should I start this hobby?

starship

New Member
I've been reading many of the posts and this hobby looks like a very difficult one that involves alot of time and money. I now have a fresh water tank that is very boring (but very easy to care for) and was interest in changing it to a salt water tank. The salt water fish and corals are so pretty to look at. Is it possible to do this without investing alot of time every week?
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by starship
I've been reading many of the posts and this hobby looks like a very difficult one that involves alot of time and money. I now have a fresh water tank that is very boring (but very easy to care for) and was interest in changing it to a salt water tank. The salt water fish and corals are so pretty to look at. Is it possible to do this without investing alot of time every week?
Welcome to the boards!!! :cheer: and the hobby.. aka addicition
well this hobby does require money and once you get it set and cycled it is a pice of cake. all you need to do ONCE a week is do this
a water change (this is when you take old tank water out nd put in new water tht is premixed and measured for salt)
it is simple i siphon it out into a bucket then pour in the new stuff tht is just about the same salt, and temp
its easy make it your new years resolution
i thought the same thing i didnt think i could do it
do your self a favor and do some research or cgeck out the books on this site they are cheaper here then ne where els
as for me i stated with a 12 gallon went to 29 gallon and now have a 90 gallon
as far as corals if you arent interested in spending time on your reef then i would say stay away form corals unles you know you are going to have time, do a FOWLR fish only with live rock . it is simple to keep
the only thing tht requires time during the week besides the Watwr changes is looking/wathing your tank.. this is so relaxing so you will make room for this lol

im only 16 and have a 90 gallon and pay for it myself i would say you too should atleat attempt it and dont trust the lfs
 

cwgibson

Member
buy this book "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" available on this site for 23.99. it will help you A LOT,and is a small investment.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by starship
I've been reading many of the posts and this hobby looks like a very difficult one that involves alot of time and money. I now have a fresh water tank that is very boring (but very easy to care for) and was interest in changing it to a salt water tank. The salt water fish and corals are so pretty to look at. Is it possible to do this without investing alot of time every week?
Welcome to the boards!!! This hobby takes more time than money. The initial setup can be quite expensive depending on what you want to do. The most important rule in saltwater is to be very patient and take your time. Don't jump into it. Do some research, read lots of posts on here and ask any and all questions that you may have. We have members on hear that read and enjoyed this site for over a year before deciding what they wanted and actually getting it. We are here to help all aquarists and look forward to answering your questions. Swim around this site and enjoy! Again, any and all questions you may have, please don't hesitate to ask!!
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by cwgibson
i have 3 tanks. 75,150,210
thank you for proving my point!!

i assume SW? got any pics for encouragment/motivation?
 

cwgibson

Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
Welcome to the boards!!! This hobby takes more time than money. The initial setup can be quite expensive depending on what you want to do. The most important rule in saltwater is to be very patient and take your time. Don't jump into it. Do some research, read lots of posts on here and ask any and all questions that you may have. We have members on hear that read and enjoyed this site for over a year before deciding what they wanted and actually getting it. We are here to help all aquarists and look forward to answering your questions. Swim around this site and enjoy! Again, any and all questions you may have, please don't hesitate to ask!!
exactly,as my dad always said the only stupid questions are the ones that dont get asked. always ask when you dont know,you could save a life. :happyfish
 

demartini

Active Member
do it!! you will have a blast.......I promise! start with a nano. I have a 14 gallon and all I really need to do is a 10% water change and clean the sponge once a week.
 

azfishgal

Active Member
WELCOME! :cheer:
The book Conscientious Marine Aquarist is a must! I myself have been doing freshwater for some time and the other day I bought my first 125 gallon reef ready tank! I'm taking it slow and asking lots and lots of questions. You can make it as elaborate or as simple as you want. But something you will hear and since you have already done freshwater, you know bigger is better. Have fun swimming around this forum and keep us posted on what you do. We all learn from each other, so talk with you later.
 

michaeltx

Moderator
To me its well worth the time and effort to put together and maintain a tank. and its very relaxing.. It can be as costly or inexpensive as you make it. reading, research, and asking questions will save you a ton of money!!!! and time.
Mike
 

garnet13aj

Active Member
If you buy the right equipment in the beginning and get the appropriate fish/inverts for your size/type of tank the maintenence is not as bad as it may sound. The negative posts always stick out more than the positive ones unfortunately.
If you are interested (which it sounds like you are) I would do more research and decide if it's worth your money and time. I just started mine and I love it. When I need a break from studying or need to destress I just sit in front of my tank and watch. It's pretty awesome and the fish are way more intersting than fresh water in my opinion.
I would say go as big as you can afford for your first tank. The large the tank is the more fish you can fit and the more variety you can have. More importantly, they are more stable.
 

