Should I ?

[fulltilt]

Hi,

I'm a newbie to everything fish. I only got my first tank about 4-5 weeks ago but I've just found an awesome deal on eBay for a marine tank. Dumb question is :

Should I buy ?

Is marine considered harder because there are more parameters to control or get wrong, whichever the case may be ?

If the tank comes with everything including the fish, how scary would the whole "moving" prospect be ? I imagine on moving day you bag the fish & other creatures. Throw it all in the car to get back home asap, then re-assemble quick smart. The tank is 22litres (5.8g), so I could almost carry it when half full, but is that the best way ?

ANY thoughts would be appreciated

 

[Lynden]

Some people say that marine tanks are only for the advanced. But I disagree. It depends on the animal choice; there are just as many easier fish to get started with as in freshwater.

However, your situation is rather different; a marine tank that small (5.8 gallons) is exponentially more difficult to keep correct than a larger one. You could fit maybe 2 fishes max in a tank that small, and even then they would have to be small. Any other inhabitants would have to be corals or other small inverts, definetly not for someone who is new to fish.

My suggestion is, buy a larger (33 gal+) marine system and get started with some damselfish. Any tank smaller than 33 gallons is considered a "nano" ("nano" is a unit of measurement) reef, and these are considered "expert only". But, if you are doing well with your freshwater fish, then it is definetly not out of the picture.

Remember that full reef systems tend to be far more expensive than freshwater systems and fish only marines.

-Lynden

 

[fulltilt]

Yes, I did have concerns about it being too small. This is what the tank looks like :

2 x clown fish
3 x starfish
and some live rock

I would like to add some coral, maybe a shrimp, but that would be about it.

I'm still coming to terms with the small size (thanks for the nano definition ) this tank is not much bigger than the bucket I use to fill my FW tank.

Funnily enough, looking around eBay there is another marine tank that is 15 times larger, but with no pumps or stock. I'll post about that separately.

Thanks for you post though, ChestnutMoray55

 

[Mr Miagi]

Looking at that picture, my personal opinion is negatvie.

The rock. I cant tell if its Live Rock (essential for cycling fish watses into unharmful properties). So theres some money buying that. The sand bed doesnt look matured. It looks new to me. Two clowns and 3 large starfish (which appear to me to be sand sifters) in what looks like an uncycled tank! Not good signs. Those starfish, if sand sifters, will perish due to starvation. The Clowns are tougher and have a better prospect.

Id stay away from it myself.

Marine isnt a no for beginners. Far from it. But there is far more investment ($$) and time. Even in a 'nano' cube. Id suggest, along with Chestnut, you buy yourself a bigger tank, and read read read, so when you do get started, you know a bit more about SW.

Heres what takes to keep and start a successful nano: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=84931

 

[fulltilt]

Thanks for that.

I didn't know if it was best to move this thread to a different tank subject or not, so I created a new thread here largely so I could keep the info separate when comparing the nano to the bigger 300L one.

 

[Fish Fingers]

Now for my opinion:

Better going with a larger tank! Cramming 3 starfish and 2 clowns into a 6 gallon tank is suicide! Especially as miagi said, when they live rock and sand looks like it has no life at all. I would never stick fish in a tank that small and even 1 starfish would run out of food, die and nuke the tank. As miagi has also directed you go, to the masa website and buy a bigger established tank off there! It will make your life a lot easier and save you a pretty penny!

 

[fulltilt]

Thanks, already cruising the MASA site. I see that MASA is SW focussed, does anyone know of an equivalent FW Aussie-based site ?

 

[Fish Fingers]

Nope sorry. For freshwater I always used this. Maybe try FASA? I don't knwo if it exists lol but it might. Try googling aussie fish clubs/assoiciations.

 

[fulltilt]

Yeah, I googled for quite a few different variants. Found a lot of sites, but the forum traffic and community interest seemed to be the best here.

For marines, MASA definitely seems the go !!!

 

[Fish Fingers]

MASA is great for aussies as everyone on their in australian. This site is dominated by mainly america and the UK so there isn't a lot of info about australian websites, stores, etc. However with the growing number of aussies on this site hopefully soon there will be more home grown information and help for australians who come here

 

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

If youre really interested, then just research for a few months or more, whenever you feel you can cycle the tank [which is a few days reading in itself], decide on the equipment you want, study up on the fish you like, and feel confident that you can provide for them a happy and healthy life. And the bigger the better as far as marine tank sizes go, but also more expensive. Keep in mind that marine fish should have about 10 gallons per fish [for medium sized fish]. But if expense is not an issue, Id definitely look more heavily into it. The fish have such unique and interesting personalities and are a joy to watch. Its a very rewarding hobby, but definitely will be your main hobby because it does take some work.