I've never lost a saltwater fish, but based on my observations, these are the best pieces of advice I can give you.
Go BIG. Bigger tanks are better. Anything smaller than 50 gallons will be highly unstable and will require diligent daily maintenance.
Don't cut corners, don't buy the cheap stuff, and don't skip equipment you need, or on testing supplies, etc.
DO buy used equipment. You can save a lot of money by buying equipment, fish, corals, live rock etc from other hobbiests as opposed to petstores.
DO all the research you can. Buy books, read and re-read them. Join an online forum. Read online articles. Research anything before you buy it.
And lastly, be patient. Rushing the cycling process of the fish introduction process can ruin all your hard work.
Good luck :)
2007-01-25 05:54:41
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answer #1
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answered by Zoe 6
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ok, first issues first do not forget that marine fish are quite weak to any polution interior the tank and they are plenty a lot less resiliant than tropical fish. the reason you take advantage of a buffer tank is to effectively improve the quantity of water interior the equipment for that reason diluting any toxins. yet you nonetheless go with to frequently replace the water as in many cases as you could have sufficient money to quite a lot. I cycle my marine tank once a week. do not mess round about with the salt content fabric. Use precisely the parts provided on the packet. Cannister filters are ok for marine setups, yet no longer optimal. you go with to sparkling the filter out very in many cases. The more desirable frequently you sparkling the better the water high quality and that is the biggest component on your fishes survival. Get some form of agitation interior the water... use an air pump to get the water transferring, this can improve the quantity of dissolved oxygen... good for the fish. i ought to signify stripping the tank down and restarting it. sparkling it thoroughly and upload fish one after the different over a lengthy era and spot the way it is going. And save biking the water!
2016-10-16 02:24:55
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answer #2
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answered by sandeep 4
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I have had salt water tanks for over 25 years.and I have had my share of fish come and go. I had a snowflake eel for more than 10 years and was devistated when he passed away. However it wasn't anything I did. He was just old. Some marine fish can live a long and happy life, while others don't live past a few years. A few things to remember with your saltwater tank. Patience. When setting up your tank, don't rush the set up. Know what you would like to have in your tank BEFORE you actually set it up. Do you want sand or dolomite. Do you want coral?
Different fish have different requirements. Invertabrea's as well. You need to know what you can and cannot mix, for example featherdusters should not be kept with Chocolate chip star fish, because they will eat them. Also, you really should stay away from sea horses. Most reputable dealers will not sell them for a number of reasons, one being they are not hearty fish, in someplaces they are dissapearing and certain kinds will be on the endangerd species list.
the key to a healthy tank:
your tank should not be less than 30 for a salt water tank.
Watch the "decorations" you use in your tank. Also, allow for water displacement. If you add 20 pounds of sand and 20 pounds of rock, this displaces 7 gallons of water. In a 30 gallon tank you are now down to 23 gallon tank.
Be sure you have a good filter with a protein skimmer added on. This will save you headhaches later.
Good water circulation is also important.
Try when ever you can NOT to use chemicals to fix problems. Such as Red algae. Stick with phosporas pads in your filter instead. The more you keep your hands out of your saltwater, the better.
Some fish are poisonus and some will eat anything they can get into their mouths so be careful what you choose. Also remember ocean fish have TEETH!
Buy from reputable dealer and stick with them. Don't buy fish at Petco then go to Petsmart to buy another. Find a knowledgable dealer who knows you or will get to know you so if you do have a problem, you can call themat any time.
Know your tank. Watch your fish that way if there is a problem, you can correct it way before it gets out of hand.
When buying fish, be sure they are healthy. Find out when they came in. You do not want to put undue stress on new fish. If the store just got the fish in that day, ask them to hold it for you for a few days. Or better yet, know when they get fish in and purchase them directly from the bag before they are put into the store's tanks.
Most of this is common sense and actually will work for both salt and fresh water.
2007-01-25 06:05:37
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answer #3
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answered by danielle Z 7
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We've had a few fish die when we first started our tank. I wouldn't recommend crushed coral. We didn't do much research before we started our tank just listened to friends and the fish store. BAD MISTAKE!! We lost quite a bit, but learned a great lesson. We started researching and visiting the websites and bulletion boards. The bulletion boards are wonderful and there is always tons of help.
Try www.saltwaterfish.com and www.reefcentral.com
2007-01-25 07:20:57
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answer #4
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answered by Kristol 3
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There are a lot of reasons tanks die off.
You need to educate yourself before you attempt a marine tank. Get some books and ask some pros (not necessarily your neighborhood pet shop, either.)
2007-01-25 05:50:32
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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