Freshwater hobbyist thinking of starting a Marine nano tank

[mpooyan83]

Hey all,

I've been doing fresh water for a couple years and typically stay with Tanks under 20/ Nano tanks. Was thinking of doing an 11.4 Gallon Mr Aqua tank and thought it would be a good idea to join this group and hopefully start learning so I can do it right. I know most people dont view Aquatic pets the same as cats and dogs and just brush it off when one dies due to ignorance and lack of proper care, but I think being cruel to my aquatic pets is equal to cruelty to cats and dogs..... So I would definitely appreciate any and all information I can get to help me care for my Marine tank pets the right way.

considering I already have the 11.4 gallon Mr Aqua tank, I am trying to compile a list of things I will be needing. Are their any stickies that provide this info? I looked in the noobie section and didnt really see anything.

Thank you

Matt

 

[zombie]

You are gonna need some aragonite sand, live rock (purchase last), circulation pumps (korilia nano is your cheapest decent option), good salt, rodi water, and lots of patience. Unlike freshwater tanks, it can easily take 1-2 months for a tank to cycle before it is ready for the first fish. Go slow, and do lots of research.

 

[SynDen]

Here is a similar thread where we have been discussing this very option, although the OP is considering a larger tank, but the principle are pretty much the same. http://www.marinecolorado.org/forum...y-had-freshwater-what-do-I-do-different/page2

There are a few differences in keeping a larger tank then a small pico like the one you are wanting. One of which is that smaller tanks can be quite a bit more challenging to keep the parameters stable. Large volume of water makes it easier to keep things stable which can be very critical to survival of a saltwater tank. If you can ensure that evaporation is replaced at least several times a day you can have pretty good success with a small tank. Highly recommend some sort of auto-top off to add fresh RO water in small bursts, then you wont have to worry about doing it several times a day yourself.

However in a smaller tank the cost is significantly reduced and you can get away with running minimal filtration, as long as you have decent light and flow as well as do religious water changes at least once a week, or even twice a week. Many smaller nano and pico tanks dont even run a skimmer or sump of any kind, which is pretty much a necessity in a larger tank, as long as you are diligant about doing very frequent water changes.

But no matter which size of saltwater tank you go with, patience is the key and dont rush anything until you are absolutely sure. As zombie stated the initial cycle on a salt tank can take several months, but it can take upwards of a year or more for a tank to reach a well established point, which many marine animals need to ensure their survival.