im thinking i might want to start up a saltwater tank in either my 55 or if the cards play out right, a 365 galon cube (4'x4'x3') im curious about everything really, i haven't the slightest when it comes to salt. anything anyone can share please do, tips, ideas for equipment, how to set up filter, anything. thanks in advance.
beginner needs some tips
- Thread starter jerzyperson
- Start date
What type of SW? Swim only (predatory fish) or do you want to do reef with corals and invertebrates?
if you are looking to do corrals you will need ALOT of light versus a fowlr tank (fish only with live rock) which doesnt have any light requirements. basically the more and better lighting you can afford the better the tank will look. you could go with standard hoods and throw 50/50 bulbs in them for around $30-40 if you arent going to keep corrals. then you will want a protein skimmer whether you are doing corrals or not (important- spend as much as you can on this to get the best you can probably one of the most important parts to a marine set up) other than that you need a power head of some sort (or 2 3 4 whatever it takes so you dont have dead spots in the tank), marine salt, live rock, and whatever fish you choose to keep.
Regardless of whether you go fish-only or reef don't skimp on the protein skimmer. If you want to keep corals you'll need lighting (not shop lights). Many soft corals are easy to care for, don't require tons of light, and usually much easier for beginners to have success with. T5 fluorescent lighting is a good all around choice. Metal Halide is the gold standard, but generates a lot of heat in the quantities needed. LED is the up and coming lighting but is very expensive, and not very practical for anything but small tanks.
The skimmer and lighting are the most critical pieces of equipment in a saltwater tank.
The skimmer and lighting are the most critical pieces of equipment in a saltwater tank.
for only $129. That seems reasonable.bjbass;4130368; said:
To get the lumens and spectrum needed for corals, it gets expensive, those marinelands are nice for a fowlr, but wont cut it for a coral tank. I think the 48 inch model is like 1200 lumens?
a $130 led light is good for looking at your fish but it wouldnt work for corrals, led tech is not that advanced yet once its been out for a while it will be the best thing you could do for corral but the price needs to come down a long way. i think the led lighting set up for corrals that i saw for a 24" tank was something like $750 and keep in mind you need more lummens for more depth of tank. your best bet would either be flourescent t5's for a shallow tank or if its a deep tank you would want to run metal halides and possibly get a chiller.