what is required to set up a saltwater tank?

Question

HI, im looking to get into saltwater tanks, i would like to use live rock,live sand and some live plants. ive searched around for the requirments but im getting a little overwelmed with the information. this would be my FIRST attempt at this so im sure ill make a few mistakes but i would like to avoid them if possible. so what im looking for is just the basics to get this thing started. im open to any and all suggestions and you may e-mail with any additional information or tips. thanks in advance

Answer 1

There is a lot of info, so it's good that you're researching first. I have both fresh and saltwater (several of both), and other than expense and a few additional pieces of equipment, it doesn't have to be that much harder. The best thing to do is to get a few good books that you can take your time with, and to go slow (I read about saltwater for two years before setting up my first tank). Two books I liked when I first started were "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael Paletta and "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner. Fenner also runs the wetwebmedia website suggested above, and it a god source for information (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ ).
"Different" equipment consists of a protein skimmer (not absolutely required, but strongly suggested), a hydrometer (for mixing saltwater to the correct salinity for your animals), maybe some specialized lighting (if you plan to keep photosynthetic organisms like corals, clams, or anemones).

Beyond that, it's all about the fish selection and getting things that are compatible in your setup and having the proper sized tank. Saltwater fish tend to be more territorial and aggressive, so they require more room each - this also helps with diluting their wastes and keeping the temperature and water chemistry stable.

I don't suggest damsels as first fish (lots of people do) because for their size, they can be very territorial and harrass any other fish you put in after them to the point oof death. Trust me, you won't think a $4.99 damsel is such a bargain when it kills your $40 angel. The exceptions I'd make to this are green chromis damsels which are a peaceful schooling fish, or 1-2 clownfish, although they can terrorize the others in the tank if they decide to lay eggs. Some other good, smaller, reef-safe fish to start with are cardinalfish, long-nose hawkfish, clown and scissortail gobies, canary blennies, and firefish. You'll aslo want to get some snails and hermit crabs as cleaners.

I'll put some websites for you below:
http://www.apapets.com/MarineEcosystem/whatto.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=16
http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginners.htm

Answer 2

try wetwebmedia, a TON of saltwater info. as for a tank i would reccomend bigger, much more stable. yes live rock, i wouldnt buy the live sand in the bags, no telling how much is still alive, a few cups from an established tank is alot better, and for gods sake NO undergravel filter and no crushed coral

for a fish only i would use a wet/dry filter, there are alot of good DIY pans out there besause they can be quite expensive. and a good skimmer, my personal is a coralife needle wheel, but there are some new mesh wheel ones i would loev to try. water flow is very imporatnt as well at least 10x hour.

for a reef (yes it can be done by a beginner, my first tank was a 5g nano reef) a good set of lights (VHO, T-5's, PC's minimium) Halides on larger tanks. and a sump/refigium filter. i would suggest a few small fish first (no damsels, too mean) and for your first coral try mushrooms, zoanathids, and star polyps, some of the hardest around, and gewt thats flow up to 20x or more per hour.

testing
ammonia-0
nitrite-0
nitrate- under 20 for reef, under 50 for fish only
pH- 8.2/8.4
Alkalinity-8-12
calcium-350-540
temp 76-80 78 is what mine are
Salinity 1.020/1.025 reef 1.024

i might have forgot a few things, but that abou ti for now

Answer 3

If you have kept freshwater tanks successfully you will be fine. You will need to pay closer attention to water parameters with saltwater but it is really no different. The key is to keep everything stable, no big fluctuations in temp, pH, salinity, etc... Your most important step is to decide what you really want to keep in your tank, once you decide that you can build your setup around your fish. Make sure the tank size is suitable for the fish you select. Live rock and sand are a great start to your setup. A wet/dry trickle filter and a good protein skimmer are good choices for filtration. The trickle filter will allow you to hide your equipment in it instead of cluttering your tank. Seek advise of other hobbyist and put together what works for you.

Answer 4

your of to a good start live sand and rock will provide addiqute bio filtration but with the sand a UGF will be imposible to keep(Under Gravel Filter(best salt water filtration)). so I'd recomaend a trikle filter of fluidized bed filter.
also and most important get fish that have thae same salt to water ratio or close to them(all water bodys have different salt ratios.)

p.s you culd also do diatom filtration but their really expensive to keep and will eventually kill most of your bacteria from the live sand and rock.

Answer 5

i'd post this but.. it's too long.

Follow the link and all your questions will be answered my friend.
http://faq.thekrib.com/sbegin.html

If you've never had an aquarium before i suggest you do a freshwater first, a saltwater can be VERY expensive especially for a newbie starting out.

Visit me more at www.fishaquarium.org

Answer 6

try to stay away from the saltwater tanks unless your a expert cause they take tons oif maintence and care so unless u do tons of work on em i suggest a freshwater lol