Hey ya'll. lots of questions ans b yes some may be stupid.

[new to saltwater]

We have recently started our new hobby. We also have regular tank and outside fish pond. This saltwater stuff is time consuming and is also not cheap. Besides all that I love it. So far we buying cheap fishcuz we are new at this and don't want 100 dollar floater. We have live rock, 2 green ( forgot name ), 7 hermit crabs, 1 fiddler shrimp and 2 ( Nemo ) clownfish. Right now tank is ROCK AND FISH....... no color just rock.i hope once we go bigger ( 25 gallon now ). It will get better as we gain knowlelge. Found some really nice salt water fish shops here in El Paso, TX. Last question I have is..... is it safe to buy fish online ? Fishtail is 25 gallons for now.

 

[pegasus]

Welcome to the hobby, and welcome to the forum! There are no stupid questions... only stupid answers. LOL!

Good thinking on the cheap fish, because losing fish is part of the learning curve. Saltwater is similar to freshwater in that both have water. That's where the similarities stop. Saltwater is more demanding, and requires lots more knowledge than freshwater. There is more to keep track of, and more things that can go wrong. It takes a lot of time and effort to do this right, but if you work at it, it is soooooo worth it! There is no other hobby like saltwater, and if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Those that are successful are rewarded with many years of enjoyment.

I prefer to buy fish from local stores because I like to observe the fish to see if they are healthy. It's always a little scary buying online because you never know what kind of condition the fish will be in once they arrive. That said, I've bought many, many fish online, and only had problems with a tiny few. Online stores usually offer store credits if the fish arrives dead or dies within a week or two, and it varies from store to store. Most vendors offer a two week guarantee.

 

[Teresa Quick]

Hi and welcome - ive bought fish, inverts and corals from this swf.com and always had good results

mu suggestion is read read read - there are some really good archived articles on this forum https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/index.php?forums/archives-faq/

 

[new to saltwater]

Thanks a bunch for your advise. Keep. Em coming since I'm still learning. One thing I've learned already as that shrimp shed like snakes. Woke up this morning and to my horror I saw the hermit crabs were eating what I thought was my shrimp and as I'm all sad I saw the shrimp all happy out of the corner of my eye colorful as can be. Learned something new today. Sadness went away real fast.i was told I could only get. 1 shrimp for a 25 gallon tank. Oh and also have 1 emerald crab, 2 clown fish, 2 green. ( forgot name ) 7 hermit crabs and not sure how many fish I can have for 25 gallon tank keep getting different answers. Any answer is helpful. Wanna get bigger tank in the near future.

 

[lmforbis]

You are probably at capacity for fish.

 

[flower]

Hi,

If you want color and don't want to dip into keeping corals...Macroalgae is the answer, and it also feeds on the nasty stuff in the water, keeping it pristine. Check out "GOLF COAST ECOSYSTEMS" the bright reds grow slowest, you have to prune back macroalgae (just pull the extra growth out by the handful...called harvesting), but as you remove that extra growth, you are removing phosphates and nitrates from the system.

I disagree with Pegasus, I think saltwater is hands down easier then keeping freshwater tanks. The cleaning crew of snails and such actually do their work, and I have never had to completely break down my SW tank to scrub the rocks and substrate. Removing 1/3 of the water and replacing it (water change) is a joyful breeze in comparison.

 

[pegasus]

I disagree with Pegasus, I think saltwater is hands down easier then keeping freshwater tanks. The cleaning crew of snails and such actually do their work, and I have never had to completely break down my SW tank to scrub the rocks and substrate. Removing 1/3 of the water and replacing it (water change) is a joyful breeze in comparison.

I respect your opinion, flower. However, I grew up with tropical fish tanks all around me (grandparents owned a tropical fish store), and we had several tanks of all sizes, and other than dropping chlorine neutralizer in tap water and doing water changes, there wasn't much to it. Sure, there was algae to clean off the glass, changing filter media, and gravel to siphon... but there are also plenty of freshwater plants that help with nasties. Saltwater is very different. When I started into the hobby, I thought my experience in freshwater would make it a breeze. Au contraire...the learning curve is steeper, and there is far more to keep up with. What kind of lighting do I need for different corals? How long do I leave the lights on? What do I need my salinity to be? How do I cure live rock? How do I cycle my tank? How much flow do I need? What do I do when my parameters get out of whack? These are just a few examples of things that were never a concern with freshwater. Just my opinion...

 

[flower]

I respect your opinion, flower. However, I grew up with tropical fish tanks all around me (grandparents owned a tropical fish store), and we had several tanks of all sizes, and other than dropping chlorine neutralizer in tap water and doing water changes, there wasn't much to it. Sure, there was algae to clean off the glass, changing filter media, and gravel to siphon... but there are also plenty of freshwater plants that help with nasties. Saltwater is very different. When I started into the hobby, I thought my experience in freshwater would make it a breeze. Au contraire...the learning curve is steeper, and there is far more to keep up with. What kind of lighting do I need for different corals? How long do I leave the lights on? What do I need my salinity to be? How do I cure live rock? How do I cycle my tank? How much flow do I need? What do I do when my parameters get out of whack? These are just a few examples of things that were never a concern with freshwater. Just my opinion...

