5.5 or 10 gallon be better for a beginner? if i get an Eclipse setup will it have every thing i need? how much sand should i have and what about live rock? sorry this is such a long post an all of the questions, i just want to try to know everything before i get started. thanks for the help Jace Link to comment
pitbullpooch Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 im new also but most prefer to start out with something bigger like 50 plus gallons so u have room for mistakes as far as keeping water conditions controlled easier.but im new also im starting out with a 20g.as far as live rock your probably need 1 to 1.5 pounds per gallon and sand most say to use about 2 inch sand bed there are calculaters to determine how much u will need.like i said i dont know much but ive read alot here and at reefcentral.com go to search and you will find alot of info.and the eclipse setups dont come with every thing u need .in my 20g its gonna cost $500 just to start thats not including the tank since i have that already.hope i helped a little theres alot of people here that can help u.if it wasnt for the internet id be lost so hope u get some help. Link to comment
Crakeur Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 If you do some research and read up on reef keeping, this can be done by a beginner but it ain't an easy hobby to jump into. Truth is, if you are leaving for duty in July, you might want to hold off starting up the tank. Figure you take a few weeks to read about the hobby and figure out what animals you want to keep, then you order the equipment (or buy it locally). This could bring you into mid april. You set up the tank and let the live rock and sand cycle. This brings you into May/June. You then have one month of the tank before you ship out. The first few months of a tank's life are usually the toughest and you will be leaving just when things get rough. Just my 2 cents but I think you might end up wasting some money. Link to comment
Jace Posted March 10, 2003 Author Share Posted March 10, 2003 yeah, Crakeur, i was worried about not having enough time... could i skip the cycle period by using someones established water and a cup of their sand? i know some poeple around here that might be willing to let me have some of their water.. Link to comment
Crakeur Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 you can give it a shot but odds are the live rock will have some die off and produce a bit of a cycle. if you do give it a go, test daily. Who knows, you might get lucky and get a quick cycle. I wouldn't count on it tho. Things never do go exactly as planned. Murphy's Law and all. Link to comment
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