Im getting a 4 gallon bow front tank tomorrow off craigslist. I was thinking a shrimp farm but was looking around here and now am wondering if a 4 gallon would be big enough to do a salt tank? Or is it to small and to much work to work out well?
And im a total noob at salt so if this is a possibility i will be searching and asking a lot of quesitons
I think its way to small to be possible. you would be doing water changes every day, wouldnt have anything but maybe a shrimp and a snail or two and amybe 1 really easy coral. the lighting would cost a fortune and it would take a while to find pieces of rock small enough to have a decent rock structure.
now i have to argue a little here.. i have seen pico type salt water tanks that are 3 gallons and look wonderful and have mainly inverts and corals in them... the issue is that changes happen fast and with such a small water volume you have to be vigalant to catch things fast.... so i guess i am agreeing that it would not be a good beginer reef but i am also saying it can be done... as for lighting ... there are always ways to make lighting work fairly cheep if you look around and DIY a little ... sorry had to toss my 2 cents in
ok well opinions here vary as well.. some would say never jump into salt with less than 55 galons.. i am not that guy however. i would say that based on the fun i am having and the small issues (solved with my LFS) i have had i personally wouldn't start a salt tank with less than 20 gallons.. this is just a preferance as more volume gives more stability and a better chance to catch things early... as of right now i am in my first salt tank with a 29 and i intend to add a 20 gallon sump for added benifits such as volume, filtration, and temperatur stability....again it is a mattter of opinion.... first step is always READ as much as you can and while i would never ever say poor things about this site (it really is my favorite) check out others also and get a feel for the knowlage that is available to you......
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