About to start my first salt water tank and looking for advice.

First of all, let me tell you a bit of my history. I have owned two 20g freshwater tanks with live plants and they are still doing very well. I know a lot about freshwater tanks but relatively little about salt. My girlfriend just bought me a new 20g long tank and I'm really looking forward to trying my hand at a simple reef tank. I'm on a college budget, so cost is a HUGE factor in what I buy and set up. What I am asking is what are some simple, hardy fish and critters that I can get? Also, what are some easy corals that I can't kill easily while I learn what the heck I'm doing ? Lastly, what basic equipment do I need? I have done a bit of research on reef tanks, but I would just like to know what you fine people think. As far as equipment goes, I just need to know what I NEED. I don't mind doing frequent water changes if I can skip buying a protein skimmer. Thank you so much for the input, I will take it all to heart and I promise to do my research before buying ANYTHING. ;D

 

First of all congratulations and good luck, this hobby is very rewarding when done right, as you seem to have already noticed with your freshwater tanks.

There are far too many pointers that I and many others have posted far too many times to repeat again, but you can do some searches here for first time reefers and you will find a novels' worth of information.

Basic tips:
*only use RO/DI water
*buy a protein skimmer (because increased RO/DI water changes will cost you much more)
*temp - 77-79
*salinity - 1.025
*Nitrates need to be low for coral and other delicate sea creatures

Overall, if you want to pay the least amount of money, your better off buying the trusted and proven equipment that is more expensive right off the bat. If you try to cut corners (like by not buying a protien skimmer) it will only create more problems in the end.

Corals I would chose to begin with are zoanthids, mushrooms, and other soft corals like 'xenia'. But, you should not introduce corals until your tank has completed the nitrogen cycle. Which brings me to the next point, don't use live animals to cycle your tank.

Hopefully this at least gives you a place to start.

Again, good luck! And welcome to 3reef!

 

I just started about 8 months ago. Here are the minimums to be successful in me estimation;

Lighting - Critical if you want to keep Corals (good corals are xenia, Cabbage, Zoas)
Live Rock/Sand- you don;t need to buy it "live" but need to let it cycle in your aquarium and seed it with some live rock from a LFS
Powerhead- hob style filters can function here but are not as good at moving water. The rock does the filtration you just need something to move the water
temp control- for most of us this is a heater
Test kit- Nitrate and salinty tests are a must. Ammonia, nitrite, ph are important
Water- use ro/di and make sure salt is mixed BEFORE place into aquarium

And the most important item - PATIENCE- you can;t place fish in their immediately and everything seems to take longer in a Marine aquarium. Once the tanks is established, it is much easier to maintain. Good luck, and ask lots of questions!

 

Simply put:

-1 Aquaclear HOB filter will work
-You will need to upgrade to T5 lights for corals
-Skip the Live Sand and buy dry sand and dry rock. Buy 1 5-7 pound piece of Live Rock to cycle your tank with.
For fish: Clowns are good, damsels are also good (make sure you have plenty of hiding spots)
-For Corals: Softies is what I recommend: Mushrooms, zoas, palys etc.
-If you don't want to buy a protein skimmer, don't. buy one when you are ready and I would suggest CPR or Hydor. I still do about the same amount of water changes even with a skimmer out of habit lol.
-At least one power head for additional water flow.
- TEST KIT/Hydrometer a must!
- CUC from reafcleaners.org once the cycle is complete. Cheap as well.

I hopes this helps.

 

Welcome to 3reef! Almost forgot lol. Can we see pics of your freshwater tanks. We love our pics here

 

Lol of course! I'll take some when I get home! Here is one of my videos on my shrimp tank.

How to care for red cherry shrimp. - YouTube

 

Congrats on joining the hobby. I just started not too long ago myself with a 30 long. It has been a lot of fun and alot of learning. by no means am I an expert haha but here's my 2 cents worth.

Here's what I would do
RO/DI water only because its best to start with a clean slate. Powerheads for circulation. I reccomend the Koralia Evolutions which I find on ebay all the time for $30-35 shipped. Sand and Rock. Like it was said above. Buy dry rock and seed it with a piece of LR. For lighting, T5's for sure. Check out aquatraders.com, people have had some good luck with their T5 fixtures and they don't break the bank. You'll need a heater. I like the Finnex brand carried by bulkreefsupply.com. They use a titanium tube so you don't have to worry about cracked glass. Definitely get a test kit(not strips) and at least a hydrometer. Stability is very important in a SW tank and testing your tank helps you maintain stability. As for the skimmer, this is a big debate as to whether they are necessary or not. Personally I would use one. In my experience it has helped keep my tank more stable. You can probably get by with out one by doing water changes but if you cant maintain your parameters with just water changes I would check into a skimmer. I saw someone mentioned a HOB filter. While these can definitely work, you have to be careful to keep the filter cartridges changed out regularly. If not they can become a big nitrate factory.

As for the animals, Research, Research, Research! A clean up crew is definitely a must have. I would caution you against Damsels as they have a reputation of being aggressive which could cause you problems in a tank that size. Clowns usually do well. I'm a fan of the firefish as well.

After my short novel haha, the best advice I can give you is this:
GO SLOW!
Research
Ask questions

 

I'm in the same boat as you, college student with not a lot to spend on an expensive hobby. I also have a similar sized tank, 26 gal.

While a protein skimmer is hardly a necessity, especially on a nano, I figured spending a bit more on a skimmer would benefit in the long run. Since the first week it's been pulling all kinds of gunk out. I also don't have to do as frequent water changes and now that I added chaeto, my nitrates have been slowly dropping more and more.

If you think about it, buying all that salt and water if you don't have a RO/DI unit adds up quick. I would invest in one IMO. My slim skin was only $104, worth every penny.

Try looking for used equipment on local forums and craigslist, can get some good deals.

For corals, I would recommend some softies. My first coral was a small Xenia frag that eventually lost grip from the rock it was on due to me trying to find a spot for it. Found it looking pretty bad on my sand bed. Then made a comeback out of nowhere and doubled in size in about three weeks.

 

I have to disagree about clown fish and damsels in a reef tank. Of course this is my opinion, but I've had both and I had a nightmarish time trying to remove both when they became a problem. The clowns tend to harass corals in an attempt to find a host and the damsels are notorious for being uncooperative with other fish.

Just wanted to throw that out there, ultimately the choice is yours and I must admit there are some beautiful clowns and damsels out there.

 

That is a good point. I have clowns and a damsel. They fought for about a month, but now they are best friends lol.