Salt Water Aquarium Guru's
03-07-2006, 03:03 PM
#1
Salt Water Aquarium Guru's
I'm looking into starting my own 55 gallon tank and would love your guy's input. I have a built in book shelf that goes around every wall of my living room, and a 55 gallon tank fits perfectly into it if i remove 3 rows of books, and underneath is cabinets so that's where i can put my pump and all that other good stuff.
i'm basically wondering how much it costs to start up a reef tank. The guy at the store said it is going to cost me 1500 bucks.... i was a little suprised by that number. I'm not looking to buy 45 fish and 12 anenomes (sp?). I can't afford that, but i would love to work up to it. eventually have an octapus, eel and shark as well. My friend actually had a hammer head shark in his 200 gallon tank (along with tons of other stuff) and he is going to be able to give me some supplies i need.
About how much does it cost to set up a beginners tank. i know i can put more and more stuff (reefs, rocks, urchins, mroe animals) along the way, but just tog et things going, whats a ball park figure? And what am going to need to start up, what equipment, supplies, and anything else? What does it cost for heaters, lighting, tanks, filters. I'm not about to buy a 80 dollar fish just to **** up and have him die either :P. ill be looking to buy fish in the 5-25 dollar category. I've seen 55 gallon tanks start at 80 bucks and go to 700, and i know i don't need a 700 dollar tank.
luckily my friend used to be huge into this and knows a ton about it, along with his dad, so they are going to give me some stuff that they have extra of (i dont' know what exactly yet)
what more is there i should be looking out for? thanks for the input
i'm basically wondering how much it costs to start up a reef tank. The guy at the store said it is going to cost me 1500 bucks.... i was a little suprised by that number. I'm not looking to buy 45 fish and 12 anenomes (sp?). I can't afford that, but i would love to work up to it. eventually have an octapus, eel and shark as well. My friend actually had a hammer head shark in his 200 gallon tank (along with tons of other stuff) and he is going to be able to give me some supplies i need.
About how much does it cost to set up a beginners tank. i know i can put more and more stuff (reefs, rocks, urchins, mroe animals) along the way, but just tog et things going, whats a ball park figure? And what am going to need to start up, what equipment, supplies, and anything else? What does it cost for heaters, lighting, tanks, filters. I'm not about to buy a 80 dollar fish just to **** up and have him die either :P. ill be looking to buy fish in the 5-25 dollar category. I've seen 55 gallon tanks start at 80 bucks and go to 700, and i know i don't need a 700 dollar tank.
luckily my friend used to be huge into this and knows a ton about it, along with his dad, so they are going to give me some stuff that they have extra of (i dont' know what exactly yet)
what more is there i should be looking out for? thanks for the input
03-07-2006, 03:10 PM
#2
Saltwater tanks are bank. The thing is you need alot of the little things and in the whole scheme of things, it adds up. You need the live rock (expensive), good lighting ($200+), aragonite sand, protein skimmer, hydrometer, test kits, heater, etc. There are good sites to get help on how to set everything up. It depends on how much you want to spend and can spend. My cousin has a 25G SW tank and to set that up nice it cost him close to 1k. It takes some time to set it up and maintain, but once you get it down, it's fairly easy. Not only that, but SW tanks look sick as fk when they're all setup and running. Good luck and take some pix. 
03-07-2006, 05:33 PM
#5
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My only advice is to take your time setting up the tank before you put in any live animals. The water quality has to be perfect or you going to have a lot of problems down the road and a lot of dying or sick fish.
03-07-2006, 06:36 PM
#6
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its going to cost a good amount after everything is set up. Factoring in lighting, protien skimmer, live sand, live rock ($5-$8/lb) and all the little stuff can run alot. And you have even purchased any corals yet.
03-07-2006, 08:15 PM
#7
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its gonna cost u a lot of money. i bought from my friend his 29 gallons saltwater tank ready (everything included). it was cost him almost $700 but he gave me for $150.
well, here is a good website to give u ideas about the hardware stuff (protein skimmer, over flow, etc), the fish and the price. but if u wanna save money. go to chinese aquarium store. the one in San Bruno Avenue, called aquatrader. they have a lot of cheap stuff. i bought the metal halide 175Watt for $170 included the 2 strip lite and 2 moon lite. go check it out.
the website:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/
http://www.liveaquaria.com/
http://www.marinedepotlive.com/
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZjosephlee17
well, here is a good website to give u ideas about the hardware stuff (protein skimmer, over flow, etc), the fish and the price. but if u wanna save money. go to chinese aquarium store. the one in San Bruno Avenue, called aquatrader. they have a lot of cheap stuff. i bought the metal halide 175Watt for $170 included the 2 strip lite and 2 moon lite. go check it out.
the website:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/
http://www.liveaquaria.com/
http://www.marinedepotlive.com/
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZjosephlee17
03-08-2006, 03:08 AM
#8
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Reef aquariums can get very expensive. I've had 60g, 20g, and 10g (nano) reef tanks, and the 60g was several thousands invested in the end. It is not a cheap/easy hobby. It took nearly 2-3 years to get my 60g to where I wanted it (and that included mishaps).
