Help with Salt Water fish tanks?

Question

I'm about to start up a salt water fish tank. I have all the filters and heater and whatnot to use already. It's a 40 gallon octagon tank. I guess my question is what's the best way to get all the supplies such as salt, sand, testers, ect.. I don't want to spend a lot of money on this, just a live rock with a few fish for now. Is there a place online where I can buy everything in one kit?? That would probably help the most instead of getting ripped off by a pet shop. I have helped my brother set up his salt water tank but he bought all of the items individually.

Answer 1

Well, the advantage of local fish stores over buying online is that you won't have to pay shipping costs. Unlike freshwater tanks, saltwater doesn't come in "kits", other than the nanotanks where everything's built in. Since you already have the tank, you won't probably be interested in buying another. Another advantage is that you'll get to hand-pick the pieces of live rock that you like because you'll be able to see them first. When you buy online, you're at the mercy of what the shipper picks for you.

I also recommend learning about what you want so you can go into a store with a good idea of what you want and what each item does - that's how not to be ripped off by an employee trying to seel you something you don't want or need.

You already have a filter & heater, so we can eliminate those items. I would suggest a powerhead or undergravel filter for additional water movement - your tank is most likely taller than wide, so either of these will help circulate oxygenated water to the bottom of the tank and keep debris in the water long enough for your filter to remove it.

For your water, you'll need a salt mix, but with fish only, you can use one of the less expensive brands like Instant Ocean. A hydrometer will be necessary so you can mix the saltwater to the correct concentration (1.020-1.026 for fish, 1.024-1.026 for invertebrates). The floating glass hydrometers are more accurate, although they have a tendency to break (by dropping or when cleaning). They're also a little harder to read in the tank from the motion of the water - you'll either have to get water in a separate container, or turn the filter and powerheads off temporarily to get a reading.

You'll want aragonite or coral substrate for buffering the pH rather than "sand" which is inert. If you're going to get live rock, live sand isn't needed - the bacteria from the rock will seed the substrate. You can also save but getting some dry reef rock for a base and putting the good quality live rock on the top where it will be seen.

A good test kit is a must - I like the API master kits, personally. You'll get tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in the saltwater kit. A kit with liquid reagents gives more accurate results as long as you follow the directions and clean the tubes between each use.

A protein skimmer is highly recommended, but not absolutely necessary. You can hold off on purchasing one as long as you do regular water changes, and don't overstock or overfeed. But once you see what gets removed from the water, you'll wonder how your tank ever looked clean before you started using it.

Here's a website where you can additional information about saltwater tanks and equipment: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/
plus one that I order from a good bit if my lfs doesn't have what I want/need: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/index.web

I still prefer going locally when I can, and most stores will get items on special order if there's something you want that they don't normally stock. At least it saves on shipping!

Good luck with the tank.

Answer 2

I recommend knowing what you need ahead of time. Read articles and get an idea about different products as there are multiple ways of maintaining and effective marine fish tank (reef will get more pricy and be more equipment restrictive).
Usually there is no one single store to purchase everything, whether online or a local fish store. There are also good and bad in both. My personal opinion is that you will do better in independent local stores and independent online stores (being in the business over 27 years), most chains sell what they can make the most money on, NOT what is necessarily the best and this goes for the big box stores such as PetsMart or online retailers such as Dr. Fosters.

Also consider DIY wet/dry filters which may yield you good filter with less cost, usually the cost of the sump, pump (I suggest Via Aqua pumps for value), and live rock crumbles.

I recommend reading this article on marine basics and following some of the links here including for DIY filters:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Basic_Saltwater.html

Answer 3

You need to find a local pet store you can trust. I have never seen a KIT that had everything you need since every aquarist has different needs for different tanks.

I would suggest going to your local mom and pop store that relies on good advice on fish keeping to stay in business. Salt isn't that expensive for the synthetic types which are fine for starters. Hydrometers, crushed coral or sand as well as a testing kit for salt water are not all that expensive. Live rock, depending on the type you get is roughly 7-9 bucks per pound. you don't need to fill your tank up with rock. Expect to pay around 22 buck for a 20 pound bag of instant ocean, testing kits can range from a simple basic kit to a master kit $4.99 and up depending on the type you choose. Although a master test kit is nice, to start it isn't needed. Saltwaterfish.com has kits and supplies however I would suggest your local pet store and buy items individually.

Salt water does not have to be expensive, however having the right equipment will make your life and your saltwater fish experience much more enjoyable.

Answer 4

Just go to your fish store not like pet-smart, pet-co, or walmart. go to a saltwater fish store and ask them about every thing and they will tell you all you need to know about fish and fish supplies. Its not too expensive around 50-75$, but it will last you a long, long time. Totally worth it, i just set up my 3rd fish tank, and all my supplies with the coral food,fish food, salt, sand, and water is totals up to about 175$ not to bad. Good starter off fish are damsels , chromises .
Hope it helped good luck~~~!

Answer 5

Find a fish store that is owned independently and ask the owner for advice.
The price of marine set-ups is high... if the srop owner knows that you are serious he won't rip you off, because he will make money from you in the future.
To be succesful with marines you have to spend serious money... don't try to cut corners.
Enjoy and good luck

Answer 6

You're best off going with an idependant aquarium shop. You might be able to beat their prices by a few bucks online, but the free advice and knowlege you get in return from them is priceless.