[BIG_ONE]

Im brand new to the saltwater world, im planning to set up a 55 gallon 48"x12"x21"
i want something like a banded snake eel, i got no clue if my 55 is too small for it or not, and im also planning other fish which i just don't know what to choose of, all of them just so wonderful.
Need help with every system needed for saltwater. thanks

 

[atlantic reefer]

Hello and

WELCOME To The Boards !!!

The most important item you need right now is information on salt water reef systems. I can not over emphasize this enough. While the net (other than the forums) is great for something very specific, it does rather poorly at providing background information that is required for salt water systems. Which is what brought you here.

What you want to do is to obtaining several good books on state of the are salt water reef systems. Two excellent ones to start with are The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta and The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner.

At this point you need good, solid, basic information. Read, study, and understand the material, and at that point you'll be able to ask any questions you may have on anything read and you will also have a much better chance with first time success.

My second biggest suggestion would be to purchase decent equipment from the get-go.

I highly suggest you to purchase an RO/DI water filter. At a minimum, it should have a pressure gauge, vertical DI resin canister and a Filmtec RO membrane which makes 75gpd at 98% rejection. It should have a high quality carbon filter, not granular activated carbon. In other words, stay away from ebay. Buckeye field supply, air water ice, the filter guys, or cultivated coral are where you should shop for this. Water is the most important ingredient;

The next piece of equipment I suggest you should invest in is a refractometer. This allows you to properly check the salinity of the water you make.

You will need salt of course. Water changes are an important part of filtration for a successful reef tank. The usual rule of thumb is 10% - 20% every two weeks. You can tailor this to your needs or the needs of your tank. High quality salt is much easier to work with than low quality stuff which is usually lacking in many elements in their proper portions.

Take your time, go slow, read some books, ask questions, ask more questions.

Once you have the basics down, your next step will be to figure out want you want to keep. This will govern the more advanced equipment selections to some extent.

You may also want to check out this thread here on aquarium forum - http://www.aquariumforum.com/f18/basic-marine-fish-keeping-360.html
This thread will help cover the basics in a little more detail. It also goes on to more equipment such as lighting, water circulation, protein skimming, etc...

Again Welcome to Aquarium Forum and more members will chime in as they come on the site.

 

[atlantic reefer]

Oh and In Regards to the Banded Snake Eel
Maintenance difficulty:
The Banded Snake Eel or Harlequin Eel is relatively easy to keep and usually readily eat all kinds of live and meaty foods. Use a poker or tongs if necessary at first to place the food right in front of their mouth. Don't worry if it doesn't eat for a while at first, they can go for several weeks without food (and often do).
They can be considered a community fish as long as the tankmates are not small enough to eat! The Eel as an adult can grow up to 30 inches. Which should be kept in a minimum 60 gallon aquarium. They will generally stay in the bottom of the aquarium. Will bury themselves in the sand with only their heads sticking out. So a deep sand bed will LIKELY be necessary.

Hope This Helps

 

[BIG_ONE]

what if i just wanted fish only but a couple corals here and there with little live rocks here and there also...would that be good or do i need mass amount of live rocks and corals like other reef systems??? i don't know if my budget can cover it

 

[atlantic reefer]

The amount of live rock is a personal preferance, but the more the better (without getting to much). You can keep any amount of coral you want (once the tank matures) just remember to have the right lighting to support the coral.

 

[BIG_ONE]

is there any coral that would do harm to the banded snake eel???

 

[atlantic reefer]

i don't believe any coral would harm the fish, but any anemones probably would.