Saltwater Aquarium Help?

Question

Can someone with extensive saltwater experience please recommend a good website and/or book for setting up a saltwater aquarium?

I have over 20 years of freshwater experience, and would really like to start a saltwater aquarium. Of course I want to research it as much as I can before I attempt it.

And before you tell me to "google" it, I have, and there are so many different sites and opinions on the subject, its very difficult to know what the best info is.

Thank you.

Answer 1

There's way too much info to know to be covered here or at a website. Forums can be a good source of info, but like with websites, anyone and their brother can has (or contributes answers to one) one these days. You need a source where you can depend on accuracy of the info you get.

My advice is a good book - then you'll have it available each time you have a question. There were two that I used frequently when I was researching setting up my first tank - and I still refer to them to this day. These are "The New Marine Aquarium" Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1 and "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5. Both books give good info, the second goes a little more in depth into the fish. If you want to get into corals and other invertebrates, I'd recommend anything on that topic written by Julian Sprung.

Answer 2

The best thing to do is figure out what size tank you are going to do. Get as large of a tank as you can, because Saltwater fish need more room than freshwater since Saltwater holds less oxygen than freshwater and most saltwater fish get larger.

Supplies
Tank/Stand/etc
Lights. Are you doing coral? Hard or soft? Look into T5 lighting and Metal Halides. You will want around 3-5 watts per gallon.
Heater- Submersible, marineland is a good brand or hydor
Filter- Get a canister filter. The new FX5 is crazy awesome by Fluval, get one that will circulate all of the water in the tank at least 5 times per hour.
Protein Skimmer- Coral Life makes some great ones.
Substrate- Use either crushed coral or aragonite (aragonite is sand and crushed coral looks more like gravel. Either will buffer the pH to where you need it (8.2-8.3)
After the equipment is taken care of, you set up the tank as you would a freshwater tank, but you add in the sea salt. I prefer Oceanic or Coral life. A hydrometer is needed to read the level of salt in the water(specific gravity)
Live Rock is needed once the tank is setup and running. About 1lb per gallon is recommended but you can also mix live rock with base rock(it is dead live rock. It will eventually become live rock though) I did a 3/4 LR to 1/4 BR ratio because it is cheaper and works just fine. Give it a few weeks to cycle, and start with some fish. I'd recommend some Blue/Green Chromis to start because they are a peaceful damsel fish whereas most of the other damsel fish get aggressive as they get older. That should be about it, it is really easy so do some research and get to it! Best of luck

Answer 3

How To Setup a Saltwater Aquarium

This is for anyone interested in learning how to set up a saltwater aquarium. Starting a saltwater aquarium doesn't have to be difficult. It just takes some effort on your part to learn about and research the necessary topics.
For the type of saltwater fish tank setup (marine aquarium) described in this article you will need the following equipment:

Aquarium

Aquarium Photo Background or Paint the background - see Aquarium Aquascape Design for more info on painting the tank background.

Aquarium substrate such as live sand or crushed coral
Live Rock
Saltwater Mix
Saltwater Hydrometer

Aquarium filter
Replacement filter media like filter floss and activated carbon
Multiple Powerheads (2 or 3)
Heater - be sure to get one large enough for the size tank you're getting
Protein Skimmer - See the equipment reviews section for some protein skimmer reviews
Saltwater test kit(s) to test water parameters and monitor the infamous aquarium nitrogen cycle
Saltwater fish food
Aquarium vacuum
Fish net
Rubber kitchen gloves
Aquarium Glass Scrubber
Two, clean, never used before, 5-gallon buckets
Aquarium thermometer
Brush with plastic bristles (old tooth brush) - needed for cleaning the live rock
Quarantine Tank for acclimating new arrivals and monitoring for signs of fish disease
Power Strip

Answer 4

Wow! that sure was a lot to type! DanielleZ seems to have everything covered here.

