Saltwater Aquariums...

starryeyedtiger

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I'd like to set up a nice saltwater aquarium in the next year or two. At my duplex right now i have an 80 gallon freshwater tank and a 10 gallon freshwater tank. Those will stay with my mom as i am moving out. I am fairly knowledgable on freshwater tanks and things that go along with them. I also have loads of experience with bettas. I will say though that i do not know too terribly much about saltwater tanks. So i am really looking into researching all that i can before i make a decision. Here is what i've researched/been told about them so far- correct me if you see something wrong:

The tanks should be set up and allowed to run several weeks before adding fish.

There should be a good filtration system in it as well as an adequate amount of sodium

It's best to add hardy small fish/ invertibrates first since they will not fight over tank space. This helps establish the tank. The invertibrates/small fish should be kept in there several weeks before adding other fish

You need a hydrometer to measure the salt level (my question is- how much do they gernerally cost and how do you maintain them? Do you have to change parts on them like filers/pumps?)

You should not overcrowd. Fish will be more hearty and grow better if they are not overcrowded.



those are things i could think of off the top of my head. So for those of you who are experienced with saltwater tanks- what else do i need to be aware of or know about? It will probably be another year or two before i get a saltwater aquarium. So in the mean time, i want to research and find the best possible options for us. These are the fish that I would like to have together depending on aggressiveness and size. I would love to hear suggestions! Also if you have pictures of your tank- feel free to share



Yellow Tang (only one if i get any because they can be aggressive towards other tangs and fish if kept together.)
Three Banded Clown Fish
Yellow Tail Damsel

(those are the 3 types i could think of off the top of my head- what else do you think would go well with them?)
 

juliekit

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Congrats on your (possible) tank!

I dont know much about saltwater tanks, only that they are hard work

The only piece of advice I can give you is to speak to someone at the shop before purchasing a tank and salt water tanks need to have much thicker gladd then the ordinary tanks.

My mom owns an absolute huge tank, and when her last fish died she wanted to invest in a saltwater tank but changed her mind when the guy at the pet shop told her that she'd need a new tank because the glass on hers was too thin
 

sharky

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I will talk with someone about salt tonight
/// but from what i remember it can take up to a yr to "cure " the salt tanks right
 
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starryeyedtiger

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Thanks for the info and kind words everyone!
I appreciate that. I definitely appreciate knowing about the glass long before i purchase one
It will be a good while before i get one and get it fixed up but until then i'd love to research and learn as much as i can so that when we do get one i will be able to take great care of it



Originally Posted by sharky

I will talk with someone about salt tonight
/// but from what i remember it can take up to a yr to "cure " the salt tanks right
Thanks sweetie! I would really appreciate that! I am up for any info you can give me
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

Thanks for the info and kind words everyone!
I appreciate that. I definitely appreciate knowing about the glass long before i purchase one
It will be a good while before i get one and get it fixed up but until then i'd love to research and learn as much as i can so that when we do get one i will be able to take great care of it





Thanks sweetie! I would really appreciate that! I am up for any info you can give me
Wrong guy was there but he did tell me the tanks with live rock can take up to a year to cure properly ...
 
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starryeyedtiger

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Originally Posted by sharky

Wrong guy was there but he did tell me the tanks with live rock can take up to a year to cure properly ...
Thankyou- i will definitely take that into consideration.
Were you refering to live coral? Bryan (essay) pm'd me some links to a wonderful fish site that i just joined! So hopefully i will be able to learn a lot there as well!
 

sharky

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i think it is called both ...lmao.. you can tell my salt education is via listening and not being the question asker
 

essayons89

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Nikki,

I know very little about saltwater but:

Live rock is rock that has organisms living on it. The rocks can have all kinds of corals, sponges, algae, small crustaceans, etc. It's sold by the pound and is expensive. However, live rock makes up a large part of the biological filtration of a marine tank.

Uncured "live" rock is the exact opposite of the cured live rock. There aren't any or many living corals or critters on it by the time well before it reachs the dealer. Often times there are dead places on the rock that have to be removed before it can be added to the tank. When the live rock is being "cured" what is happening is that you are bringing the rock back to life. From what I understand the amount of time it takes can depend on the type of rock but setting up and curing the rock for a SW tank takes a good deal of time and patience. This is one of the reason why it takes so much longer to cycle a SW tank than it does a FW.

I eventually want to set up a SW tank or two. I'm planning on using the uncured live rock so that I watch the critters develop.

On a side note, SW contains less dissolved oxygen than FW and is one of the reasons why SW tanks have lighter stocking densities.
 
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starryeyedtiger

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Originally Posted by Essayons89

Nikki,

I know very little about saltwater but:

Live rock is rock that has organisms living on it. The rocks can have all kinds of corals, sponges, algae, small crustaceans, etc. It's sold by the pound and is expensive. However, live rock makes up a large part of the biological filtration of a marine tank.

Uncured "live" rock is the exact opposite of the cured live rock. There aren't any or many living corals or critters on it by the time well before it reachs the dealer. Often times there are dead places on the rock that have to be removed before it can be added to the tank. When the live rock is being "cured" what is happening is that you are bringing the rock back to life. From what I understand the amount of time it takes can depend on the type of rock but setting up and curing the rock for a SW tank takes a good deal of time and patience. This is one of the reason why it takes so much longer to cycle a SW tank than it does a FW.

I eventually want to set up a SW tank or two. I'm planning on using the uncured live rock so that I watch the critters develop.

On a side note, SW contains less dissolved oxygen than FW and is one of the reasons why SW tanks have lighter stocking densities.
Great info. as always! Thanks Bryan. I had no idea about any of that! It is definitely good to learn that
I am totally loveing the www.aquaria.info site! It's great!
 

kai bengals

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I used to have 3 reef tanks. It's lots of work, but also lots of fun.
With 3 tanks I had to spend about 2 hours per day maintaining them. I had them for about 7 years, but eventually I got out of the hobby, because the bengals were just too persistant with their investigations of the inhabitants and the noises the equipment made.
After removing several scuba-diving bengals from my 200 gallon tank, I decided I couldn't have the cats and the fish.


Here's a pic of my 90 gallon reef after it had been running for about 3 years.

 
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starryeyedtiger

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Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

I used to have 3 reef tanks. It's lots of work, but also lots of fun.
With 3 tanks I had to spend about 2 hours per day maintaining them. I had them for about 7 years, but eventually I got out of the hobby, because the bengals were just too persistant with their investigations of the inhabitants and the noises the equipment made.
After removing several scuba-diving bengals from my 200 gallon tank, I decided I couldn't have the cats and the fish.


Here's a pic of my 90 gallon reef after it had been running for about 3 years.

WOW! Gorgeous picture!!! You put a lot of hard work and dedication into that
 
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