SW noob here...

[boichild]

Hi everyone, I'm in kingsville and new to sw aquariums. I've always had freshwater aquariums growing up and I've decided that I'd really like to try the marine side. Currently I'm in a research phase before jumping in head first so any and all advice is very welcome lol. I still don't know what all the abbreviations used in this forum mean but I'm learning more every day. I have a pretty good idea of what I'd like in my aquarium and thought I'd run my thoughts by you guys to see what y'all think. Like I said I'm still learning so don't be too harsh please. The local dealer I've been talking to has a SW set up that includes a 40g tank, hang on filter, heater, T5 lighting system w/ bulbs, and live sand for about $535. Is this a good deal?? Most of the recommendations I've read say that I should start with a 55g but if a 40g is ok it would be better for me. I'm looking at starting with a FOWLR at first with possibly a pair of juvenile clowns and a shrimp/goby pair. I haven't really decided on any other fish at the moment. I do like firefish but I'm not sure if they would be conspecific to the goby and fight. I'd like to incorporate a sump as well but the dealer seems to be trying to talk me out of that idea. I want one mainly for aesthetic purposes, what do y'all think? Eventually I'd love to try adding a rbta for the clowns and maybe some soft coral?

[Big_Pun]

welcome!! nothing wrong with sump if thats what you want, remember its better to plan for the future than spend more money later. also your going to want to run a skimmer so a sump would be a good idea, also helps with putting other media or reactors. do you plan to keep coral one day?

[StevenSeas]

I would definitely go with the sump if you think you will be in this hobby for a while, much better and more cost efficient long term. I wouldnt view a skimmer as a MUST have especially with FOWLR but definitely should be one if not the 1st piece of extra equip you get in the future (especially before the rbta) If you are talking about a 40 breeder than I say go for it, I just love those tanks and their dimensions. Do you have any kind of specs on the T5 lights? Any should be fine for FOWLR but again if you want coral/anems in the future might as well get the lighting now and save (or save for the cutting edge tech at the time your ready for it, as its changing constantly.) JMO

[Mr Cob]

Welcome to MAAST...just by posting what you want to do or plan to do you are ahead of most of us when we started. It took me a year of "know it all" errors before I started asking questions. After all I waaaaas a freshwater cichlid breeder and thought I knew it all.

Here's an old thread posted by another member that will help with the acronyms...

http://www.maast.org/showthread.php?...light=acronyms

[Regric25]

Welcome to MAAST! 40g breeder tanks are nice. I would recommend a sump over a HOB filter because the sump allows for more gas exchange, cheaper in maintenence, you can add equipment later like media reactors, skimmer, and you can hide other equipment out of plain view. Meaning you can put stuff in the sump like your heater, thermometer and so on. I agree with the above when they said if you plan on adding coral later on I would spend the money on better lighting depending on the T5 setup they are trying to sell you. What are the T5 specs? How many bulbs? If you want to add a RBTA later then you def want to get good strong lighting. T5's are great lights but you have to make sure you have enough bulbs to support the RBTA. The best advice I and anyone can give you is TAKE YOUR TIME. Good luck to you and be sure to post pics when you start the tank build!

[justahobby]

Welcome to MAAST!

Hi everyone, I'm in kingsville and new to sw aquariums. I've always had freshwater aquariums growing up and I've decided that I'd really like to try the marine side. Currently I'm in a research phase before jumping in head first so any and all advice is very welcome lol. I still don't know what all the abbreviations used in this forum mean but I'm learning more every day. I have a pretty good idea of what I'd like in my aquarium and thought I'd run my thoughts by you guys to see what y'all think. Like I said I'm still learning so don't be too harsh please. The local dealer I've been talking to has a SW set up that includes a 40g tank, hang on filter You could do w/ out it if you go with a sump, heater What brand? How many watts?, T5 lighting system w/ bulbs How many bulbs? , and live sand 40 lbs? for about $535. Is this a good deal?? Most of the recommendations I've read say that I should start with a 55g but if a 40g is ok it would be better for me. I'm looking at starting with a FOWLR at first with possibly a pair of juvenile clowns and a shrimp/goby pair. I haven't really decided on any other fish at the moment. I do like firefish but I'm not sure if they would be conspecific to the goby and fight You shouldn't see a problem. I'd like to incorporate a sump as well but the dealer seems to be trying to talk me out of that idea Why would he do that Sumps are an upgrade, not a different way of doing things.. I want one mainly for aesthetic purposes, what do y'all think? Eventually I'd love to try adding a rbta for the clowns and maybe some soft coral?

Nothing wrong with starting at 40g. Add a sump and you could easily have 55g worth.

[boichild]

Thanks for all the positive feedback! Yes, it's a 40g breeder I'm looking at and I don't remember the specs for the bulbs but I'll make sure to check that they cover the rbta's needs before buying. As far as the sump goes I really want to use it to house the heater, skimmer, and other equipment out of sight so I was confused when the dealer tried steering me away from it...maybe she thought as a beginner I shouldn't need it? The tank comes with 40lbs of live sand and she assured me that all of the equipment was ideal for a beginner reef setup. I may be wrong but personally I'd rather not use a hang on filter (HOB??), I was looking into canister filters but I'd welcome any recommendations as far as how I could set up the sump as a filter. Eventually yes I would like to try some corals and like I said the rbta so I figured it would be better to go ahead and get the HO T5 lights now so the fish are accustomed to the light already when I add in the inverts. I know everyone has their own opinion when it comes to which fish to get but considering the fish I've already named any suggestions on other fish or should I stick with just the clowns and goby and possibly a firefish?

[copperband]

I personally like cardinalfish. Pajama cardinals are good schooling fish and banggai cardinals are good breeders! Another fish is that is fun are chalk basslets they are also a schooling fish and are peaceful. Blennies are also alot of fun because they tend to have alot of personality! Since it will be a 40 gallon I would also recommend you take a look at some of the more hardy pygmy angelfish and some of the smaller wrasses like twinspot hogfish, six line wrasse, and some of the fairy wrasse. As far as the firefish you shouldn't have any problems with the goby and the firefish. in my experience firefish tend to stay in the upper parts of the aquarium and regular gobies tend to stay near the bottom and firefish look different enough from the average goby appearance however this is just my oppinion and my own personal experience!

[ballardjr2000]

PM sent WELCOME TO KINGSVILLE the poputlation grows by another