Sounds like you were more successful then I was on keeping FW tanks. I couldn't keep a planted tank to save my life, the fish uprooted or ate the plants. I spent a small fortune on plants, and decided on the little plugs to let them grow (cheaper) but tender plants were a favorite snack. Once a year I put my fish in buckets, removed all the water (stirring the gravel to remove as much yuck from the very bottom as possible, and at the very end, cleaned the gravel with a vacuum gizmo, I did just drop in chlorine remover for the water replacement, and then it was time to scrub the rocks and décor of algae... it was an all day, way into the evening job. My back would be screaming by the time I got it finished.

SW tanks I never had to do that, I have never had to remove all my fish (chasing them around half a day to catch them) and put them into buckets. I have never, not once in over 15 years had to vacuum the substrate, the CUC takes care of that. The only time I ever scrubbed a rock was once when I had hair algae. I never heard of a water change until I started keeping a SW tank, so a water change for FW...never did that.

I agree, the only things SW and FW tanks have in common, are the fact they both are tanks with water in them. I never cured live rock, not once...I have always purchased cured rock that I hand picked at the LFS. I had replaced 3 sets of lights (a sad expensive lesson) before I got the right lighting for keeping corals. The test kits and such was something to learn, but I never considered it difficult to do. I worked much harder and suffered more grief keeping my FW tanks, then I ever did on the SW ones... LOL...But then again, my most expensive FW fish was $25.00.

 

[pegasus]

Sounds like you were more successful then I was on keeping FW tanks. I couldn't keep a planted tank to save my life, the fish uprooted or ate the plants. I spent a small fortune on plants, and decided on the little plugs to let them grow (cheaper) but tender plants were a favorite snack. Once a year I put my fish in buckets, removed all the water (stirring the gravel to remove as much yuck from the very bottom as possible, and at the very end, cleaned the gravel with a vacuum gizmo, I did just drop in chlorine remover for the water replacement, and then it was time to scrub the rocks and décor of algae... it was an all day, way into the evening job. My back would be screaming by the time I got it finished.

SW tanks I never had to do that, I have never had to remove all my fish (chasing them around half a day to catch them) and put them into buckets. I have never, not once in over 15 years had to vacuum the substrate, the CUC takes care of that. The only time I ever scrubbed a rock was once when I had hair algae. I never heard of a water change until I started keeping a SW tank, so a water change for FW...never did that.

I agree, the only things SW and FW tanks have in common, are the fact they both are tanks with water in them. I never cured live rock, not once...I have always purchased cured rock that I hand picked at the LFS. I had replaced 3 sets of lights (a sad expensive lesson) before I got the right lighting for keeping corals. The test kits and such was something to learn, but I never considered it difficult to do. I worked much harder and suffered more grief keeping my FW tanks, then I ever did on the SW ones... LOL...But then again, my most expensive FW fish was $25.00.

Yeah, I guess growing up around it made it seem "easy"... lol! Like you mentioned about the fish, one could stock a 50 gallon tank full of fish for less than $100. I've paid more than that for two... and passed up many opportunities to spend way more than that for one fish!

I'll agree with one thing... 100%... saltwater is far more rewarding. IMO, freshwater has nothing on saltwater! It's kind of like comparing daylight to dark. I can't recall a single time when I looked in one of my freshwater tanks and asked, "What is that? Where did it come from?" There have been countless times I've looked in my saltwater tank and asked those questions. Freshwater pretty much looks the same day to day, week to week, year to year. Saltwater is constantly changing, evolving, and never dull. At least that's been my experience...

 

[flower]

Yeah, I guess growing up around it made it seem "easy"... lol! Like you mentioned about the fish, one could stock a 50 gallon tank full of fish for less than $100. I've paid more than that for two... and passed up many opportunities to spend way more than that for one fish!

I'll agree with one thing... 100%... saltwater is far more rewarding. IMO, freshwater has nothing on saltwater! It's kind of like comparing daylight to dark. I can't recall a single time when I looked in one of my freshwater tanks and asked, "What is that? Where did it come from?" There have been countless times I've looked in my saltwater tank and asked those questions. Freshwater pretty much looks the same day to day, week to week, year to year. Saltwater is constantly changing, evolving, and never dull. At least that's been my experience...

LOL... I love SW for the same reason, not to mention a fish that isn't silver with some almost hint of orange or blue tint, the colors on SW fish really pop. SW tanks made me feel young again, there was, and still is, always something to be in awe of and discover.