what do I need what are the costs and damsels gobies and clowns were suggested. please be very specific. thanks

depends on your filtration...damsels are hardy fish..some people use them to cycle their tanks, but they are a aggressive fish, clowns are good little fish but they will get to big for a 10 gallon, granted thats down the road if you get juvie clowns,IMO clown golbies, neon blue golbies are the best bet..what ever is decided..if you go with clown fish or damsels i would put 1 fish in the tank..or your bioload is going to be heavy..hope this helps..

Rick

Will it be a reef tank or fish only?I work at an aquarium place and can tell you what we sell them for but the cost varies wildly from store to store.Our damsels are $4.24-most clowns are $19.99-neon gobies(blue or yellow)$10.99-clown gobies $8.99.You could do some Chromis for starters.They are damsels but usually less aggressive.If you need hardware prices go to a local store to price them out or there are alot of online retailers out there.

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"All limitations are self imposed..."

how much rock do I put in. what would you start off with what equip ment is needed what are the costs i am looking at. And should i do one damsel or one golbie. are crabs or shrimp needed.

well i got the fish thing down but I dont under stannd if i need reefs or not and what lights filter etc.

Are you planning to keep live corals?If so youll need at least 3.5 watts of lighting per gallon of tank volume.I ran a 10gallon reef for 4 years with an Aquaclear 500,an in-tank protein skimmer and a powerhead,dont get a filter with a bio wheel as they tend to raise nitrate levels.I dont know how much research youve done but I would suggest a good book that explains the fundamentals of keeping reefs.Youll want 10-12 lbs of live rock and 15 lbs of live sand.

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"All limitations are self imposed..."

thats what your going to have to decide..reef's are a collection of corals that the aquarists design or nature designs in a natural reef in the ocean.. remember thrse corals are live and you must feed them if they are not filter feeders..most corals require a high amount of light..but there are some exceptions, mushrooms, ricordia, some zoa's, sun corals,..some corals require a high amount of flow..(most SPS corals) require alot of flow..

now.. to answer filters and equipment..do you have any experience with saltwater..if not i would just start with the basics..HOB filter..best light i have for that tank is a coralife 28w 50/50 bulb in it..start with 12 lbs of live rock and try some mushrooms and some zoa's.and read alot here..as you learn , upgrade to what you really like for corals.if its just fish only then lighting and flow is not as much of a issue..

Rick

I have read about fish only tank is that good for the fish what should i put in there if i am not gonna have the reef what should i buy

I think ill do fish only what do i need for that sorry if i post tomuch I just want to know so I can plan.

Best to still use live rock and sand but you can use low wattage lighting.A protein skimmer isnt necessary either.

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"All limitations are self imposed..."

OK if you want to make things real simple you could buy a complete nano set up. A complete nano has filters,lights and pumps. It is a all in 1 kit. If your not sure what I am talking about go to drsfostersmith.com and type nano in the search field or just type in nano tanks on yahoo. There are many different sizes to choose from. The bigger you go the more you will pay. For a 12 gallon nano you are going to spend from $100 -$200. If you go this route all you will need to do is buy live rock (12 - 18lbs) and Live sand (20 lbs). Live rock here in AZ goes for $4.75 a pound up to $10 a pound. A bag of live BIO sand will cost $25 to $35 for a 20 pound bag. If you go with a ten gallon tank you set up yourself you will need 2 powerheads ( Hydor makes a good one) try the model nano or model 1. Put one powerhead pushing the water up near the surface and one on the other side to push the water down slightly. This will create a good water flow around the tank. A T5 light would work and you could have some low maintence corals like mushrooms. Mushrooms are good to start with as they will grow with little care. Last thing to think about is a hang on filter (Rena or Aqua clear). Always go bigger than you need by 2 to 3 times. So with your 10 gallon tank get a 20 or 30 gallon filter. Take carbon out of the filter and you can put some crushed coral or ceramic noodles in the filter compartment. Get all your stuff ready first (tank,light,powerheads and filter). Get your water, sand and rocks next. Let your tank run for at least 2 weeks but 4 weeks would be better. Now on to fish. If you do go with clowns get tank raised babies and you could get a small host sea anemone but know this you will have to remove it at some time as it will get large over time. They also like to move around the tank. Things to look out for are the anemone getting sucked into the filter and it stinging and killing other corals in your tank. You would also want to get turbo snail (1-2) and hermit crab(1-2). You could also get a small shrimp (1). Water changes will take place once a week and you will take out about 2-3 gallons of water and replace with new water. You will want to keep on hand some RO water to top of your during the week due to evaporation. If I was you I would go with a nano to start of with as it takes the guess work out of what brand (powerhead, light and filter) do I buy. Take the time, save up for best and DO NOT buy something because you can't afford the higher price item. It will come back to haunt you 6 months later. Buy quality. Look at reviews of the item you want to buy. I found out the hard way. I own 2 current nano tanks, 48 inch current light and a 20 inch current and out of the 4 only the 20 inch light works well. The fans on the nano are garbage and on the 48 only half my lights work They are all less than 2 years old and they are unwilling to help me out. I will never buy another current. I hope this helps you out. If you have any ? feel free to drop me a line.:cool:

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Here is the nanocube cesstern is talking about - Nano Cube Reef Aquarium Kits: 6, 12 & 24 Gallon Nano Cube Aquariums

or

Nano Aquarium Systems & Aquarium Kits: Oceanic BioCube Aquarium System

These are the all in one tanks that come with all filters, pump, lights, etc.

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