Thinking of Setting up a Reef Tank

[Seabiscuit]

Hello. As you can probably tell from the title, I was thinking of getting a 90 gallon reef tank. Inhabitants would include an Ocellaris Clown, Royal Gramma, Yellow Tang and a Red Starfish, as well as some soft corals and polyps, and a few cleaning inverts. I'm 12 years old (going on thirteen in a week), and have had experience in keeping freshwater tanks since I was four or five. I have also read the book "The New Marine Aquarium". I go to a very flexible private school and am not currently enrolled in any sports or other clubs. Is there anything you think I should know or be warned of? Are any of my choices hard to take care of or do they have compatabilty problems? Thanks in advance, and have a nice day!

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome to RDO, Seabiscuit!

I don't know about the starfish, but the royal gramma can be a little aggressive toward other fish, IME. The yellow tang and the clown will probably leave each others alone in a tank of your size. Most photosynethetic soft corals are easy for beginner, and I recommand you something in the line of mushroon and green star polyp. "zoo" is another good choice. We have a lot of resource here on this site.Take a loot at the library and the archive and see if you find anything else useful there.

 

[gravedigger2step]

Seabiscuit -

one thing you should be ready to undertake is the $$$$. Salt-Water aquariums are not maintained very well without putting money into them. Im 22 and I know that there is no way I could have maintained the 90 Gallon Reef tank that I have set up now at the age of 13, let alone its hard enough now. Sure you can manage it and keep it going but it takes true devotion to make it great and keep your fish happy. (Remember they are pets too and need to be loved like a dog or cat...just dont try to cuddle with them). It's a great hobby and it really is amazing to watch the tank grow. One suggestion I would say is to go smaller, it will save you money and be easier on you. Its definitely a plus that you have had the experience with freshwater as did i. Take your time in selecting the size that you want. Im sure its not going to be so much your own money as it will be your parents, and if they are willing to spend the extra dough, then go for it and just be ready to keep asking for more.
I would still suggest downsizing however and getting a smaller tank. Middleschool and Highschool have a lot of distractions that could slowly take your time away from the tank, especially when the girls come into the picture. Take your time with the decision and make sure its thought out. I always decided that I wasn't going to get a saltwater tank until i was out of college and thats what I did...now i have my 90 gallon and it sucks all my money away.
Good luck with your decision

 

[Anonymous]

It is possible to setup up a decent reef tank with reasonable amount of money, but there are many tricks to learn. One important advice is to read and learn from others, since most of the money wasted is due to purchase of junk/useless equipement and chemical and livestock that does not do well in the setup. If I have a 13 yrs. kid who want to get into the hobby, I would support him/her as long as it is a good education experience. The amount of money for a 90 gal can be much less than a PS2 or cartidge rental, and the parents can enjoy the result as well.

My advice is to be familiar with the hobby, and I hope you don't be discouraged by the financial portion of it. Maybe gather the info, be familiar with the issue, and talk to your "boss" (in my case, my spouse) and see what they say. Good luck.

 

[Seabiscuit]

Thanks, everyone. Excluding the financial side, what exactly is the benefit of having a smaller system? Less organisms to worry about? I've been told that bigger tanks are usually easier to take care of in terms of water quality and shifting temperatures. :|

 

[Anonymous]

You got that right, Seabiscuit. 40 to 90 gal is about the spot where the benefit of larger volume and fewer organism make it an ideal size for beginner.

 

[Meloco14]

I recently set up my first reef tank after keeping freshwater tanks all my life. I am 21 and a senior in college (just couldn't wait till after graduation to start) so I definitely have some limiting factors as far as time and finances. I set up a 55 gal which I personally think is a great compromise for a first tank. It is big enough to keep good water quality but not as expensive as a 90+ gallon tank. Overall you need to research and decide what kind of tank best suits your purpose. You mention a reef tank with corals so you need to take live rock and lighting into consideration. I spent $200 on live rock and I could use about $100 worth more. A 90 gall would need twice as much, so you could easily spend $600 just on that. A 55 is also a good choice for your lighting needs. It is not too deep so you wont need to spend tons of cash on metal halides. You can choose 4-40watt flourescents, like i did, or 2 VHO's or HO's. This should be plenty for your easier corals in a 55 gallon, but with a deeper tank you'll need more light, which is more money. Also, so far you only have 3 relatively small fish picked out, which probably wouldnt even dent the biological filtration capabilities of a 55 gallon with live rock and sand. I have a royal gramma, pygmy angel, and 2 neon gobies in my tank right now and have a hard enough time trying to find them when theyre hiding. In a 90 gallon I'd never see them! From what you have told us, it seems like you don't need the extra size of a 90 gallon tank. However, if money is not a concern and you plan on getting more/bigger fish in the future, go for the 90 gallon. Just know that it's not necessary. Hope this helps, and have fun with it. I wish I got to have a reef tank when I was your age!

p.s. I don't have any personal experience with starfish, but usually they are a concern when keeping a reef. They can accidentally knock over your rocks, damage corals, and eat certain inverts. So make sure you ask a pro about it before buying. You can probably call someone at liveaquaria and ask. Brittle stars are pretty useful and safe however. Also check out etropicals.com, they are a sister store to liveaquaria and have a lot of the same fish for much cheaper prices. an example is the royal gramma, i think its $12 at LA, $8 at ETrop.

 

[Seabiscuit]

Thanks for your help, everyone! I'll be sure to look into everything before I make any final decisions.