saltwater aquarium??

Question

how much would a new small saltwater aquarium be for a 10 gallon aquarium? my mom and i want one sooooooo bad!

Please, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanx!

Answer 1

The first guy is an idiot and his answer is misleading. First you need to research about fish and the cycling process. I did not do this when i first got my tank and my fish died.

A ten gallon tank with a filter and light should cost around 40-60 dollars on average, there are some that are more expensive as well... You will also deep sea salt, a hydrometer which measures the amount of salt in the water, because there is a specific amount you need, you cannot add too much or too little salt to it or your fish will die!

You will also need a thermometer and heater for your tank.

All that will probably cost around 180-300 dollars depending on which brands you get...

good luck with your new hobby.

Answer 2

The best thing to do is figure out what size tank you are going to do. Get as large of a tank as you can, because Saltwater fish need more room than freshwater since Saltwater holds less oxygen than freshwater and most saltwater fish get larger. Supplies Tank/Stand/etc Lights. Are you doing coral? Hard or soft? Look into T5 lighting and Metal Halides. You will want around 3-5 watts per gallon. Heater- Submersible, marineland is a good brand or hydor Filter- Get a canister filter. The new FX5 is crazy awesome by Fluval, get one that will circulate all of the water in the tank at least 5 times per hour. Protein Skimmer- Coral Life makes some great ones. Substrate- Use either crushed coral or aragonite (aragonite is sand and crushed coral looks more like gravel. Either will buffer the pH to where you need it (8.2-8.3) After the equipment is taken care of, you set up the tank as you would a freshwater tank, but you add in the sea salt. I prefer Oceanic or Coral life. A hydrometer is needed to read the level of salt in the water(specific gravity) Live Rock is needed once the tank is setup and running. About 1lb per gallon is recommended but you can also mix live rock with base rock(it is dead live rock. It will eventually become live rock though) I did a 3/4 LR to 1/4 BR ratio because it is cheaper and works just fine. Give it a few weeks to cycle, and start with some fish. I'd recommend some Blue/Green Chromis to start because they are a peaceful damsel fish whereas most of the other damsel fish get aggressive as they get older. That should be about it, it is really easy so do some research and get to it! Best of luck

Answer 3

It really won't cost that much.

Maybe $200 - $250 USD.

You can buy a nano cube 12 gallon tank which pretty much has everything you need to get started.

Just buy your salt water pre-made from your local fish store (LFS). Be sure to change about a gallon per week.

Many people use nano cubes as micro reef tanks, I strongly recommend that you do not do this. Nanos have proven to be ineffective at keeping healty corals over time.

I would recommend you just pick out 1-4 small salt water fish for your tank. (Start with a green chromis or two when cycling the tank for the first 6 weeks, then add 1 clown, 1 mini blue tang, 1 royal gramma). Also maybe add a cleaner shrimp, they are useful at keeping away ich.

Be sure to change 1 gallon of water per week, and change out the carbon maybe once a month. This will help keep the yellow cast out of the water.

You can do it, but be prepared to spend between $200-$400 when all is said and done.

Answer 4

It would depend on the species of fish or coral you are interested in. As far as coral or invertebrates you would need basic equipment such as heater, small power head which circulates the water, live rock which serves as a biological factory basically to mature the water, sand as a substrate, and a small filter. You can get away with those little 10i whisper filters and don't worry you can use black carbon with most invertebrates (corals, shrimp, starfish etc.). The black carbon will help with the toxic turpenoids that corals secrete which can be thought as chemical warfare. But this is only in the case when the same coral species usually comes in contact but has different DNA. You CAN USE carbon based filters in a marine tank regardless of what they 16 year old pet smart employee tells you. There is alot of research that proves its benefits in a saltwater aquarium. The only disadvantage is you will have to buy trace element additives more often but you need them anyways for inverts. You can see it can get quite in depth but don't worry. All together around 200 bucks to get started. Maintenance wise you are looking at element additives, frozen food, salt mix, refractometer or hydrometer that measures the salinity of the water, and a tiny gravel vacuum cleaner based on the 10-gallon aquarium you desire. But the best recommendation as mentioned by vudu maker is to buy a nano-cube. They just came out with a 6-gallon reef cube for only $90 that has the proper lighting, filtration, and dimensions. Sorry about the lengthy answer but I hope this helps you out! Good luck!

