Starting a saltwater tank

[Fishchaser]

i have being doing a lot of research about saltwater tanks and i think i want one. i am hoping for ppl to answer me and tell me if this is a good idea or not and tell me how to start on thx i have also been doing FW for half a year will this help me start a SW tank?? pleas post quotes im am hopin to get one soon and want to know wat to buy Also half the web sites i see say you need a protein skimmer and half say i dont do u think i shud or shud not??

 

[S.Reef]

It is definitly a good idea to get a tank...of course you should research before you invest in one. Get a good book and read through some of the threads on the forum. Generally I would start a fish only tank with live rock and then you could always upgrade.

 

[OCCFan023]

rummaging through these threads and the stickies will stear in the right direction to a good START.

Get yourself a copy of the New Marine Aquarium by Paletta, that will offer some great advice to starting a tnak and the equipment you need.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

yep..pretty much what you need to know is in that book..

 

[1979camaro]

also worth checking out is the sticky at the top of this forum called "things you will need when starting a SW tank" The other stickies will also give you lots of great information

 

[SALTY WATERS]

I would wait till boxing day sales start just after Christmas to buy your gear, as LFS usually have excellent sales on at that time; at least mine does! In the mean time I would do alot of reaserch on the "how to's" of SW tank keeping.

Before buying anything, take a look at different tank systems and inhabitants and plan out what you want in your tank. Once you have a basic idea of what kind of set-up and inhabitants you want, then its time to do more reaserch to make sure everything is compatable with your long-term plans. This will save you alot of trouble and money in the future if you take the time to do this now! Words of advise; ALWAYS research BEFORE you buy!

As a basic guide for fish, Inverts & coral care and compatability check out the profile section on this site and/or www.liveaquaria.com

As a beginer you are going to want to get the biggest tank system you can accomidate and afford. The reason for this is the more water in the system the more stable the water peramiters are going to be and easier for you to keep. And keeping the water in excellent quatlity in SW is the most important part!

You will deffenitly need lots of LR (live rock) and a protine skimmer and even if you are not going to have any corals at the moment, but think you may want to in the future...fork out the cash to get a good lighting system now; You be happy you did later on!

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Fishchaser]

thx

thx for all this info it really helps. hey my moms friend has a 50 gallon tank and i she is seling it it used to be a saltwater tank but it has a wholein the back wat wud that be and it it a good idea to buy a 2nd hand tank compared toa brand new one??

 

[CAPSLOCK]

The hole in the back might be drilled for a sump. If the tank holds water, there's no reason not to buy it second hand-plus you usually get much of the equipment like heater and filter with it, for cheaper than you can get just the tank/stand new.

 

[1979camaro]

yes, the hole is undoubtably designed for running an overflow system into a sump which would be kept below tank level. sumps are really a good thing to have (increased water volume, place for all the equipment, etc) and it is certainly much better to have a tnk that is drilled rather than try to construct/buy and use a HOB overflow when/if you decide you want a sump

 

[Fishchaser]

how much would a good start up cost for a tank and all the equipment you need??

 

[KahluaZzZ]

i have a 55 g and i pay what you pay, CDN $. It costed me a lot of money when i started, 'cause i didn't knew 2 much and in stores here we pay like 2 or 3 times what they pay in the states.

www.reefsolution.com and www.mops.ca ( < this one is in ontario ) are some good ones, and you pay much much less than bigals and other big stores.
Just for fun, check the www.bigalsonline.com , check like a skimmer, then switch to canadian site and compare the prices. Double, easily.
Your setup cost depend on what type of SW aquarium you want. Lighting corals can make you spend a lot. I setup my tank for around 1600 CDN $, but now i know i could have easily splitted this price by 2, but i went to pricey stores.
Research a lot, find some good reviews before you buy hardware...also..super cheap liverock can be heavy, crappy and almost useless..better spend your $ on weird shaped, porous and sometimes colorful liverock.

 

[wayne]

What sort of tank, how big, how clever are you? Anything special you like to keep.
You will initially have some high cost, multihundred dollar items to buy, so be ready for that.