joncat24

Active Member
buy the biggest tank you can afford...time and space wise cause you will want a bigger one the day you get one if you go small
research threads on here , as far as cycling and equipment
most equipment can be found cheaper online, but my lfs will match prices, if you find a local store you like and go there often they may do that also.
always think before you act....impulse buys are usally more trouble than they are worth.
Go slow---it is easier on the headaches and the wallet.
And ask away--there are some really good people on here. Get several suggestions and then make you decision.
 

puffer32

Active Member
To many it is worth the time and money, for others no, if you really don't get the "bug" then no, you can throw alot of time and money away on a passing passion. IMO no one should just jump into it because you liked the tank in a lfs once. If you don't have alot of spare time, but love the hobby, you will some how find the time, and money, and enjoy even the maintaince side of it.
 
Y

yote

Guest
I started with a 55 gal freshwater. Then a friend from scouts give my son a 30gal that we set up a fish only,then it made its way FOWLR,and now its starting to look more like a reef.
Broke the 55 gal fresh down yesterday and plan having sand and base rock in it by the en of the week.
If you want to find something kids really love,,,,jump in,set it up, and if the kids are small,,,,get ready to wipe the little nose prints off the tank.
 

natclanwy

Active Member
The key to keeping this hobby from being to hard on your wallet is to be patient, I started out with a 45g tank my brother gave to me 2 years ago and I just added my first coral about 6 months ago. It took a long time for me to find the equipment I wanted for the right price, I have bought most of it used from people on this forum or from another forum. I now have 55g (free) with 35-45lbs of live rock $200, Hamilton retrofit kit w/ 2-250w MH & 4-55w PC's $300, CPR S4 skimmer $25, quiet one 3000 return pump 25$, 30g sump free, Magnum hob canister filter free, 2 overflow boxes $45 and a few misc. powerheads $50 Ebo Jager heater $20 so about $650 in equipment that if you bought new would probably run $1500 or more I know the light runs about $800 by itself.
I set up a plan for what I wanted in my tank and have worked to achieve that goal by not wasting money on equipment I didn't need, or buying something that I will just have to replace because it doesn't have enough capacity for my tank or leave me enough room to grow. This method has been a slow process but is now starting to pay off.
 

natclanwy

Active Member
I forgot where I was going with that last post

any way if you take the time to set your tank up right the first time it will not be nearly as much work as if you just jump in and throw it together which allows you more time to just relax and enjoy your tank.
 

rackyrane

Member
I am just starting out also. My husband has had saltwater tanks for years and I wanted different things than he did, so now I have my own tank. I love it. As everyone says, read, read, read. I am still reading everyday, especially on this board. It is worth the initial trouble because the little ocean you create is just fascinating.
 
J

jrthomas40

Guest
it is expensive and frustrating at times....but i garuntee it is worth EVERY penny when you see it start coming together quite nicely....

i started my first tank in september of 06 and it was a 45g...and in december of 06 i traded up to the 90g you see ^^^
 

maeistero

Active Member
:thinking: in retrospect, what i would've done is buy hard equipment first. get a big tank. get a ro/di filter. buy a year's worth of different salts because you'll want to mix and decide. buy as much essential first as you'll realize you need very expensive stuff that you didn't know, and you won't have money. figure out how to plumb it get everything running really well, then see if you can keep ls/lr test levels consistent. DEFINITELY keep a daily journal of water parameters. this is something you should check every single day, i don't care what anyone else says. if you lose one fish and don't bother because the tank is clear... you have spikes in levels and you could lose a couple more. keep a journal. once a week is not realistic.
i jumped into lr/ls/fish/55gal too quickly and then had to spend every waking moment of my free time and money fixing what i didn't know. now i keep a 180, 135, 125, and a bunch lower salt as well as some cichlid and 4species water turtle areas.
it's not hard if you have the proper equipment. as i stated above, get the equipment first. otherwise you will lose your livestock and have to rebuild.
personally my hardest thing is finding time for testing. freakin' test tubes are expensive as he11 also!!!!! i was hoping to get a gift certificate so i could do 20-30tests at the same time. (
hello sis!)
keep in mind that you will be going to the store to buy regular supplies. and you will be doing this on a regular basis. and you will succumb to a reef, a fish-only, then reptiles, then birds, your cat will eat the bird or fish, your dog will show up with the gecko in it's mouth, then the snake freaks out your girl. i advise burrowing sw eels over snakes

good luck, welcome to the hobby and losing all your money

one last piece of advice... this is a very expensive hobby. you will read things from poor people who do their best to try to get and keep jobs in marine biology because they love to do it. you will also read threads from people who pay us to have their tanks and animals. both groups are hobby supporters, and have different ways of speaking.
 
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