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Minipenguin
member
Anyone have a saltwater tank?
Minipenguin
member
DH has been talking about getting a saltwater aquarium since I met him. I was thinking about surprising him with one because he never buys anything for himself. I know he'll stay on top of the upkeep, I'm not worried about that.
If you have one, how expensive was it? How long did it take to get the fish in it? Did you hire a tech to do it or did you set it up yourself?
I'll probably just get the tank and let him pick out the fish himself.
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Re: Anyone have a saltwater tank?
I actually worked as an aquarist for many years at an aquarium and had two at home at one point. They do take a lot of maintenance...
expense depends on how big you go. And honestly, as a newbie, the bigger the better because salt water water qualities are so exact that bigger ones are easier to maintain.. If you have a 10 gallon tank and you make a mistake, it could be instantly deadly.. Where as if you have a 125 gallon tank the room for error is greater.. Don't get me wrong, you can kill a bigger tank easily too. Lol. It's difficult recreating ocean water.
i would say the 125 gallon is ideal if you have the space. A system needs different filtration items depending on what kind of animals he wants.. I suggest starting with just fish and someday building to corals. Corals need special lighting and filtration. A salt water tank also needs special filtration different from a fresh water tank.
What kind of fish stores or pet stores do you have in your area? There are several online forums that are good source of information.
a tank needs to be up and running for several weeks before you add live animals. There are several ways to start it and get the tank to cycle... You can seed it, add live rock, add dead fish, etc.. All depends on what you have available. Either way, you need to add fish slowly to not crash the tank.
You will need a tank and filtration, media for the bottom, salt (instant ocean is my favorite) cleaning supplies (algae cleaners, gravel/sand vacuum, buckets (ideally two, one for clean water and one for dirty), fish, water quality testing kit and food.. These are the basics.
it is also ideal to have a smaller tank set up as a hospital tank.. When you buy new fish ( once your tank is established) you should quarantine them as to not introduce new disease to the tank. A hospital tank is also good if you get a sick fish, you can remove him.
you also need to watch your water supply, chlorine levels and copper can be extremely deadly too.
The other option is to hire a company to build your tank and take care of it for you... You would just do basic monitoring and feeding.
this is the easy way, and can be pricey depending on your area.
I'm sure I'm missing things.. Lol. Let me know if you have any questions! GL!