salt water fish tank?

Question

my man is interested in a salt water fish tank...I try to support him on these ventures although he does not always follow through with them...anyway, I was wondering if there was a way he could practice having a salt water tank? He has already had fresh water fish...could I maybe give him a five gallon tank with one fish and work him up to the size or number he wants? Neither of us has ever had a salt water tank...where is a good place to research care and what not? I already know that these tanks are EXTREMELY expensive and hard to maintain; however if it doesn't work out for him I am willing to step in and care for the tank, as long as I can research it first and know what I'm getting myself into...anyway, any one who has owned or knows anything about these tanks please feel free to post any knowledge that you have on the subject-it would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

There is a very good beginners article on marine aquariums at www.reefcentral.com. You can also find many good articles on the web pertaining to setting up, cycling, and stocking a saltwater tank.

If you started with a fish only with live rock tank(FOWLR) the setup cost is not a lot more than a freshwater tank. You still need all the basics such as tank, substrate(sand, crushed coral, etc.), lighting(normal flourescents will do), a hang on back filter(you can skip this if you use live rock with crabs and snails), a heater, and a powerhead to give current in the tank. You can go farther and get things like a protein skimmer, a sump system, refugium, etc. Not required just nice to have and they reduce maintenance.

For your maintenance concern yes saltwater needs a little more when it comes to water changes and testing, however, if set up properly they require far less cleaning than a freshwater tank. The larger the tank the less maintenance you need to do however the gretter the set-up costs. Larger tanks are also much more forgiving than smaller tanks for errors. Most people in saltwater will recommend you get the largest tank you can afford to start with. Not only because they are easier but also because once you get hooked your going to want a bigger tank.

An ideal beginner setup would be a 30-75 gallon tank. A power compact light set up. A decent protein skimmer. 1-1.5 pounds of live rock per gallon of your tank. 2 powerheads to give you around 10 times your tank size in flow per hour, a 3 inch deep substrate bed, 2 smaller heaters vice 1 large one, marine test kit and hydrometer, and your salt. After the cycle add in a cleanup crew of crabs and snails and a few brittle stars. Using the live rock and live cleanup crew removes your need to buy a hang on back biowheel type filter. The live rock is expensive but this is offset by not buying the other filter.

Do a search on the berlin filtration method for saltwater tanks. It's the best and easest way I have found to maintain a saltwater tank.

Basically set up the tank. Leak check all the equipment once set up with freshwater. Mix and add your salt until you are at 1.022 salinity, add in your live rock and a little fish food or raw shrimp. Keep feeding the tank every few days with fish food or once a week with a piece of raw shrimp until your cycle is done( zero ammonia and nitrites and decent amount of nitrates) Once this is done which takes anywhere from 2-6 weeks do a 50% water change then add in a variety of hermit crabs, snails, and brittle stars. After another week you can add in a fish or 2. Go very slow with adding fish. It takes time for your bioload to catch up with anything you add to the tank.

There is of course much much more to starting up a saltwater tank. Be ready to have to mix up saltwater for weekly water changes and frequent water testing as saltwater fish can be more sensitive to poor water quality. Research each fish or animal you want to add as compatablity, feeding requirements, and tank size will be more important to you with saltwater.

Good luck

Answer 2

Contrary to 'un-informed' opinions, saltwater tanks are not that much more difficult or expensive to maintain - as long as you have done your research first - and plenty of it!

Forget the 5 gallon tank - it won't work. Even an experienced reefer wouldn't touch anything under 20 gallons (nano-reef). There simply isn't enough water volume to keep the water quality stable enough. Go as high volume as you can possibly afford it will save you lots of money in the long term. Most importantly Research, Research, and more Research. A good place to start is wetwebmedia.com. Lose yourself in there for a couple of months & THEN you will be ready to start. Saltwater tanks DO require a little more work and a lot more patience, but the rewards are a thousand fold on freshwater as the tank is constantly evolving and growing. There is something new to see and learn everyday.
Patience is a definite must: "Only BAD things happen quickly in marine tanks"
Good luck!

Answer 3

Don't just rely on the forums on the net,get two or three good books an read them all more than once. Marine tanks are not that difficult if you know what you are doing. If you don't know,then it gets expensive and maybe even hopeless. A salt water tank is like a masters degree in aquarium. It's not too hard,but you've got to do the homework.

Answer 4

They are very hard to take care of. I would suggest going to a fish forum (just type in fish forum in yahoo) and there are experts on there that are very helpful.
They'll give you all the info you need.
I personally think you should first get your salt water tank going. Making sure there is enough salt in, that it has cycled and so on. You don't want those poor expensive fish to die.

But talk to an expert, they'll help you tremendously!