Rookie right here....

[Chibecca]

Hi there! I had a few questions maybe some of you could answer. I'm an avid reader and would love some beginner links for Nano aquariums. I would also like to know how much in estimate it would cost to completely get going. Silly question I get that considering i have no idea what route i wanna go.....a ballpark figure would be nice. Excellent site by the way.
How much time is involved with this hobby/passion? I am a full time student and a full time NEW daddy.
I'm looking for alot of color for my nano in the future. Thanks for any help in advance and sorry for the scattered post. My brain is on overload right now! :wacko

[Darth-Tater]

Get a 2nd lein on the house :w00t Prices vary depends on the type and size of nano you want. I have an aquapod 24. Cost was cheap $139.00 on sale. About 20# of live rock $60.00 Sand $? Corals and fish I have right at $300.00 invested. Not too much time involved but....a few hrs a week.

[Chibecca]

My budget for everything including stock is around $500 for now.

[matt]

There's a whole site dedicated to nanos, I think it www.nanoreefs.com or something like that.

[MattK]

www.nano-reef.com

They have a ton of info about nanos but we're cooler. :D

[MattK]

$500 is a good budget. Of course, you could exceed that really quick if you wanted to with upgraded lights, pump, skimmer, and so on. $500 was my budget when I started and it was perfect for me. Looking for frag "deals" in our for sale forum is a great way to save money and get to know everyone.

So, Welcome aboard and let us know if we can help.


Matthew

[Chibecca]

Thanks for the site info! I had another question....are there any mail order fish sites that are recommended? Or is that taboo to think that you can receive fish in the mail? My ideal tank size I'm looking into is around 20-30g.

[erikharrison]

www.liveaquaria.com great site IMO.

[MattK]

There's some good sites and some so so sites out there. A few drawbacks from ordering online is you don't actually see the fish you ordering, so you don't know how healthy it is, and shipping is expensive. If you're on a budget I would suggest check the local fish stores first or getting in on group orders here on MAAST to save money.

BTW, where are you located?

[BioCube14]

larger the tank the more money u spend in the long run

[Chibecca]

I'm in SA until August then its back home to oklahoma. Im from here though. Graduated from Mac in '98. I won't be a permanent resident until my wife is out of Med school. I have another 3 years of school myself.

[brewercm]

I'm in SA until August then its back home to oklahoma.

I'm sorry. :lol

Actually I was stationed up there for about six years in the late 80's when I was still in the military. I was at Altus though so there are much better areas of OK to be at. My sister in law is from around OK City so it's a little nicer there and the further east you get. Lots of good info here from the nano guys though and the other site. I'm a pseudo nanoer at the moment. I broke down my 100 gal and went to a 14 biocube but am finishing up my 140 this weekend so back to the bigger tank for me. I'm just not much of a nanoer I guess.

[brewercm]

BTW, welcome to MAAST and hope to see you around.

[erikharrison]

I'm in SA until August then its back home to oklahoma. Im from here though.

Enjoy all of the LocalFishStores while you're back!

[Chibecca]

Yeah plan to hit up Fin Addicts today i guess just to look and croon. Its not bad in Oklahoma. We live on grand lake in NE oklahoma. So its only bad in the winter months. I do miss the city though and the awesome food down here. On the other hand i dont miss the traffic. I dont ever remember it being this bad in High school. I guess alot has changed in almost 10 years. Thanks for the links. A couple of questions. How hardy are most fish generally? Beginner animals anyways? Say like if there was a power outage, how long would i have before i needed to go buy a generator? Are these aquariums like reptiles?...only require light during the day and turned off at night? Nice to meet all of you!

[brewercm]

Fish seem to do better than corals during power outages. I know I used to buy fish all the time while I was in San Antonio visiting family and take them back to Altus with me. There was only one pet shop there that had any salt water available. You could always get a back up battery operated air pump just in case, I have one that I use when I go fishing that works great. I have my lights on timers and only have them on during the day, with the exception of my refugium which I keep them on 24/7.

[Chibecca]

So what LFS in SA do you guys recommend? How much money does fish food cost and how often do you feed? How many potential watts will I be using with a maxed light system? Do these tanks smell as bad as fresh water tanks do sometimes with the flakes ? Does it really take 2-3 months to stock a tank properly with the right params? Thanks again for the help yall!

[Chibecca]

ttt

[MattK]

So what LFS in SA do you guys recommend?
Check out our sponsors here:
http://www.maast.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&re q=viewarticle&artid=3&page=1

Here's a list I frequent:
CB Pets
Aquatic Warehouse
Fin Addict
Wolf Reef


How much money does fish food cost and how often do you feed?
I guess that would depend on how many fish you're feeding.


How many potential watts will I be using with a maxed light system?
Clarify? :unsure


Do these tanks smell as bad as fresh water tanks do sometimes with the flakes ?
Umm...no? :wacko My freshwater tanks don't smell nor do my reef tanks.


Does it really take 2-3 months to stock a tank properly with the right params?
Give or take. About a month to cycle and then slowly stock your tank. Don't go buy 10 fish and put them in at once, it will create a bio overload and cause problems with your params. Stock it slowly.


Thanks again for the help yall!
No problem ;)

[Chibecca]

I plan on keeping a few fish but i think i want to focus on other stuff so maybe 2-3 fish maybe?
As far as watts go, i was just wondering so i can check my house for potential circuit breaker upgrades. Am i looking at 1500 watts for an upgraded light system for say a 20g tank? I don't want to overload my circuit for obvious reasons. Thanks again for helping me out with these ridiculous questions.

[MattK]

1500 WATTS ON A 20g! Please explain how you plan on achieving that.

[Chibecca]

I wasnt being literal. Just tryin to get a feel for how many watts i can put on a single breaker with all the lights pumps and everything else. I have no idea about this , thats why i asked.

[Ping]

[(A x V) = W] -20% = Y

1500W is close to a max safe level for a 15a circuit.

20a would be 2000W. Just a rough ballpark figure to maintain a safe, long term circuit.