New to marine aquariums

[kinuckles]

I have been trying to do as much research as I can and get everything I need before hand. I am gettin a 90 gallon glass tank because that is the biggest I can fit in my livingroom. I have always had freshwater and am looking to start a marine one. Have always Been scared to try it.
My main question is if anyone has tried and had success with this or thinks it can work out. My absolute two favorite fishes are a snowflake eel and a harlequin tusk. I know hat the recommended size for risk on live aquaria says but want to know with frequent water changes and and too notch equipment could I have a harlequin tusk and a snowflake eel together and in a 90 gallon? If so would I have room for anything else or would that be it. I would be done with just the two. My other faves include flame angel, green bird wrasse and a blue tang are my top picks.

 

[geridoc]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kinuckles http:///t/397860/new-to-marine-aquariums#post_3548056
I have been trying to do as much research as I can and get everything I need before hand. I am gettin a 90 gallon glass tank because that is the biggest I can fit in my livingroom. I have always had freshwater and am looking to start a marine one. Have always Been scared to try it.
My main question is if anyone has tried and had success with this or thinks it can work out. My absolute two favorite fishes are a snowflake eel and a harlequin tusk. I know hat the recommended size for risk on live aquaria says but want to know with frequent water changes and and too notch equipment could I have a harlequin tusk and a snowflake eel together and in a 90 gallon? If so would I have room for anything else or would that be it. I would be done with just the two. My other faves include flame angel, green bird wrasse and a blue tang are my top picks.
Welcome to the site, and to the hobby. You are doing the right thing by researching first and asking questions - it is far less stressful to make your mistakes (and you will make them) in the virtual world instead of in a real tank. The rule of thumb is to ignore the size of a fish when you buy it: instead, focus on its adult size, because that is the size you will have to deal with in your system. There is no problem with the snowflake eel, just be sure it has a place to hide and burrow. The harlequin may be another story. I would recommend a 125 gallon system as the minimum for that species. These fish are constant swimmers and grazers, and need lots of space to be happy. If crowded, even if water parameters are pristine, they can become aggressive as they defend a limited territory. You are right on the edge, size-wise, and your success would probably depend on the particular specimen you get as to whether it would be annoyed or satisfied in a 90 gallon system. Once your tank matures a flame angel would be a very attractive addition, and would fit. The tang, like the tuskfish, would be marginal in a 90 gallon system, and I would worry about aggression, although I am sure there are folks on this board who have had this combination and been fine with it. I had a harlequin in a 110 for 3 years, and it was simply peaceful and gorgeous, but I did not have a tang in that tank at the same time. The fish you describe (except for the flame angel) all get rather large. You might consider something a bit smaller to fill out your stock list. Smaller fish will give you more activity in the tank. Keep the eel well fed and don't go for too small and it will be fine.

Most of all, keep asking questions. There is an amazing depth of knowledge on this forum, and you will get great answers to your questions.

 

[flower]

Hi,

Hello! Welcome to the site. GeriDoc already answered your questions....

I have a 90g tank as well... LOL...because it's the largest I can manage in my small house.

I spent many, many years doing freshwater tanks (30+ years), and was also afraid to try saltwater. I didn't go to saltwater tanks until my late 30s, and now I kick myself for being such a coward.

Oddly, I find saltwater to be much easier then freshwater tanks. The cleaners actually do their job,

Gone forever is the back breaking chore of removing all the fish to buckets, to scrub and vacuum everything in the tank. All I have to do now for up keep, is remove some old saltwater, and replace the same amount of new mixed saltwater (called a water change). Then each night before bed I add some fresh RO (reverse osmosis) water to maintain the water level. Salt does not evaporate, but the water does, so to keep the SG (saltiness level) the same, I just have to keep the water level at the same place at the water line each day.

There is much more to it of coarse, but the hard back breaking work is gone. Deciding on which fish to get, doing water tests to see if you need to dose anything like alkalinity, those are easy to learn and easy to keep up on. So the best advice I can think of to give.... water quality is important. So start out with RO/DI water, it's best to have your own unit, or at least go to Walmart (or any large grocery store) and get RO water at the fill up station. Walmart sells RO for 37 cents a gallon.

Don't cycle with a live fish, each critter you add dictates what else can be added later...so use a chunk of raw shrimp, ... or ghost feed ... or use pure ammonia to kick start the cycle. I wish I had this site back when I first started out... so you are already leaps and bounds ahead of the game. The internet has made things so much easier.

 

[kinuckles]

Thanks for the reply guys. I live in a double wide home and am worried about the weight but I will reinforce the floor I guess and try for 125 or would a 90 long work?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kinuckles http:///t/397860/new-to-marine-aquariums#post_3548065
Thanks for the reply guys. I live in a double wide home and am worried about the weight but I will reinforce the floor I guess and try for 125 or would a 90 long work?

