Starting One

[jackson17]

How long does it generally take to start a salt water tank?

Can you move seeded filter media from freshwater to salt water? What do you need different from freshwater for saltwater? I need all info on this, thinking of starting one.

[travie]

Can't move FW bacteria to a SW environment like that.

First thing you should do, is start with reading one or both of these books before you even start thinking about buying equipment or setting up a tank: The New Marine Aquarium; Step-by-Step Setup and Stocking Guide, by Michael S. Paletta or The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists, by Bob Fenner are about the best two books to buy on how to setup and maintain saltwater tanks.

They will teach you a lot, and answer almost every tank start up/setup question you have.

[jackson17]

Ok, if I can't get those then can someone answer my questions? How much do they cost to get going?

[tim k]

SW is a whole different ball game completely.
First thing you need to do is start reading and keep reading until you have a decent understanding of what you need to do.

There are a number of things that you will need and that list will grow depending on what your plans are.

They can be very expensive as well so when you are researching start drawing up a list of items needed to get a better idea of what it will cost you.

I spent six months researching before I made a single purchase , it helped me to make some decent decisions and not waste money on bad ones.

Research Research and then Research some more until you are comfortable.

Good luck it is well worth the time and investment IMHO.

Tim k

[oldhead]

Cost is determined by may factors. Proper research would be a good idea as suggested above. I think you'll find that it will help you to ballpark and budget.

[coachfraley]

Yes, there are just too many factors involved to really give you a pricing outline. Start by answering these questions:

How big of a tank do you have room for?
What SW critters are you interested in keeping?
Do you want to keep corals or just fish and inverts?
Do you have money to throw away?

[tim k]

Yes, there are just too many factors involved to really give you a pricing outline. Start by answering these questions:

How big of a tank do you have room for?
What SW critters are you interested in keeping?
Do you want to keep corals or just fish and inverts?
Do you have money to throw away?

I like the last one Coach , so true.

Tim K

[jackson17]

Yes, there are just too many factors involved to really give you a pricing outline. Start by answering these questions:

How big of a tank do you have room for?
What SW critters are you interested in keeping?
Do you want to keep corals or just fish and inverts?
Do you have money to throw away?

Going to use either a 40 gallon or 55 gallon.
Fish and some inverts
Coral would be cool (is that live rock?)
To a degree lol

My science teacher has a freshwater set up, so I could seed his media for a lengthy time to get the salt water media. He also said he would give me his water and such after water changes.

Do saltwater have different requirments such as water changes? I've seen his tank and it is AMAZING! but he says he hasn't done a water change in like 3 years and all his fish are colorful, healthy and happy. So are the daily upkeep.

[AABatteries]

Going to use either a 40 gallon or 55 gallon.
Fish and some inverts
Coral would be cool (is that live rock?) Live rock is your filter not. Coral usually goes on LR.
To a degree lol

My science teacher has a freshwater set up, so I could seed his media for a lengthy time to get the salt water media. He also said he would give me his water and such after water changes. Why would you bring that up again when you have already been told freshwater bacteria can't live in SW?

Do saltwater have different requirments such as water changes? Well, you have your basic nitrates, ammonia, nitrites, and pH. Then you have specific gravity(SG), calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity. There's more, but I'm not sure of them, so I don't want to give you wrong info.

I've seen his tank and it is AMAZING! but he says he hasn't done a water change in like 3 years and all his fish are colorful, healthy and happy. So are the daily upkeep. I highly doubt that his fish would be dead, unless its one tetra in a 250g over something of that size.

And yes, do you have money to throw a way? If not, then you will be sticking to FW.

[oldhead]

And yes, do you have money to throw a way? If not, then you will be sticking to FW.


There are a number of SW tanks that do not undergo regular water changes if any at all. So it is possible, though I would not suggest it to anyone let alone a beginner. Just an FYI though.

[coachfraley]

Just to let you know, setting up a 40g reef tank is an expensive undertaking. Assuming you use Craigslist to find some of your equipment, I would expect to spend at least $1500 on a complete, up and running tank.

You could do it for less, but setting it up correctly would mean paying for nice equipment.

[tim k]

My 46g with just four fish and a half dozen coral in it is probably over $2000 all ready.

But it looks so coolthumbs2:

Tim

[jackson17]

Wow lol. Well I believe him because he steers me the right way and such. If I didn't do live coral right away shouldn't that lower the cost a lot? I thought all the equpiment was the same? Except for a protein skimmer, hydrometer? Isn't there no difference? I'm reading up now but asking questions as I go for a double whammy in info lol.

[tim k]

If you were going to keep a fish only system you could save a fair amount on the set up.
You wouldn't need the expensive lighting , you could get by with a cheaper skimmer and because water quality would not be a real issue you wouldn't need an RO-DI unit.

But make no mistake it would still cost at least a grand to set up a FOWLR system if not more.

Do some research , plan out what you would like and then make an informed decision as to if you can afford it or if you even want to spend that kind of money on it.

Tim

[jackson17]

With getting a new car soon and only being in highschool that may be to much. But the only thing I would need is the protein skimmer, heater and wave maker. My teacher would give me his extra supplies and even a lion fish that is about 6 inches long. I was reading and it seemed all you need was the protein skimmer and wave maker that was different then a FW set up. That's what I read here on the marine area anyway.

[sktadood13]

Quote:

I've seen his tank and it is AMAZING! but he says he hasn't done a water change in like 3 years and all his fish are colorful, healthy and happy. So are the daily upkeep. I highly doubt that his fish would be dead, unless its one tetra in a 250g over something of that size.

I can argue with you on this one i had my 55g filled with fish and did 1 water change over a two year period and that was only because my tank came down with a disease.

I don't to high jack this tread tho im just putting that out there.

[AABatteries]

There are a number of SW tanks that do not undergo regular water changes if any at all. So it is possible, though I would not suggest it to anyone let alone a beginner. Just an FYI though.

I was just agreeing with that the statement made by Coach. I was just trying to justify the cost.

[jackson17]

So is a protein skimmer/ hydrometer/power head the only extra thing's I would need?!?

[coachfraley]

live rock, salt mix, RO/DI water source, SW mixing bucket w/ extra heater and powerhead, sand, SW test kit, and a refugium is recommended.

[oldhead]

I was just agreeing with that the statement made by Coach. I was just trying to justify the cost.


My bad, I misquoted you I was trying to reference your statement about the water changes.