How much work would a 40 gallon salt water tank be?

Question

how much work would it be to have a 40 gallon salt water tank.
And how much would all the needed supplies cost and what all would I need. Can I get help setting up.

Answer 1

Well, it would be about as much as any salt water tank would be to set up.
You need the basic equipment:
Tank and stand - 200$ or whatever
You will need lighting of some sort. The basic lighting that comes with most tanks won't be adequate, especially if you're planning on having corals; instead, you'll need metalides, and/or compact fluorescent, and/or moonlights - these are expensive, you can expect to say 150-500$ for your lights.
You will need filtration. You can go with a Skimmer, and a combination of liverock and/or external filtration. A protein skimmer removes the oily film from the surface of the water, and costs 100-200$.
You'll need about 50 lbs of liverock, give or take, and it costs 5-10$ per pound. Don't bother getting pre-cured liverock, because it will cure when you put it in your tank anyway.
You can also get external filtration like a canister filter, which'll cost 1-200$, but that part isn't necessary if you have adequate Live Rock.
You'll also want a couple powerheads to simulate ocean currents - 50$ each.
You'll need various electrical equipment like timers, splitters, power bars, extension cords.
For sand, I suggest you get a couple pounds of live sand and get the rest in aragonite - the live sand will "seed" the aragonite while you're cycling your tank.

You'll need testing supplies, salt (I prefer Instant Ocean), and a hydrometer.

When you gather your equipment and ready to set up, you'll need to start with the salt water. Fill your tank partway and add salt, allowing it to disolve, and test until you have the correct salinity. You may need to add water or salt to get it perfect.
Then you add your live sand and live rock.
Then you need to let it cycle for 4 weeks. This is a good time to re-read books on marine tanks, read articles online, ask questions on online forums etc.

40 gallons is a tad smaller than what I'd recommend to start SW with, but it's by no means impossible. Once it's all set up, you'll need to keep a close eye on your salinity and nitrate (etc) levels, keep the water topped up, and frequent cleanups of uneaten food etc. It's undoubtedly more work than fresh water, but if you're willing to put in the effort, it'll be worth it.

Answer 2

you should try to find a reliable pet shop to deal with and I'm not talking about the crappy chains like pet smart. try to find someone with some intellect. Salt water isn't much harder than fresh. For a 40 gallon tank you will need a good filter that will cycle the tank about 8-10 times an hour and has biological filtration ( at least a bio wheel). use crushed coral as your substrate or marine sand, they make some with live bacteria to help you with your nitrogen cycle. generally, you want to upgrade the lighting from what comes in your strip light. also be sure to use a submersible heater, to lessen salt from building on the top of the tank. if a lot of this is over your head, get the Instant Ocean Handbook from your pet shop. be very careful what info you follow from the Internet, lots and lots of bad info....

Answer 3

40 Gallon Saltwater Tank

Answer 4

i have a 40 gallon saltwater reef & let me tell you, it's not cheap or easy, but it's well worth it.

i paid $100 for the tank iteslf (cheap cuz got it from a friend)
$300 for the metal halide lighting
$200 for the skimmer
60lbs of live rock @ 4.99/lb = $299.40 + tax

then corals & fish, i only have 3 fish & none were more than $30/each. the corals are a different story. one ricordea rock cost me $90. my crocea clam cost $60. and the list goes on & on.

if you have a lot of patience, some extra cash to spare & are willing to do research & listen to others then i highly recommend you get the tank.

Answer 5

You could buy the tank pre-built, or construct one yourself. Since that is over 300 pounds of water, strength is required. I would go to a pet store or other dealers in such products, who can tell you lots more and show you possibilities.

Answer 6

ALGAE EATER the most important thing for a salt water fish tank

Answer 7

http://www.brackish-water-aquarium-for-marines.com/

That website is step by step instructions for setting up a tank, what you need, and costs. Wonderful for beginners.

Good luck