Guest krayzie Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 hey there ... newbie alert! i have aquired a tank 3ft*18in*14 i was wondering if any one could give me some advice on setting it up e.g what i would need to keep live coral n nemo etc... sorry for the newbish slang but thats as much as i know so if anyone would be able to give me any suggestions on what equiptment i would need i dont really want the top of the line stuff cos i cant really afford it cheer's !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graceless Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 welcome to the forum. this is a cichlid forum though, not a marine forum (ie. no nemo here!!) cichlids however, you can get plenty of help and advice on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Hi and welcome to the forum! You need to do some research if you intend getting into marines. Generally speaking they are not really suited to people that are new to fish keeping. In theory, most corals will not do well in low light aquariums, and are very difficult to keep alive. You really need to have a larger aquarium, excellent lighting and a protein skimmer at the very least. A pair of "nemos" will be ok in that size tank but you will not successfully cater for the corals too. At the very least, clowns need live rock and at least one anemone, regular water changes (so think about which LFS you can regularly buy salt water from) and a very good filter with a ceramic shaft. HTH. merjo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lepperfish Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Meh. Forget the marines and get some african cichlids.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graceless Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Meh. Forget the marines and get some african cichlids.. don't write them off comepletely! i have just started a marine tank. you need MEGA patience. i spent 2 months researching, learning, asking lots of questions, preparing, etc before water even wet my tank. now, another 2 months after i felt my research was complete my tank is NEARLY ready to start adding some cool livestock. marines = big money (mainly on hardware, and fish/inverts aren't that cheap either). cichlids are a lot more exciting to keep. as in they have heaps of personality (esp americans) - however i have gotten into marines cause i find them more astetically pleasing. they are keeping me poor tho. for a 3 foot tank, i reckon factor no less than $500+ for equiptment (and that's not even including a chiller which is like BIG money [min $300 alone]). you haven't stated where you live, but unless it's somewhere where there's no summer, you'll need a chiller too. if you are serious about marine though, check out the Reefing the Australian Way forums. ask lots of questions, and be prepared to fork out. for a 3 foot standard though, i'd be looking at cichlids in the form of either a community tank or a couple of smaller colonies of mbuna or something. if you're new to fish, start with cichlids. it's addictive, you may never want to leave. HTH, Grace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Bits Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 This reminds me of a couple of days ago, i was visiting a mate of mine (runs an LFS is Salamander Bay) who is now stocking Salt water fish. i was chatting when 2 surfy guys came in looking at the little "nemo" clown fish and asking how much. my mate sussed them out first, "have you got the 'salt water tank' setup?" the guys replied affirmitive and explained they are keeping other fish. Seemed like they new what they were doing...few people walked in the shop waiting for service, My mate hurried in catching the 2 clown fish, bagged em up, asked if they want anything else, they replied yeh the 2 corals "they look cool too" so he put them in a bucket with water... Mate asks what sort of lighting they are running at the moment, "well, we haven't got lights yet. we have it near a window though. bothh our hearts sank and looked at the poor little fish, and the corals would have died next day.... Gets me how people don't research before diving in.... PS please what ever you decide on, Salt water or fresh, please do the research first. Everyone here will give you advice and help. Just ask... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaman Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Hi krayzie, Assuming you're totally new to fishkeeping (and not just new to marines) my advice would be to start off with some cheap cichlids (electric yellows for example) or community fish (platys, etc). That way you can learn about the hobby and build up your confidence. Trust me I speak from experience. When I entered the hobby I had a $350 paif of amazonian discus within 6 months and It was too premature - I ended up losing one of them...not a great start to this wonderful hobby. HTH Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.d.m Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 im with richard, maybe a young group of americans, texas, jack dempseys etc tough as nails and if you get 4 or 5 your sure to end up with a pair- then youll be hooked , but then , my first ever fish was a nemo- back then (1972) they were called percula or common clownfish and i reckon this fish has been responsable for more people getting into this hobby than any other fish!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlakeyBoyR Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I work in an LFS myself and if I had a dollar for every person that asked me if stock "nemos" I'd be a rich man. Even if we did sell them, which we don't, I wouldnt sell them to someone who refers to them a nemos. Marine is not a beginners hobby, as everyone has said. The best way to go is maybe some angels if youre feeling game or to play it safe, some gouarmi and tetras in order to start your aquaria hobby. Please research and read well in advance of buying ANYTHING. It will pay off in the long term Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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