Answer 5

Most good fish stores are now offering deals on saltwater tanks for 10 gallons i now mine does 2 clowns when done cycling the live rock crushed coral salt mix the tank a hydrometer heater filter and thermometer for like 3 hundred. so its a pretty good deal all in all considering the live rock is like 100 and the two fish there are like 60.

Answer 6

You would have to be a fish expert because it is very hard to keep fish in a ten gallon tank if not you would have to make it be freshwater. You need to read up and need to have at least a 55 gallon tank and it will cost you anywhere from 100 to 500 bucks and try on e bay also the fish cost about 50 bucks

Answer 7

You CAN do it, but it's tough because salt water fish/ invertabraes need to have consistant water quality/ temp./ ph levels, etc...You will need about 20 lbs. of crushed coral for the substrate, a canister filter (mechanical), a protien skimmer (one ran by a air pump will do), a good sea salt (many on the market), a good water quality test kit (ph, ammonia) and depending on what type of inverts you want to keep, quality lighting (actinic blue/ flouresant and high output white for anemonies) I would suggest pecula clownfish with a nice ritterie anemonie with a nice piece of "live rock". I wish we could discuss further....good luck, it's an amazing hobby.

Answer 8

first of all, if you are a beginner go with a freshwater. altogetehr, a 10 gallon with everythign including fish will be about 100-120.

Answer 9

Evelyn emailed me the link to your question, since I've been keeping saltwater tanks for a little over 9 years now. First, I'd have to say a 10 gallon is very small for a saltwater tank. It will be harder for you to keep a stable temperature and water chemistry, and these are something you need to have. Also, when you consider the sizes and personalities of most marine fish, very few would be able to live in a tank of that size, and you would probably only be able to keep 1-2 fish at most. I would suggest you consider a larger tank, something on the order of a 29 gallon or a 55 gallon. Even though these are larger, they'll be easier for you to maintain.

Aside from that, here's a basic list of items and some approximate prices:

a tank: ($10 [10 gallon], $52 [29 gallon], $109 [55 gallon])

a heater - ($25-$35 each, depending on type and brand) - I would suggest one that is fully submersible and has an adjustable temperature. You want to get a heater that's 5 watts per gallon of tank volume. One will do for the 10 gallon, but for the 29 or 55, I would suggest getting two and putting one on either end of the tank. This will allow more even heating, and give you a backup in case one heater fails (and they all do eventually). If you get two, divide the total wattage in half and get two of the size heater that would have at least that amount. If you would need to heat the water more than 10 degrees above room temperature at any time of the year (the tank should be at least 76o, so if the room temperature would ever be below 66-68o) get the next largest sizes of heater.

a thermometer - ($2+) - to monitor the tank temperature

a filter - ($30+ depending on type and brand) - you want one that will turn over at least 10 times the volume of water in the tank per hour, so check the GPH rating. There are a number of types you can buy, from a regular hang-on-tank like an Aquaclear (cheapest) to a biowheel (more expensive), or canister filters (most expensive) to a wet/dry trickle filter or refugium. Obviously, the more efficient the filter, the more expensive it will be, and you can easily spend over $100 for a good canister or trickle filter, but if you're handy, there are DIY trickle filters you can make for a lot less, and instructions for various types are on the web.

1-2 powerheads - ($20+ each) - to increase water circulation in the tank

salt mix - ($15-25 per 20lb bag depending on brand) If you only plant to keep fish, Instant Ocean is economical and good. If you plan to keep invertebrates, you may need to use supplements, or go with a higher-end brand. Since you have a larger tank, you will get more fore the money if you buy salt mix by the bucket (enough for 150 gallons in most brands).

hydrometer - ($8-10) This is used for mixing salt to the proper concentration. There are no easy # cups per # gallons because the salt will compact as it absorbs moisture from the air. You'll need a specific gravity of 1.020-1.026 for fish, 1.024-1.026 if you keep inverts.

substrate - (~$25 per bag, you'll need two for a 55) This should be aragonite or crushed coral to help raise the tank's pH. Saltwater should be maintained at 8.2-8.4.

lighting - ($25+) depending on what you intend to keep. For $25, you can get a basic lighting set-up that can be used if you only keep fish and non-photosynthetic inverts. If you want to keep corals or anemones, you'd need a minimum of a compact fluorescent system and these will run about $150.

