frostyj Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 So, I am thinking of starting a Nano SW Reef tank with a few fish but mostly corals. Wanting a 20gal high or maybe a 29/30gal. I can order everything online, but want to know if anyone has a tank or knows of a good local shop. I would rather support them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeddyKGB Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I was into it heavily until a broken heater executed my entire setup that I had spent thousands on. Definitely will get into it again one day but not until I reach other goals I've set. Anyways, If you don't care about money then your best bet is "Marine Scene" in Reston. They have top of the line live rock and all their fish are guaranteed to be non-cyanide caught. If you are more "ballin-on-a-budget" like I was at the time then the Petland in Fair City Mall is a good second choice. They sometimes have better coral choices then MS and a decent fish selection, all while being a little cheaper then MS. SuperPets in Annandale and Wally's World in Arlington are alright middle of the pack choices that I'd go to whenever I was bored with MS and PL. You can tell that they both don't put as much emphasis in their livestock as MS and PL, with that said you can still find some gems there. Superpets is moving locations anyways so I don't think they are available right now. I would never really get livestock from Petco but they do usually have better prices on equipment/tanks then all the others. I have heard of other places in Maryland but I haven't been able to visit them so no idea on any on the other side of the river. Biggest thing is just to take your time and do your research. You have to do your homework on all aspects of reef keeping or your going to pay the consequences. Websites like Reefcentral.com and Wetwebmedia.com were lifesavers for me when comparing behaviors of different fish/corals etc... After making early mistakes, I took my time and literally planned out my reef setup for about 2 months before making my first purchase. That said setup lasted me for almost 5 years, and in the end thrived due to careful planning - until the incident of course. One last tip: When it comes to saving money on certain equipment/livestock, never ever skimp money when it comes to your protein skimmer - you get what you pay for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frostyj Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks for the info. Will have to check out Petland and Marine Scene. I have been researching for about 5-6 weeks now, I'm going to wait until I get my tax returns before I start, so I have a month or so to keep reading/plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Tip- Don't buy low quality chum or you might have a Samuel Jackson sighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeddyKGB Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Sounds good. Did you have previous experience with freshwater tanks? That was part of my early problem - that I thought since I was beast at freshwater stuff that it would be an easy transition. Sal****er definitely takes more patience and the "mistakes" are much more costly. In the end I liked to do a combination of those stores. Petco for the equipment like heaters/pumps etc Petland for the cheaper easy to find fish and corals Marine Scene for the liverock and harder to find fish/corals Online for high-end lights/skimmers etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM72 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I would love a sal****er tank myself, but just too much work and pretty expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Ted, I didnt know you were so well versed in Sal****er tanks. I used to have two hundred gallon freshwater tanks that I used to breed Tiger shovel nosed catfish, Arawanna, and Pea**** bass (Bass in their own tank or they would eat everything) when I lived in Occoquan. I was thinking about starting a Sal****er tank, Ive just been a little apprehensive to get it going and then have an issue. What do you do if the power goes out for an extended time? (in regards to equipment like heaters, filters, etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Today's joke Q: What is the best way to become a millionaire? A: Earn a billion dollars and then take up sal****er aquariums as a hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botched Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I don't know if there's anything you can put in your home that can compete with the look of a reef tank. It's getting harder and harder to find those independent stores, cause they just can't compete with the 2 big pet chains. I used to work for a store that sold lots of sal****er fish, and it went out of business when Petco came to town. I didn't find our marine tanks required too much work after they were established. Tanks with predator fish were a little harder to keep up with as far as cleanliness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DjTj Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 There used to be a huge thread about this a few years ago: http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?149474-Any-Extreme-members-have-a-reef-fishtank-setup-Fresh-water-also-discussed Also this one: http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?244811-Aquarium-advice-conversation-needed&highlight=sal****er Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffxdrummer Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 My room mates and I had a 55 gal reef tank for a few years. As mentioned above, research research research, and know the levels of your water (ph, alkalinity, salinity, temperature, etc). Nothing worse than putting a $40 fish in and waking up the next morning to see that you just fed your hermit crabs a $40 meal, thanks to an aggressive tank mate or a bad chemical balance. Also make sure your corals fit in with the level of water flow. I agree 100% with both assessments about Marine Scene and Petland. I've been thinking about putting together a little Nano Reef tank once my wife and I get our house later this year, but I'm also considering a paludarium. Not to hijack the thread, but anyone ever done one of those? