New to Saltwater tanks.

[Jayo]

Hello everyone,

Long time lurker and purchaser of various tanks but rarely have posted. I've been in the hobby for about 10 years but have never switched over to salt simply because of fear. I keep large Cichlids, Midas, Chanchos, Frontosa, Oscars, ETC, ETC but never kept a single saltwater tank. Well, I'm ready to take the plunge. With that said I'm doing some research on a few things and want to run it by some of you more seasoned folks. I have a 36 gallon bow front id like to start with. Tank is not drilled, and the location it currently sits in would not be feasible to add a sump. So with that said I have been looking into some of the tidal filters due to there skimming system. I've also saw some hang on the back skimmers as well. As of right now to get my feet wet I'm thinking of a FOWLR tank with grow outs. I do have long term goals of going from this tank to a 72 gallon bow front, and lastly a 180 gallon bow front. The 180 is setup with a sump however that will have to be upgraded due to it being an older trickle style. I have all 3 tanks and don't plan on getting rid of them unless I buy one bigger but that's my long term goals. So with that said, here is what I'm thinking for the 36.

Tidal filter.... I was thinking of doing 2 Tidal 55's. Good Idea?
I already have a good digital heater with Tru temp
Hang on the back skimmer.... Good idea or overkill? If good idea, any suggestions for one that doesn't take up a lot of space? I have about 8 inches behind the tank.
Some sort of live sand you buy in a bag.... Suggestions?
40LBS of Purple coral rock I know will have to cycle.
Lastly lighting. The 36 gallon is 30 inches wide with a center brace. Since I know ill be updating to the 72 in a few months to a year, maybe something I can add more later to match.


Once the tank is cycled and stable id like to get an emperor angel (baby), wife wants a powder blue tang? Is this feasible? I could be reaching but what about a snow flake eel? Remember id like to start them all as babies and grow them out to eventually put in my 180.


I am in no sense of the word wealthy but I want a good running setup and would like to start out right, any and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
Jay

 

[Steve Burton]

Welcome out of the shadows. In my opinion, if you dont want to start with the 180, i would suggest at least skipping the 36 and start with the 72. The larger the tank the easier it is to stabilize parameters, and planning to upgrade anyway within months to a year, this would save a lot of time and effort. A powder bllue would very quickly outgrow a 30" tank. I know nothing about tidal filters but sumps are far superior to hob filters. My last display was a 72 bowfront, a 20 long diy sump fit perfectly in the cabinet. I've since upgraded to a 180. Good luck with whichever you decide, and be sure to make a build thread documenting your progress, we love lots of pictures.

 

[Jayo]

Steve,

Thanks for your input and somewhat the same thing I was thinking. The only problem is I just setup the 72 as a planted tank with C02 and can’t quite wrap my head around taking it down just yet. Although the 36 is somewhat small to start with I figured if I can manage that I sure could manage a larger one.

Secondly, the 36 came without a stand and is current sitting on a cinder block painted stand in my office that just so happens to fit between my Wife and I’s desk so kinda a focal point. We have been talking about possibly changing the office around so maybe that will give me a reason to upgrade to a bigger tank!

Now I do have an extra 75 that could work and I could use my spare 29 gallon for a sump. I was blessed to get an Eshopp 800 overflow skimmer with a tank purchase so I could check 1 thing off my list.

Lesson 1 learned, just like freshwater, BIGGER is always better!

 

[Gabridge83]

Welcome!! I would definitely go with the 75 to start with! My 30 has been the hardest tank to keep stable.

 

[Jayo]

Guys, just curious honestly. With Nano tanks being a huge thing now, why would a 36 be a bad starting point? Just curious on everyone's thoughts.

 

[Gabridge83]

Saltwater parameters can swing really fast in a small tank versus a larger tank where they will slowly decline or accelerate

 

[Jayo]

Saltwater parameters can swing really fast in a small tank versus a larger tank where they will slowly decline or accelerate

Agreed, however with good equipment it should be doable correct? Wife is putting up a fight for now so not sure if I’ll be able to put a larger tank in that space…… for now.

 

[picoreefguy]

It is very doable in a small tank. And imo equipment isn’t really the issue. The biggest reason we advise larger tanks, especially for beginners, is that when something goes wrong its way easier to pollute a smaller volume of water. Let’s say you had a snail die in a 10 gallon tank while you’re away for the weeken. you would most likely come home to a small to moderate spike in some of your nutrient levels. Now say the same thing happened in a 55. it would likely not even register that anything changed. Same logic applies to everything you do with the tank. if you feed your fish an extra helping, let’s say two cubes of mysis shrimp instead of one for the small tank and 4 instead of 2 for the big tank, it might not affect the larger tank at all but it could cause problems in a smaller tank. Same goes for stirring up the sand when the tank is older or dosing chemicals. A little but will affect as smaller tank more and quicker than a large one. Now on to the fish choices. The two fish will grow huge and the more you feed the faster they’ll grow. im not saying don’t do it, you already have the equipment for the upgrade, just be ready to make the jump when they start to grow a little too big. The eel however will probably be fine in that sized tank but keep in mind they like to eat a lot and are messy eaters which will pollute the tank a good bit so be ready to do water changes more frequently than you’d expect. I hope that helps. welcome and good luck, you’ve got lots of knowledgable people here that are happy to help, so dont be afraid to lean on the club.

 

[Jayo]

@picoreefguy Thank you! Very clear and straight to the point, I appreciate that.

I've been talking to a few reef keepers and all have said the same thing in so many words. So the decision has been made to go with a larger tank and sump system. I actually may have a lead on a 72 gallon bow front like the one I currently have however it has an overflow and drilled. If I score that one, I'll start my build thread sooner than later. If that tank falls thru, I'll watch the goods for sale side here and buy something even bigger.

 

[42Freeman]

I don't think 36 would be a bad starting point

 

[Jayo]

I don't think 36 would be a bad starting point

Super funny you said this. I made this post some time ago and still haven’t set one up. However, I picked up a 210 from a current member and will be setting it up soon.

Everyone advised since I’m a newbie, more water volume would help with any errors I might encounter.