I am new to this site but I have been reading some of the questions and answers given here. DanielleZ seems to have the best advice when it comes to salt water tanks. and I have to agree with the web page thing. I've read a lot of BS on some. Just people wanting to have a web page and not really knowing what they are talking about. Time and patience is the key to a good salt tank.

Answer 5

I used Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies. Don't know if it is the best out there, but it helped me. The only thing it didn't do was give me a solid idea of the costs, which are a lot.

Answer 6

I like fishgeeks.com. they are the most extensive website for the marine aquarist. good luck with your new hobby. your off to a good start by reading up on marine aquariums before you start. you'll have to decide weather you want a fish only, fish with live rock, or reef tank (much more difficult and expensive) before you start.

Answer 7

Check out this thread from Reefcentral.com

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1038919

Answer 8

Try reefcentral.com they have several forums and a specific one for begginers, just log in. IT is a very good website

Answer 9

Congratulations! At least you are starting on the right foot. Figuring out what you will need to get started. First and I would like to stress this one word, PATIENCE.

First step for your tank is figuring out where you are going to put it. Remember with a salt water tank, you are going to have to leave room behind the tank for access, filters etc. About 8-12 inches. (This will also help to protect walls from salt evaporation. I'll explain later) Once you have that, we are ready to start.

Do you have a local fish store to trust? One that relies on good fish keeping and good advice to stay in business. Find one even if you have to drive a few miles out of your way. They can be a large asset when it comes to fish.

Do you have any ideas on what you might want to keep? Or is this a "we'll start with a blank canvas and see where it goes?" thing?

To start, a regular hood, no special lights will suffice for now. (until you see if this is what you really want to advance to)

To start, you do not NEED a protein skimmer. They are prefered but, my 30 gallon has never had a skimmer or power heads and still doesn't. I hate to use the word cheap, just less expensive. And you can still have a healthy tank. A protein skimmer as you progress is a wonderful addition to the tank.

A rear whisper filter designed for your tank will also suffice for now. Your best bet is to shop around. You can if you choose to go with a back pack filter which come preequiped with a protein skimmer for around $150.00. This could save time and money later when upgrading. A canister filter is also an option, but that is room depending and the type of tank you choose to go with.

For a beginner, I would suggest dolomite (Crushed coral) for the bottom of your tank (Easier to care for). If you are not going to be running a protein skimmer, this will make cleaning much easier. You will also want to get a gravel siphon for cleaning (these can range from a couple of bucks to upwards of $50. You don't need anything fancy, just a siphon). A heater for the size of your tank is a must $10-15), thermometer $1.95 In the tank only a floater of one that attaches doesn't matter. It should be placed the farthest from your heater as possible.) A hydrometer These can run from a few dollars and up. Just a floating hydrometer is fine. around $4.00. Some packages of salt you will purchase sometimes come with a hydrometer, so this may help. Instant Ocean makes a quality synthetic salt. ($22.00). (When you start moving up in the salt water I would suggest switching to Red Sea Salt.) Power heads are most beneficial, but at this point not necessary. They can be added on at any time. Get a quality Dechlorinator. (DO NOT USE start right or stress coat in your marine tank) AquaNova + is a good dechlor and it also adds back trace minerals to the water. One or two 5 gallon buckets. $2.29 each at home depot and walmart.

Decide where you are going to put your tank. You want to be sure it isn't in direct sunlight or near a heat source (no different than fresh water here)

Ok I think we are ready to start. Be sure your tank is clean. You can use a salt water mix to clean your tank. There is also an aquarium cleaner you can buy but for your tank, a mix of 1/2 cup of salt dissolved in a gallon of water will do. (no specifics here.) Clean the tank rinse and let's get started.

If you chose to use the dolomite you do not want to use more than will cover 1 1/2 - 2 inches across the bottom. (Sand will require the same) Use a kitchen sive and clean the gravel by rinsing it. Dump the gravel into the bucket and swish the heck out of it. Drain the milky water and rinse again.

