Hey y'all, I have had a freshwater for several years now and I am really, really, really, considering going with a salt (purchasing new/used equipment, etc.). I have been researching/mulling it over for the last two years, and though I am not naive to certain things, I think inevitably there will be some hitches. Was wondering if any of you all have one, and if so, what are the challenges for a newbie? To what I should pay most attention? Con/sans underwater gravel filter? I am not going to jump into this, and it could be months before I actually purchase, but I just thought I'd give this a shot and ask. Thanks up front!
The key to saltwater aquariums is water movement and size. Although size is not as important. A lot of monitoring of the water quality and cleanliness. Definitely takes the hobby to a new level from what you are probably used to
Yeah, that's one of the reasons I have not just jumped into it. I definitely did not want to be the guy with an aquarium and no investment in the environ. I want to do it as right as possible, and make sure that I was ready for that investment in time and research. I definitely have had plenty of time to consider it and I am ready.
Saltwater aquariums used to be a major hobby of mine. When I say used to it was a while ago. For some of you guys it was a lifetime ago to give you a general idea. But all in all they are not hard at all to get up and running (take around 6 weeks to cycle) or maintain. The main piece of the puzzle is to know what you are looking for i.e. a Couple of clown fish and a sea anemone, a full blown ref system, how large of a tank etc. Also important to know is how much you are willing to devote to building a system. You can save some money by building your wet/dry filter etc. If your going large then something else that's good to know is are you living in a home or an apartment. The apartment's lease may or may not have restrictions and living in a house gives you the added benefit of being able to have fresh sea water delivered (assuming you are in miami or near an ocean). Fresh sea water is almost always better than mixed (depending on how much it is often cheaper as well) although mixed is more than fine. We used to store them in 55 Gallon drums and have them at our ready. Sorry if I muddied the water at all......
That's awesome and when your ready, since you are willing to do it right, you will not regret the decision. Saltwater tanks are the most beautiful tanks you can have and the fish are endless in color and beauty. Just think of the conversation piece you'll have when someone see's your NEMO fish........lol
Nah, not at all. I appreciate the time. You hit on a good note on the filtration systems. I get it, but I do not. I am going to do most, if not all, of the work myself. I am even going the route of cutting the glass for the bulkheads. The internet has been a good source for info, but am still a little afraid going into it. Probably typical. I live on the coast, but our water is a little murky because the barrier islands off of the coast do not allow much filtration from the Gulf. If I were to go to the islands, I could get some clear, but I do not see myself drumming up 100 gallons from the islands unless I enlist the help of Vladimir Rachmintimonov (totally made up name) from the World's Strongest Man Competition! I really just want this thing done right the first time. I know that I will have issues, but I want to have the least amount of problems as possible.
for me, the key is simple. live rock and live sand. spend the extra money and have a more beautiful and hardy tank. i lost tons of fish when i had the fake gravel and crap in the tank. buy the live rock and sand, let it cycle for 3-5 weeks, and then slowly add fish. but as landshark said, a lot also depends on the direction you want to go in. lil 15 gal with clowns, or a big reef tank, etc...
Let's answer a few questions first. How large of a tank are you looking at. Don't be afraid to go with the size you want. The main difference is the set up cost as the maintenance isn't going to be that large of a difference. What type of tank. Fish only. Clown Fish and an anemone. Reef system with live corral. What kind of fish. (One of my favorite tanks was a 125 Gallon with two fish. Baby Leopard Shark and a grouper (forget what kind). Are you planning on having any Corral's? They take a lot of extra work Lights, refrigeration units etc. Their beautiful but as a starter I would stay away from them. As for the sea water I mentioned I was referring to having it dilivered not driving to the beach to collect your own lol. There are a ton of delivery services up and down the coast. Just google "sea water delivery"
Doh! In all the research I have done, I have never heard of that. I have heard of places having seawater for purchase, but not for delivery. I want to go 75-100 gallon. I would really like to go with a reef system because I would like to establish a mini-ecosystem, while watching the organisms mature. That's always been my ultimate plan, but I am a realist, and know that only time will make me a better aquarist. I really do not know what type of fish (yet) because I want the reef system, and would like to have different organisms that will live together peacefully. I guess I really want to establish the reef prior to making any fish decisions. I want shrimp, crabs, etc. Maybe pick up a lobster from Kroger's.....you know what I'm talking about. In all honesty, I want different organisms working in unison to create a good system.
As far as the type of fish you did answer the question indirectly (reef fish) as opposed to having a "predictor tank" Groupers, eels, Baby sharks etc. If your going to go reef you need to consider lights as well as refrigeration. Reef systems should be kept at the low end of 73-82 ºF (I would need to double check those numbers but they are close). Pumps, lights, room temperature all contribute to raising the temp of the water. Corrals are rather expensive. I have not priced them in years but it wasnt uncommon to spend 150 dollars or so on a piece of corral if it was nice enough. I would assume the prices have gone up. So its very important to do everything you can to ensure that they survive. The good news is you don't have to start out with a reef system. It's very easy to start off with the fish you want and some rocks that make it look like a reef and then when you feel comfortable and are all set up then you can slowly start introducing new pieces. I would however be sure that the stand I made/purchased allowed for the addition of a refrigeration unit. I would also bit the bullet and go with the 100 gallon if you have the room for it. In fact You can very easily measure the space you have and visit your local fish store and see what they have that would fit that space. Being that you are already into fresh water im sure you are already aware of the different configurations of tanks, Tall, shallow, plexy glass etc as well as the pro's and cons of each. if it was me and I was going to get back into it (and I just might if I didn't travel so much) I would go Plexy and have the holes cut on the bottom of the tank for the filtration. Doing it that way you wont even see the filtration system. But I'm just rambling now.
