saltwater conversion

alibaloochi

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 25, 2008
52
0
6
houston
ive got a few tanks.. and im thinking about making the 10g or the 20g a nice little saltwater setup, i know big saltwater tanks are very expensive to maintain.. so i was hoping there was a cheap route to go with a small tank.. any suggestions?
 

BIGgourami

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jan 31, 2007
6,181
12
92
34
Chicago, IL
don't unless you research like HELL!!!

if this is your first SW tank (i don't know your experince with FW) i'd do a 30+ if you could.
 

Newt

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jul 18, 2005
1,105
1
68
Michigan's UP
There is no such thing as a "cheap" saltwater set-up. Even a nano tank costs a lot more to set up than the same size freshwater.

Figure out the cost of live rock, coral sand, skimmer, salt mix, hydrometer, lighting, and a power head or two for water movement. Those are the basics that you will need for any salt tank.
 

pinkcadillac

Feeder Fish
Mar 22, 2008
4
0
0
Arizona
Ill second what newt said. Especially if you are considering a full reef setup. I priced out setting up a small (8-20gallon) nano reef and between the cost of live rock, proper lighting, and protein skimmers I was looking at around $500 and that doesnt include any fish or inverts.

Also it is much harder to maintain stability in a small sw tank. If it is your first i would get the largest tank you can afford.

You may be able to pick up a full set up off craigslist for a fraction of the cost. I occasionally see them on there.

Good luck :)
 

sweeTang21

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 10, 2007
2,009
0
0
Wisconsin
if your not going above the 20 then do the 20. The larger the better. With any tank your going to spend some amount to maintain it. I would use the term "cheaper" lol but its still going to cost you. The larger the tank the more room for screw ups, which always happen.

As mentioned research and buy the best of everything. I would start with a good salt mix and RO water. get it in the tank and mix the salt. After purchase some LR and add that, then get some LS in there. Let it filter for a couple of weeks to get it cycled. You may need to help the cycle along, shrimp in nylon bag or something works well. 2-3 weeks is usually long enough, but sometimes takes longer. Test the water on a regular basis. After this then your really need to watch what you add into the tank.

Making sure the tank is stable and keeping up with water changes and other cleaning methods should be performed regularly to avoid poor water quality.
 

Kevin Greif

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 21, 2008
64
0
0
Baltimore
with sw the larger tank is going to be much easier to maintain. the smaller about of water is harder to keep at the correct quality for you fish. make sure you really look into the legistics and prices before you make any purchases. good luck
 

BIGgourami

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jan 31, 2007
6,181
12
92
34
Chicago, IL
i'm going to disagree with newt. skimmer, coral sand, (bought) LR, lighting and powerheads, aren't necissary. i had a 10 gallon BSJ tank that just had a heater, filter and standard floro lights.

a fish only tank can actually be very inexpensive (by aquaria standards) a FW set up, with a calcium based sand, dry lace/holy/limestone/tufs/lava rock and saltwater is the ony things you NEED (well and a hydrometer and salt).
a skimmer help alot in bigger tanks (under 30 gallons and WC's should be enough)

unless you want to start getting into corals/other inverts/delicate/hard-to-feed fish.
i see no NEED for an expensive set up.
now WANTING one is a completely different story.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store