Hi,

Not only do you need to reinforce the floor, but all mobile homes have pressboard flooring. I lived in one for 15 years, and the floor, once it gets wet will soak up the water like a sponge and become super weak. You need to replace the flooring in the area all around where the tank will sit, and use cinder blocks under where the tank will sit. A saltwater tank, even a small one, is much heavier then a freshwater one. You might have to rethink getting a large tank at all.

When it comes to saltwater, the larger the better, but the larger the tank, the more expensive. A 90g is considered a medium sized tank when it comes to saltwater, but you can't keep huge fish in it, and tangs like to have 6 foot of swim room. You can build your rock in the center of the tank like an island, so the fish can swim all the way around, giving them the illusion of more swim room.

 

[kinuckles]

Thank you for the info. The flooring we have currently is casa classic laminate flooring with isowaxx with additional moisture barrier. I would have someone come out professionally and reinforce floor. I am in no rush to get the tank and want everything thought out. Can't move anytime soon. I can fit a 125 gallon on main wall in living room. Up to 6 ft long. Might get a custom 90 built that is that length (not sure if it can be done). Might put tile or something under where any water could spill and cover with an outdoor rug. (Not sure yet)
If all gets approved and is ok to go and I can get a 125 could I have a snowflake or zebra eel, harlequin tusk, blue tang and Picasso trigger?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kinuckles http:///t/397860/new-to-marine-aquariums#post_3548099
Thank you for the info. The flooring we have currently is casa classic laminate flooring with isowaxx with additional moisture barrier. I would have someone come out professionally and reinforce floor. I am in no rush to get the tank and want everything thought out. Can't move anytime soon. I can fit a 125 gallon on main wall in living room. Up to 6 ft long. Might get a custom 90 built that is that length (not sure if it can be done). Might put tile or something under where any water could spill and cover with an outdoor rug. (Not sure yet)
If all gets approved and is ok to go and I can get a 125 could I have a snowflake or zebra eel, harlequin tusk, blue tang and Picasso trigger?

Hi,

You don't understand what I am saying about the flooring. The laminate is placed over pressboard...all mobile homes have pressboard sub flooring. Any moister, any at all, and the flooring soaks it up like a sponge, you need to replace that subfloor with a better floor, and then replace your laminate over it. I had a steal beam running through the center of my home and it wasn't enough for a fish tank, the house needs to be jacked up and cinder blocks built all up under where the tank will sit, making it a solid strong support.

I'm not a builder, I just know that mobile homes are built different then regular homes. I lived in one for 15 years, it was a beautiful home, it had a master bath and 3 bedrooms... still the sub floor was just not what it should have been. I spent $10,000 to redo my floors...after the water damaged it. I didn't know about the pressboard until then, and THEN I was told that all mobile homes are built that way. So I'm trying to give you a heads up. Maybe they make them better now a days...but check it out to make sure. I'm talking about the sub floor, not the decorative laminate top flooring.

 

[kinuckles]

Ah I see what you mean. I'll look into it. So did your aquarium have a leak or how did it do all that damage to your floor?

 

[geridoc]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kinuckles http:///t/397860/new-to-marine-aquariums#post_3548103
Ah I see what you mean. I'll look into it. So did your aquarium have a leak or how did it do all that damage to your floor?
I have never had a leak, and also have never had a 100% dry floor. Water has a way of getting to places you don't want water to get to.

 

[silverado61]

Mobile homes are made to be just that, mobile, so they build them so that they can flex during the move. Which also means they are not built solid. There's a steel frame underneath but it's thin metal Z beams to add to the flex-ability of the home. After they deliver new mobile homes, they normally have a crew come in and fix the cracks in the seams of the walls. There are no I beams or doubled up 2x12's under the house. I've seen them built. And no offense but I've seen them burn down to the frame. I don't think I would trust a 75g on the floor of a mobile home.

But that's just my 2 cents.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kinuckles http:///t/397860/new-to-marine-aquariums#post_3548103
Ah I see what you mean. I'll look into it. So did your aquarium have a leak or how did it do all that damage to your floor?

The fish tank didn't leak...the hot water heater tank did. It didn't matter that it was just the area around the heater, it ruined all the floors. Even what didn't get replaced right then because the floor was still good and strong, and I didn't think it got wet...grew weak a year later...and then that area had to be replaced. The insurance paid for the first repair, but not the ones years later.

When I resold the home to move into a real house...the floors were bouncy and weak on the other side of the home. The new owners told me they would rebuild that section of flooring, and I knocked of $1000.00 from my asking price. It was a beautiful home, but once the floor got wet, it was a never ending nightmare. The fellow decided to replace all the floors before he even moved in, and then put the carpet, that was brand new, back down.

Water hits the floor from water changes, filters go bad, and my Coralife skimmer loved to dump water on the floor.... water is water, and if you have fish tanks, it's way of life. So it doesn't have to be a fish tank leak...lots of other things make water puddles.

I think it's the best idea if you want to keep a fish tank, or live happily in a mobile home... fix the floors to be able to handle the wet... because water just has a way of showing up from one cause or another.