Seriously thinking of taking the plunge

[crackatinny]

We went to a fish shop in a close by town the other day, they had a great variety of fish compared to around here, probably about 50/50 saltwater and freshwater, some of the saltwater fish I seen really made me leave there thinking I would love to try it.

Are they really that much harder to set up and care for than freshwater?

[Rue]

Set-up...YES...way harder...way more expensive...

There's a guy on the East Coast moving, and selling his 75g reef...he figures he put $12,000 into it.

A 'fish-only' system is much less expensive though...

Once it's set up though...it's not any harder to maintain, if you're diligent about it...

[kkyyllee]

there not all that hard, there just expensive

[Drumachine09]

*chants* Do it, Do it, Do it!

[xoolooxunny]

*chants* Do it, Do it, Do it!

DO IT DO IT DO IT!!!

[Rue]

...well, all things having been said...

...of course!

DO IT!!!!

[xoolooxunny]

Just to reassure you aside from our mindless 'do it!' rant, just remember that you will be able to get all the help you need to get the job done right here on this forum!

[Incredulous_Ed]

Go for it man.

[2manyfish]

If the start up costs are a bit much you can always try to find a used system in your local paper....
Do you have a craiglist in Australia? That's an online site that you can post for sale items, wanted items, stuff like that. Sometimes you can find really great deals on there.

As far as is it harder than freshwater? Well just from a maintance perspective yeah it is. With a freshwater tank (especially if you have a python) it's pretty easy. Change out the water, clean your glass if need be and once a month clean out your filter(s).
With saltwater you can suck out the water with the python but you will need another container to mix up your saltwater in.
If you are using RO water you need to start filling your container ahead of time as it could take a couple of hours to get it full (depending on how much of course), then you must put in additives to bring the RO water up in pH, calc., etc...then mix your salt. Put an airstone or powerhead in there to add oxygen to the water. Let the whole thing sit and mix for awhile. Then take a bucket or another small syphon and add the water to your tank.
If you are using tap water then you will still need a container to mix your water in. You could always use a bucket but it's easier and faster if you have a larger container to do this in.
Some fish stores sell premixed saltwater that you can buy by the gallon so that's always an option.
You also have the skimmer cup to clean, possibly the air intake tube too and powerheads to clean. If you have a filter on there, that must be cleaned at least once a month if not more often. Clean the glass.
Harder too in the fact that saltwater fish are less forgiving than their freshwater cousins. Oh there are some that are very hardy but these same fish are often very aggressive which is another story....
Another point is the maintance costs. Depending on whether you keep corals or not will dictate how expensive your bulbs are to replace. For example I am using the Coralife PC unit with 4 bulbs. Because my system is a FOWLR and I have no corals I only have to change out my bulbs when they die. IF I had corals, I would need to replace them once every 6 to 8 months. The bulbs cost around $36 each around here. MH bulbs are even more expensive. You must buy salt of course and any additives that your tank may need (like if you are using RO water or have sps corals).

What I'm trying to get at is that saltwater is not a cheap hobby. It's not always easy either. But it is definitely worth it!

[kkyyllee]

the salt mix should add al the nessacary stufh like calcium so u dont need to add any.