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeddyKGB Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Ted, I didnt know you were so well versed in Sal****er tanks. I used to have two hundred gallon freshwater tanks that I used to breed Tiger shovel nosed catfish, Arawanna, and Pea**** bass (Bass in their own tank or they would eat everything) when I lived in Occoquan. I was thinking about starting a Sal****er tank, Ive just been a little apprehensive to get it going and then have an issue. What do you do if the power goes out for an extended time? (in regards to equipment like heaters, filters, etc) This actually happened to me for about 4 days once. The cheap fix was actually an idea I got from reefcentral.com I think. Some places sell cheap little air pumps that can run off batteries and AC power. Luckily I had one in storage, popped the batteries in and used it 24/7 with an airstone to try to create enough water movement as possible(usually you'd never normally use a freshwater air pump in a salt tank). I'd also manually move the water around a couple times a day, did water changes and left the blinds open so sunlight could reach the tank. I only lost 2 little chromis fish which are like the tetras of the salt world. Could of been a different story if it was winter time though. Honestly I say you should go for it for 2 reasons: 1.) You have experience with bigger tanks which in my eyes is better in the salt world. Little nano tanks can be a cool little corner piece in a room but they are more daily water maintenance - a big tank however can overcome a lot of disasters( water is more stable, territories bigger i.e. less stress ). A small tank needs the amount of maintenance as showering does, you could skip it for a day but skip it for 3-4 days and you have problems. A big tank(55+) needs the amount of maintenance as doing laundry, you should do it once a week but you could stretch it to 2 weeks in an emergency. 2.) If you have the patience to breed fish then IMO you have a similar mindset to what it takes to do sal****er. You easily could of filled those tanks with a bunch of oscars, a hundred neon tetras and another 4 dozen random fish that shouldn't be together. The fact that you used such a big tank on a more long term goal speaks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frostyj Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 An inverter for a car, extension cord. Just keep your heater and a powerhead running should be fine for power outages also wrap the tank in a blanket too. I have been going to nano-reef.com and reefcentral. Lots of good info. Stew and DM While there is some weekly maintenance it's not as bad as some say. The smaller the tank the more maint. It can get expensive if you go overboard like most people tend to do with any hobby. The start up is about 4-500 for a 20-30 gal. Most of that is the rock and lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinz4Life12 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 a sal****er tank sounds like an awesome hobby to get into. all the cool hobby's seem to cost serious $$$ though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I've been thinking about getting an aquarium for years now. I even posted about it. A sal****er reef tank sounds like a ton of fun. Very few fish besides the cleaners, live rock, live sand and one of those clams would be sweet. It doesn't sound like its all that expensive or time consuming to run a relatively decent sized tank. I'm hearing you should go no smaller than 12 gallons... With a good size being closer to 20-30... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeddyKGB Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 An inverter for a car, extension cord. Just keep your heater and a powerhead running should be fine for power outages also wrap the tank in a blanket too.I have been going to nano-reef.com and reefcentral. Lots of good info. Stew and DM While there is some weekly maintenance it's not as bad as some say. The smaller the tank the more maint. It can get expensive if you go overboard like most people tend to do with any hobby. The start up is about 4-500 for a 20-30 gal. Most of that is the rock and lights. One big tip for the rocks if you have the patience and want to save money. Buy 80% baserock and then 1-3 super-juicy pieces of liverock(the 10$ per lb kind) and let the good rock just seed the rest. Yeah the first month of your tank will look weird but fast-forward 1 year down the line and all your rock will be as good at half the cost. Another thing that I thought was crazy at first was the concept of "the freshwater dip". Nothing quite as scary as suffocating a $200 fish in freshwater for a minute before putting it in your tank, but it works. Honestly the next time I do a tank it'll be a fish only one(FOWLR). I want to get some of those carnivores that I missed out on having a reef tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frostyj Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 I've been thinking about getting an aquarium for years now. I even posted about it. A sal****er reef tank sounds like a ton of fun. Very few fish besides the cleaners, live rock, live sand and one of those clams would be sweet. It doesn't sound like its all that expensive or time consuming to run a relatively decent sized tank. I'm hearing you should go no smaller than 12 gallons... With a good size being closer to 20-30... I have seen people running 2-5 gal tanks over on nanoreef. But those guys are pretty experianced. From what I understand the smaller the tank the more unstable the conditions can get, more frequent water changes. The small tanks are cool, but a