Have some questions for someone with a lot of time

[kyman2391]

Hello reader have a couple questions for you about SW tanks. but first off im getting a 55gal freshwater tank. it will be my first actual "tank". While i was researching freshwater fish and such, i saw some pictures peoples SW tanks. So im really getting interested in the whole SW thing. Today i went to the pet store to look at fish for my freshwater tank then i saw the SW fish and coral. It was so awesome i love how vibrant the color of the fish and coral were. ANYWAY, after i get into this hobby a bit more i think i want to buy a SW tank. So here are some questions i have; our next door neighbor had a big SW tank and when they had water and fish in there they had a company come take all the water out and put new water in and check the salt etc etc. If i get a SW tank how often will i have to clean it? Will i have to clean it every month and take all the water out and do all that stuff our is there new equipment out that cleans the water really good. I really like the clown fish i saw at the pet store, i also saw a moray eel there. he looked so lownley in his tank he was the only one in there. Is an eel suitable to be in the tank with the clown fish and other fish i would get? What would be a good size for a tank because i read somewhere on the forums that the bigger the tank the less you have to maintain. For the coral how often do i have to feed it? Im a 16 year old that works every WED,FRI, and SAT. Will this be a problem for maintenance, and how long should i wait to transition from FW to SW? Dont forget im still new to this. do you have any other advice or anything else you have for me, like coral or fish, i would love to hear it. SORRY FOR CHATTING OFF YOUR EAR SO I think all the questions i have for now if i have anymore ill let you now. Thank you for your time.

[papagimp]

I'll say this much, if you can keep a freshwater tank, you can keep a SW. I find my SW tanks much easier to maintance, just slightly more costly to initially setup.

The larger the tank you get, not the less maintance, but the easier it'll be. More water volume will give you more room for error. That goes for all tanks, saltwater or fresh..

The eel would probably go after the clownfish IMO.

Good size for a beginner, 55g is a good beginner size tank.

corals being fed, this will depend on the species, some will require daily feeding or multiple daily feeding (non photosythetic corals mostly0 while other can go with weekly or bi-weekly feedings.

Best advice I can give, you already figured out....go to reefcentral and read up on SW tanks. I know there is alot of information out there, just keep this in mind, their are going to be a bajillion and four different options that can all do the same thing. It's a matter of finding an option in your budget and time available and what will work best for you. That'll take alot of research to figure out.

I'll let some more people jump in with suggestions as well.


oh, btw, Welcome to Reefcentral!!!

[Newlin]

Welcome to RC. The eel will go after the clown and eat him. There was a reason he was alone in that tank . I had a hard time keeping my freshwater tank and once I went to salt, I had no problems with it. I have went 5 months without a water change (dont do this) and everything was fine. The food cost's more and it's pretty high dollar to set up at first. I would setup your tank for about a year and if you can keep it up, transfer to a saltwater. If you are wanting to setup the same tank, make sure that you don't treat the fish with copper meds in the tank. This will stick around and kill the reef. Good luck.

[AlexB650]

maintainance is a function of what you're trying to achieve or, namely, how deep you want to get into this hobby. if you're just looking to have a couple of nemos in your tank with some rock, then there really isn't much to upkeep. however, if you're looking to get corals, then the differnt types of corals are going to dictate how much time you spend on your tank.

you can keep things simple and just get some fish and, perhaps, some soft corals such as mushrooms. they are really easy to keep and probably a good place to start. a half way decent light and regualr water changes will be about all you need to do. if you want to get some fancier corals, then you're gonna need to maintain good water chemistry. this means that nitrates and phosphates should be zero and you'll need to keep alkalinity, magnesium and calcium in check.

without getting into this much further, i'll ask, how much do you want to spend? if you're on a low budget, then you'll probably want to go with fish and softies. i'm saying this because lights and a good skimmer will cost a lot of money. my personal suggestion, pick the size tank you want, then get some fish and soft corals to at least get your feet wet, before jumping right in. if you do that, you'll be able to get away with just doing 10% water changes per week and not much more.

oh, and the company who's doing your neighbors tank really needs to do some research. there should be no reason why they come every month or two and dump all the water out; in fact, it's not reccomended. sounds like they're just in it for the $$$

[kyman2391]

thanks everyone for your help, AlexB650 i have about $1,500 to spend, and as long as i keep working i'll get more $ as time goes on. Also what do you guys think what kind of coral should i start out with? Also what is the purpose of live rock and is it necessary, and what does it mean when it says cured or not?

