Hi every new to this hobby

[jerseysea1]

Hello Everyone
Iam new to this whole salt water fish tank/aquarium world. I had fish when i was younger and always loved them but hated when they died. I always said when I get older I wanted a really nice fish tank with alot of colorful fish. THats why I wanna go with Salt walter because these are the nicer of the fish. A buddy of mine recently got a fresh water tank and a bunch of different fish which made me decide to finally get a salt water fish tank I know its alot more work then a fresh water tank but im up to the Challenge. Iam looking to get a 55-75 Gallon tank since I dont have much room right now. I dont really have a clue how to maintain or what to do. Do you guys know any websites or anywhere where I can get some information to get started and get some knownledge about this amazing hobby. I am thinking about picking up the Salt water aquarium for dummies and a DVD that gives me information. I know its sad but everyone has to start someonewhere.

Any help would be much appreciated thanks again for reading my post.

 

[brotox]

First of all welcome. You need to decide which type of aquarium you would like to keep. Fish only(FO), (FOWLR) fish only with live rock, or reef. FO would have sand, fake deco and fish. FOWLR has live rock, very good at naturally filtering, and some inverts(crabs, snails. etc.). Reefs have corals, anemonies, as well as the others. You could also go with aggresive fish.
A lot of research is needed, fish tanks of all kinds are very scientific as wells as art an form. This a very expensive hobby, but can be kept minimal by researching well. Keep a good schedule for water changes and feeding.
You will need good test kits, Salifert is one of the best. Hydrometer for measuring salinity/specific gravity, or a refractometer which works far superior. Lighting, if you intend to have live rock or corals. Metal halide lights are required for many corals, especially anemonies and clams. They are also quite expensive, but if you plan on having a reef, its best to start with them so you you don't have to upgrade and waste money. Powers heads are needed for water flow. A protein skimmeris highly reccomened for filtration.
Different fish and corals require different lighting, water flow and higher qualities of water. Reverse Osmosis (RO) water is a must for reefs. Know the requirement s of a fish, invert or coral before you buy it.
Cycling the tank is the first step. It takes 4-6 weeks, initially, to build up the denitrifying bacteria to handle the waste load of any creature. Once the cycle is completed, you're safe to and them slowly, w/o much effect on the tank.
Hope thats enough to start your research, sorry about rambling a bit. Just remember to go slow and enjoy it, or it will become more of hassle.
Bro

 

[1journeyman]

Welcome!
Try Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist". Great book to start with.

 

[jerseysea1]

Hey
Thanks for the tips man this alot of information for me to take in right now. I gotta check out some of those books and that dvd that is out there. Once I get some more knownledge of how to get started I will come back with any questions I may have. For now thanks for the great advice.

 

[leftyblite]

Welcome to the boards. Sounds like you are off to a good start with the research and asking questions. Just remember there are no dumb questions when you need help. This can be an expensive hobby but the rewards when you have a beautiful tank are worth the effort. You may also want to find a good fish store in your area. But beware some stores will tell you anything just to make a sale. One final note is a key word I was taught early on in this hobby when setting up a tank..... Patience. Good luck!!!

 

[fishmamma]

I found the library to be really helpful when starting this hobby. I was able to get numerous books on the marine aquarium hobby form a local library network. This saved me some money (I did buy Fenner's Cons. Marine Aquarist) and I had a ton of material to go through and take notes on various fish and inverts that I was interested in for future use. An important thing to focus on is compatability. Not all fish and inverts will live happily ever after and having some knowledge of this will save heartache on any impulse purchases that may occur.

 

[danedodger]

Welcome to the boards and the A D D I C T I O N

Just keep in mind that what works for your friend's freshwater tank will not always work in your saltwater tank! A lot of newcomers to the hobby try to do some of the same things, overstocking is a huge one, and it ends up in disaster! Read all you can and try your best to find out everything you can about anything you want to add to the tank, fish, machines, additives, etc. before you put so much as a penny down!
And remember that there's loads of very experienced, knowledgable people right here always ready to answer questions!! I gotta agree, there are NO dumb questions so ask away when you're ready!

 

[yimmy]

I'm new to the hobby too. It's expensive but better to spend the money upfront then later. The book I read which helped me was "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael Paletta, it's still useful if your going with a reef and it explains all the functions of the tank)filtratioin, heating and lighting) and also about water paremeters. It has all the info you need to prepare you and get your background information on the hobby.
Good Luck
Jimmy

 

[mermaiden7]

The one i started with was marine fish by jeffrey kurtz. It covers a little bit of everything. from setting up the tank thru the cycling and all the way to MH so i love it