Help Newbie with Question

jw1977

jw1977

Member
I'm a new member and have spend quite a bit of time reading through old posts. A few weeks ago(when I knew very little) I decided I wanted a 72 gallon bowfront. I went to my LFS and was blown away by a $2500 price with everything but fish included. This also inluded compact flourescant lighting. I guess I thought the tank and stand was the biggest expense. Anyway, being a beginner and not knowing how much I'll get into this I think that may be too much money. I'm now considering a 46 bowfront or the Red Sea Max 34 gallon Tank(this has everything included for $999). If the 72 gal was $2500, how much less would a 46 be? Obviously less live rock would make some difference but I assume other components would be less as well? Would the maintenance be easier on a smaller tank? I've been a little scared off reading about peoples processes for water changes. I also don't really want to use R/O water. I'd really like to stick to tap water. Which one do you think this beginner should choose? I know some people will respond that I should do a FW tank but I don't really want to do that.
Please help me make a decision. I've wanted an aquarium for a long time but i'm not sure how in to it i'll be. I'd hate to spend $3000 and find out I hate doing the maintenance or I'm always killing my fish.
Please help. Thanks
 
keri

keri

Active Member
Disclaimer: I'm still fairly new to this, but here's my 2 cents

I'm not sure where you live (I'm guessing in the states somewhere) but what you can do is try to find online pet stores that have prices for everything and start making a list of what you'd need for a 34 vs 46 etc...see what you come up with and what you can afford. I think the advice I'd have to give is: go big if you can, because you'll always Want bigger BUT not at the expense of good equipment. Look online for reviews of products you're considering, the people on this forum are very helpful in this regard.
...as to RO H2O, I've been converted, I know tap water is easier and cheaper but for a small sytem you can buy it or for a larger system it's worth the investment for a unit at home, I've seen a big change in my tank since I switched.
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
sry, but if:
1) money is really an issue and
2) not wanting to do maintenance is really an issue
3) and using ro/di water is really an issue
then
Do the fish and corals a favor and don't get into the hobby. if you don't do things right, you're going to deplete natural resourses from the ocean and kill everything off.
if you DO decide to get a fish tank, get T5, metal halide, or even those new LED light systems. spend the extra couple hundred dollars and get better lights than pc's, you'll be better off in the long run.
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
also, to help scare you a little more, read up the disease forums and find out why you actually need a second tank, called a quarantine tank.
talk about maintenance... first time you get a sick fish you'll hate dealing with that.
 
princess8077

princess8077

Member
Originally Posted by maddog0118
that sounds high.....i got a 220 tank and stand and everything eslse including
water and setup for 3100
Wow! I wish I shopped where you did!! I guess if you're not so savvy on everything the LFS can rip your head off (and steal your wallet) in the process.
 
marka1620

marka1620

Member
If you are new and concerned about the upkeep of the tank. But, you are still gonna go thru with it. Go for a smaller tank as you already expressed concern about water changes.....etc.
A marine tank NEEDS to be maintained for the health a survival of all inhabitants.
I have a 47g tank and I find that the upkeep isnt that bad once you get into the swing of it.
For water top offs you must use RO water to avoid headaches later. I get my RO water from Walmart (55 cents/gallon) and go thru about a couple gallons a week. No big deal, I just by 7- 1 gallon jugs every other week or so (Nice,easy and cheap).
For water changes:
I'm lazy and don't like mixing 5 or 10 gallons of RO water in a bucket w/salt.....mixing....etc. Seeing how my tank is still on the smallish size. I go to ***** (don't flame me everyone) and pick up a 5 gallon jug of natural packaged seawater ($11.00). It's pure filtered seawater, so their is no mixing and I've had great results with it.
I usually change out 5 gallons of saltwater about every 2 weeks. Sometimes more often..... The most labor intesive part of the upkeep is the water changes and that only takes a couple of hours at most every two weeks or so.
The larger you go, the more time and money it will take to maintain. Cut your teeth on a smaller system so you get a feel for what is required.
 
maddog0118

maddog0118

Member
im in fort wayne indy....the tank is a 220 6ft glass and stand 899.....then i bought skimmer,30 long tank for underneath.....2 heaters,tank magnet cleaner,a 6ft reg fish lights with different bulbs...wet dry filter,colored backing for tank,220 gallons saltwater ,4 hours set up time,1 set filter pads,crushed coral for 2-3 inch bed...we got 75 percent live rock with 25 percent fake...net,some chemicals....im probably forgetting somethings aroud 3000-3200....
 
lesleybird

lesleybird

Active Member
Originally Posted by renogaw
sry, but if:
1) money is really an issue and
2) not wanting to do maintenance is really an issue
3) and using ro/di water is really an issue
then
Do the fish and corals a favor and don't get into the hobby. if you don't do things right, you're going to deplete natural resourses from the ocean and kill everything off.
if you DO decide to get a fish tank, get T5, metal halide, or even those new LED light systems. spend the extra couple hundred dollars and get better lights than pc's, you'll be better off in the long run.
I agree that if money and maintenance issues scare you then this may not be the hobby for you. There is not any significant difference in the maintenance time for a 46 gallon vs a 75 gallon, and the filters and skimmers are about the same size/price. It only takes me about 3 hours every two weeks to maintain my fish only live rock 190 gallon tank plus 10 minutes a day to feed them and rinse out the skimmer cup every other day. I have had a 45 gallon and a 90 gallon and a 190 gallon and the time difference to maintain all of them is not that much different to me. If you do fish only with live rock you need to spend about 2 hours every two to three weeks doing water changes for a small to medium size tank. A lot of fish stores sell ready mixed RODI saltwater for about a dollar a gallon, but you will have to hall about three 5 gallon buckets for a 75 gallon twenty percent water change. You need a Phyton thing to syphon the water out of the tank. And a magnate thing to clean the glass. If you want to do corals then you must spend a lot more money and time monitering the water for calcium and the like. Before you invest your money it would be wise to get a good book like a favorite on here "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Fenner.
If I had it to do over again I would have started with at least a 90 gallon . It sounds like your fish store is high. I would shop around for a better price on a fish tank locally, and buy all of your filters and skimmer and lights on line as they are a whole lot cheaper by far. My skimmer on line was half of the fish store price. If you only are doing fish you can get by with the plain old florescent fixtures, not T5's or anything unless you go into corals which really can break the bank. If you do corals be forewarned that a lot of fish eat corals. I remember when I spent $75 on a mushroom rock only to have my Majestic angelfish have them for lunch. One needs to be careful with anemonies because you need very high light and perfectly clean water or they will die and when they do they release toxins into your tank that can kill your fish. Never had one for that reason....plus they sting.
You will only kill your creatures if you don't read about how to do it first. Decide what you want to keep before you decide on the tank size. A 75 gallon for freshwater is a big tank, for saltwater it is small as most of the really cool fish take atleast a 125 gallon to 200 gallon tank as they get really big, not the little things that you see at the fish store that are mostly babies. Good luck, Lesley
 
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