Does it cost alot of money to set up Marine Fish Tank ?

Question

Im very intrested in setting up my own Marine Fish Tank . I'v got about 3 hours everyday to mess about and do what i like so was looking for a new hobby,

Someone send me in the right direction please.

Answer 1

They're fun, and beautiful tanks, but unfortunatley, they cost a LOT of money. You need a sump or wet dry filter, heaters, sand, live rock, a protien skimmer, wavemakers and powerheads for a basic fish only w/ live rock tank. Now, if you want a reef, with coral, expect to add to that list metal halide lighting sysem(think hundreds of dollars, there), and maybe a chiller. All in all, I would say you'll probably spend at least 2 grand on a 55-75 gallon setup for saltwater.

Answer 2

I will cost more than freshwater. Beyond the obvious things you'll need that are common to both (tank, filter, heater), you will have the expense of salt and a hydrometer at the very least. An aragonite substrate is recommended (not aquarium gravel, which is less expensive) as is a saltwater test kit (should measure pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, possibly alkalinity and calcium). Beyond these, it will depend on what you want to try to keep. You can look into live rock (biological filtration) protein skimmers (necessary for invertebrates, recommended for larger fish-only tanks), compact fluorescent or metal halide lighting (necessary if you are planning to get photosynthetic corals, clams, anemones). Plus the fish are generally more expensive - saltwater damsels can start around $3.99 and the price goes up considerably from there. You can do freshwater fairly small, but the reccommended saltwater tank size (especially for someone just beginning) is 30 gallons or more. The fish tend to be more aggressive and territiorial, so you can't put as many in a tank.

The best place to start is with some research - find out what types of fish interest you, tank sizes and water chemistry they need (some, such as guppies and mollies can be kept in both freshwater and saltwater tanks if you acclimate them to salt slowly - these are what I use to cycle my saltwater tanks) and how they are with tankmates, if they're "reef safe", etc. Once you find some fish you like, you can plan what size tank and what you can keep in (together) it. A good book on marine fishkeeping is a must! I like both "The New Marine Aquarium" Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1
or "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5.

Here are some websites that can give you some of the more basic info on the fish and marine fishkeeping:
http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginners.htm
http://www.marinedepotlive.com/
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/

Good luck!

Answer 3

I have done this for years so take this one piece of advice. No matter what anyone else tells you do not try doing saltwater without using live rock. It usually runs 4 - 6 bucks a pound and you need a minimum of one pound per gallon. Most of the saltwater fish also get fairly large which means you will need a large tank. The smaller the tank the harder it is to keep the fish alive. Another piece of advice. A lot of people that work at fish stores don't know crap. Check out a forum like saltwaterfish.com to get the real skinny. Never take the word of someone at a local fish store. A lower cost alternative would be a mini reef tank. With this you would just have soft corals and inverts like crabs, shrimp, etc. You can use a small tank (20 gallon or so for a beginner) and since you don't have fish it is easier to maintain due to less waste material in the water.

Answer 4

The fish themselves aren't very much it's everything else that will cost you. Don't be suckered into buying a starter kit, I was, and ended up re-buying everything after doing some research. I started out with a 10 gallon tank, and found out it was really limited, sure the tank and such was cheap, but it was because you can't do much with it. Finally broke down and bought a 20 gallon, which is still a small tank, but at least I can do a lot more with it than the 10 gallon. My starter kit came with hood that took light bulbs, which I quickly ditched for a flourscent hood. I think to get started I would buy a 20 gallon tank with flourscent, stand, bio-wheel filter, then some decorations and gravel. I recommend buying tropical freshwater fish, as they stay small typically, which means you can have more fish in the tank, which in my opinion makes it more interesting. For tropical fish you'll also need a heater. Once you have the tank and such let it run for roughly a week, then get your water tested (most pets stores do this for free), if it tests ok add a few fish. I recommend starting out with a few zebra danios, they are cheap, and have a tendency to live through about anything while your learning.

Answer 5

Yes, i found it more of a problem and especially if we went on holiday as they need quite in depth care sometimes and it was too much of a responsibility for my neighbour. Also, the fish are a lot more expensive than tropicals. I'm not sure why there seems to be so little choice now but its probably because of the nationals only wishing to stock fish they can sell daily, profitability and all that, but years ago we had some fabulous coloured fish called rainbows which came from Australia and their colours were as good as any marine fish. My favourite tank contained nothing but cardinal and neon tetras, those flashes of blue and red as they swam in shoals were fabulous! My daughter now has all my aquarium fish and tanks and whilst i miss seeing them i dont miss looking after them - i now have more holidays!

Answer 6

Why not try to ask pet shops. You can buy a complete set of marine fish tank from the shops but with regards to price it will depends how big you want the size of your fish tank.

Answer 7

A 'lot' is a matter of judgment. It can cost as little as a couple of hundred dollars to get started, but there's no upper bound at all.

Note that if it's set up and running correctly, it won't take three hours per day of maintenance, for any sanely sized tank.

If you like this sort of thing, an alternative approach might be to volunteer at your local aquarium.

Answer 8

yes Jason, its not cheap if you do it correctly and i will say also its a hobby and you take it for granted but the novelty wears off a little after a while but of course that applies strictly to the person concerned// You can buy paper backs on the subject

Answer 9

yes is the answer to this
you need ph kit
and all sorts of stuff before you even get the fish
and the tank has to be stable for at least a month

Answer 10

It is expensive, and I would highly recommend that you study marine aquarium keeping for a good year before you start, it's very complicated.