Got Some Money, Want To Start A Saltwater Tank

[jack-100]

Hi,
Ive been interested in getting a marine tank set up for a while now but havent had the money. Will be getting some money at the end of the month so have decided to go for it!

I have a 15gallon (?) tank which i want to use for it as its currently being unused.
I have a heater, but no other equiptment at the moment.
What is the equipment i will need to get?
I have read a bit about sumps and refugiums but am unsure what these are and how they work still so please explain if i need either of those.


I plan on keeping live rock and a couple of fish and a cleanup crew to start off with, but hopefully once im more capable and the tank is established i can get some coral in it too.

Thanks

 

[kj23502]

http/www.fishforums.net/content/Nano-Ree...ded-To-Go-Nano/

Read read and read some more That's what I'm doing as I'm preparing to start a 120 us gallon sw tank.

here are members nano tanks...look at what they have done and their equipment list
http/www.fishforums.net/content/Nano-Ree...ers-Nano-Tanks/

FAQ section for nano tanks
http/www.fishforums.net/content/Nano-Ree...For-Nano-Tanks/

 

[BigC]

As its a smallish tank then mabe a small hang on refugium http/www.reefland.com/rho/0305/images/aquafuge.jpg
maybe the way to go, you will definately need a powerhead to power that. Or if you are not going to have a fuge then just go for a Korallia 1 or Korallia nano water circulating device. You'll need a light ofcourse, Maybe not a full blown MH but something with good spectral quality.

 

[dilbert]

I plan on keeping live rock and a couple of fish and a cleanup crew to start off with, but hopefully once im more capable and the tank is established i can get some coral in it too.

There are a few different approaches to set up a 15G tank and the equipment depends on it. But if you'll start already with a "couple of fish" and then want "some coral" then you'll might need all of the common equipment.

Because of the coral the water needs to be nutrient-poor and the tank free of algae. That's difficult to achieve with more than two small fishies. You'll need then a skimmer and a sump probably, too.

With cleaner crew only and/or a few corals, it'll run like a charm without all that.

 

[jack-100]

What i was thinking was having a koralia 1 and lots of live rock in the tank, also possibly a hob filter at the back (would this be needed aswell?)
Would this be sufficient filtration for a clean up crew, couple of fish an a coral or so?
I am going to buy a light starter unit for 2 tubes, then get the appropriate spectrum tubes to fit it.

Its mainly what equipment i need to buy which is confusing as there is so many different possibilities

 

[Anguilla82]

what you've listed sounds good, just go for very small fish.
you could get away without the hob filter but would need to increase your water changes to twice weekly to compensate.
the problem with such a small volume is that it is more difficult to keep things stable. the easiest way to do this is to increase the number of water changes.
and above all else just take things very slowly. i am guilty of wanting things too fast, and its just way too expensive in the long run, so take your time and things should turn out well.

main things to begin with are:
Tank
Heater
Lights
Live rock
Salt (go for a quality brand, more expensive but worth it)
RO water (ro is a must!)

Various test kits (Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, pH, Phosphate are your main ones to begin with, later Calcium, Magnesium)
Refractometer (don't go for swing arm one, they just aren't accurate at all. you can pick up a decent refractometer on fleabay)