pita. ---------- Post added January-24th-2012 at 01:47 PM ---------- One big tip for the rocks if you have the patience and want to save money. Buy 80% baserock and then 1-3 super-juicy pieces of liverock(the 10$ per lb kind) and let the good rock just seed the rest. Yeah the first month of your tank will look weird but fast-forward 1 year down the line and all your rock will be as good at half the cost. Another thing that I thought was crazy at first was the concept of "the freshwater dip". Nothing quite as scary as suffocating a $200 fish in freshwater for a minute before putting it in your tank, but it works.Honestly the next time I do a tank it'll be a fish only one(FOWLR). I want to get some of those carnivores that I missed out on having a reef tank. I had planned on getting 20lb base and 5lb LR and 25lbs live sand. Let it cycle and add a clean up crew. Would not add fish for 2 months or so. (well that would be the plan) Thinking of a watchman goby and pistol shrimp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeddyKGB Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 KDawg, Your kinda right about the expense of it. It's like tuning a car - you could take it to the dealership to fix stuff and pay top dollar OR you could fix things on your own and buy aftermarket parts. One of the craziest threads on RCentral I ever saw was some chemist proving that you could use some kind of DOW chemical de-icer to help your corals grow. There are tons of DIY stuff that people do in that hobby to save money. And it is tons of fun. I wish I could tell you how many times I'd host parties and late night drunk people would just gravitate to my tank starring at hermit crabs for hours. ---------- Post added January-24th-2012 at 07:13 PM ---------- Frostyj, That is pretty much in line with what I did and those are definitely cool choices for a smaller tank. Some of my favorites: Midas Blenny Tomini Tang Blue Spotted Jawfish Neon Gobies(One of the best salt fish you can buy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botched Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I've been thinking about putting together a little Nano Reef tank once my wife and I get our house later this year, but I'm also considering a paludarium. Not to hijack the thread, but anyone ever done one of those? Yes. Used green and Bahaman anoles and green and grey tree frogs, with some cheap goldfish in the water. Also did one with water dragons, but it wasn't mine. Always liked the look of a natural tank, whether fully aquatic or otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffxdrummer Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Yes. Used green and Bahaman anoles and green and grey tree frogs, with some cheap goldfish in the water. Also did one with water dragons, but it wasn't mine. Always liked the look of a natural tank, whether fully aquatic or otherwise. Nice! That combo of anoles/tree frogs/fish sounds like just what I'm looking for. I'll keep that in mind. Do you have any pictures? Reef tank discussion to keep my post on-topic - The first creature we put in ours was a small brittle star, no more than a few inches across, by the time we moved it had to be at least 10" from tip to tip, spiny little arms shooting out of the rocks to grab food like the Kraken. My favorite fish was the Flame Hawkfish, I love the expressiveness of its' eyes and the way it perches on rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 This may be a hobby I need to get involved in. It'll at the very least keep me busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Met an owner of a dive shop last night, who said they would let me learn and get Paddi certified for dirt cheap. Deals on scuba equipment too. It's pretty cool being able to walk to any beach, get in the water and snorkel tropical reefs any time I have a spare hour or two. Google Buck Island VI. It's incredible here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins-Canes-Mounties Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 It is definitely an expensive hobby! You generally want to estimate spending about $50 per gallon in your system. Of course, this number will decrease with a larger system and will be much more expensive with a nano system. Because slight variations in the water quality can wreck your coral, you definitely want to go as large as you can afford. A 20-30 gallon system is considered to be on the small side for a reef tank. Personally, I wouldn't recommend starting with less than 50 gallons because smaller systems are difficult to maintain and to regulate water quality. If you want your display tank only to be 20-30 gallons, you could install a sump that goes to another tank with another 20-30 gallon tank. This is a good setup because you can hide the other tank in a cabinet and put most of your filtration down there. Smaller systems can be done, but it is going to take some serious dedication. I ran a 6 gallon nanoreef for a few years, but I'm never doing anything like that again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botched Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Nice! That combo of anoles/tree frogs/fish sounds like just what I'm looking for. I'll keep that in mind. Do you have any pictures? Sure don't. It was small, only a 30 gallon enclosure. On that subject, I'll tell you a neat fish for a land/water set up....archerfish. They will shoot down a cricket with stunning accuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffxdrummer Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Sure don't. It was small, only a 30 gallon enclosure. On that subject, I'll tell you a neat fish for a land/water set up....archerfish. They will shoot down a cricket with stunning accuracy. Ha, funny you mention that, My parents were cleaning out their attic and I went through some of my old childhood books and found this one: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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