Saltwater A Hassle?

[Dellop5 0]

hey everyone right now i only have a freshwater tank but hopefully soon im going to get a 30 gal and i wondered what to put in it and i was thinking saltwater fish/coral/inverts. but i have no idea how much work this takes. is it alot harder to deal with and take care of than freshwater is? does it cost more? what would i need..i dont think i could handle coral yet but is it possible to just get rock and fish?? please help if you can im really not sure what to get and id love any suggestions thanks =)

[Chrissy_Bee 144]

I haven't kept saltwater tanks myself but did help a friend start one a few years ago. It can get VERY expensive because as a rule fish and inverts for salt water tanks are much more expensive than those for freshwater. Also, you need to keep on top of the salinity in the tank, which is a bit more work.

[caitie 36]

It is alot more work and very expensive. Just the equipment needed is expensive, then you need live rock which is sold by the pound. I never realized rock was so heavy. Then you have the maintenance which I find takes twice as long and is way harder to do than on freshwater, and I don't have fish just soft corals and inverts. But if you are willing to invest time money and loads of patience than it is worth it. Reef tanks are really cool to watch. You never know what sort of creatures will come out. One of my favourite pastimes is sitting in front of the tank at night with a red light and a magnifyier, some critters that come out in the dark are spectacular.

[Dellop5 0]

wow id really like it but im not so sure if im up to all the responisibility yet >.< maybe i should go with another freshwater and see how it goes thanks guys =)

[johann_pond 39]

I have just recentley asked the same question on another forum i'm in. The person who is the resident SW expert says, it's not really that bad. The initial cost would be a little more. She has told me that it's not anymore work than keeping a heavily planted tropical tank. I had asked about a 29gallon. If you would like I can supply you with the link to that particular thread, just shoot me a message.

Edited April 13, 2010 by j-pond

[koko 14,363]

If you have a LFS that supplies salt water then over all its not that hard. It just costs alot. You dont have to have a tank with live rocks if you just want fish, but if you want corals or plants your going to need to spend some money

[Dellop5 0]

Thanks guys that clears up alot so i can really have say 2 clowns and a tang or something like that forexample and not need live rock or anything?

[johann_pond 39]

I'm not sure about a tang with 2 clowns in a 30. The woman I was chating with said I could do 2 clowns, and maybe a goby when the tank was really established, but i was also planning on live rock and some corals.

My idea is in the planning stage, won't be able to do it until next year some time.

[waterfaller1 824]

No Tangs in a 30 gallon tank, please!They need high oxygen, lots of swimming space as they are active, and get far too large for anything under 100 gallons. I have a 90 gallon and would not keep one. Please do extensive research on saltwater tanks before trying it. If your LFS does not sell plain and mixed RO/DI water, then you need a unit of your own. You must use RO/DI water for a SW tank for it to be successful, and not an algae nightmare.It can get very costly as stated. You need a sump, along with the tank, or it needs weekly water changes. A protein skimmer, pumps, proper lighting for corals, a refractometer{not a hydrometer} salt mix if you make your own, test kits. And fish are upwards of $20 each, most are higher. Inverts are a must, as a clean up crew. The tank should never have been previously used with chemicals such as copper. There is a lot to learn, but to me it's easier than planted tanks.

[Dellop5 0]

No Tangs in a 30 gallon tank, please!They need high oxygen, lots of swimming space as they are active, and get far too large for anything under 100 gallons. I have a 90 gallon and would not keep one. Please do extensive research on saltwater tanks before trying it. If your LFS does not sell plain and mixed RO/DI water, then you need a unit of your own. You must use RO/DI water for a SW tank for it to be successful, and not an algae nightmare.It can get very costly as stated. You need a sump, along with the tank, or it needs weekly water changes. A protein skimmer, pumps, proper lighting for corals, a refractometer{not a hydrometer} salt mix if you make your own, test kits. And fish are upwards of $20 each, most are higher. Inverts are a must, as a clean up crew. The tank should never have been previously used with chemicals such as copper. There is a lot to learn, but to me it's easier than planted tanks.

whoaa thats alot! haha i definitly dont think im ready for a SW tank yet thanks for all the info though i wasnt aware on any of those things

[devilduck 49]

One thing it might be worth doing to get an idea of the sizes some of the fish grow to is watch some scuba diving/coral reef documentaries; when you see a fish like a tang that's as long as someone's forearm you know it's going to be too big for a 3' tank for example, it'd be 1/3 the length of it!

Coral reefs are a very specific eco-system, they're not supposed to be found in people's living rooms and to recreate that kind of environment you need to do very extensive research first, it's not unthinkable to spend 2 years researching before buying anything, in most cases you won't need to spend that kind of time but I would definitely spend a few months reading everything you can get your hands on, join 2-3 good, active saltwater forums (don't just go 'I want to start a saltwater tank, what do I need to do', noone is ever going to be able to give you a detailed enough answer - it'll be more use for you to actually find out yourself and then run your plan past someone), buy reputed books, ask people about differing opinions on things you read (like the gravel/sand/nothing argument for goldfish tanks!), even watching TV documentaries will help. While not exactly relevant in terms of the gear you need it will give you and idea of what you're trying to achieve and how it all locks together in nature.

Something else you might want to consider before setting up a SW tank - are you likely to be moving anytime soon? I move every year for uni so I can't have anything that's too difficult to move, like a proper planted tank or SW, it's hard enough moving the goldfish.

[koko 14,363]

I spent a good amount of time researching before I had my nano tank then moved it into a 45 gal tank. The nano tank was a pain the butt if you have a reef going on there. I had a reef and fish and in the 45 gal tank it was expensive to keep running, food, protein skimmer, minerals and rocks.

Salt water tanks are fun but research, time and money is the key to them

I dont own a SW tank anymore and where I live now, I would have to make my own salt water.

[waterfaller1 824]

I make my own, that way I know it's right and can control the quality of the water by testing my TDS/keeping filters changed on the unit when needed, etc. That's the easy part. The tough part is learning how to dose and keep the parameters such as Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium in line. It can also be very dangerous if you are not aware of the potential problems you can have with the associated bacteria,viruses. Freshwater tanks can be as well.

Edited April 17, 2010 by waterfaller1

[Padda's pal 0]

if you use good salt and do weekly water changes unless you go stoney coral heavey you wont need to worry about dosing calcium, mag, alk buffer

reef is harder to keep then fish only

softy tanks not much harder then a fish only

LPS again the majority not much harder then a softy tank

SPS tanks raise the bar a good bit also hard to meet the demands of all the different ocupents

myself i dont buy any full size corals i get frags and grow them and seeing this i find most rewarding part