Before you do/buy anything, read a lot on the internet, pick up books like "The Reef Aquarium: A Comprehensive Guide to the Identification and Care of Tropical Marine Invertebrates (Vol 2)," and even visit (good) local tropical fish stores for advise. You need to learn a lot, or you will find yourself frustrated, with dead animals, and out of cash.
I don't know your level of expertise in the aquarium hobby, but please, please, please do not start out with a reef tank if this will be your first aquarium. There are just so many things you have to learn beforehand, and micro reefs are one of the most difficult to maintain (if you don't know what you're doing). A micro reef will not be as forgiving as a freshwater community tank. So, if it's your first, start with freshwater tropical fish (and see if it really is something you can get into).
Because in a micro reef, you can't just dump/plug everything in and expect results. Corals require specific water quality requirements (that differ upon geographic regions), and can be very sensitive to any changes. You'll need to monitor alkalinity, salinity, pH, temperature, nitrogen cycle, etc. You'll need to perform periodic maintenance (clean filters, change bulbs, etc.). You'll need to factor in costs of maintenance goods including salt mix, freshwater (you should not use the city's tapwater as it contains various chemicals and silicates), bulbs, food, test kits, supplements (iodine, calcium, potassium, etc.).
Also, you'll need a gameplan. What kind of corals do you want? Hard corals (SPS/LPS) or soft? Because corals can be very territorial, and they have biological defense mechanisms (if you place incompatible corals next to each other, one will try to eliminate the other). They each also have different requirements (acropora for example require a lot of light). Fish, in a reef aquarium, are *supposed to be* one of the last additions to it. Then you have to consider what types of fish are "reef safe" (i.e. won't eat your $50 leather coral).
On the 60g (Berlin method - using the live rock/sand as the main filtering), I had two 175W metal halides (10,000K), two 30W actinics, 45 lbs. of live rock (Fiji), 2" layer of live sand/aragonite mix, ~15 corals (soft/LPS mix), 2 clams, about 7 fish, a couple cleaner shrimp, ~30 astrea snails/~30 red scarlet/blue-legged hermit crabs for cleanup, heater (forget the wattage, but there's a general formula), Berlin hang-on protein skimmer, RO/DI water unit (to create clean water), three powerheads for circulation (on a wave timer), and a canister filter with spray bar (mostly for circulation, which is one of the most important things - waves/currents in the ocean help blow detritus off of the corals).
I've been out of the hobby for 3-4 years now (been moving around a lot), so I can't really give you accurate prices on equipment these days. However, take a look at some of the links others have posted and that should give you an idea. I used to buy (most of) my corals here; http://www.exoticfish.com
In terms of starting a tank up, you'll want to do what ajosselyn said and start off s-l-o-w. But like I said earlier, read, read, read before you do anything. It's a great hobby, but know what you're getting into first.
-Mike-
Before you do/buy anything, read a lot on the internet, pick up books like "The Reef Aquarium: A Comprehensive Guide to the Identification and Care of Tropical Marine Invertebrates (Vol 2)," and even visit (good) local tropical fish stores for advise. You need to learn a lot, or you will find yourself frustrated, with dead animals, and out of cash.
I don't know your level of expertise in the aquarium hobby, but please, please, please do not start out with a reef tank if this will be your first aquarium. There are just so many things you have to learn beforehand, and micro reefs are one of the most difficult to maintain (if you don't know what you're doing). A micro reef will not be as forgiving as a freshwater community tank. So, if it's your first, start with freshwater tropical fish (and see if it really is something you can get into).
Because in a micro reef, you can't just dump/plug everything in and expect results. Corals require specific water quality requirements (that differ upon geographic regions), and can be very sensitive to any changes. You'll need to monitor alkalinity, salinity, pH, temperature, nitrogen cycle, etc. You'll need to perform periodic maintenance (clean filters, change bulbs, etc.). You'll need to factor in costs of maintenance goods including salt mix, freshwater (you should not use the city's tapwater as it contains various chemicals and silicates), bulbs, food, test kits, supplements (iodine, calcium, potassium, etc.).
Also, you'll need a gameplan. What kind of corals do you want? Hard corals (SPS/LPS) or soft? Because corals can be very territorial, and they have biological defense mechanisms (if you place incompatible corals next to each other, one will try to eliminate the other). They each also have different requirements (acropora for example require a lot of light). Fish, in a reef aquarium, are *supposed to be* one of the last additions to it. Then you have to consider what types of fish are "reef safe" (i.e. won't eat your $50 leather coral).
