newbie

[animallady]

Hi Everyone!

I'm new here. Hubby and I are looking to start a salt water tank.
We had fresh water fish for 6 years but sick of them. So we sold them and our 4 year old daughter got very upset that we did it.

So we look into getting fish AGAIN but we saw the salt water fish on line and loved it.

Hubby always wanted a salt water tank. So we decide to look in to it more. Now our daughter is very happy and wants nemo. We told her it is clown fish but says his name is nemo so they name is decided on the fish but need to get a tank going.

Just wondering where could we get good suppiles to start out? I have been looking on here but the ones I find are usa. Please help us find a good place and the right people to help.
Thank you!

[michika]

Welcome to Canreef!

Its up to you. You can buy locally, or there are online Canadian vendors as well. Take a look in the vendor forum for a few places near you.

Do you have any idea of what kind of tank you want to start up? Fish only, mixed reef, a species specific reef, etc?

[Trigger Man]

if you keep your eyes open there tends to be some pretty good used setups for sale on here. You can check the buy/sell section. As for actual storefronts I'm sure others will post of good places in Edmonton. For all you questions just ask away.

[fencer]

Welcome...ask lots of questions...lots of people here have good answers

[mark]

As said, check the forums for used, lots of good stuff comes up, same for livestock.

If wanting new gear and Canadian suppliers, I've had nothing but positive experiences with OA and JL.

[animallady]

Thank you so much.

What size of tank should someone start with?

We want a tank that we can have a clown fish.

What fish are good to with a clown fish and what corals do they need?

[Snaz]

Some advice.

1. Read as much about the hobby before you start, particularly any beginner guides.

2. Know your budget and plan a tank on what your willing able to spend. The price of buying and maintaining tank is not relative to it's size. Meaning the cost of building, stocking and maintaining a 90 gallon tank is not Three times the cost of a 30 gallon tank. Big tanks cost big bucks. For a couple of "Nemos" and some pretty soft corals I would look at the nano tanks. 12 - 30 gallons is plenty.

3. Patience. As a former aquarist I am sure you realize that these glass cubes of water and fish are really enclosed ecosystems. Saltwater is more delicate/finicky than fresh so go slow!

One advantage of the name brand "all-in-one" nano tanks is your get 85% of the hardware your need in one box. Minor to major upgrades may be required depending on what you hope to host. Some of the bigger names are Aquapod, BioCube, RSM, JBJ. Be sure to check out http://www.nano-reef.com/ if your interested in Nano tank. Particulary the Begginers forum.
Keith

[mark]

Clowns don't need corals or anemomes. If going the fish only (FO) or FO with live rock (FOWLR) route, you'll been able to have a simpler system regards to lighting, filtration, supplementing etc, than a reef setup.

Compatability chart

[superduperwesman]

It's not gonna be cheap... look at the money I've already spent on my 10 gallon... and it's empty

http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=46197