What do I need? Whats in gunna cost?

Question

I am buying a 55 gallon fish tank that is equiped with a top, lights, gravel, and a filter. I am going to use it for a saltwater tank. What else do I need and, roughly, how much does each item cost.

Answer 1

You need to do some research on setting up a saltwater tank. Then you'll learn that there is no easy answer to that question :)

I'll try to help with some rough guidelines, but you really need to buy a couple good books on the subject and read them over a couple times. There, that's your first expense. A couple books on marine tanks - 30-40$. ;)

First, kudos for going with a nice big tank instead of a little 10 gallon. You won't be disapointed with the size of it when you decide you want more than just one goby!

When you say "lights, gravel, and filter" - are these specifically made for marine tanks? I'm guessing not, because gravel is not used in marine tanks. So unless you're buying a marin-specific kit, avoid buying a kit, because you'll be stuck with all sorts of equipment / accessories that were made for FreshWater.

Lights, for example. In a FW tank ,you either have fluorescent or incandescent. In a SW tank, you have metal halides, actinics, moonlights, compact fluorescents; depending on what you want in the tank. Because you're starting out, I suggest you get a combination hood that including a metal halide, an actinic, and a moonlight bulb. That'll cost you about 300-400$.

Gravel, as I say, is never used in SW tanks. You need to use sand. You can buy live sand at about 5-10$ per pound. This is just sand with all sorts of orangisms living in it. It is more economical to get non-live sand, then buy just a few pounds of live sand, which will seed the "dead" sand. - 60-100$ total

As for the filter, you may or may not need one. In SW tanks, most of the filtration is done by the organisms that live in the live rock and live sand, so you should not require an actual filter. What you will need is a protein skimmer. This takes all the oily gunk off the surface of the water. - 50-150$

Speaking of live rock - this is a necessary part of your tank, and you should have something like 1-1.5lbs per gallon. You can buy it for 4-10$ per pound. Try to get as porous as possible. 200-600$

You will also need a heater. I suggest that you actually get TWO heaters and place them at opposed ends of the tank; this means better heat dispersal, and also safety if one of them breaks,

You will need power heads to move the water around, and create a current. 50-80$ each, and you'll need 2 or 3.

You will also need accessories like timer(s) for your lights, testing supplies, salt (I use Instant Ocean), a hygrometer to measure salt.

And eventually you'll need corals (20-50$ each), fish (10-100$ each) cleaning crew (20-100$) etc etc...

There's lots more than that to it :) So do as much research as you possibly can, first.

Answer 2

Before starting a saltwater tank you really need to do alot of research. Don't rely on your fish store to provide with all your info either. I recommend going to the message boards at www.saltwaterfish.com it is a really great site with tons of info for newbies and alot of help from others.

Answer 3

First of all, if your gravel isn't dolomite, sand or chrushed coral, get it. This will be to your advantage later.

Does your filter have a protein skimmer? I don't know what kind of filter you have but a protein skimmer can be added to most good filters. These are not expensive at all.

Know what you want to put into your tank before you set it up. Different fish have different requirements. Coral requires different lighting.

Be patient. If and when you are ready for your fish, I would suggest Black mollies.($1.5-2.00) each (Yes they can go into a salt water tank and they will reproduce allowing you to have a constant fresh food supply for your other fish.)
vs. damsels ($4.99 and up) Don't buy more than one domino (black and white spotted damsel) They will take over and beat everything up in your tank....no matter how big.
Testing kits. (these range depending on what you buy from a few dollars to $50) PH etc. A gravel syphone is also your friend. In a salt water tank, try to stay away from as many chemicals as you can. DO NOT put start right into a salt water tank. To condition your water to start and for water changes, use Novaqua +. ($8.50 a bottle) If you are going to have live rock, you may want to go with a nano reef supplement to promote growth.

Buy from a reputable dealer and stick with them. Try not to mix and match frish from different stores. Since some stores are better than others when it comes to having HEALTHY fish this is a good rule to follow. Also, find out how long the fish had been there. If it was just added that day, ask them to put it on hold for a few days. This will keep the marine ich from invading your tank. I would also recommend a water steralizer. (You can find them on sale. they run anywhere from $80 and up) This will keep the free form of Ich out of your tank by passing the tank water thru a uv light.

Don't overload your tank. Most marine fish require more than the 1" per gallon requirement.

Know what fish can live safely with other fish. Know their feeding requirements. Some will eat only veggies while others need live food or brine shrimp. (For a few bucks, inves in a shrimp breader, around $9) This goes inside your tank and breeds live brine shrimp. The fish can eat at their leisure and it will not add to the "dirt" in your tank.

If you are planning on live rock (usually runs anywhere from $6.00 and up per pound. The more you buy the cheaper it is)

A good floating thermometer. DO NOT use a stick on the glass one, they aren't accurate enough. They tend to pick up ambient air temps. These run around $3.

A heater with a light so you know it is working. These run anywhere depending on what you are looking for from $10 and up. Salt water fish need to be kept warm.

Even if you do not go with an undergravel filter, I would suggest a power head for water movement. Some fish won't eat frozen brine. To keep them interested, I have the power head facing into the tank opposite the filter out put. this allows food to "float" around catching the fish's eye. They tend to eat all their food and I don't have much of a mess when water changes are due. Powerhead run various prices depending on how powerful the head is. $8.00 and up.

Don't clean the outside of your glass with anything but a soft wet cloth (if need be, you can use vinegar). Windex contains ammonia. Don't spray airfreshners in the room with your tank. Residues will sit on the water, no matter how well you think it is covered.

A glass cleaner is a good idea. Basically it is a razor for scraping on one side and a sponge on the other. $2.50.

If you find you are getting red algae build up in your tank, use a Phosporous pad $1.99 and cut it to size your filter.

Try to keep your HANDS out of your tank. Try to find other (besides chemical treatments) solutions for problems, like the algae. You and your fish will be much better.

Also, do research on the net for various fish. Know what they require. Keep a small note book or calander and write down everything you do. i.e. Set up date, day you added a fish and where you got it, water temperature (this is just to be sure your heater is still working)...things like that. That way, if something goes wrong, you have a log

A Hydrometer (this measures the salt content in your tank). Buy a good one. You can get them from anywhere from $5.00 and up. Most are premarked with the average salt density on them.

You do not need a timer unless you ahve a habit of not returning home. I leave my tank lights on if I am home and shut them off when I go to bed. That is fine.

you can also buy Used equipment for salt water from the paper a local merchant etc. It will save you a couple of bucks.

Oh yes, the salt. I suggest Red sea salt. This salt is actually from the red sea and contains minerals and trace elements not found in the artificial salts like instant ocean. (Although, there is nothing wrong with that either (5 pound bag runs around $23) The red sea salt is more expensive but worth it.
There are a thousand plus sites on the net. Read all you can that way you are prepared to anything that may hit ya.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/bcorsettingup/a/blqachklist_2.htm
http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_saltbasics.php

Lots of luck