new to salt water tanks HELP !!

agtaylor66

agtaylor66

New Member
Hello, i am very new to this , i havent even started with the water yet, any advice would be helpfull. I would love to have shrarks in my tank, but what else would or could be put in with them. and how do i make it salt water? dumb question i know but like i say i am so new to this but i want to make it work. I love the thought of a beautiful aquarium. Thank you all, happy fishing :)
 
scubadoo

scubadoo

Active Member
Sharks require large systems and experience...would suggest against starting the hobby with sharks, especailly if you have less than a 300 gallon system.
Do reasearch on the net...start here using the searh feature.
Never believe what the lfs (local fish store) tells you...verify what they say first before purchasing via your own research. Knowledge is power...and you can avoid throwing money away based on bad info you may be given.
 
hermitkrab

hermitkrab

Member
Ah just a side note sharks eat almost everything. Well depending on what type of shark. BUt most sharks like Doo said need at least 300 gallons but I would get 500 but sharks are not the place to start for ppl new to swf.
 
ricks280

ricks280

Member
herm, first we would like to know what size tank you are going to set up, as for the sharks :thinking: they need a very large aquarium even a 3000lts system would not be suitable they grow BBBBBBBBIGGGGGGGGGGG! and need tons of room to get about.
it would be like having an elephant in a 20 x 20 cage.

this is not to discourage you from this hobbie but try cutting your teeth on other types :happyfish at
this early stage. please keep us posted on your new adventure and wellcome to the party
:cheer:
(rick)
 
jayc

jayc

Active Member
First off hello
I'm also perty new to the hobby too. I would'nt recomment sharks to start off with. It can be quite expensive to provide and maintain for them. And like stated before they require a BIG aquarium. They are suggested for experts. I'm not trying to talk you out of the hobby at all. I'm just saying that I wouldnt recommend sharks to start off with. I would suggest a fowler (fishonlywithliverock) setup. These is what I started out with. And then after you learn more about SWF (saltwaterfish) you could then adventure into harder type fish (like sharks).
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
I agree with the tank sizes recommended above :yes: also note that many fish, such as large angels, should not be kept with certain types of sharks (especially things like cat sharks), IMO, as they do pose a risk of nipping at the eyes.
 
hermitkrab

hermitkrab

Member
Uh Rick I never said I want to start a shark tank. I'm happy with my 40g. I said IF I was to start a shark tank I would get no less than a 500 gallon tank or greater in a matter of fact.
 
agtaylor66

agtaylor66

New Member
Originally Posted by ricks280
herm, first we would like to know what size tank you are going to set up, as for the sharks :thinking: they need a very large aquarium even a 3000lts system would not be suitable they grow BBBBBBBBIGGGGGGGGGGG! and need tons of room to get about.
it would be like having an elephant in a 20 x 20 cage.

this is not to discourage you from this hobbie but try cutting your teeth on other types :happyfish at
this early stage. please keep us posted on your new adventure and wellcome to the party
:cheer:
(rick)
Thank you so much, i did do some research on sharks and all of you guys are right ! I think i will start with just fish and live rock as J.C suggested. My tank is only 55 gallons, and oh yea one more question, whta is the difference in a reef tank and other tanks taht has me stumpt.? Thank again for ALL your help, Alicia
 
agtaylor66

agtaylor66

New Member
Wow thanks again all, i did do research, sharks are beautiful but my tank is to small :-(
I am going to start with fish and live rock, whta do you guys sugest for the bottem, ive read many differnt thing, sand maybe? but not live sand? heck every web site says something different. hehehe thanks again, Alicia
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
The general recommendation is a dry sandbed of 2" then on top of that sand you can put a layer of live sand to seed the dry sand, then you will want LR, about 60-80lbs for a 55gallon, you can use baserock (dry dead rock) and then LR on top of that to seed the baserock.
 
ricks280

ricks280

Member
hi alicia, and thanks for your reply. regarding your question in the difference in reef tanks and others it refers to reef= corals, anemones, types of fish that wont feed on these calcium requirements, lights etc. another words its a little bit more challenging than if u kept fish and live rock only where light is not a must its only there for u to see the fish , with reef set ups is there as a food source (to put it simple) check out some of the reef set ups in this site under reef tanks and youll know what its all about, its a great source of info and everybody is more than willing to help
:happyfish (rick)
 
agtaylor66

agtaylor66

New Member
Originally Posted by HermitKrab
Uh Rick I never said I want to start a shark tank. I'm happy with my 40g. I said IF I was to start a shark tank I would get no less than a 500 gallon tank or greater in a matter of fact.

Hello quick question, do i HAVE to have a skimmer with a 4o gallon fish/live rock tank?
 
jayc

jayc

Active Member
Hi Alicia,

I dont think you do. Some people will tell you different but I didnt use one on my 29gal fowler and its been fine. It will help your aquarium out alot though.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
No, you don't NEED to have one but having run a 45g with and without one, it has made a HUGE difference, IMO to have one. You can keep up on water changes, etc...but the skimmer adds a certain extra something :yes:
 
airforceb2

airforceb2

Active Member
HAHA...that was funny!!
As for the sand question. If you put plan calcuim carbonate sand in your tank (aragonite...the white stuff) and add LR, you will seed the sand so everything will be living. I would get the smallest bag of LS just to speed up the process and hope that you get some worms/pods developing.
 
agtaylor66

agtaylor66

New Member
Hi to everyone and a specail thanks to those who replyed !! I have decided on a fish/live rock only tank. I have already put sand but not live sand. and have the water( 40 gallon tank ) and some decorations in it. Was that wise? the water has been sitting for about 3 days now waiting on the filter i orderd online to arrive, I got a pentair aquatics life gaurd bed filter. it says it does 40 to 100 gallon tanks, says it goes on side on tank and filters out the top. and a heater and a bubble wall. i thought id start with some cheaper fish first to test tank then move up to the clowns etc. and i i got protein skimmer and plan on getting live rock, after filter arrives. Does all this sound fine? and thanks again. You guys are GREAT!! alicia
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top