Cleaning supplies - 5 gallon bucket (for dirty water), large plastic container with lid for mixing saltwater (a plastic garbage can is great for this), optional powerhead to mix saltwater, siphon, long-sleeved gloves (you shouldn't put your hands in the tank), algae scraper.

Saltwater test kit - ($15) - for testing your water quality - API Saltwater Master kit is a good one.



The following items aren't 100% required, but are strongly suggested:

protein skimmer (~$100+) - this isn't 100% required, but is strongly recommended if you're keeping anything other than fish. These use a stream of small bubbles to remove dissoved organics from the water and deposit them into a collection cup. The organics would otherwise contribute to your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Do NOT get the Skilter protein skimmer/filter combinations - everybody that I've ever talked with that's used these have had problems with them leaking!

live rock - (~$8 per pound) While not strictly required, it's strongly recommended to use. The live rock has bacteria to help break down the wastes from your fish, some of which are toxic to them. You can make "caves" for them to swim in and out of, and these give the tank a more natural appearance. The recommended amount is 1 lb per gallon of Pacific origin rock to 1 1/2 to 2 lb per gallon for Atlantic/Carribean origin. The difference here is that Pacific rock is more porous, so there's more surface area for bacteria to colonize and less is needed for the same effect.

glass cover - ($8 for a 10 gallon, $12 for a 24 inch, you'll need two for a 55, or $15 for a 29) This keeps the water from evaporating too quickly or from splashing the lights, and keeps fish from jumping out of the tank.


Plus:
fish - (~$5+ per fish depending on the species)

food - You can use marine pellets or flakes as a staple, but you should supplement this with frozen plankton, enriched brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, squid, clams, krill, Marine Cuisine, Emerald Entree, silversides, or dried seaweed depending on the dietary needs of the fish you decide to keep.

A reference 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

There are lots of other things you could get or may need, but the list above will give you a good idea of what you should have on hand to start.

For maintenance, you should first set up the tank with freshwater and make sure everything is operational, then add the salt to the proper concentration. I would recommend that you do a fishless cycle (explained in a link I'll add at the end) to prepare the tank before you add any fish. Take time to acclimate the fish to the tank correctly (also explained in the Fishlore link). Once you add fish, do 25% water changes once a week. Tubes for the lighting should be replaced every year, especially if you're keeping invertebrates or using a compact fluorescent. Even though the light will still work, it loses the intensity at the wavelengths needed for photosynthesis in 10-12 months.

Fish in saltwater tend to be more aggressive (territorial) than freshwater fish, so do some research on the size, activity level, and compatibility of any species in which you're interested. Some general rules are not to mix fish from the same family, coloration, or body shape. This means that most species will be one to a tank, with the exceptions of the few that can be kept as pairs or in schools.

I can't emphasize enough the research that should be put into a marine tank before going and and buying the equipment. There's a lot that's involved, and the fish are rather expensive compared to a freshwater tank. But once you get past the intial set-up, the work involved isn't that much more than freshwater if you've planned the tank well.

Some additional reading on keeping saltwater:
http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginners.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/

I usually provide the link to the peteducation websites, but Evelyn has already included them in her answer.

Answer 10

not as much as if you screw up.

It sounds like you are rushing into this, and SW can be alot to do it right, and it can cost alot more if your tank keeps crashing if you dont know enough about it.


You will need to do alot of research as it isnt as simle as add water +salt and fish.

it can cost from 30 dollars to 500 dollars.

you will need substrate like sand, salt mix, heater, filter, live coral (optional but will benefit), and the stuff needed for a FW tank.

Again it isnt something to go rushing into. and do alot of research. or go FW.