These fish and liverock and crushed coral substrate and salt and UV lighting sounds very expensive but I want to make my new 180 gallon tank saltwater. I was thinking of starting off smaller for now (20gal) just to get the hang of it. What should I know before I start spending? I already have a hygrometer but thats about it.
Answers:
Saltwater fish require extremely good water conditions to survive. Most fish available are wild caught and not captive bred so they aren't very flexible in tank conditions.
The live rock and crushed coral substrate is an essential part of your filter system and cannot be avoided. It is also a breeding ground for small lifeforms called copepods - which your fish will feed on (a necessary supplement for the health of most of them).
The substrate need to be 3 to 5 inches deep to be of any use in the tank.
UV water sterilizers are not absolutely necessary. Many salt water tank keepers (myself included) do not believe that they make any difference in a single tank set up. They are good for cleaning the water before it is circulated into another tank.
Lighting need only be good quality florescent/actinic, but the bulbs need to be changed every six months. Metal halide lights are required only for the keeping of stony corals, but sponges, leather corals, mushrooms and zooanthids will do well with good floescent lights.
Refugiums are nice for water purification and a breeding ground for copepods and the like.
Lots of water flow is essential and for a large tank, wavermakers are added to increase it, ensuring that the water swirls around all the live rock.
Protien skimmers help purify the water, making sure there is no build up of leftover food in the water. They are a good investment in making sure that you tank stays healthy.
Marine test kits are essential.
I would suggest that you break into the hobby with a fish-only-with-live-rock tank of about thirty gallons. It is a good way to get your feet wet without as large an expense.
This site has some good info to scan through
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/gener.
Check the craigslist.org. There are some used tank and setup for sell. That will save you some money.
Go to library get a book on it make a list .Then go to pet store price every thing .Check out the fish you want %26 price then you got a idea of where your going with it and amount ya want to spend ..The people at most pet places are real helpful too.If your trying to stay in a price range. You can still have a beautiful tank %26 what you want. Thanks %26lt;:3 }~ Good luck to you
Start bigger. Its easier for beginners. I hope you understand that the tank, stand, top, and lights are only 30% of the true cost of the salt setup? I am not joking. The sump or wet dry, UV sterlizer, halide or compact light, protein skimmer, sand base, live rock, water additives, calcifiers, etc. are the primary cost when it comes to a good setup. Where do you live? there may a good fish store i can recommend.
First I would tell you to go big right away, it is actually easier for begginers. But before you start I highly recommend going to your local book store and get a book about salt water aquariums. As for how much it cost you, saltwaters are very expensive. My 150 was a little over 1,000. But they get much higher. If you have the money they are so beatiful to have. Good luck!!
Salt water tanks are VERY expensive and hard to maintain. i DO NOT HAVE A SALTWATER TANK, so i will not give you any personal advice.HERE ARE SOME GOOD WEBSITES: http://www.ehow.com/how_5796_set-saltwat. / http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/startin. / http://coco.essortment.com/howtosetupsa_. /
It is expensive to start up, but well worth it! At first, don't buy a lot of expensive fish.give your tank a month or two to settle, as they usually "crash" during this period, then become stable. After that, you can introduce other things. My husband has gotten me hooked on our marine tanks-it's great!
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