(You will only do this if you are using dry dolomite. LIVE dolomite and live sand do not get rinsed)

Pour the gravel into the bottom of your tank. Doesn't need to be flattened yet since you are going to be dumping water into your tank and this is going to dislocate it anyway. Using your 5 gallon buckets, fill just about 4 gallons or 4 1/5 depending on how much you can lift. Add the required amount of Dechlor and then the salt. (Usually 1.5 pounds or 24 oz per 5 gallons, however I have never used that much to obtain a 1.022 gravity in my tank.) I start by adding a cup mixing to disolve (and I use warm tap water here) I will check the hydrometer to see how far off I am and either add more salt or more fresh water. Since you are setting up your tank, obtaining an exact 1.022 is not that important right now, getting close is. Continue dissolving salt and new water until your tank is about 3-4 inches from the top. Attach your filter (be sure it is rinsed well as well as the filters) if you choose to use a rear filter. Even so a back pack filter also needs rinsed. Now we have water movement.

I did not mention anything about live rock or any other items for your tank yet. At this stage since you REALLY should not try to cycle your salt water this early with live rock. If you only knew what things grow on and in the rock, don't waste your money now. It really isn't needed. Now that your tank is running. Check the water with the hydrometer. you should be pretty close to your 1.022 range. Slightly higher or lower isn't going to matter. Turn your heater on and set it for around 78. Finish topping off your tank with salt mixed water. Don't forget to add dechlor to every bucket. Congratulations, your tank is now set up. Now comes the waiting. And you will wait. To aid in the tanks cycling, but does not replace cycling, take a few pieces of raw fish or shrimp, chop them up and toss them intothe tank. This will help the bacteria establish more quickly leading to a healther tank later. Get a notebook. Markdown the day you set your tank up and what you did and what you used. Do this with water changes and tests. This way you have a record of what was done.

Let it run. Continue to run the lights during the day and off at night. After about a week, check your water quality. I would suggest a really good test kit, and strips. I use the strips (I call them dummy strips since they are very broad ranged and are not accurate enough for fishkeeping) to initially test. Then I compair them with what I get from my water tests. I mark the results down in my note book with the day. If you don't trust yourself enough to read the water, take it to your LFS. They will do it for you. Your tank will have to run a minimum of 6 weeks with nothing in it. Do not try to rush this process. Salt water is not the same as fresh water. Shrimp, anemone or even fish are less tolorent of water conditions.

If you really MUST have something swimming around, after 3 weeks, you can buy a black mollie or a couple of guppies. They will live fine in your tank at this time. They are the only fish to attempt. Placing damsels would kill the damsels since they are not the same kind of fish mollies and guppies are. You really do not need to do any water changes during the break in time. If you are showing spiking of nitrates, you can to do a 20% water change. After your 6 week break in period, test your water. If all the parmiters are ok, you can begin with the lower end fish. Damsels. DO NOT TRY to place triggers or tangs or puffers into your tank. The bacteria is present, but not established and it will kill these fish. If your damsels are doing fine in two weeks, you can start adding live rock to build up your substraight. You can buy as little as pound or ten pounds. You can buy dead corals, fake corals, or whatever you want to decorate your tank. Your tank will need to sit for a minimum of 6 months before you can attempt the higher end fish. DO NOT over load your tank with live rock. Adding too much too soon like fish will over load the bacteria in the tank and kill most of your live rock.

I test my tanks every three days. I only do a water change of 25% once every three to four weeks. However, my tanks are fully established and pretty much self sufficient.

A few rules of thumb when dealing with salt fish. Keep your hands out! The more your hands remain out of the tank, the better your fish will be.

DO not spray anything in the room your tank is in.

Now you can start thinking about breeding brine shrimp, and what other fish you are interested in getting. Remember to do your research, since fish require different lighting, water paramiters and are or are not compatable with reef, invertabreas etc.

Good luck. If you have any additional question feel free to email me.

I did not list web pages on this subject because I can list 5 or 6 and they will all be slightly different and confusion isn't what you want right now.

I've had salt tanks over 30 years. If you like I can send you links of sites I too will refer to.