txcichlid
New Member
saltwater stupification
- Thread starter txcichlid
- Start date
criminal
Member
55G is fine to start with (thats what i have) and it is an expensive hobby a lot more so than FW (i have had many) but it is also very rewarding (i think everyone will agree). it involves time! it'll be (depending on your monetary issues to be able to buy all the equipment and get it all set up and running) at least 3 to 4 months and thats rushing things a lot (in my opinion)
turningtim
Active Member
I've had FW tanks for the better part of 20 years and honestly was getting bored. Someone offered me a SW tank and I took it (55). That was about 18 monthes ago and now I'll never go back! All of my FW stuff is gone and I'm completely addicted to SW (reef).
I will say that in the 20 years of FW I didn't spend as much as I have in the last 18 monthes. Its not inexpensive. To start from scratch I have heard estimates of $35 buck per gallon of water to get started. Now granted thats going all new. I've gotten lots of stuff used which helps out. If you have any DIY bone in your body thats also a great way to save.
Look around the classifieds or craigs list is also great.
Hth
Tim
Welcome to the boards!
I will say that in the 20 years of FW I didn't spend as much as I have in the last 18 monthes. Its not inexpensive. To start from scratch I have heard estimates of $35 buck per gallon of water to get started. Now granted thats going all new. I've gotten lots of stuff used which helps out. If you have any DIY bone in your body thats also a great way to save.
Look around the classifieds or craigs list is also great.
Hth
Tim
Welcome to the boards!
txcichlid
New Member
I could probably get some books and stuffers from the net on it huh? Yeah i am very DIY but my nickname is Bobus, so i tend to break, mame and kill, things
This is probably a horrible question, but do i have to just start w/ fresh water, and add some kinda like aquarium salt to it, or can i just run down to the beach scoop some up in a cooler and start from there.
mopar9012
Active Member
ive never heard of people getting their water from the ocean..but i could be wrong but you start with the tap water and add chlor out just like you would for a fresh water tank and just add salt( on a bag of salt it will tell you how much per gallon) it is definitly a lot more money than fresh water but i wouldnt say its radiculas for a fish only setup. if you plan on going for a reef tank its A LOT of money but just a fish only tank it isnt too bad.JMO and you would have to wait a while to add fish when i first started i added mine after about a month? most people say wait longer but i didnt know at the time, i still have the fish though so i guess it was okay.
P.S. get live sand for your tank, it will help out with your water levels, plus it looks better IMO
P.S. get live sand for your tank, it will help out with your water levels, plus it looks better IMO
1journeyman
Active Member
Originally Posted by mopar9012
ive never heard of people getting their water from the ocean..but i could be wrong but you start with the tap water and add chlor out just like you would for a fresh water tank and just add salt( on a bag of salt it will tell you how much per gallon)
No... don't use tap water. Heavy metals, phosphates, etc. in tap water are bad on a SW tank.
Get Fenner's "A Conscientious Marine Aquarist". The book describes the different type of saltwater tanks, lighting, filtration, etc.
After you read and have an idea about what type of tank you want it becomes much easier to estimate a cost.
It's a great hobby, but there is a learning curve a bit steeper than a typical freshwater tank.
ive never heard of people getting their water from the ocean..but i could be wrong but you start with the tap water and add chlor out just like you would for a fresh water tank and just add salt( on a bag of salt it will tell you how much per gallon)
No... don't use tap water. Heavy metals, phosphates, etc. in tap water are bad on a SW tank.
Get Fenner's "A Conscientious Marine Aquarist". The book describes the different type of saltwater tanks, lighting, filtration, etc.
After you read and have an idea about what type of tank you want it becomes much easier to estimate a cost.
It's a great hobby, but there is a learning curve a bit steeper than a typical freshwater tank.
kadella
Member
I think a 55 gal is perfect to start with - don't use beach water or sand as there may be contaminants in there that will affect your tank. Research is priceless!! :happyfish If I hadn't thoroughly read Fenner's book and researched this site and others before I even bought a tank, I would have made hundreds of useless costly mistakes! Also, I would highly recommend a quarantine tank/QT of 10 gallons or so, if you read some posts in the disease forum, you'll understand why.. The best place to shop of course, is online, the great auction site & others have great prices, use local stores for the big stuff. Ultimately, the more research you do, the more money you will save, in my observation- mistakes are the most costly, not the routine food/maintenance. The initial start-up can get expensive, don't skimp, especially on a protein-skimmer, they are key in saltwater setups. Hope you decide to give it a try, it is a very rewarding hobby!
mopar9012
Active Member
Originally Posted by 1journeyman
No... don't use tap water. Heavy metals, phosphates, etc. in tap water are bad on a SW tank.
Get Fenner's "A Conscientious Marine Aquarist". The book describes the different type of saltwater tanks, lighting, filtration, etc.
After you read and have an idea about what type of tank you want it becomes much easier to estimate a cost.
It's a great hobby, but there is a learning curve a bit steeper than a typical freshwater tank.
okay well with the tap water i could argue that it is so terrible that you cant keep fish at all, ive kept a tank for about 8 months now and 2 fish for about 6 or 7 months..the same fish but i would say that it isnt and can cause you problems, i may have been a little on the lucky side and not have had any problems using tap water. no diatoms till i got a new light a week ago but as result that i know tap water inst the best 2 days ago i bought a RO unit. i may have been lucky but im just stating my opinion.
No... don't use tap water. Heavy metals, phosphates, etc. in tap water are bad on a SW tank.
Get Fenner's "A Conscientious Marine Aquarist". The book describes the different type of saltwater tanks, lighting, filtration, etc.
After you read and have an idea about what type of tank you want it becomes much easier to estimate a cost.
It's a great hobby, but there is a learning curve a bit steeper than a typical freshwater tank.
okay well with the tap water i could argue that it is so terrible that you cant keep fish at all, ive kept a tank for about 8 months now and 2 fish for about 6 or 7 months..the same fish but i would say that it isnt and can cause you problems, i may have been a little on the lucky side and not have had any problems using tap water. no diatoms till i got a new light a week ago but as result that i know tap water inst the best 2 days ago i bought a RO unit. i may have been lucky but im just stating my opinion.
1journeyman
Active Member
Opinions welcome
Many problems with tap water appear after months or even years of use. Slowly adding contaminants or metals to the tank till finally they reach a toxic level.
Many problems with tap water appear after months or even years of use. Slowly adding contaminants or metals to the tank till finally they reach a toxic level.