Hello World

I am looking to get into the saltwater hobby. I have been running freshwater for years now and I think its time to make the leap to saltwater. I am thinking about buying a Biocube but I am unsure about what size I should get. I would like either a 29 gal for my house or maybe a 8 or 14 gal for my office. I asked a few questions about a 29 gal at my LFS and he said that pretty much right out of the box you can run some fish and corals (as long as the water is stable). I am in love with a lot of the nano/pico tanks I have been seeing lately but I think I should start out with something a little bigger for my first setup. I dont have a lot of room in my house for a big tank (50 gal - 125 gal) even though that is what I would like. I was also thinking about running a little 10 gal I have laying around but I dont know the first thing about where to start. I would really like any suggestions. 

Any of those all in one cube tanks is a great way to go.  They really are just plug and play and you can get rolling with corals and then fish in no time.  I've seen lots of people start out with them, and with great success.

I have 2 29 Bio Cubes and love them. That said, the smaller you go on any tank size the more often they need to be maintained. Something to be aware of- A HUGE problem with all nanos is top-off. Fresh water constantly needs to be poured into the system due to evaporation. BC's are a little better about this because they have a hood but I'm always topping off mine. Think about it, the more the water evaporates, the more salt concentrates into the water causing large shifts in salinity and that stresses out fish and coral. Also I would recommend only topping off RO water. I tried the whole tap water thing and it caused big problems with hair algae.

Edited by Sculpin - December 16 2010 at 3:32pm

What about water? Should I mix my own or buy from a LPS? Can I buy RO water from my LPS also? What would I have to buy to make my own RO water on the cheap if there is such a thing. How long should I cycle the tank before adding fish/corals? What is a good rule of thumb about how much live rock and sand vs. tank size? Sorry for all the questions.

lots of the LFS (local fish stores) will let you get RO water free, but will charge between $.25-$1.00/gal of pre-made salt water.  Check with which ever one is most convenient to get to.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to cycling is "green means go". That is, when you start getting algae, it's time to start adding fish and a clean up crew. In a 29 this may take about a week or so. Another thing that helps a TON, is to fill it with someones water who's doing a water change. This helps speed up the cycling time quite a bit. 29 BioCubes are really about 25 gallons so 5-5gallon buckets do the trick nicely. Also when your at the persons house mooching water, gets some live sand from them, that is critical. Live sand will help seed your tank and get all the little microbes rockin' and rolln'. The hard part in all that is finding someone who does a 25 gallon water change. I do one or two 30 gallon WC's about every month on my 225 (frequent I know, but I feed heavy) so if you intereseted, let me know.

Edited by Sculpin - December 16 2010 at 6:12pm

Pay attention to the significant differences between SW and FW, such as filtration.  SW is very much a "closed" system compared to a FW system.  Mark is very clear about what's needed to be successful.

Yeah I would definitely recommend getting the biggest tank that you can when you first start out. I started with a 30g and it was perfect for me. Just be patient and add fish extremely slow. Also due alot of research as to what you can keep and whats compatible. The corals your going to keep will depend on alot of variables i.e. lighting, fish, inverts and flow. I believe most biocubes come with power compact lighting. Which you cant really keep stony corals under. So just look around at what you like and base your decision around that.

i live on the roy border if you ever wanna come check stuff out or have questions. i'd be glad to help you out.

That is such an awesome offer, I might have to take you up on that after the holidays. I will be on vacation after Christmas until January 11th :)