[AlexB650]

cured rock means that it's already had its die off. when you first buy rock, there are going to be a lot of things on there that will die. usually people will leave them in a rubbermaid with a power head and heater and then change the water frequently for a few weeks. cooked rock means that you do this same thing, but for a longer period of time--usually a couple months.

kyman, i was asking rhetorically. either way, i would buy USED. if you look around, you'll probably be able to purchase an entire setup for way less than your budget. if you can, look for a tank that already has an overflow built in. be patient and you'll likely find a setup with a nice tank, a good skimmer, mh lights, etc for 1k or less.

[T Man]

Originally posted by kyman2391
Also what is the purpose of live rock

LR is made of countless generations of coral and invetebrate skeletons that build the reef.
The reefs LR rock is used for filtration and plays host to a variety of inverts, crustcean, worms , copepods, shrimp and more.

When building your reef, use your imagination to visualize the "aquascape" - then buy your rock. I think about LR in a cubic foot sense.... where a 50 pound box would aquascape cubic foot.

With your budget I'd concentrate on lighting, live rock and a skimmer for a sure success. Welcome to RC! TinMan

[kyman2391]

thanks for everyones help, but now i need to know the specifics like whats the best skimmer, lighting etc..

[Deb91]

[welcome]
Just keep reading on this forum and you will be amazed at how much you are going to learn!! Best of luck to you!!!

[Sk8r]

WHen you set up a tank, you plan for it to run for years without being cleaned [scraped yes] or moved---so plan well where you want to put it.
Getting a reefready tank is important if you want to keep some corals, particularly.
There is no filter unless you keep big fish. Your live rock and your deep sandbed do that job, and you never clean or disturb it...

...what you do is set up correctly, use a skimmer [equipment] to pull amino acids out of the water; an autotopoff to automatically detect evaporation and add fresh water to make the salinity stay even;
A ro/di filter to filter your water to 0 total dissolved solids [tds] so when you add salt mix, it IS proper seawater, with no surprises in it.
A sump [second tank below] to receive water from above, skim it, heat it, in some cases add carefully-cultivated bugs [pods] and shoot it back upstairs, reoxygenated and clean. That process is the lungs, liver and kidneys of your biosystem, and should be carefully tested, chemically supplemented sometimes daily [until you get enough of daily and go for a kalk reactor], and generally coddled.

Lights can be expensive, the more exotic the coral. I advise you to look at corals, because they do make water nice and healthy if well-cared for, they're pretty, and you can keep many fish WITH them, to the corals' advantage.

On the other hand, some fish eat corals, and some corals [nems and one mushroom] eat fish, so you need to research types of fish and corals A LOT before committing yourself to tank type.

And you need to do a 10% [in a 55 g, about 5g] water change weekly, adding new salt water and removing old. This supplies trace elements.

I find a marine tank, fully equipped, to be easier upkeep than a freshwater. But then I kept freshwater before the advent of skimmers and the like, so I may have done it the hard way.

Here's a picture of my tank. It's a 54g.

And this is its downstairs support system. I'm a bit oversized on this: a corner tank doesn't give you much stand room for this gear. So I drilled the floor and went to the basement. Get a long tank and you have a bit more under-stand room for a sump.

[kyman2391]

hey sk8r is that big downstairs support system necessary? because i was just going to put the SW tank in my family room and i dont think my parents would like me drilling a whole in the floor or having that big thing in my basement.

[kyman2391]

hey sk8r thanks for the help but is that big downstairs support system necessary? because i was just going to put the SW tank in my family room and i dont think my parents would like me drilling a whole in the floor or having that big thing in my basement.

[Sk8r]

Lol. Not necessary. You should be able to cram it into the stand; that's why a long one is better than a wedge. That tall thing [skimmer] can go down into the water of the sump, to fit under a stand.
Also---i f you really end up going whole hog, get a garage-sale armoire and put it next to the tank: it can hold everything you ever dreamed of.
Things you need first: tank and stand with downflow, sump, skimmer, pump, heater, lights [maybe ballast, depending on lights], rock, sand.
A word to the wise: many beginners skimp on equipment to go for fish: if you want your fish to live long and prosper, get good equipment and a quarantine tank [to observe fish 4 weeks for possible parasites] and you will not have to replace your fish. They should live a decade and more. Corals are nearly immortal. That's why they sell pieces of them---and you can trade those. Get into a reef club: a great deal of fun, easy way to learn, trade, get used equipment [you can get a great deal, but watch who you deal with! ideally, deal in the same town, and go look at it.] Look at the Used Equipment forum.

[kyman2391]

thanks sk8r