(Note: edited to remove extraneous sentence that was repeated twice)
The thing about saltwater tanks that I learned is that they thrive on stability and many creatures like anemones and corals cannot handle rapid changes in water parameters very well compared to freshwater fish or invertebrates so having a 10-20 gallon would make things more challenging than having a larger tank which is why I ordered a reef ready 200 liter/52 gallon aquarium with a built in sump which admittedly was quite expensive costing me about 4200 dollars in total including the aquarium and equipment such as a red sea protein skimmer and red sea roll filter and red sea reef lighting but it will make reef keeping easier for me in the long run.
Starting with at minimum 30 gallons even if doing a nano tank is a good idea as it would allow for more stability which is quite important especially when keeping corals and if keeping an invert only tank with no fish you would have to feed them by hand which means that water quality issues could arise potentially unless frequent water changes are performed especially in a smaller tank.
It is possible to have a fish with live rock system before dabbling into keeping corals as reef tanks usually start out as fish with live rock systems also when picking corals I would probably pick soft corals as hard sps corals are typically much more challenging requiring special attention to the dosing of supplements and additional equipment for them may be required later on especially if in a larger reef tank with tons of sps corals in it which is where using a calcium reactor to supply sps corals with extra calcium can be highly useful in scenarios where the sps corals use up too much calcium to build up their calcium skeletons and the regular dosing of extra calcium is not enough.
I would recommend starting with a fish with live rock setup and see if you enjoy it and as for when to add corals waiting at least a few months until the water parameters are stable enough and the tank has matured is what I would do.
Ah, the pains of target feeding. Isn't it a great feeling to have to constantly worry about whether or not your nitrates will spike after a single shot of defrosted brine shrimp?
As much as I would love to have a much larger tank (many larger tanks, for that matter), currently parental restrictions and space prohibit me from doing so. Inverts seem to be the best way to go space-wise, but there have been quite a few goby and blenny species that are reported to do well in pico tanks. I know from freshwater experience that the best nano fish are those that stay small, are relatively solitary, and remain quite inactive, but my predominant worry about the possible 5gal bowfront idea is that one of those species wouldn't have enough floor space.
Concerning corals, I have firmly decided that SPS and LPS corals are out of the question for such a small tank--and especially a beginner such as myself. Waiting for the tank to mature is less of a concern for myself (I set up my 2.5gal
Neocaridina tank back in early November, and am only now considering actually purchasing shrimp with the thriving ecosystem of plants, copepods, detritus worms [introduced], and ramshorn snails [also introduced]), and given my tendency towards indecisiveness it allows me more time to decide on what configuration, species, decor, etc. that I actually want.
IF I go ahead with ANY setup, here is my basic gameplan:
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[DAY ONE] Setup hardscape, substrate, utilities, etc.
- [
WEEKS 1-7] Allow 4-6 weeks for tank to get settled. Parameters should be correct levels, and a tad bit of algal growth with that may be proof of life. Live rock may have existing inhabitants, who's presence would likely indicate that it is suitable for
some (although maybe not all) life.
- [
WEEK 8/MONTH 2] Attempt to add in small inverts (inexpensive, non-demanding snails, shrimp, and the like--not quite a CUC, but a start)
- [
WEEKS 8-12/MONTH 2-3] Give a month for above inhabitants to settle; check in on condition (are they reproducing? just because they're alive doesn't mean they're thriving)
IF all is going well, attempt to add another species or two of invert to add to CUC. All specimens should be thriving, parameters must be correct.
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[WEEK 16/MONTH 4] After one month, I can consider adding ornamental shrimp, snails or crabs.
What happens next largely depends on what the game plan is. Am I adding more ornamental species? Am I adding a fish, or keeping it purely invert? How is the ecosystem doing?
- [WEEK 24-32/MONTH 6-8] If creating a reef tank, add first corals (likely small, hardy polyps). Parameters must be doing well, maintenance kept up with, and all existing inhabitants thriving (feeding well, possibly reproducing, exhibiting normal behaviors for species, and getting along with conspecifics).
This is just a rough draft, based on what I've read and my experience with freshwater aquariums. Is this a good start, or am I looking at this completely wrong? I understand that the order of introduction largely depends on the species (for instance, it is generally said that aggressive species should be added last), but this is without having any specifics set in stone.
)--not to mention that I'm not entirely sure how hardy these little guys are. Currently I think I would be looking at a nano FOWLR (I think inverts are classified under that), but am not entirely sure as to how more experienced members feel about that.
