What do I keep?????

[Kibouchi]

So learning about equipment, pricey, nitrogen cycles and whatever else is pretty much cake. It's all just a matter of doing your reading.

deciding what to put in the tank, however, has been pretty impossible. I don't even know where to start. And this is where the true magnificence of marine life comes into play. There's just an endless amount of facts about thousands of different species of both fish and coral.

So basically, I have no clue what kind of coral and fish I want to put in my tank. Are there certain combinations that you need to honor? Is there a guide somewhere online where you can look over different kinds of reef fish and what kind of coral they need (or vice versa)? Just thinking about it makes my head hurt. Not in a bad way, I just need a good place to start because right now it's like driving through a vast empty parking lot and trying to pick a space. It's harder to do than a packed parking lot because the options are endless and you can't make a decision.

The only fish I know I want is a clown fish. That's about it.

EDIT: Also, I should mention that I am setting up a 75 gallon tank.

[Parrothead]

Thats something we all deal with, the best way to do it is like this,

1. Go to your lfs and check out what kind of fish you would like to keep, make a list, research each fish regarding being reef safe, maybe, or not reef safe, look at adult size, etc.

2. Then look at the corals that catch your eye, same procedure.

Doing this will get you started anyway, trust me it'll change many times

JMHO

[Kibouchi]

That sounds like a plan!

I have a lot of time to decide. I won't even have my tank cycling for another couple months. And then it'll be another couple months before I can start putting fish in. It could be almost 2011 before a single fish or coral goes into that tank. Plenty of time for me to do my homework.

[Kibouchi]

Oh, and one more thing I forgot. How many fish should you have in a 75 gallon tank? Or I should say what's the maximum and minimum? I see pictures of reef tanks online and it looks like there's ton of fish in them. I read that you have to work up to that over time. Should I only start with 3 or 4 fish?

[ricksreef]

Start by researching or asking about your choices in fish. there are no written in stone stocking guidelines. It all depends on what fish you'd like to keep.
forget about all the pretty pictures you see of stocked tanks. most of them were made to look pretty to sell you something or impress you, to the detriment of the fish.
depending on the fish, four fish my exceed your limit in a 75, but 24 is also a possibilty. It all depends on your fish choices.
and you shouldn't 'start' with any fish until the cycle is complete. any organic matter (fishfood, a piece of store bought fresh seafood, etc) will see you through the cycle without killing a fish.

[Kibouchi]

Start by researching or asking about your choices in fish. there are no written in stone stocking guidelines. It all depends on what fish you'd like to keep.

Cool, thanks for the advice. I'll make a note to do that.

forget about all the pretty pictures you see of stocked tanks. most of them were made to look pretty to sell you something or impress you, to the detriment of the fish. depending on the fish, four fish my exceed your limit in a 75, but 24 is also a possibilty. It all depends on your fish choices.

I was referring to peoples' perosnal tanks I've seen, but that makes a lot more sense now, I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

and you shouldn't 'start' with any fish until the cycle is complete. any organic matter (fishfood, a piece of store bought fresh seafood, etc) will see you through the cycle without killing a fish.

While I understand and appreciate your concern, I'm fully aware that fish won't be going into the tank for a long time after I get it running. When I say "start", I simply mean the first fish I put in. I don't mean I'm going to fire it up and dump a school in.

All in all, thanks for the advice, you've been very helpful.

[tedlepplin]

hey kibouchi,

I have the same problem!

I started off with a 10g thats still running with 1 fish in, but will be moved over to a uk 40g ,
that i think is us 48g, sowly over the next month.

It took me about 25 trips to the lfs to decide what i wanted for the 10g ...

i have found that looking, reasearching and learning is almost as fun as actually going to the shop to collect a fish.

For me there is something kida cool about homing in on a single fish and watching its behaviour and watching it move about, somehting that now i fell like i got so wrong with f/w opting for schools of smaller fish. your eyes flick btween fish and i never really seem to concentrait on any particular fish.

that said its really going to be personal choice, as long as stocking is at a reasonable level, for me and my tank I would think a minumum-maximum would be 0-4 fish no more than 3 inches. some people keep fishless tanks purely to admire the beauty of coral..

one thing i learnt from f/w that may be worth, (although i am not certain it applies to s/w;;), i am sure it would be worth noting that a smaller size fish doesn't always mean it has a smaller bio load. for examlle take khuli loaches and common plattys. khuli loaches might reach 5 inches or so but they have a slender body and dont eat or deficate that much. But the platty might only reach 1.5-2 inch but its hungry and is faces can be about as thick as a strand of spaghetti, and around 2 inches long... in human terms thats a 6ft p*o for me

I am no expert, barely even a total novice, but with the help of some of the more experiensed members here i have managed to go from knowing pretty much nothing 3 months to knowing enough to get me started in this bobby......

my 5 cents for what its worth would be you seem to be on totally the right track so far, in taking your time and reading up, understanding what you are doing, and more importantly why you are doing it

[Kibouchi]

i have found that looking, reasearching and learning is almost as fun as actually going to the shop to collect a fish.

I totally agree. I am getting into the hobby because I am fascinated by marine life and want to learn and experience it. I think anyone getting a fish tank solely to spruce up their living room or office should get a freshwater tank. I've learned through research that a reef tank has to become almost a lifestyle. It has to be more than something pretty. In fact, I don't think how it looks should even come first. For me, it's the joy of observing, learning about, and caring for these living organisms, and if it happens to make my living room look nicer then that's great. That's why I'm in no hurry to get it up and running. The whole reason I'm doing this is for the learning experience, no decoration. So if I rush it to get fish in there too quickly, the point becomes moot.

Thanks a bunch for the help you guys! Every time I post I get a lot of valuable, informative responses. I definitely picked the right forum to become a member on.

[zhenya]

Hi Kibouchi,

I won't be telling you what species of corals to keep, or marine ornamental fish for that matter...
However, knowing size of the aquarium makes making choices somewhat easier, I think.
When considering any species of the fish make sure that you know it;s adult size, it's temperament and natural range and then apply that information to the limitations of your aquarium. What I mean is that it would be counterproductive to choose Acanthurus sohal that grows up to 16 inches in length and is very aggressive for your 75g tank. ;)

As far as corals are concern you can keep pretty much anything you like if you have proper lighting and can keep nutrients low for delicate species like Acropora sp. and some other stony corals that require very low nutrients.
All in all I would recommend first purchase to be a good marine aquarium book. There are several that comes to mind but here is a list of some that I think could be helpful. Although there are tons more if you search Amazon.

[Kibouchi]

Thanks for the link!

I must be getting too far into the digital age. Reading actual books never actually occured to me

Articles on the internet have been great, but for many things it's hard becaues most of them aren't written by a credible source, they're written by a hobbyist who just wants to share his knowledge and experience, which is also good. But you never know how experienced the hobbyist really is.

I'll definitely check these out. I've wanted a good marine biology encyclopedia anyways. All the huge ones are expensive though. I'll check out one of these little guides. I think it'll help me get started. I was told that 4 inches is the largest any fish in a 75 gal tank should get.