new to salt water!!!!

8x8nhl

8x8nhl

Member
hey i am new to saltwater and i was wondring a couple of things
1how much would a 75 gallon tank all filled up weigh also what would a 100 weigh
2 what are the best hardiest fish to start off with
3 does any one have a diffrent kind of aquascaping aquarium like instead of the normal rock wall do you have a cave tank?
4 how uch would a total setup cost for a 100 gallon or a 75 gallon not including stand
5what is all the equipment i need what are the best brands i am htinking about doing a reef aquarium
sorry about the typos please post!!!!!!!!!
show pics of ur awesoe tanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
***)
 
fedukeford

fedukeford

Active Member
Originally Posted by 8x8nhl
hey i am new to saltwater and i was wondring a couple of things
1how much would a 75 gallon tank all filled up weigh also what would a 100 weigh
2 what are the best hardiest fish to start off with
3 does any one have a diffrent kind of aquascaping aquarium like instead of the normal rock wall do you have a cave tank?
4 how uch would a total setup cost for a 100 gallon or a 75 gallon not including stand
5what is all the equipment i need what are the best brands i am htinking about doing a reef aquarium
sorry about the typos please post!!!!!!!!!
show pics of ur awesoe tanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
***)
1. a 75 gallon tank with JUST WATER- 600 lbs, 100 gallon just water- 800 lbs(water weighs about a lbs a gallon)
2. id say the best hardy fish to start out with are clowns
3.mines a little diff. i have 2 small caves on each end
4. id say a TOTAL set up (live rock, filters,heaters skimmer ect.) would be around $700
heres some pics of my 55 (125 gallon ALMOST set up!!!)


 
dragracer

dragracer

Member
um, the last post said water is about a lbs a gallon, I think thats a typo cause his math is right but its about 8lbs. Not trying to be a jerk..............just in case they were gonna do the math themselves.
 
fedukeford

fedukeford

Active Member
o ya sry i meant 8 lbs a gallon, id say i have about .... $900 in live rock (its $9 a lb here!! crazy), my stuff sucks (it came as a packege im upgrading the filter soon) i have a emperor 440, a couple powerheads, heater, 260 watts PC lighting (oddesay)
 
granny

granny

Member
Yeah,
My local fish store is the same $9 a lb, but they have sales occasionally. The difference is that is is already cleaned and you can add it right to your tank.
When you buy rock on internet you have to clean it which involves a multitude of water changes and scrubbing.
You can cycle with live rock-no fish for a while-I did a tank that way once and it went well, but you have to change the water pretty often-like every 3 days as stuff dies off or you get pea soup! The salt is kinda costly, plus work so thats why they charge so much for cleaned live rock inthe LFS.
I have a 75 and have about $2,000 in it without livestock? lights, sand, filters, heaters, powerheads, pumps, sumps, skimmer and lots of rock plus dont forget all the test kids you will need!
 
talath

talath

Member
Saltwater at 1.024 SG weighs a little over 8.5 pounds per gallon. But, keep in mind that your rock and substrate weighs 2.4 to 2.8 times as much as water. So a 75 G tank with 20% rock and substrate will weigh 840 lbs plus tank weight. A 100G tank with 20% rock and substrate will weigh 1120 lbs plus tank weight.
 
oxbeard

oxbeard

Member
I feel real lucky now with my LFS. LR is $7/lb and only $5/lb if you buy 10lb or more. And it is cured and ready to go. So far too they have been telling me pretty much the same things I've been reading on here too.
I'm just getting started too. Set up a 100 g tall with approx 110lb LR, 100lb LS and have about $1600 so far. And of course, no live stock yet.
 
granny

granny

Member
Sounds great! Wish I had the room for a larger tank-but then more money, right?
You are lucky to have alive rock source for $5 a lb. That is CHEAP.
It kills me to spend $100 on one piece of rock!
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
No one mentioned lights yet? Those and a good protein skimmer are two pretty big investments that need to be figured into any tank plans.
8x8nhl, the best thing you can invest in right now is a good book. "A Conscientious Marine Aquarist" is the one I would recommend. It explains tank types, substrates, filtration methods, etc.
You need to decide what TYPE of tank you want before you can start estimating prices. After that, Google is your best friend. You can find all of the supplies you need on this site and others at far better prices than a store will give you. A few hours of browsing and you can have all of your purchases lined up. That is the best way to figure cost.
 
granny

granny

Member
Hey, Journeyman,
I mentioned lights (oh so briefly) in my list of costly stuff to start up!
Really good advice though-read and research and make plans BEFORE mistakes are made. Usually the saltwater experts in the LFS are helpful-unless folks just dont trust them for $$ reasons. Mine is a large reef store with tons of healthy stock and they are always willing to help out.
 
8x8nhl

8x8nhl

Member
i back again attack of the smilies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :
:jumping: :cheer: :hilarious
:thinking:
:scared:
 
dexter

dexter

Member
100 gallon tank closed loop
stand, canopy
440 vho lighting w/ ballasts
sump w/ pumps and plumbing
250 gallon rated skimmer
80 lbs LS
120 lbs LR
water, salt and misc supplies
Total approaching $3200.00 not including livestock :scared:
Livestock approaching $600-800... and counting!

dxtr
 
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