Anyone here into salt water aquariums?

[Droopy]

I'm just starting to get into the hobby and I would appreciate any advice.

I'm thinking of starting a reef tank. I've heard that the novice aquarist should start out with a larger size tank because they are more forgiving. So I started looking around for large aquariums. I know where I can get a good deal on a 270 gallon tank, but after I thought about I think that's a little too big. I'd have to kill a good portion of the Amazon rain forest to make a stand for it and I think it would cost a small fortune in live rock and coral to make it look right.

There's a guy I work with that has a 75 gallon tank for sale that has everything needed to start out. I'd just have to buy a couple of filters. That's probably more like something that I can fit into my budget. Do you think that's a good place to start?

[EstimatedProphet]

1. No. They make my skin shrivel.

:)

75 gallons is a good starter tank for saltwater. bigger is better with them, because it's more difficult to keep the salt concentration correct in the water (not an issue with fresh water) and because the nitrogen-fixing bacteria aren't as plentiful. But the results are definately worth it.

[Droopy]

6. I'm think of starting out with live rock until the tank gets broken in

and then adding some corals and later the fish. Sound like a good plan?

[EstimatedProphet]

9. Very much so

Pay a lot of attention to filtration too. Don't skimp. you can get away with it with freshwater, up to a point, but saltwater needs more filtration.

[Shell Beau]

2. Definitely start with the 75 gallon tank. That is still big and could

make a beautiful tank. Have you ever had any aquariums (fresh water or salt)?

I haven't had a salt one as I've already told you. I do know that you have to tend to the water and their levels daily. They take a while to set up. But don't get too big of a tank before you really know what you are getting into!! Good luck!

[Droopy]

4. I had a ten gallon fresh water aquarium when I was about 13

And I killed everything I put into it. I didn't understand at the time that you couldn't just buy a tank, put some water into it, and throw some fish in. I have ordered a book on the subject and I will be reading up on it before I put water into a tank, but I would appreciate any advice you guys can give me.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. My dear Droopy!

I've never had one, but I just wanted to pop in and say hello!

I know that the fish that live in salt water are more colorful than freshwater fish...

Have a great time with it, and by all means, post some pics later on!

Hope you're having a great day!

:hi:

[Droopy]

5. Hello, Peggy

:hi: I will definitely break out the camera when I get my tank looking good. It's probably going to be several months, though. I hear it takes 2 months just to break in the tank before you can fish and corals into it. So look for my fish pics around January. :)

[momto3]

7. I had a salt water tank several years ago.

Get good filters - a sump tank filter is the best kind for this kind of tank. This includes a smaller tank with a canister filter that sits below the main tank. The trickiest part is mixing the salt water and monitoring the nitrogen and pH levels. Get yourself a good book - most pet stores have them. Also, if you want a reef tank you are going to need a good hood for lighting. You will need a UV light along with the usual white light.

Good luck. Once the tank is set up properly, it should maintain itself well. A nice saltwater aquarium is definitely worth the work and wait.

Tracy

[Droopy]

8. Thanks and welcome to DU

:hi:

I just ordered a beginner's book on the web yesterday. I'm going to read up on that before I put my first gallon of water in the tank. The tank I'm thinking about getting has what the guy calls a chemical filter and a bio filter. I've seen the sump tanks, but I didn't know if I needed one for a 75 gallon tank. Do you think maybe a 29 gallon tank would work for that purpose?

[momto3]

11. I think so

Thanks for the welcome. I used a 20 gallon sump tank for my 55 gallon aquarium. I think the 29 gallon would work fine.

[jgraz]

10. Before you invest in a reef setup, try this little experiment.

Every couple of days, get out a $20 bill, walk into the bathroom and flush it down the toilet. If that's something that you enjoy, you're ready for a salt-water aquarium.

[Droopy]

12. That expensive, eh?

I wouldn't think the costs would be too bad after you got everything set up.

[jgraz]

14. There are several issues you have to deal with

The fish ARE expensive and very difficult to maintain. I gave it up becase I realized that even after 3 years of work and research I was still watching at least one beautiful creature die horribly every couple of weeks -- usually as a result of my own stupidity.

The reef setup makes this easier (they were just becoming available when I started), but it doesn't eliminate the problem. You also should do a little research on how these salt-water fish are caught. Back when I was doing it, many of the fish arrived at the pet shop dead or so sick or injured that they had to be killed. Last I checked, people were still using techniques such a dynamiting or poisoning to stun tropical fish for easy collection.

[mopinko]

16. that's a good one. just about right.

i have been trying to stabilize one for over a year.
be careful with that live rock. i have had few good things grow from them, but lots of bad. bristle worms. ewww. they are in my dreams.
i just invested in a calcium reactor, but i haven't got it hooked up yet. i have to get my co2 tank filled.coral and fish are hard to balance. doesn't seem like it should be that way, but it is. i had a great little pair of clowns, and some coral shrimp.
right how i have a couple of sad little corals, and some worms. looking forward to repopulating soon.
make sure you have someone reliable to take care of it while you are away from more than a day or 2. #1 cause of fish death, i think.

[Downtown Hound]

13. It's a fun but expensive hobby

My folks had a big one for a number of years. In addition the initial costs of getting all the equipment, the actual fish can be much more expensive than fresh water fish. They had a couple of fish that ran close to $200.00 a pop. And then there's the cleaning of the tank. You can do it yourself but it's difficult, and if you don't do it right you can kill your fish. And then it's hundreds of more dollars to replace them.

Or you can pay a professional in the neighborhood of $60 to come and do it for you every few weeks. My folks did this, but even then they still lost fish somewhat habitually, until they finally found a group that could stay alive. The food for salt water fish is much more expensive too.

It was a beautiful tank, but not cheap.

[TZ]

15. I'm glad to see you are going to get a pet...

but a piece of advice..I had a friend who is a huge scuba diver and really into fish and once I mentioned that I thought I would like to have an aquarium (still would like to but my feline monsters would be getting into it all the time) and she was very clear on saying that fresh water is much better for beginners to start with than salt water....

[InvisibleTouch]

17. Not yet...

...though I've kept and occasionally bred freshwater tropicals for decades. I've always admired the saltwater fish at the pet store, but am a little frightened away by the expense and complexity of setting up a saltwater tank. I know freshwater pretty well, I know what fish make a good community and where in the world they all come from, what conditions they need, etc., and am starting to experiment with unfiltered natural set-ups, but I don't know squat about saltwater. Some day I do want to try a reef set-up, but I'll need to do a lot more reading between now and then.

I do agree that a larger tank is better to start with, because conditions won't fluctuate as fast. Start with hardy invertebrates and a few resilient fish, and let the system stabilize over time before you add more delicate life-forms. If you have a good aquarium specialty shop in your area, draw upon the advice of the people working there - ask them about their own background, what they keep, what their experiences have been. A lot of pet store people are long-term keepers themselves - but beware of part-time-summer-job clerks who really don't know anything. It doesn't hurt to double-check any advice you get in a good book or on a knowledgeable web site.

Good luck! :)

[Javaman]

18. Yeah...

I swim in them all the time.