I am thinking about getting a saltwaer tank?

Question

I would love to have a salt water tank, because the fish are so exotic, and such. I am getting paid today, and i have no idea how much, but at least $20. I already have $3, and my birthday is on the 28th of july, and i always get money from relatives.Anyway, I've heard that saltwater tanks are hard to have, and very expensive to keep. I really don't need a huge one, i would like one to go in our kitchen,or in our media room, which is like a bonus room. Maybe 10gallons to 20gallons is really all I need. My dad let's me get all the fish i want, because when i get fish, it takes my mind off of begging him for a cat or dog,lol. I want about 6 or 7 fish. i was hoping to do a nemo theme. With all the fish from "finding nemo". But I will most likely start out with 2 or 3. I don't know really anything about saltwater tanks, and I will do lots of search on it. Can you guys give me some information on them, and tell me what i need to know?

Answer 1

To keep a tank with the fish that were in the dentist's office you'd need well over 100 gallons. (Movies, although entertaining, don't reflect the realities of keeping saltwater fish).

That's not to say that you can't keep some of them in a smaller tank, though. Because the fish in saltwater tanks are more sensitive to environmental changes (this includes water temperature and water chemistry) and are more territorial (will be aggressive to fish in "their space") it's best to go with the largest tank you can afford. When I was first starting, a 30 gallon was suggested as the smallest for a beginner. Since you're already thinging of a 20, I would suggest you get a 29 - it has the same base area as a 20 long, but is taller. Even this size should only have 3-5 fish depending on the species and size.

A 29 will cost about $50 and you'll also need to get a filter ($35) , heater ($20-25), hydrometer ($8-10), lights & cover ($35), salt mix ($15-25), and coral or aragonite substrate ($25). And that doesn't include the fish, food, or cleaning supplies you'll need. As you can see, the part about it being expensive is correct! The prices are approximate, since there is variation depending on where you live and what brands you might choose. Do go for the cheapest products you can find either, because you'll be spending a good bit for the fish, and you want items that are reliable and will last. I would also recommend that you get some live rock to help with filtration and to make "caves" as hiding places for your fish.

The easiest of the fish to start with are the clowns - they're fairly hardy, but these will cost around $18-25 each. They will eat a variety of foods, so a basic marine flake or pellet is best, and you can give them occassional treats of frozen ebruched brine shrimp, plankton, marine cuisine, or emerald entree (they do need to have some plant matter in their diets, so at least one food should have some type of seaweed or spirulina algae). Gurgle (a royal gramma) and Jaques (the cleaner shrimp) would also work well in that size of a tank. Deb, the three stripe damsel would be the only other one that could be kept in that small of a tank, but damsels tend to be aggressive, and will harass the others if you tired to keep one.

Dory (hippo or Pacific blue tang) grows to be a foot and Tad (yellow tang) about 8 inches, and these need more swimming space than your tank could provide. Gill is a Moorish Idol, and these are recommended only for expert aquarists, since they are so difficult to keep. Bloat, the puffer, needs to be in a tank by itself.

There are plenty of other species you could keep though. My persobal favorites are longnose hawkfish and Bangaii cardinalfish, both of which would work in aa 29 gallon. Some others people like are canary blennies, jawfish, clown gobies, dwarf angelfish, and firefish. You can also add some snails, hermit crabs (the marine type), and maybe a brittlestar. That's far too many for a 29 gallon, so you'll have to do a bit of research to find out which you like and which will get along the best.

Researching these fish, as well as saltwater fish keeping, would be a good place to start, before you get too deeply into buying anything. Knowing what you need (and what you don't), and planning ahead of time will save you a lot of frustration (and money!) in the long run. I'll enclose a few links where you can begin your research, but none of these will take the place of a good book. I highly recommend The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1 or The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5. I spent about 2 years researching what I wanted to keep before I ever set up my first marine tank, although I alreasy had over 20 years of freshwater fish experience, and don't regret having done so.

http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginners.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=16
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/

Answer 2

thats hard and prehaps with a limited budget, i would go freshwater.

Saltwater is extremly hard, and if you dont know what your doing it can cost you alot more than you expect. The problem is, for beginners, just like freshwater, the larger the tank the easier it is.

The smaller the tank, the chances increase that failure will occur, so a 10 galon and a 20 gallon isnt really alot. For saltwater, you should be really looking at 55-75 gallons.

Which will get expensive with live coral and substrate. Dont forget about the protien skimmers you will need, and chillers and heaters.

Saltwater products will cost alot...

Now as far as stocking, finding nemo was a bad movie for this reason. This is because, flase pelicua clownfish, blue tangs, yellow tangs, puffers, moorish idols, etc... are not small or cheap fishes.

They need large tanks and can run you alot of cash.

If you want a small tank, you can only go with some inverts and some small fishes, like damsels.

I would go with freshwater, until you have a bigger budget and more knowledge on saltwater tanks. Always do research as while your passion is good, if you dont know what to do, it will cost you a whole lot more than you expect.

