5. You cant have it all in 1 tank. Before you put 1 fish, rock, coral, invert, anyhing come up with a plan and what and how you much maint. you want to put into it and most importantly your budget. Many species of corals and some fish and inverts require more care, higher end equipment and may not be compatible. Do some asking around and research on compatability before investing dime 1, you dont want to end up costing more in the long run to save a little up front.
4. Buy smart, it is better to buy used quality equipment than new lower end equipment. You can also save a lot by buying through forums, your local craigs list and clubs for fish, equipment, lighting, etc and end up with a better system for much less $$$. It may take longer to get your final envisioned tank but #1 covers that.
3. Size matters, although equipment like filtration, skimmers, UV's etc have all improved over the years which is why nanos are much easier to keep BUT size still matters. A smaller tank with filtration running will run great with extremely stable params but if there is an issue like a power outage, airborne contaminents a smaler tank will end up with less time before a system colapse than a larger tank will. Nanos are beautiful, I have had them in the past without issues and love them but they also do require more maint than a larger tank, another thing to e aware of.
2. Dont put all your faith in one way of doing anything. Everyones tank is so unique that they really do require very specific maint. Monitor your set up closely for a long time. Testing params will let you know how often and how much volume you will need for water changes, the std 20% rule, a weekly rule, bi-weekly rule, etc is a good place to start but tweaking it as you go will give you a tank that will be easier to maintain and more importantly remain stable.
1. PATIENCE PATIENCE PATIENCE! I have seen way to many people get into the hobby but rush through it ending up with disaster after disaster until they finally either get to discouraged or cant afford to keep in the hobby. Go slow and you will be in the hobby for a long long time. From initial set up, acclimating new fish, corals or iverts everyhing in this hobby works best when done slowly.
4. Buy smart, it is better to buy used quality equipment than new lower end equipment. You can also save a lot by buying through forums, your local craigs list and clubs for fish, equipment, lighting, etc and end up with a better system for much less $$$. It may take longer to get your final envisioned tank but #1 covers that.
3. Size matters, although equipment like filtration, skimmers, UV's etc have all improved over the years which is why nanos are much easier to keep BUT size still matters. A smaller tank with filtration running will run great with extremely stable params but if there is an issue like a power outage, airborne contaminents a smaler tank will end up with less time before a system colapse than a larger tank will. Nanos are beautiful, I have had them in the past without issues and love them but they also do require more maint than a larger tank, another thing to e aware of.
2. Dont put all your faith in one way of doing anything. Everyones tank is so unique that they really do require very specific maint. Monitor your set up closely for a long time. Testing params will let you know how often and how much volume you will need for water changes, the std 20% rule, a weekly rule, bi-weekly rule, etc is a good place to start but tweaking it as you go will give you a tank that will be easier to maintain and more importantly remain stable.
1. PATIENCE PATIENCE PATIENCE! I have seen way to many people get into the hobby but rush through it ending up with disaster after disaster until they finally either get to discouraged or cant afford to keep in the hobby. Go slow and you will be in the hobby for a long long time. From initial set up, acclimating new fish, corals or iverts everyhing in this hobby works best when done slowly.
