should I start this hobby?

[f14peter]

Funny thing . . . when the Mrs and I told people we were going to set up a saltwater tank, the vast majority of responses were along the line of "Oh, are you going to hire somebody to take care of it, or try to do that yourself?"
Seems there's a myth that keeping a SW tank is extremely difficult, but it's not. True, a lot of work setting it up, but once it's up and running, the time spent dicreases tremendously . . . you're down to feeding, testing, checking your skimmer and water levels (And emptying and topping off as necessary), and prepping/performing regular water changes. My workload is increased a bit because I'm keeping a QT tank and some LR stored in a bucket of water, but it's not all-consuming (Well, to most anyway).
Frankly, there's no way around the money issue, it is not a cheap hobby. However, the costs can be mitigated by judicious shopping, and bit-by-bit accumulation of the equipment you need, and of course where you land in regards to what size tank and what you want to keep. I am a firm believer in you-get-what-you-pay-for, but that doesn't always mean buying the most expensive thing on the shelf. Pay extra for a more effective, quality product that will last . . . not just a high price tag.

 

[azfishgal]

Originally Posted by f14peter
Funny thing . . . when the Mrs and I told people we were going to set up a saltwater tank, the vast majority of responses were along the line of "Oh, are you going to hire somebody to take care of it, or try to do that yourself?"
Seems there's a myth that keeping a SW tank is extremely difficult, but it's not. True, a lot of work setting it up, but once it's up and running, the time spent dicreases tremendously . . . you're down to feeding, testing, checking your skimmer and water levels (And emptying and topping off as necessary), and prepping/performing regular water changes. My workload is increased a bit because I'm keeping a QT tank and some LR stored in a bucket of water, but it's not all-consuming (Well, to most anyway).
Frankly, there's no way around the money issue, it is not a cheap hobby. However, the costs can be mitigated by judicious shopping, and bit-by-bit accumulation of the equipment you need, and of course where you land in regards to what size tank and what you want to keep. I am a firm believer in you-get-what-you-pay-for, but that doesn't always mean buying the most expensive thing on the shelf. Pay extra for a more effective, quality product that will last . . . not just a high price tag.
Well put! I've been getting that reaction from friends as I tell them my 125 gallon tank is in the works, almost like I'm crazy. But you have a passion about something and love it, you don't consider it "work." Being a mom is the hardest job in the world, but I still do it, wouldn't trade it for the world. It just depends how you look at it. I know the next few months getting my tank set up is going to be challenging and I will probably hit some pot holes, but that's life. It would be boaring if it was easy as pie. (OK, who came up with that saying, pie really isn't easy to make, but OH so good when it's done!)

Sorry, didn't mean to ramble.

 

[xdave]

Besides mixing the salt water for changes, I don't think I put much more work into marine tanks than I ever did with my fresh ones. The development of natural filtration methods of marine aquaria have eliminated the use of undergravel filters that had to be vacuumed. I must say that I always did take good care of my fresh tanks though.
Salt tanks definitely cost more to set up. For instance, a shop light with a couple of Hagen AquaGlo bulbs is fine for fresh but really inadequate for salt.

 

[fishn808]

Originally Posted by starship
Is it possible to do this without investing alot of time every week?
Yes. You can hire someone to do the initial set up and maintenance. I did. I'm planning to take over the maintenance as soon as I feel confident I can do it and I am nearing that point. I've learned ALOT from this forum and from books and of course from the maintenance guy. Hopefully I'll be on my own soon which is really why I got into this. So far one fish has died, but not due to water quality nor malnutrition, both of which have been top notch. I probably would have killed more if I did this on my own from the get-go. Lovin it so far and no regrets whatsoever. :joy:

 

[hot883]

Starship, since you have not responded in 20 some posts I am led to believe you to be a spammer.
Also if you are not, I apologize but have this to say:
If you have to ask a bunch of strangers if you should, THEN you SHOULD NOT! Someone telling you to do it will not give you the fire, drive, dedication or desire to do it. So I say do NOT do it. Barry

 

[starship]

Thanks for your help. You've all given me alot to think about. I'll definately read more posts and get the books that were suggested b4 getting involved in this hobby. Thanks again!

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by azfishgal
Well put! I've been getting that reaction from friends as I tell them my 125 gallon tank is in the works, almost like I'm crazy. But you have a passion about something and love it, you don't consider it "work." Being a mom is the hardest job in the world, but I still do it, wouldn't trade it for the world. It just depends how you look at it. I know the next few months getting my tank set up is going to be challenging and I will probably hit some pot holes, but that's life. It would be boaring if it was easy as pie. (OK, who came up with that saying, pie really isn't easy to make, but OH so good when it's done!)

Sorry, didn't mean to ramble.

hahah that is too funny!!!
apple pie is always good when its done

 

[scrapman]

Go for it. You won't be disappointed. I was in the same situation 6 mos ago. I learned so much from this site.. I IMHO feel sometimes that i know more that my LFS people. GO FOR IT.

 

[f14peter]

Originally Posted by scrapman
Go for it. You won't be disappointed. I was in the same situation 6 mos ago. I learned so much from this site.. I IMHO feel sometimes that i know more that my LFS people. GO FOR IT.
I also say go for it. As I mentioned before, indeed an investment in time and money, but the rewards are tremendous.
Until you have one, you don't realize just all the entertainment and enjoyment a saltwater tank provides . . . it's not just all about the fish. My wife and I spend so much time peering into our tank, we ended up putting a small bench by the tank so we can sit and watch for a long time. You can watch things grow, like coraline and feather dusters and such . . . you can take a flashlight and peek into the innumerable little nooks-and-crannies in your rock . . . you can watch hermit crabs change shells (And sometimes change back!) . . . you can observe how each new inhabitant is doing and their often humorous behaviors (watching five nassi snails putt-putt along in single-file is funnier than it sounds!) . . . see how they all react to the change from day to night (Seeing our only marginally schooling chromis start to gather together when the white lights go out and only the blues on is fun, as is seeing them cluster together tightly then hide away in the rock when they blues go out) . . . the list goes on.
Also there's the enjoyment of learning something very new, overcoming the challenges, and pride once you have.
This hobby entails so much more than just having "cool" fish.

 

[kayak385]

Simplest Answer: YES!

 

[bill109]

Originally Posted by kayak385
Simplest Answer: YES!
yeah they are AWESOME!! just knowing tht you can walk into a lfs and finally start to look and buy the SW fish!!
i bet you have walked in a milion times and been like.. wow look at tht fish its beautiful
well now you can have people will be saying the same about your tank when they see it..
IMO well worth it.. no one says you have to do in a short time.. take all the time you need to buy the right equipment and research.. someday you might even become a mod?! :cheer:
whoknows? :thinking: