how do you get started with a saltwater tank.?

Question

i have 55 gallon tank and i want to make it out of a salt water tank can someone tell me how to start.

Answer 1

With lots of research! I kept freshwater tanks for alsost 20 years when I decided to try saltwater, and I still did about 2 years worth of research on the types of set-ups, equipment, and species of fish before I actually went ahead and converted one of my 29 gallons to salt. Within 6 months, I was up to a 55 and the 29, and now have 3 saltwater, as well as a bunch of freshwater. Once you get the tank set up, they're not much more difficult than freshwater if you've planned it properly. It's good that you have some freshwater fishkeeping experience already, or all that I'm about to tell you may seem a bit overwhelming. There is a little more equipment, the water chemistry is a bit more involved, and any of the "specialized" materials (and the fish) for saltwater tend to be more expensive.

I would strongly recommend that before you go too far in planning, that you do some research into the different types of tanks (fish-only, which is the easiest and cheapest; fish-only with live rock, which give you added biological filtration; and reef, which is the full-blown marine set-up with corals, anemones, shrimp, etc., which can be the most difficult and IS definitely the most expessive type). That's not to say you can't start with a fish-only, then add other items to the same tank as you get some experience and want to try more organisms.

Obviously, you'll need the tank, and a 55 gallon is a good size to start with. The larger of a tank you can use, the better - saltwater fish tend to be larger and more territorial/aggressive than traditional freshwater "community" fishes and more like cichlids in their behavior, so some planning is necessary on just what you can keep together. The larger the tank you have, the more options that are open to you.

If you use a stand for the tank, solid wood is best. The particleboard stands won't hold up if they get wet and the glue separates, and the iron/metal stands will corrode if any salt gets on them (or, you could get a metal stand, just use a flannel-backed tablecloth under the tank to protect the stand from splashed water).

Some of the other items you'll need (you may already have these with your current 55 setup, but I'll mention them to be sure, and in case you need/plan to upgrade the equipment):

FILTER: You'll want to get one that's properly sized (filters 5x-10x the tank volume per hour - check the gallons per hour rating). There are lots of choices, and what you'll need will really depend on budget, what you're trying to keep, and personal preference. I'd consider the best type to be a refugium or wet/dry trickle filter. Next best would be a canister, followed by a biowheel, then a standard hang-on-tank. Unless you're using a fine sand or oolite substrate, you can also use an undergravel filter to supplement filtration, but I'd suggest powering it with a reversible powerhead to blow the water up through the substrate (prevents stuff from building up under the filter and clogging it).

POWERHEAD(S): To provide more water circulation in hard to get to places. This also helps circulate dissolved oxygen to the bottom of the tank. Have at least two for a larger tank.

HEATERS: For a saltwater tank 30 gallons or larger, I'd suggest getting 2 and putting one on each end. This will provide more even heating, and your tank has a back-up if one heater gives out. Figure the correct size as 5 watts per gallon (for a single heater) divided by 2 (if using 2 heaters). If you need to heat the water more than 10 degrees above the room temperature, go one wattage size higher.

LIGHTING: If you never want anything but fish, you can use the standard lighting and hood made for your tank. You might want to upgrade the lamps to a 10,000K tube or a 50/50 actinic. If you're going to try corals, anemones, etc., go with a compact fluorescent, T-5, metal halide, or combo system - these will provide more intense light that they'll need for photosynthesis.

SUBSTRATE - you want something made of aragonite to help keep the pH from changing, I like the smaller shell material that Carib-Sea puts out - it doesn't have to be live sand, either. Some folks like crushed coral, but the particle size is bigger than I like, and it tends to have a lot of dust that never rinses completely out. Another very fine grained material is oolitic aragonite (looks like small white balls) and aragonite sand. Here's an idea of the materials available: http://www.caribsea.com/pages/products/dry_aragonite.html While it's possible to keep a marine tank with regular aquarium gravel or no substrate, the aragonite will keep the pH from falling below 7.8 (it should be 8.2-8.4).

SALT MIX: If you're only keeping fish, you can go with one of the less expensive brands of synthetic sea salt. If you get any invertebrates (shrimp, snails, crabs, corals, anemones, etc.), switch to a better quality mix before you add them. These cost a little more, but you won't need to be using additives for the trace elements they need either.

HYDROMETER: This measures the amount of salt that's dissolved inwater. There are two kinds you can get, one made of glass that floats on the surface (more accurate, but easy to break) and a plastic container that has a needle that rises and falls as the amount of salt changes (less accurate, bubbles attaching to the needle gives false readings). For fish only, you want the specific gravity to read 1.020 - 1.026. If you're keeping inverts, you want it to be 1.024 - 1.026.

WATER TESTING KIT: minimum of pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.

CLEANING SUPPLIES: elbow length gloves, gravel vacuum, 5 gallon bucket, large plastic container and powerhead for mixing the salt (to be done well ahead of water changes), algae scraper, razor blades (for coraline algae and diatoms that like to attach to the glass).

WATER CONDITIONER: for removing chlorine or chloramine from your tap water (unless you plan to use a reverse osmosis filter or buy RO water, which is preferred for a reef tank).

The following are optional, but strongly suggested:

PROTEIN SKIMMER: This removes dissloved and small organic materials that would normally contribute to the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in your tank. Not 100% necessary for fish-only tanks, but will be handy if you have inverts to keep up good water quality by removing organic materials that become nutrients for algae.

GLASS COVER: This reduces evaporation and keeps the fish inside the tank (some are jumpers), although with a metal halide lighting system, it can overheat your tank.

LIVE ROCK: This give the tank a more natural appearance, provides hiding places for the fish and inverts, and increases the biological filtration. Not to mention, you get all kinds of cool critters that hitchhike into your tank (shrimp, snails, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, sea stars, etc.).

CHILLER: If you use metal halide lighting, or the water temperature regularly gets above 85o (for corals or anemones, fish can take a little more heat), you may need to invest in a chiller to keep the tank cool. The water temperature should run 76-80oF.

There may be additional items that you could need, such as kalkwasser to raise your pH if you can't get it to 8.2, but you won't know these until you get the tank set up and running, and test your water.

You may decide that you want to use a UV sterilizer, but in my opinion, these are unnecessary. They don't necessarily kill all the parasites and disease-causing organisms, and they only affect free-floating algae, not any that's attached to your glass, rock, or substrate. The bulbs also need to be replaced yearly. Rather than pay the high price for one of these, you'd do better to buy an inexpensive 10 gallon setup kit and a heater and use these as a quarantine tank.

Before going out and buying all this, I would suggest some reading to see what you're getting into by keeping saltwater. Rushing into a saltwater setup usually doesn't give you good results, and the equipment and fish are a little too expensive to be finding out in a few weeks you got something that's not appropriate for what you want for your tank. I'd also recommend a good reference book for some research. Either of these would be a good one to start with: 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

Some web sites you can check out for more info on keeping saltwater are the following:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marsetupez.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marineSetUp.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=16
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/

As far as the fish, what species are good for starters will depend largely on the size of your tank. Even though they are hardy, I recommend against damels, mostly because of their aggressivness - add one of these, and they'll terrorize any fish you try to introduce later. The exception I'd make here is the green reef chromis.

You'll want to add the smallest and most peaceful species first, and this will reduce some of the aggression in the tank. It's a general guideline that you shouldn't mix fish of the same color or body shape, or different species from the same families to prevent any of the fish from seeing another as a potential rival. There are a few species that can be kept in schools or in mated pairs, but this is the exception rather than the rule. I prefer the smaller semi-aggressive and peaceful species myself, but your preferences might be different. Some of the ones I would recommend as starters are the chromis, a pair of ocellaris clown (the "Nemo" fish - any two juveniles will work because the dominant one will become a female, the other a male), Bangaii cardinalfish (if you have a good saltwater person at your fish store, they should be able to pick out a male and female for you), longnose hawkfish, canary blenny, jawfish, clown goby, scissortail gobies, and firefish. That's more than you should keep in a 55 as adults, so you'll need to so a little choosing of which you like, or you might want something completely different. Here are a few links to look at, so you get an idea of care level and prices:

http://www.marinedepotlive.com/
http://www.tropicalfishoutlet.com/
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=15
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/

I do recommending that you buy your fish locally - you get a better idea of the size and health of the fish, plus you won't have to pay for shipping. If you do decide to buy online, only buy from a company that guarantees live delivery of the livestock (some also extend the guarantee for a few days after arrival, which is even better!).

