All Inclusive Kit

[Jennie3392]

Hello, I have never had a salt water aquarium because I have read about the time and work they require and just felt I didn't have it. After a couple of decades, I am now considering purchasing the tank and equipment within the next year or so. I am wondering if it would be better to purchase a kit with everything I need or if I should purchase components separately but then I might overlook something. Here are the things I plan to put in the tank: Maine Blizzard Clownfish, Misbar Fancy Ocellaris Clownfish, Naked w/ Dots Clownfish, Wide Bar Mocha Gladiator Clownfish; 3 Reidi Seahorses; Starry Goby, Court Jester Goby, Yellow Trimma Goby; Royal Gramma Basslet, Yellow Watchman Basslet; Harptail Blenny, Blackline Blenny; Pajama Cardinalfish, Kaudern's Cardinalfish; Trochus Snails; Peppermint Shrimp, Seaweed for seahorses; 4-Pack Soft Coral Frag; CaribSea LifeRock

Based on the above description, if anyone can recommend a kit (or not) please let me know. Also, I plan to put the aquarium in a sunroom. Part of the room is sunny, and ironically, the other end really isn't. Would it be good for the tank to get sun or would it be better for it not to have sun? Also, if I have grow lights for the plants in the sun room would this be beneficial or damaging to the fish and plants in the tank? Any advice is very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[LuizW13]

Welcome to R2R!

I think you should purchase (almost) everything you need to run the system in one shot. For instance, return pump(s), Lights, heater, RODI water filter/salt if you're going that route. BUT, also try to get them on sale, since you won't be setting this up any time soon, you got plenty of time to be on the look out for sales.

How big do you want to go? That will dictate what livestock you put in it, but also the type of equipment you'll need.

My tank get's natural sunlight coming in through the window for a few hours a day and I have not noticed any ill effects. I guess the concern with your grow lights is, will that grow light contribute to algae growth? I would say that there is a potential for that, depending how close the grow light is the tank, and if that grow light will actually hit the tank.

As far as recommending a tank, the popular ones I see are RedSea, WaterBox, Innovative Marine. They all have good and bad reviews and experiences. CADE has been gaining popularity here in the states.

BRS did a great series from start to finish on setting up a reef.

 

[Jennie3392]

Thank you so much! I am not sure exactly what size tank I am going to get but I do not want to mess with upgrading later so I will probably get a large one. With the things I mentioned that I wanted to have in the tank, how many gallons would you recommend? I have tried to figure that out and some sources say .5-1 inch per gallon; others say something different, and still others say it all depends on the species of fish.

 

[ying yang]

I see 4 clownfish on list.i see some have success but most say if get more than 2 in same tank ( unless extremely large) then dominant ones kill others or starts off good for a year or so then dominant kills others.
Live aquaria if go there website and type in a fish it gives you information on that fish and at bottom is a compatability chart.
By looks your fish of gobys and clownfish and cardinals etc they all need on smaller side if tanks as a mininum but more fish you got then bigger tank needed as need more rock for filtration etc.
I got a 80 gallon and got.
Ywg + pistol shrimp
2 clowns
Bi colour blennie
Tail spot blennie
Coral beauty
Copperband butterfly
Cleaner wrasse
Silver belly wrasse
And will get final fish off 1 spot foxface

So my advice would be decide fish you want then look compatability of these fish and then buy tank for them fish.

 

[katonge]

I don‘t think the conditions that are good for the fish & corals you mention would be good for seahorses. Seahorses like low flow so I think it pretty much has to be one or the other.

 

[Jennie3392]

That is good to know about the clownfish! I really want the seahorses, although I am nervous about them because I think they are a little more difficult. I thought I would get them first and then add fish slowly. Unfortunately, it sounds like there are a lot of fish you shouldn't have with seahorses because the seahorses don't eat fast enough and might not get enough food, and no aggressive breeds because they could hurt them if they are territorial. I saw something mentioned about a seahorse feeding station so I think I will learn more about whatever that is and if it works well. If it does, it might expand my options for varieties of fish to keep with them. I will probably just get two of the clownfish then. I like so many that are larger than 3" but a site I saw on seahorses recommended no fish larger than 3" for the safety of the seahorses. Seems like there are likely exceptions to this but then again, larger fish will dirty the water faster too, so maybe the 3" is good to stick with.

 

[Jennie3392]

Oh, no! I took the fish from a last that was recommended as safe with seahorses. But it did not mention anything regarding the water flow. I wonder if it would be possible to put rocks or some other obstacle to block the flow or slow it in part of the tank so the seahorses could be in that part and the fish and corals could be in the other.

 

[MarshallB]

Hello, I have never had a salt water aquarium because I have read about the time and work they require and just felt I didn't have it. After a couple of decades, I am now considering purchasing the tank and equipment within the next year or so. I am wondering if it would be better to purchase a kit with everything I need or if I should purchase components separately but then I might overlook something. Here are the things I plan to put in the tank: Maine Blizzard Clownfish, Misbar Fancy Ocellaris Clownfish, Naked w/ Dots Clownfish, Wide Bar Mocha Gladiator Clownfish; 3 Reidi Seahorses; Starry Goby, Court Jester Goby, Yellow Trimma Goby; Royal Gramma Basslet, Yellow Watchman Basslet; Harptail Blenny, Blackline Blenny; Pajama Cardinalfish, Kaudern's Cardinalfish; Trochus Snails; Peppermint Shrimp, Seaweed for seahorses; 4-Pack Soft Coral Frag; CaribSea LifeRock

Based on the above description, if anyone can recommend a kit (or not) please let me know. Also, I plan to put the aquarium in a sunroom. Part of the room is sunny, and ironically, the other end really isn't. Would it be good for the tank to get sun or would it be better for it not to have sun? Also, if I have grow lights for the plants in the sun room would this be beneficial or damaging to the fish and plants in the tank? Any advice is very much appreciated. Thanks!

If you want to save money then you can build it piece by piece. I would suggest checking out some of your local fish stores. A place near me always has deals on full systems that include every single thing you would need new and used.

I also took me about a year to gather all the pieces for my tank. It's a great thing to take your time and research all the options. Maybe you want a high tech automated tank? Saltwater mixing station? Automatic water changes? Or maybe you will decide to keep it simple.

All you need to make a tank work is proper lighting ( if growing coral ) a sump, return pump, power heads, skimmer, and filter socks. Some will say you dont even need a skimmer. Point is there is a ton of other equipment whose purpose is to make things easier and aid in stability.

It's generally not advised to put a tank in sunlight as it fuels algae growth. However, i wouldn't say its impossible, but it will present unique challenges. Is that room air conditioned and heated? Temperature stability is a key element to an aquarium.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

if you want seahorses you should do your research properly. They are very different than fish, they have very different needs. They are not "reef" animals, they are from a different habitat entirely. They need their own dedicated tank and have special dietary needs. They are what I consider to be "expert level" animal

 

[katonge]

Lots of info on this site https://seahorsesavvy.com/collections/seahorse-tank-mates-captive-bred-fish
We’re not saying it can’t be done we’re just pointing out that in the beginning, either one of these - a reef tank or a seahorse tank - is a challenge. Combining them, imho is asking for heartbreak.