Hi guys,
ive had fresh water fish for maybe the last 8 years or so with different types of fishies, i've always had an interest for saltwater but always thought it was too difficult or intimidating to start, but now that im older and working, mistakes can be more forgiving in that sense and the ability to spend isnt as hindered. My problem at the moment is that through doing my research ive managed to confuse myself or have found contradicting information and for every step forward im taking in my quest for knowledge i seem to be going 2 steps back. i would love if someone could clarify a few things and some terminology as I've gotten stuck with trying to make a decision, i have in a nutshell 3 options available:
1. Use my existing big tank (4ft long x 1.4ft deep x 1.8ft high) my understanding here is that bigger tanks are more forgiving on mistakes but more expensive
2. Use my not in use small tank ( 2ft long x 1ft high x 1.2ft deep) my understanding here is that small tank is easy to run but less forgiving on mistakes
3. Buy a Fluval Sea Evo XII Saltwater Tank Kit 13.3Gal this would have essentially everything i assume i would need minus things like a protein skimmer,heater,wavemaker although having an existing small and larger tank just sitting there kind of makes this seem like maybe its a waste of money and i could put that towards equipment.
The problems that i have is with information understanding which is leading to my indecisive confusion
For a beginner which setup do you think is ideal?
For smaller tanks i have seen mixed information regarding a protein skimmer that it isnt needed for that size and others saying its good to have? for the larger tank that i have would it be a requirement for that size or is that tank also considered as not needed?
i have a canister filter at the moment that runs on the big tank, i have seen that many people are not a fan because of the factory perspective, although i would ideally not like to use a sump at the moment as it would be an additional cost id rather do right now given the pandemic circumstances, i would also like to refrain from using my small tank as a sump because it has sentimental value to me. i have a few HOB waterfall style filters that could be used
is that waterfall style HOB filter sufficient for a small tank aswell? or should i be looking at a HOB with a skimmer integrated or can i use my canister filter for the small tank to achieve strong filtration?
which tank would mean less frequency in water changes (its not that im not up for it but longer intervals would be better)? in my research i have come across people going with long periods of time between water changes from months to even annually, what is needed to achieve this? is it recommended?
would dry rock be advised for its safety reasons vs live rock? would it be better to get dry rock and live sand to avoid the unwanted critters or could they be in live sand aswell?
i do have more questions that arent in my head right now, i do apologise as im sure these have been answered some where on the forums but as mentioned, the more i read i keep finding conflicting information or general confusion across multiple forums, or information that is from years ago and times/technology has changed since then
the other alternative is i just get one nice looking betta and put that in a tank instead or look into restarting my freshwater properly with something else in the cichlid world
many thanks for your inputs
ive had fresh water fish for maybe the last 8 years or so with different types of fishies, i've always had an interest for saltwater but always thought it was too difficult or intimidating to start, but now that im older and working, mistakes can be more forgiving in that sense and the ability to spend isnt as hindered. My problem at the moment is that through doing my research ive managed to confuse myself or have found contradicting information and for every step forward im taking in my quest for knowledge i seem to be going 2 steps back. i would love if someone could clarify a few things and some terminology as I've gotten stuck with trying to make a decision, i have in a nutshell 3 options available:
1. Use my existing big tank (4ft long x 1.4ft deep x 1.8ft high) my understanding here is that bigger tanks are more forgiving on mistakes but more expensive
2. Use my not in use small tank ( 2ft long x 1ft high x 1.2ft deep) my understanding here is that small tank is easy to run but less forgiving on mistakes
3. Buy a Fluval Sea Evo XII Saltwater Tank Kit 13.3Gal this would have essentially everything i assume i would need minus things like a protein skimmer,heater,wavemaker although having an existing small and larger tank just sitting there kind of makes this seem like maybe its a waste of money and i could put that towards equipment.
The problems that i have is with information understanding which is leading to my indecisive confusion
For a beginner which setup do you think is ideal?
For smaller tanks i have seen mixed information regarding a protein skimmer that it isnt needed for that size and others saying its good to have? for the larger tank that i have would it be a requirement for that size or is that tank also considered as not needed?
i have a canister filter at the moment that runs on the big tank, i have seen that many people are not a fan because of the factory perspective, although i would ideally not like to use a sump at the moment as it would be an additional cost id rather do right now given the pandemic circumstances, i would also like to refrain from using my small tank as a sump because it has sentimental value to me. i have a few HOB waterfall style filters that could be used
is that waterfall style HOB filter sufficient for a small tank aswell? or should i be looking at a HOB with a skimmer integrated or can i use my canister filter for the small tank to achieve strong filtration?
which tank would mean less frequency in water changes (its not that im not up for it but longer intervals would be better)? in my research i have come across people going with long periods of time between water changes from months to even annually, what is needed to achieve this? is it recommended?
would dry rock be advised for its safety reasons vs live rock? would it be better to get dry rock and live sand to avoid the unwanted critters or could they be in live sand aswell?
i do have more questions that arent in my head right now, i do apologise as im sure these have been answered some where on the forums but as mentioned, the more i read i keep finding conflicting information or general confusion across multiple forums, or information that is from years ago and times/technology has changed since then
the other alternative is i just get one nice looking betta and put that in a tank instead or look into restarting my freshwater properly with something else in the cichlid world
many thanks for your inputs