I want to buy a salt water tank, does anyone have price estimates and details about them?

Question

details about owning saltwater tanks? price estimates?

thanks =]

Answer 1

I was going to get a salt water tank about a year ago. I got a lot of info about it.
1. the 10-gallon tank I bought was $50. It included the actual glass tank, the filter, the cover and light bulb, and the heater (which you will need). It came from Wal-Mart (more than a year later and it's still in perfect condition!).
2. The salt will probably be $5-$10 (idk), gravel will be about $10
3. the plant's prices from $3 to $100 depending if you want live, glow-in-the-dark, or the regular plastic plants
4. there is a certain kind of light bulb that you need for salt water fish and it is probably around $50 for a 10-gal. tank like mine. yes, they are expensive but they are very important
5. you need chemicals which range anywhere from $5 to $30
6. there is a kind of rock and fish that have to inhabit the tank first, but i don't know much about it
7. that's all i know, if you need more info, talk to soemone who works in the fish section in a pet store (that's what i did)

Answer 2

It's hard to give a good estimate, because prices will vary depending on where you live and what you want to keep.

I'd suggest starting with a larger tank, something on the lines of a 29-55 gallon. This gives you more room and flexibility in what you can keep, and makes a more stable environment as far as temperature and water chemistry.

You'll need the usual equipment (heater, filter) as well as some things that may need to be upgraded for freshwater, and some found in saltwater only.

If you're only planning to keep fish, the standard lighting that comes with a hood is okay, but if you want to keep things like corals or anemones, these live in a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae which provides some of their food, so you need far more intense lighting to keep the photosynthetic organisms happy - without them, the coral or anemone dies. So you'll want to look at compact fluorescent, T-5, or metal halide lighting systems.

You'll need salt and a hydrometer. A hydrometer is a device used to measure the amount of salt in wtaer - since the salt compacts over time, there's no convenient cups per gallons measurement. For just fish, you want the specific gravity to measure 1.020-1.026, if you're keeping invertebrates, you'll want this at 1.024-1.026.

Although not absolutely necessary, a protein skimmer is strongly suggested - it removes dissolved organic matter that would otherwise add to the nutrients in your tank that will "fertilize" algae.

Above all, one of the most important things you can get is a good book on keeping a marine aquarium.

I'll post some websites below where you can get more details about these and do a little price calculations.

http://www.apapets.com/MarineEcosystem/whatto.htm
http://www.thatpetplace.com/
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=16
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/

Answer 3

6 gallon nano cube at drsfosterandsmith.com costs $119.99. 12 gallon costs the same. So assuming you we're buying the 12 gallon, live rock, live sand, coral, and fish would be over$200.00. Be prepared to spend a lot of money on a saltwater tank.

~ZTM

Answer 4

what size do you want??? ans what do you want to keep??

Answer 5

idk ( i dont know)