Answer 3

Sorry to break it to you, but the fish in Finding Nemo need very large tanks. A 10-20 gallon tank is almost impossible to keep as a stable saltwater tank. Also, the startup for a 10 gallon saltwater tank is going to be a couple hundred dollars. A better place to start is a 10 gallon freshwater tank. There are many colorful fish for a small freshwater tank too. Platties, Guppies, Killifish, and Tetras would all be great choices for starter fish. For those fish, you would need a heater, filter, gravel, and decorations. In a 10 gallon tank, you could keep about 15 male Fancy Guppies. They come in a rainbow of colors, and are very easy to take care of. When you decide what you want to do with your tank, come back and ask more questions regarding specific fish and setup. Before buying fish, make sure you read all about them on the Internet, there are loads of sites that will help you learn about your colorful friends. This site is a great place to start.http://www.firsttankguide.net/. Good luck!

If you have any specific questions regarding setup/costs, email me at [e-mail].

Nosoop4u

Answer 4

Good idea to do a lot of reading up on it first. I would suggest starting with a freshwater tank first and getting familiar with all that needs to be done.

Fresh and salt are basically similar, just a few extra steps needed for salt water. Plus, for salt water it's recommended to have a minimum 30-40 gallons, but a beginner should really start with a 55 gallon. It's very very difficult to have a salt water tank under 30 gallons, and only those with lots of fish keeping experience should try it in that small of a tank.

And, most salt water fish grow quite large, or if they stay small are rather territorial so you won't be able to keep that many in a 10-20 gallon tank. And, salt water tanks are a bit more money then fresh water, all the chemicals, accessories, fish-all cost more.

Answer 5

a 20 gallon tank is not impossible it just takes a lot of dedication.
in such a small tank keeping the salinity in the right zone is harder than in larger tanks. if possible get a 29 or 37 (they take up the same amount of counter space) or buy a larger tank and a stand for it. in smaller tanks you have to keep adding water to it to make sure the salinity doesn't rise to much.
if you only want to keep fish, not coral or anenomes or anything, tap water with a dechlorinator is fine, but if you want corals you will need RO/DI water and alot more experince to keep them.
dory, gill, bloat, and bubbles all get too big for your tank (regal tang, moorish idol, porcupine puffer, and yellow tang respectivly) but gurgle, peach, deb, marlin/nemo and jaques can all work for your tank size (royal gramma, starfish, 4 stripe damsel, occelarus clown, and cleaner shrimp).
you need 1 pound of live rock per gallon and 1 pound of live sand per gallon (go to a saltwater fish store and they will know what you are talking about) lights are not important unless you want corals and stuff, normal flourecent lights will do just fine. you'll want 1 or 2 powerhead in the tank and either an HOB (hang on the back) filter ot canister filter, canisters get clogged too easily and are more expensive, ilike just HOB's.
keep topping off freshwater and doing weekly water changes of 10% and feeding them some kind of SW food and that's about it.
also you'll want some kind of snails and hermit crabs to keep the tank sort of clean, try 1 snail for every gallon and 1 hermit crab for every 2 gallons.

saltwater tanks are expensive to set up but not to maintain, and beleive me they are worth it, so let's not tell her that it can't be done but rather what she has to do to make it work.

Answer 6

well the price would be about 30-50 for a starter kit at walmart depending on the size of the tank you want and it comes with everything you need for the fish just make sure that you dont mix the salt water and freshwater fish together lol, you cant really tell the sex of a fish till breading season (generally in the spring) and dont try to mate two fish unless you have two tanks lol they are pretty easy to take care of oh and make sure to clean the filter every two or so weeks or it could be bad and if you get a 20 gallon you might want to use the water hose and look into getting a gravel cleaner because you dont want to have to clean that thing every few weeks or so besides that have fun and good luck !

Answer 7

Freshwater- large exotics 2 - Arowana 1- ornate bichir 1- black shark 1- Ghost Knife 1- tire track eel... for starters Saltwater full reef tank would take a while and $$$$ to set up, but the pay-off would be great. Is your living room directly on top of your homes foundation? If not, put it in the basement. 800 gallons is risky without proper floor support.

Answer 8

Saltwater tanks are MUCH more difficult to care for than freshwater tanks, and the fish can be very expensive (some fish can be around $100!) Freshwater fish can be very pretty, too, and are MUCH easier to care for. (They're also usually MUCH less expensive ). Dwarf Gourami are a VERY pretty freshwater fish (http://www.aquarist-classifieds.co.uk/directory/gallery_Dwarf%20Gouramis_10.php), and it should be easier to keep them alive. You can get one for about $5. Saltwater tanks take a lot of care and probably aren't a good beginner tank.

Answer 9

ok....if you have any experience with fish you know they are not easy to keep .........especially salt water...the smallest available tank for 6 or 7 fish is a 10 gallon which will cost about 30 dollars that usually includes a light and filter.......they have to have a frozen shrimp diet which will probablu cost you about 10 dollars a week and you have to have an exact salt level.....or else your fish will be in the toilet...so consider all of this and read up about it on the internet but i say go for it because fish are so much fun so try it out....and if it doesnt work switch to freshwater...which are alot eassier and cheaper to maintain and feed

Answer 10

I don't know much about that either, but i hope copperhead will answer your question, i have already forwarded a link to him





EB