Good luck with your tank!

Answer 2

You need to decide if you want a fish-only tank or a reef tank. Since this is your first time with saltwater, I'd go with a fish-only system.

The very best thing you can do is pick up a book on the subject. Check local booksellers or used books stores. At the very least check out something from the local library so you can get an idea of what you'll be getting into.

You also need to consider what kind of filter you'll be using. Power filters, canisters, wet-dry trickle systems, and internal filters are all options. I use a Fluval canister filter and I don't have any complaints.

You'll also want a protein skimmer, heater, pump, and lighting system. If you do consider a reef tank, you'll want to look into specialized lighting fixtures.

Don't forget a hydrometer to measure salinity levels, supplemental trace elements, and a test kit to monitor your water's parameters.

As for the saltwater, itself, I buy RO (reverse osmosis) saltwater from my local fish store because I don't want to deal with an expensive RO unit at home. You can mix your own saltwater with dechlorinated tap water. I just prefer RO water because I think my fish and corals do better when I use it rather than tap. If you mix your own, simply follow the instructions on the side of the bag/box. Buy a bucket for use with your tank only. Mix your saltwater in this bucket, never in your tank.

I hope this helped.

Answer 3

First thing to remember is to take your time. The quickest you should add fish to the tank is at least six weeks away. If you just have to have something to look at get a sea chest that blows bubbles.

First clean the tanks with distilled water and sea salt. Rinse completely. Now decide what type of a tank you are interested in. Fish only tanks are the cheapest to start with but if you are interested in going all the way to a reef tank you will need to add in some more steps.



Mix about twenty gallons of sea water in a clean plastic tub. Let it stand for two days and check the PH level. You will want it to be around 8.3 and remove any chlorine if needed. Buy some live sand and coral sand. I prefer to use wet live sand from the fish store. It will have all the bugs started. You will need about 5 pounds of it. Or you can get the dried live sand which will be cheaper but tank longer for the tank to cycle. Place any decor in the tank first. If you wish to do a reef you will need live rock. That rock will need to be curred first. Place the rock (decor) in the tank first. Then add in the coral sand. This will allow the rock (decor) to have a good foundation. Add in the water. Then lastly add in the live sand which will be sprinked over the coral sand. Let everything settle and blow off any dust that is on the rocks or decor. Mix up another batch of water and let it sit for two days. If you are using live rock you will need to make sure that the water covers the rock completely In two days finish filling the tank. Add in any power heads and/or filters. Now the big wait starts but hey you have that sea check to look at right? In about 4 days you can start testing for Ammonia and Nitrites. When these go levels go up then back down you can test for Nitrates. Once the nitrates go down to about 20 or so you tank has cycled. Ammonia and Nitrites should be 0.

I would highly recomment reading some starter books on reef tanks. There is alot of good info in them.

Good luck

Answer 4

Ritchie t. You are brainless man. Okay now then. You need to get what is called live rock. This can be expensive but very cool. You see live rock is dead coral. Get the live rock that is already treated. This will contain different stagnant eggs that revive. Now the live rock acts as a filtration system. To go along with this you need a turbo twist that uses UV light. Internet. This will make everything so much cheaper. Protein skimmer. Salt water. Gravel. (not the fake kind.) No depending on what kind of fish that you want your going to need different thing. For instance if you want a sea anemone you will need very strong lighting. Now when or if you see purple algae don't freak. This is a good thing. Now to make sure that your water has the right amount of salt you will need a certain devise that tells you. Just ask for it at petco. Also the water can get nitates and stuff which you will need to ask about at a fish store. There are kits you will need to buy. And of course air system. I'm just an ameture so ask the guys at petco. :) Good luck.

Answer 5

pretty much your question has been answered. IF you want to come join us over at www.thereeftank.com or www.saltwaterfish.com we will head in the right direction of starting a marine tank

Answer 6

get a book on the subject.. read it twice and seriously think about the amount of money it will take to keep it running

25 years in the fish hobby

Answer 7

I've been doing lots of research on this because I'm in the same boat. I really like the website about.com it's been one of the easier ones to follow.

Answer 8

You need salt, water and a tank.

Answer 9

U get saltwater!

Answer 10

i dont think they make those