On the 60g (Berlin method - using the live rock/sand as the main filtering), I had two 175W metal halides (10,000K), two 30W actinics, 45 lbs. of live rock (Fiji), 2" layer of live sand/aragonite mix, ~15 corals (soft/LPS mix), 2 clams, about 7 fish, a couple cleaner shrimp, ~30 astrea snails/~30 red scarlet/blue-legged hermit crabs for cleanup, heater (forget the wattage, but there's a general formula), Berlin hang-on protein skimmer, RO/DI water unit (to create clean water), three powerheads for circulation (on a wave timer), and a canister filter with spray bar (mostly for circulation, which is one of the most important things - waves/currents in the ocean help blow detritus off of the corals).
I've been out of the hobby for 3-4 years now (been moving around a lot), so I can't really give you accurate prices on equipment these days. However, take a look at some of the links others have posted and that should give you an idea. I used to buy (most of) my corals here; http://www.exoticfish.com
In terms of starting a tank up, you'll want to do what ajosselyn said and start off s-l-o-w. But like I said earlier, read, read, read before you do anything. It's a great hobby, but know what you're getting into first.
-Mike-
03-08-2006, 10:08 AM
#9
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For supplies,fish, and rock... saltwaterfish.com. Cheapest place I found and they deliver overnight straight to your house. You can try Ebay as well, but the selection isn't very good and most of the time its the same price as going to a local fish store. I would support a local fish store as much as possible, but they will rip you a new one if you buy everything from them.
Now on to the info part... You won't be able to have an octopus in a 55 gallon. They are way too hard to keep in anything short of a zoo type atmosphere. They will escape several times and they will always be looking to escape, they are not social animals. Second off... you put it in with a shark, its going to get eaten or hurt... you are wasting and cruelly treating an expensive/rare/beautiful animal.
If you want a shark, don't have a reef tank. Most people that have sharks keep it very simple with little rockwork or other animals in the tank. They are predators, they will eat everything in there, and they will knock things over numerous times. Also, you won't be able to fit one in a 55 gal... most people say nothing under 150 for a shark since they spend most of their time swimming around looking for food. They are extremely messy eaters. You will need to clean up after them whenever they eat, or else the leftover bits will decompose and cause nitrate problems. You can mix predators together in a tank, like a shark and an eel like you stated... but nothing else should be in that tank unless you want to chance that it gets eaten or maimed.
And my last bit of advice... reef tanks are extremely demanding. I started off with a 50 gallon live rock with fish, then a 25 reef tank, then a 15 reef, and now I have a nano thats around 10 gallons. If you don't know what you are doing or don't have the time, its just going to go downhill fast. Once something dies and you don't clean it up that day, or your fish decide they don't want to eat once, or your corals start getting picky and don't eat... you get the idea, things die and they cost money.
The guy above pretty much said everything I was going to cover... but here is my cliff notes. I would suggest you start off with a fish only live rock tank, get a few good pumps for water circulation, look into a wet/dry sump system for underneath the tank, get a protein skimmer, find a powerful light system if you are going to run corals, get a good book like he had mentioned, join an aquarium forum, ask questions. After you have had that running for a few months and you get the idea behind water testing and routine maintenance... then look to move forward with what you want to do.
Now on to the info part... You won't be able to have an octopus in a 55 gallon. They are way too hard to keep in anything short of a zoo type atmosphere. They will escape several times and they will always be looking to escape, they are not social animals. Second off... you put it in with a shark, its going to get eaten or hurt... you are wasting and cruelly treating an expensive/rare/beautiful animal.
If you want a shark, don't have a reef tank. Most people that have sharks keep it very simple with little rockwork or other animals in the tank. They are predators, they will eat everything in there, and they will knock things over numerous times. Also, you won't be able to fit one in a 55 gal... most people say nothing under 150 for a shark since they spend most of their time swimming around looking for food. They are extremely messy eaters. You will need to clean up after them whenever they eat, or else the leftover bits will decompose and cause nitrate problems. You can mix predators together in a tank, like a shark and an eel like you stated... but nothing else should be in that tank unless you want to chance that it gets eaten or maimed.
And my last bit of advice... reef tanks are extremely demanding. I started off with a 50 gallon live rock with fish, then a 25 reef tank, then a 15 reef, and now I have a nano thats around 10 gallons. If you don't know what you are doing or don't have the time, its just going to go downhill fast. Once something dies and you don't clean it up that day, or your fish decide they don't want to eat once, or your corals start getting picky and don't eat... you get the idea, things die and they cost money.
The guy above pretty much said everything I was going to cover... but here is my cliff notes. I would suggest you start off with a fish only live rock tank, get a few good pumps for water circulation, look into a wet/dry sump system for underneath the tank, get a protein skimmer, find a powerful light system if you are going to run corals, get a good book like he had mentioned, join an aquarium forum, ask questions. After you have had that running for a few months and you get the idea behind water testing and routine maintenance... then look to move forward with what you want to do.
Last edited by Frestall; 03-08-2006 at 10:41 AM.
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