View Full Version : salt water tank
kingmidas
07-08-2005, 4:01 PM
I am going to be setting up my salt water for the first time next week . Any suggestions on what would be good starter fish or plants any info appreciated. Thanks :feedback: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=32#
Feedback
How big is it? do you want fish only? reef? tropical, temperate, or cold water. If tropical you will probably want to start with live rock while thinking about the rest. I have VERY little exp. with sw, hopefully some of the saltheads will advise you, we got some good ones.
kingmidas
07-08-2005, 4:29 PM
Thank you for you info. I got this really great deal on a mistake that store made on price of started tank so they had to sell it to me for what it says so i recieved a 15 gallon tank with all the stuff from fake plants to salt to water checker and other stuff I have read books on salt water tanks but its nice to hear form actual people. I think I would like little fish first just to see how i do with the tank then later move to a bigger tank if possiable.
shovelnose
07-08-2005, 7:13 PM
too much aggrivation don't even bother
guppy
07-08-2005, 11:37 PM
Agreed, unless you go temperate and local,IE, free, remember that as everyone says, BIGGER IS BETTER, esp. with sw. Where in Ca. are you because you could do a fish only temparate tank with local pipe fish and masked sculpins and maybe one pin perch and a little turtle grass over a subsand filter with a small power filter as well. Easy and cheap and you don't feel so bad if you mess up. No clams, mussels, barnacles, or any other filter feeders, no flatworms or nudibranchs, etc. They will die and in doing so wipe out your tank.
frontosa_man
07-14-2005, 10:41 PM
hey if you do start one you will need about 12 to 15 lbs of live rock and you could start off with 2 or 3 damsels. also you need to use RO water because the tap water has too much phosphate and tis will make the fish stressed all the time. keep the damsels for about 4 to 5 weeks to cycle the tank then you can trade them it at some of the pet stores for other fish. also buy a small amount of live sand to help jump start your bio filter.go to aquarium arts of bakersfeild and he will help you get set up.(661)834-8516.
I have never heard of high phosphates causing stress on fish? With high phosphates you can run into red algae bloom problems. Often the thought of 'high phosphates' is due to lack of water changes, which causes a nutrient imbalance. If you do regular partial water changes, you shouldn't have a problem with it. I have very hard tap water here, but I do %15/week on a 55g saltwater tank, and never have issues with phosphates, nutrient imbalances, or algae blooms. If you have naturally imbalanced tap water, with a super-high phosphate content previously, an RO unit may be in order. You could also use products such as Phos-Ban. I don't use the RO unit for anything except wild apistos or discus.
Be consistant, and be patient. That's all it takes for saltwater :)
If it's not broke, don't fix it.
Miles
I do agree that a 15g tank is really not worth the effort for your first tank. It can be a big hassle..
bluedempsey
07-18-2005, 5:30 PM
if your going to try it you better have nerves of steel
it can be a pain in the ass... remember things happen alot quicker
in a smaller environment.... bigger is better sometimes
chinabroadway
03-06-2006, 9:19 PM
good luck with the tank.
My 20gallon saltwater tank.[IMG]
SteveO
03-09-2006, 6:49 AM
Dont bother. Too small for a newbie. Stay fresh until you can do a 50G or larger for salt. Simply the equipment cost for a salt, I could imagine would be more than you would want to spend. After an RO/DI unit, live rock, sand, skimmer, salt, reliable test kits (Mott, Salifert), and whatever small bits and pieces you would want to have; you'll probably have around $500 invested for a 15G.
The 20G above needs more sand and rock... as well as skimmer.
Don4921
03-09-2006, 9:42 AM
Since you have the tank you can do some live rock and some goobies and maybe a lawn mower blenny :grinyes: these are all great starter fish and maybe you could do a small clownfish or some peppermint shrimp
pm me if you any questions on how to setup up your tank or what kind of fish you can have in that small tank eventually u will need a bigger tank but dont give up! Keep Trying!
Don4921
03-09-2006, 9:48 AM
Dont bother. Too small for a newbie. Stay fresh until you can do a 50G or larger for salt. Simply the equipment cost for a salt, I could imagine would be more than you would want to spend. After an RO/DI unit, live rock, sand, skimmer, salt, reliable test kits (Mott, Salifert), and whatever small bits and pieces you would want to have; you'll probably have around $500 invested for a 15G.
The 20G above needs more sand and rock... as well as skimmer.
some beginner fish like damsel and such do not need all of that equipment. If you use dead rock , u do not need a protein skimmer for a fish only tank and it still looks pretty kool :grinyes: . try it and if you see it costs too much for your budget go back to freshwater and wait till you have some to get a larger tank. What ever you do...GOODLUCK :thumbsup:
Don4921
03-10-2006, 9:32 AM
yeah
Go with 3" of live sand 15lbs of L.R. and house a mantis shrimp in there. Honestly, this would be easier maintenence than fish and they are incredibly cool little monsters. This is the recommended tank size for almost all species of mantis anyway. You could even do some macroalgaes, zooanthids, mushrooms and polyps if you have a good light (10000k or 14000k at like 4-6 watts per gallon would be plenty).