Setting up at 30 gallon tank.. but have questions

[Samsonite959]

I'm a college student (read: limited funding and space) but I've really wanted a saltwater tank for a while. So after doing some research, I figured I could handle a 30 gallon tank cost and space wise. I also decided on the kind of fish I would like, and then build the tank around that.
I've decided on 4 that I like, based on the fact that they are easy for beginners and aren't aggressive to other fish:
--ocellaris clown fish
--green chromis
--neon blue goby
--royal gramma
One of my questions is, can I keep at least one of each in a 30 gallon tank? Or could I keep even more of the green chromis, which according to what I've read like to be in smaller schools. I know the gramma and the goby can be territorial with their own kind so I wouldn't get multiples of those.

I would also get some live rock, since that seems to be the common advice, but I really have no idea what that is and it seems to expensive. Is it worth the cost? Or can I get another substitute that would work just as well?

Also, as far as other setup goes, this is what I have decided I will probably get so far. Let me know if thats good or any recommendations you may have:
Filtration: Under gravel or power filtration--which one would work the most efficiently and cost effective for my setup?
Lighting: Full spectrum flourescent or power compact flourescent-- again, which is most cost effective?
Heater: I know I need one that heats about 3-5 watts per gallon, but I have no idea other than that.

Can you give me a basic list of what I'm missing too? I've researched a lot but I seem to get a lot of different answers or they aren't very in detail about what exactly I need for my setup.

:sfish:Thanks!:sfish:

 

[stagofdoom]

Im a college student as well and I had a 24 gal nano in my dorm room.
The fish seem fine but the chromis do like to be in little schools.

Live rock is something you will definitely need but you can do base rock and seed it with live rock. I have base rock in my nano and you cant tell the difference from the base and the live anymore. The filtration is a key, you can do a little HOB skimmer and that would be your best option for a tank.
What lights you need depends on if you want to keep corals or not. If not then you wont need anything to great.
I hope this helps and let us know if you have any other questions.



here is a heater I would get and I have.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3743+12060&pcatid=12060

Also look around on that site for anything else, its a great site.

Remember the most important thing in this hobby is patience

 

[messiah023]

Samsonite,

Welcome to the site and the hobby.
In a 30g tank, you should not exceed 4 fish. It may be more interesting for you to do a pair of clowns and drop the Chromis.

Here's what you need :

1.) Tank - you have this
2.) Skimmer - this is a must have. You can get a nice HOB (hang on back) style from octopus HERE.
3.) Live Sand - about 30 lbs should be fine.
4.) Live Rock - You can get (1) live rock and the rest base dry rock. The live rock will seed the dry rock over time. You should shoot for 2lbs per gallon of rocks.
NOTE: Live sand & Live rock is your biological filtration. It is the most important part of your system.
5.) Saltwater (DON'T USE TAP WATER). You can buy from a LFS pre-mixed water or mix your own using Reverse Osmosis water.
6.) Heater. Get a nice titanium unbreakable heater like THIS.
7.) Powerheads. You need to create flow in your tank and you need to ripple the top of the water to oxygenate your water. I suggest (2) Koralia #1s for a 30g.
8.) Lighting. If you are going to go FISH ONLY, you don't need any special lighting. If you are planning on adding any corals (which you probably will end up doing...just a side effect of this hobby) you need a light with at least 4watts / gallon (120w) like THIS.

Make sure you get yourself some test kits & I would suggest a refractometer to test your salinity.

Take your time. Adding things too quickly will kill your tank. When you add the sand & rocks, you will have to wait for your tank to cycle before adding fish. Read up on the cycle and how it works. It may take from 2 - 8 weeks for the cycle to complete.

Ask lots of questions!!!

Good Luck!

 

[yote]

+1 Stag

 

[Samsonite959]

Messiah, your links didn't work. Do you think you could just list what exactly you are trying to link and I can look it up on aquacave myself?

Thank you for all the help! That gives me a great start!

 

[messiah023]

Hmm....
Links are working for me?

Skimmer (octopus BH1000) : http://www.aquacave.com/octopus-bh-1000-hang-br-on-back-protein-skimmer-br-by-coralvue-2347.html

Heater (finnex titanium) : http://www.aquacave.com/finnex-300w-deluxe-brtitanium-heating-tube-1922.html

Powerhead (Koralia #1) : http://www.aquacave.com/koralia-1-power-head-by-hydor-1805.html

Lights (24" 2x65w Coralife Aqualight) : http://www.aquacave.com/24-2x65w-coralife-aqualightbr-hood-1xactinic-and-1x10000kbr-lamps-638.html

Test Kit (Seachem marine multi-test) : http://www.aquacave.com/marine-basic-multi-test-kitbr-75-tests-by-seachem-587.html

Refractometer (Sybon salinity refractometer) : http://www.aquacave.com/salinity-refractometer-with-atcbr-by-sybon-1901.html

Good Luck.
On the lights, there are other models out there (ie : T5) but I have had good success with this CF model.

Take care,

 

[Samsonite959]

Thanks, the links are working now!

 

[Piggy]

I would up them koralias to #2. The ones don't have a whole lot of flow. I have one for mixing water and it's pretty weak.

 

[messiah023]

Piggy,

I have a 30g and the (2) #1 are fine. Once you get to the #2s, the size of the powerhead is a bit too large for the tank and cannot be positioned to good to provide accurate flow.

I agree with you, the #1s on a large tank are useless, but a two of them in a 30 get the job done.

 

[Bifferwine]

Hi and welcome!

Undergravel filters are a no no for saltwater. They do way more harm than good. A protein skimmer is definitely the way to go.