Is It Big Enough

[boeingtech]

Where do i start, we have a 25 litre tank (superfish aqua 40). Can i set up a small marine tank with this.
We love marine's but want to start of small to see how good we are at it. We are more than comfortable with our tropical fish tank (jewel rio 240) but find the thought of go to marine quite scary.
So my question's are is it posible to set up a small marine and what would we need extra?
Do we keep the filter in the tank with live rock.
And what type of fish if any could you keep?
Do you need a skimmer in a tank this size?
Thankyou

 

[shelaghfishface]

hia
if i were you i would ask the same question in marine chit chat
in my opinion i would be tempted to start with something bigger than 25L to be honest, as then you can have a go at "everything" ( well depending on size/lighting of course) and also you have more room for mistakes- which i believe are very hard to correct in small tanks
ive recently started marine and i love it, no regrets here!

shelagh xxx

PS.. long time since we chatted, hope you`re keeping well xxxx

 

[boeingtech]

Thank's shelagh we have thought about going bigger but hubby say's there is nowhere to put it will have have to work on him.We have been around nearly every fish shop this week looking at setup's we are just finding it all abit confusing.
we will just have to keep reading up and following journals
Thankyou

 

[shelaghfishface]

tell me it wasnt here all along .. must be losing my marbles

 

[Morri]

25L is a small starter tank but you can get some stunning results personaly I would look at softies maybe a small LPS frag a couple of small inverts sexy shrimp pom pom crabs and maybe a small damsel in there.

You just need to be mindful these tanks can be as much work as a bigger tank and if something goes wrong your water volume is not enough to hide the problem.

There is a nice guide somewhere I will send you link but feel free to ask lots of questions knowledge is power in marines

And welcome to the salty side

 

[lgarvey]

25L is a small starter tank but you can get some stunning results personaly I would look at softies maybe a small LPS frag a couple of small inverts sexy shrimp pom pom crabs and maybe a small damsel in there.

You just need to be mindful these tanks can be as much work as a bigger tank and if something goes wrong your water volume is not enough to hide the problem.

There is a nice guide somewhere I will send you link but feel free to ask lots of questions knowledge is power in marines

And welcome to the salty side

I know they can be a lot more work, and things like feeding need to be very carefully controlled and you have top up the tank regularly with RO to prevent salt levels dropping, but.... the upside is you can do large water changes on a weekly basis. I have a 45L Wave box tank and I buy 12Ls of salted water from the LFS, which is a size-able water change.

I think no matter how big you go, there'll be someone who says "go bigger." I'm tempted to tell you to get at least a 45L because it's what I have now (I had a 25L fishless set-up at once stage).

But there are definite positives: -

WCs are easy
Cleaning glass is easy - on my 300L fw setup it was hassle! I had to stand on a chair to reach into the tank.
If you have to remove the fish, or some live stock, it's not hassle - just remove a few rocks and net the fish out.
Weekly WCs probably reduce (or eliminate?) need to watch Ph, Calcium etc. levels so closely because they are being replenished regularly

In my 25L I had a Yellow tail blue damsel, a skunk cleaner shrimp (my favourite - they're so crazy), and a peppermint shrimp. I personally wouldn't run such a small tank now (45L is still so small), but it did work! Also, I basically cycled the tank with two shrimps and a damsel. I won't ever do this again, as it' cruel on the livestock, BUT they did survive and appeared quite active which leads me to believe that inverts are hardier than people generally think.

Good luck on your salty journey!

L

 

[Harry1996]

you could buy a orca tl 450 or some thing that size (58L)

 

[bae1994]

it can be done and they can look stunning however in smaller tanks ifa fish dies while your asleep then it can cause real amonia spikes

as said it can be do i mean ime starting a 3 litre pico marine reef soon ,

i would suggest a 2 ft tank would be a good place to start

also if you have the cash as they are quite pricey id look into a orca tl450 a excellent starter tank and not very space consuming

 

[seffieuk]

Boeingtech, jump on in, the water is warm if not a bit salty

I wouldn't go with anything less than a 125 litre tank as a newbie. Things go very wrong, very fast in a small tank - but 125 is a stable environment and not too big. You can also pick up some great second hand bargains for that size tank

Seffie x

ps don't forget to start a journel so we can watch your journey and of course you have a record :goo:

 

[boeingtech]

Thank's everyone for the reply's going to do load's of reading on the subject and hopefully make a decision really soon

 

[bollands]

ive have a 128L reef and love it however im in the process of starting a 25L but this will only be home to a mantis shrimp as its very hardy, and cheap. however there is not much you can put in such a tank so i would steer well clear of 25L look and the orca tl550!