New, very first time attempting Marine, need some help?

M650 · 10/11/2013, 07:09 PM

This will be my first attempt at a Marine/Saltwater tank and I am pretty much in need of just some basic information regarding what is a good size tank to start with. 75 Gallons? Perhaps even a 125 6 ft tank to start?

I feel it's worth mentioning I only want a FOWLR tank, and Elegant Firefish (gobies?) are a MUST. I'm not sure if they school or what tankmate work with them but this is what I am looking for. What is the initial start up cost and then typical maintenence costs per month for a 125 gallon FOWLR. What supplies will I need?

Tank,Filter,Skimmer, anything else???

My bad if I sound naive but in all truth I am. I am 21, and do have a budget so I will see if I can even afford this at the moment.

Dissy · 10/11/2013, 07:18 PM

Many a budgets been busted wide open by starting a saltwater tank - they're not cheap.

Your best bet is to start perusing Craigslist and various sales and buy your stuff piece by piece before you even set it up.

What else do you want besides a firefish? Unfortunately, you can only have one of them, unless you manage to get a mated pair.

The flip side is a 20-30 gallon tank would probably not blow your budget too far, and will easily house said firefish..

Newsmyrna80 · 10/11/2013, 07:23 PM

I would start with reading New to the Hobby stickies on this forum. Firefish are beautiful fish. I have a purple one and he is very cool. They don't require such a large tank. So unless you are planning on other fish that need much more room I would consider going smaller like a 55 gallon. If money and space were no object I would say why not go bigger but a bigger tank requires bigger (and more expensive) equipment...return pumps, protein skimmers, water pumps, lighting, etc. And of course you will need more water, sand, live rock and salt.
I would also check for used equipment. This hobby has quite a bit of turnover and people upgrading so you can get great deals on used equipment.

r-balljunkie · 10/12/2013, 02:30 AM

your best bet is to buy an a complete setup, used especially since you are "younger", assuming you dont have funds to burn. for a good 90 gallon setup. expect to pay 500-600, complete. dont get a 55. its one of the most unforgiving tanks, dimension wise to set up, maintain and run since its front to back is only 12", leaving little room to shoe horn a sump in. as far as firefish AKA dart fish, they are a bit delicate and need calmer tank mates in order to thrive. you'll need to have your tank setup and running for awhile before you purchase them. they are very non-aggressive and found deeper on the reef usually on the slope starting at 40' down to 90', usually paired, but not in bigger groups. they tend to hoover over their holes in the reef and dart in and out when predators come by. they do not school.

expected maintenance costs range...cost of salt, food, utilities, etc. 20-30 bux

GL
C

10/11/2013, 07:09 PM	#1
M650 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 2	New, very first time attempting Marine, need some help? This will be my first attempt at a Marine/Saltwater tank and I am pretty much in need of just some basic information regarding what is a good size tank to start with. 75 Gallons? Perhaps even a 125 6 ft tank to start? I feel it's worth mentioning I only want a FOWLR tank, and Elegant Firefish (gobies?) are a MUST. I'm not sure if they school or what tankmate work with them but this is what I am looking for. What is the initial start up cost and then typical maintenence costs per month for a 125 gallon FOWLR. What supplies will I need? Tank,Filter,Skimmer, anything else??? My bad if I sound naive but in all truth I am. I am 21, and do have a budget so I will see if I can even afford this at the moment.

10/11/2013, 07:23 PM	#3
Newsmyrna80 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 2,312	I would start with reading New to the Hobby stickies on this forum. Firefish are beautiful fish. I have a purple one and he is very cool. They don't require such a large tank. So unless you are planning on other fish that need much more room I would consider going smaller like a 55 gallon. If money and space were no object I would say why not go bigger but a bigger tank requires bigger (and more expensive) equipment...return pumps, protein skimmers, water pumps, lighting, etc. And of course you will need more water, sand, live rock and salt. I would also check for used equipment. This hobby has quite a bit of turnover and people upgrading so you can get great deals on used equipment. __________________ 80 gal frag with 30 gal refugium, Orphek Atlantik LED, Red Sea RSK300 skimmer, predominately SPS and LPS Current Tank Info: 80 gallon reef tank with 30 gal refugium

10/12/2013, 02:30 AM	#4
r-balljunkie Registered Reefer Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Doha, Qatar Posts: 2,059	your best bet is to buy an a complete setup, used especially since you are "younger", assuming you dont have funds to burn. for a good 90 gallon setup. expect to pay 500-600, complete. dont get a 55. its one of the most unforgiving tanks, dimension wise to set up, maintain and run since its front to back is only 12", leaving little room to shoe horn a sump in. as far as firefish AKA dart fish, they are a bit delicate and need calmer tank mates in order to thrive. you'll need to have your tank setup and running for awhile before you purchase them. they are very non-aggressive and found deeper on the reef usually on the slope starting at 40' down to 90', usually paired, but not in bigger groups. they tend to hoover over their holes in the reef and dart in and out when predators come by. they do not school. expected maintenance costs range...cost of salt, food, utilities, etc. 20-30 bux GL C __________________ ▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀ 58G Oceanic Illuminata rimless with GH overflow , Mazarra LED x 3, Tunze 6095 x 2, Eheim 1260, BM-180 skimmer, TLF reactors, Apex LT .

10/11/2013, 07:18 PM	#2
Dissy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 257	Many a budgets been busted wide open by starting a saltwater tank - they're not cheap. Your best bet is to start perusing Craigslist and various sales and buy your stuff piece by piece before you even set it up. What else do you want besides a firefish? Unfortunately, you can only have one of them, unless you manage to get a mated pair. The flip side is a 20-30 gallon tank would probably not blow your budget too far, and will easily house said firefish..