Want Tips For New Tank

[56jman]

I have had a sucsessful 1, 2, 3, and 10 gallon freshwater aquarium where none of the fish have died from disease... the only problem i really have is anchoring the live plants. The aquarium I have now seems to be doing well so I thought I might try saltwater. I know the expenses and the basics and I won't be getting a tank anytime soon because I have to raise some money first. I would probably get a 55gal-75gal tank. I know to use Live Rock and Live Sand and cycle to tank and do water changes but I have heard many different times that you need to cycle it somewhere from 24 hours to 5 weeks??? What time??? and about how many fish and inverts like crabs, anemones, and shrimp could i fit in w/ the right amount of fish???How many small-medium sized fish could I fit in w/ lots of hiding places??? I'd like a jawfish, maybe an angeler, clownfish, seahorse, coral,firefish, lots of gobies, some wasses, cardinal fish and some others, would these be good beginer fish and fit in this tank???What are some good beginer,colorful fish, anemones, and inverts???
I would like this to be on a budget and I am just a beginner so go easy on the abbreviations.
Also where should I get this(i.e. live aquaria) and could I get live rock and sand from petstore to avoid shipping.
Also what are good cheap water test kits, should I use a little natural sea water then fill with mixed, and what are good bacterial chemicals and food

 

[bristlenoseitplecoman]

I am not familiar with saltwater but do own a 55 ggallon tank. I suggest getting the 75 gallon as ocean fish need alot of space. Try to get small saltwater fish so you can get more and get very familiar with the species you plan to keep.

 

[56jman]

Thank you for all the ideas

 

[bristlenoseitplecoman]

Also I forgot to say a chaep water test kit is API test kit. Not all measurements work for saltwater but it is cheaper than most.

 

[Man of fish]

Also I forgot to say a chaep water test kit is API test kit. Not all measurements work for saltwater but it is cheaper than most.

They make a kit just for saltwater.

 

[lljdma06]

It's great that you want to start your SW adventure at such a young age. I've been in the hobby for 23 years and I love it very much.

But, if it's one thing that gets the average hobbyist with SW is that you really should go very slow. Here are a list of things that I recommend that you do.

1. Read; one book I recommend that you buy is The Simple Guide to the Mini reef Aquarium by Jeffrey Kurtz. I also recommend that you read through our Marine Aquarium Resource Center (MARC)
2. Find a forum, you already did this. The thing is that sometimes information in books can be outdated and you really have to be aware of what shop owners tell you in the hobby. Some are great and want to help you. Some just want to sell you something. That's why you read first. If you go into a store with a lot of knowledge already, this will help you determine whether or not you need something.
3. Decide on your tank size. There are advantages and disadvantages to big vs small

Big - easier to maintain in the long run, more stable, more choices with regard to livestock. The only real disadvantage, as you already know is cost of setup.

Small- harder to maintain, less stable, and choices with regard to livestock are limited. But... cheaper initial cost, takes up less space, and there are some simple tricks that you can do to avoid sumping and skimming.

4. Find a source of water. You can use tap (if you condition it properly), buy SW at a LFS, buy RO/DI water from a LFS, or try to find an inexpensive RO/DI unit and make your own SW.
5. Start a budget list. I you want, start one here and we can recommend products for you.

All I'm saying is that this is a process that's going to take a lot of time and research on your part to get it off the ground.

But if you have any questions, for now, try just keeping them on this thread. I've been really running around trying to answer all of them for you and if you just keep them in one spot, I can find them much easier. Put them in this thread. Here, we also have a link to MARC, so we can refer to it if you have any questions.

L

 

[simonas]

Good advice from Lissette there

Marine fish are great and although a newbie myself with marine its a great area of the hobby to get into albeit more expensive

I have a Juwel 180litre tank which I would suggest is a good tank size to go with. Your main expenses are things such as liverock, RO water and salt and the bigger you go the more you will spend

I bought a cheap test kit at the start but you really need to buy a decent set as the cheap ones can be so far out. Salifert are recognised as a decent set of kits

Again dont rush it save your pennies and buy the correct and decent kit before you start and it will make the journey smoother and I assure you once you have the water in the tank with live rock in there you will be instantly hooked looking for snails crabs etc