getting my parents to let me have a salt water

[tmgpp]

I am 14 years old and am a freshmen in high school. I have had my own 90 gallen chicklid tank for six years. I also have had numorous other smaller ten gallons. I have wanted a salt water for about a year. a 45 gallen with a pare of false perc. clowns. and some other stuff bred in captivety (no wield caught enything). I have great consern for the coral reafs of the world. my parents will not let me have this tank. they think that I have to many tanks allready. they think that it is to complecated or something. I have taken great care of my fresh water and wanted a new chalenge. dose enyone have any ideas on how to get them to let me have this? and som other good spiesies that are breed in captivity. I will only need a little extra equiptment because I already have the tank stand lights and pumps.

 

[woodymdt]

Tmg,
I know that is frustrating, and after reading your post I am sure that with experience you will turn out to be a great saltwater fish and reefkeeper.
With that said, I wouldn't be able to give you any advice or information other than listen and obey your parents wishes. They are your parents and as bad or unfair to you as it seems sometimes, what they say should stand.
Continue to research and study saltwater aquariums, visit LFS dealers and see if any of your schoolmates have tanks. Possibly when you go to college you could start your own saltwater adventure in your dorm.
Cherish and love them, and stay close to them, because one day they will be gone. Take that from someone with a little experience in that part of life.

 

[boomper]

The hardest part about this hobby besides having patience is the price. No matter what anyone says, it is very expensive to keep saltwater fish and you will need good equipment/filtration to do so, even with the simplest of systems (FO).
The good news is you are young and seem extremely interested in the hobby. I know alot of young members on this site work jobs to pay for everything, so I am sure in a few years or so you could definately finance your own system.
I would not recommend a tank in a college dorm though....dorms are small and therefor your tank will be small and harder to maintian on top of the fact it cost $$ which most college kids dont have (I know I dont)

 

[scubadoo]

I had my first salt water tank when I was about your age and that was over 30 years ago. My folks were thrilled as it kept me off the streets and out of serious trouble.
Do your research and perhaps you can convince them as it will appear you know exactly what you are doing. You need to do this anyway so that your tank is a success. This is a great place to start with questions.
It all depends on what type of tank you are going to keep. I firmly beleive that every tank should be set-up with a deep sand base, 1-1.5 pounds of live rock per gallon and a good protein skimmer. Even if you have a fish only tank with no inverts/corals...I still beleive this is the way to go. Just my opinion.

 

[lefty]

I'll be taking my 29g SW tank to college with me.
Perhaps you could tell your parents that you're willing to give up one of your tanks right now to replace it with a saltwater one. If you're not wanting to part with any of your tanks, how about suggesting you'll cover the cost? You could get a job this coming summer to help fund it. If you're already maintaining multiple tanks right now, then it would seem as though you're responsible enough to have a SW tank as long as you research, research, and research some more. If your parents still won't allow you to have a SW, then you may have to wait awhile before bringing it up again. Best of luck to you!
-lefty

 

[fishhugger]

when you get a workers permit, you could get a job at you lfs, but by the time you get a permit, you may want to save your money for the future.

 

[tmgpp]

thanks for the advice. I dont think the dorm Idea will work because there is only one year and what do you do with it then.

 

[sammiefish]

WHY dont they want you to have another tank... do they want you to spend more time doing schoolwork or something stupid like that? Or thinking that the girl/boyfriend thing will be starting soon and you soon wont have the interest or time that you do now... Id say that with your tank experience you should go small .. and use only equipment you currently own... and only pursue fish with live rock...nano.. not knocking your enthusiasm but you probably have alot on your plate so start small...After all, maybe they dont want you to start a tank because you will probably be leaving in 3 years and they might not be up for the task... anyway... im speaking from experience.. I had a similar experience about 25 years ago... stick with it ... it will work out

 

[masala4080]

I know how you feel man. I am 17 and have been wanting a SW tank for years. I have kept several other animals, geckos, frogs, cichlid fish, and a lot of others in the past. I brought the question up to my parents and of course they said no. I told them I will get rid of my 29 gal. gecko tank, and 30 gal. cichlid tank. And after buging them forever they gave in, and im soon getting my 125 gal. Im not saying you should bug them constintly, but maybe try to give up onther tank for saltwater. The best thing is to get a job early at your age. A week after I turned 14 I got a job at a pet store and have been there ever since. 3 years , hoot hoot. Show them that you have more responsibility by keeping a job as well as taking great care of your animals, and maintaining a good grade in school. This way you can pay for everything yourself (and if you work at a pet store you'll get AWSOME DISCOUNTS)

It will take some time but it will be worth it.
PS: And no, I am not a worker that trys to sell anything and everything, either is my store. I hate PS like that.

 

[superhero]

Hey tmgpp
I'm 15 (almost 16:jumping: :jumping: :jumping: ) I wanted one and my parents were a bit iffy about it so I told them that I wanted to be something liek a marine biologist, and that this teank would help me better understand the ocean and sugar coated it untill they said yes and now i have a 150 gallon reef in my basement.
GOOD LUCK!!!:joy: :yes: :joy: :yes:
-Tony

 

[tmgpp]

thanks you are all very helpful.
I also want to go into something like marine biology

 

[southcoral]

Well I'm 16, and I've had a freshwater for three years, i started out with a betta and evolved into a 10g. I rewatched Finding Nemo and really starting liking the animals in the movie. So I'm purchasing a 55g. But the thing is, I'm paying for the WHOLE thing (on an allowance of $5 a week, i don't have a car yet.) I also told them that when I go to college I'll bring it with me. (I'm getting my dad to custom build a storage system that will have the fishtank built in)
I never had patience, until I started reading up on this hobby, and since I'm paying for it, I'm on a tight budget. But what you might want to do is try selling your tanks, and all the stuff in them and try and put that towards a saltwater aquarium. By the way, the bigger the tank, the easier it is to maintain, a 55g or larger is great for beginers, the water levels are more stable because their is more water. I've learned that my parents hate badgering, so ask them once, and let them think about it and talk about it. And do some extra chores around the house. Read up first, find out everything about this before putting one dime in it. And don't worry, after thinking about something for a while, you might realize you don't even want it that bad. That's how I am a lot of the time anyways. Just don't worry, if you can't get it now, you'll get it later. (maybe even after college)
good luck

 

[masala4080]

ya, be prepared to spend a lot of Dough. I have to pay for EVERYTHING... Thats a lot with a lot with a 125. Thats why its best to get a job early.

 

[boomper]

I definately like that "marine biologist" bit. Even if you dont go into that field, you will learn A TON about how the ocean works and what makes it so amazing. Just reading this site alone gains you more knowledge than you can ever imagine. Good luck with whatever you come up with.

 

[snipe]

My advice is sell off the tank that you dont want and then use the money to "start" buying the saltwater stuff. Your parents couldnt fuss cause you got read of some of your tanks and you are helping buy the stuff.

 

[acrylic51]

Wish I could get my 15 year old off the phone with the boys and get into the hobby. Keep your head up and keep learning they'll come around you wait and see. They see that this SW tank will keep you super busy, but you'll love it.... Good luck!!!!!!