Hello

[Becca]

Hello all

I am brand new to saltwater.
I have not yet purchased anything.
I have my list of fish I would like to keep, but that it.
I have been reading like crazy and I still have lots of question, so let me start by saying THANK YOU for helping me and being patient with me.

These are the fish I would like to have:
Flame Angel
Ocellaris Clownfish
Orchis Dottyback
Neon Goby
Purple Firefish
Blue Tang
and maybe a Royal Gramma (not to sure about this one yet, I still have to read about this one)

so I would like to know what size tank do you think I should start with and how much live rock and sand and so on....

Thanks again for you help
B

[RyanG]

Welcome to the reef Becca! Go as big as you can afford, most people that start off small end up upgradeing soon after they get the addiction so you are better off starting with a larger tank. Again welcome to the site feel free to ask any questions you mught have and when the MODS and ADMINISTRATOR are finished rearranging the helpful ARTICLES section, It is a great place to start reading. Do as much research as you can before you buy anything.

The rule of thumb is 1-2lbs of live rock per gallon of volume.

[daugherty]

yes go as big as you can. do you want a Reef or a FOWLR(fish only with live rock) and yes get about 1-2 pounds of rock per gallon i lean more to 2 myself. you can use mostly dry base rock then seed with live rock the more live rock the better. but it is expencive. and just ask any questions that come to your mind.

[yote]

Welcome to the reef.
If you have your heart set on the blue tang,then you'll at least a 180 gallon tank.
And like Ryan and James stated,1 to 2 pounds of rock per gallon is the general rule of thumb.
Be sure to post any questions that you have,someone will have the answers.

[Bifferwine]

Yote is right about the blue tang, they need a lot of space. In fact, any tang you get will likely need at least 100 gallons. If you can't do that, then you'll need to pass on having a tang.

The rest of those fish could be kept in something as small as a 55 gallon tank. But like others have said, the bigger the better, the more water you have, the more forgiving your tank will be of mistakes and changes in parameters (dilution is the solution to pollution in fish tanks).

[Marke86]

welcome to the reef becca there are a lot of smart people on the reef that know a thing or two. and they already got you covered

[RAYRAY]

Hello, And Welcome To The Reef !! The Site Is Awesome And You Will Get Plenty Of Help And Ideas Here !!

[Doc]

hello and welcome. As for what tank to start with, Biff indicated 100 gallons+ for your blue tang, other tangs need more room than that. salt water fish need so much more swimming room than freshwater. go for a 125 if you can afford it

-Doc

[Becca]

So this is what I have decided to get a 29gla Biocube
(fish and live rock only tank)
and these are the fish i am going to get.

Ocellaris Clownfish
Orchis Dottyback
Neon Goby
Royal Gramma

as much as I would like to have a tang, I am not ready for a big tank, I want to get the small tank and see how it goes and if I can do everything that needs to be done to maintain the tank.

I will let you all know how things go.

Thanks for you help
B

[Doc]

that may be a fish too many on your list. The tough part about having a small tank is 2-fold: 1st water parameters can be difficult to maintain due to fast changes in water evaporation, feeding and dosing errors. If something dies in your tank and starts to decompose, it will create such a fast ammonia spike, it can kill everything in your tank. That same thing dies in a 90 gallon, not as big a deal. 2nd the general rule for stocking a new tank is 1 inch of fish per every 5 gallons of water volume. With a 29 gallon tank, you are looking at about 6 inches of fish, give or take. Your list has 8-10 inches of fish, when full grown. I would cut back one of the fish just to be safe. If you can push space and finances to get a 55 gallon tank, that would be a better choice for a beginner tank. Just my

Good luck with everything

-Doc