I would like to not see the filtration system, but I think I am going to go with glass simply because of price. I have looked around and Craigslist seems to have aquariums of the size I'd like for a decent grab. In an event of a power outage, would going with the filtration in the bottom as opposed to other methods lend itself to water backing into the filter and maybe....I dunno, spilling out? I guess if it is a closed system (am just thinking/typing aloud), maybe it won't. I dunno....there's just so much to consider. It seems like each site I research, there are different methodologies. It's really confusing at times....
Either way you wont "really" see the filtration system. You will however see the skimmer and the hose coming down from the top of the tank. That's one of the major advantages of having the whole drilled in the bottom of the tank. This also allows you to keep your tank closer to a wall freeing up more space in your hose. This can also be done with glass though it has to be non tempered in order to drill it. As for it over flowing your filter if power is lost that's really not a major issue. A simply float valve in your filter will cut off the flow from the tank should you lose power. Above that you will have a valve that you can shut off for servicing. Question your local salt water fish retailer.
My recommendations... Colmax - Greg informed me about this thread on facebook in reply to my pictures/video of my tanks. I've owned a 90g saltwater about 2 years ago, but sold it due to the fact that I didn't want to move it to another state. I currently own a 29G Cichlid tank and a 29G Saltwater Biocube. Here are a quick few points: Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has their own opinion as to what's best, etc. The methods that I use are a combination of what I've read tirelessly on forums such as nano-reef.com, 3reef.com, and myfishtank.net. Mostly everyone, including people at the fish store, base their opinion off of more trial and error than anything else. Take their opinion as just that... opinion. Otherwise, you're going to drive yourself nuts. Glass aquariums are my favorite. For my 90G tank I used an underground wet/dry filter with a protein skimmer inside the sump. Ideally, for the tank, you'd want a "reef ready tank" which means that it has a black plastic area that covers up the pipes, heaters, etc. Check out this tank here. Notice the two black plastic parts. In my 90G there was just one in the middle. Basically, this is where the water is sucked in (it has "teeth" along the top to make sure just water goes in) and water is pumped back out. As others mentioned, flow is HUGE in a salt water tank. However, you don't want all the flow blasting out of this one area. I highly... HIGHLY recommend purchasing a couple Hydor Koralia power heads. First, you'd ideally want at least two to push water from side to side. The great thing about these pumps, something that no other powerheads do, is that they indirectly spread flow to create a natural current (or close to it). Normal power heads shoot a huge direct stream of water, almost like a jet, whereas these have the same GPH and make a really nice flow. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaXk2lZ6n24"]Here's one video that I posted on Youtube where you can see the star polyps (left) constantly moving and the leatherhead (right) is as well.[/ame] I'm uploading another video as we speak to show you the changes that I've made, including filter media placement. After a week or so, start using Chemipure Elite in your tank filtration. Find a spot where water always hits it. Also use a white filter (similar to something called Poly Filter) that helps remove metals, etc in the water. To get the tank setup, I highly recommend you use starter bacteria. Most local fish stores (LFS) name this "Go Juice" use whatever amount they recommend. It smells absolutely horrible but it helps kick start the ecosystem. Purchase at least 1lb of live rock per gallon. When choosing live rock, get stuff with as much coraline algea and growth. Spend money on live rock... don't go cheap as this will significantly help your tank establish itself. Live rock, and the growth on it, helps filter the tank naturally as the growth is often a form of sponge which is a filter. Also use live sand. I bought a 20lb bag for my 29G tank. Once you get live rock, get something to help spawn growth. I personally like something called Phyto Feast (which is basically phytoplankton) and Roti Rich. To help build coraline algea, I like Reef Builder by Seachem. By the way, this (regarding chemical usage) will probably be the most controversial thing in saltwater aquaria. Don't skimp on the salt. The better salt you use the less chemicals you need and the makes the tank easier to maintain. I think you'll find everyone loves Tropic Marin (there's also a Pro version, either will work great). During the first few weeks, do small water changes. Purchase a protein skimmer after a month running the tank. These things are expensive, but extremely valuable. Depending on how much coral, and what type of coral, I would recommend something middle of the line. Oh, lastly... use Amquel Plus to treat the water and just get pH stabilizer. Don't skimp and get pH up/down... it will drive you nuts. Oh - just for reference. My 90G was a "hunter" tank that had 2 groupers and one lionfish. Once they got too big, I caught them and sold them back to the fish store and went with triggers, etc. My 29G biocube will have a shrimp and a few small fish. Ok! I really have to go. The latest youtube video has about 20 minutes left on the upload. I'll post it ASAP. Please let me know any questions you have. I'm by no means an expert... but I've got at least 3 years of personal experience. I also grew up helping my dad with his tank. So, I feel as though I have some "weight" to my opinion...
No problem! I love talking about salt/fresh water aquaria a TON, perhaps more than computers. Yea, that scary... LOL. Here's another video... more up to date. Also, just bought a coral shrimp in there. So, this tank right now is just 3.5 weeks old and has 5 small snails, 10 crabs, and 1 coral shrimp. Fish wise... I plan on having a Fire Dwarf Angel, a Mandarin fish, and a couple smaller fish. Not much, but lots of color... Onto the video [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpqL9cjf8A4"]YouTube- Saltwater Tank after 3.5 weeks.AVI[/ame]
Holy ****, I had no idea you were a dolphin fan. Drew is a on of our customers at Aquatropics one of the LFS in Gainesville. Colmax not only is a saltwater fish tank my hobby but it's also part of my job. And I'd be glad to put in my .02 but it's 3:30 est am I'm going to bed, but I'll be back later.
And now I feel really silly because I just realized that GatorDrew aka AJ is Andrew Tatum. Wow small world.
