marine or freshwater

[mymindseye81]

i am very interested in turning my freshwater Tanganyika tank into a live coral saltwater tank. it seems very over whelming. how difficult is saltwater keeping? the tank i have is for saltwater, i have a sump wet dry trickle filter with bio balls with a CPR over flow box. the sump also has a protein skimmer built into it (not using). how is the upkeep for saltwater fish and coral? the colors of the fish and coral are unmatchable to freshwater tropical fish, im torn. please give me some insight with pros and cons. thank you

 

[swede]

just be prepared to pay a lot to get the live rock and any other livestock you desire. the actual upkeep isn't a lot harder, but setting it up and educating yourself could be costly

 

[sostoudt]

just be prepared to pay a lot to get the live rock and any other livestock you desire. the actual upkeep isn't a lot harder, but setting it up and educating yourself could be costly

i second that. i actually thought saltwater was easier on water changes as the the liverock and sand does reduce nitrates(thats if your not heavily stocked). you will need to test more stuff like calcium and magnesium

the 2 biggest cons of saltwater are the cost and salt. the salt is bad because its messy, it will evaporate and coat the immediate area around the tank. oh another pet pev i had was the space you need more space to store water and for equipment. people with corals like to use RO/DI water as its purer and doesnt contain trace amounts of copper.

personally i didnt find the corals all that interesting(did reef tanks for 6 years) there just like plants.


for the pros just look through here.(be warned tanks like these take years and much dedication)
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/subject/totm.php?menu=15

 

[Otto_VonBacon]

Be prepared to have an empty wallet.

 

[instantthc]

in my experience if u pay for a good filter for saltwater it does most of the work. the setup is costly. but the reward is amazing. you can have the colors plus personality of fish with plants that will amaze. i got my setup 3 years ago for my 100G and since then all i have to do is clean the glass. the filter does the rest. GL\
i lost 2 fish so far. a goby that ate algaie to death and an angel that i got large that died of old age...as far as their life expectancy. hope u have as good of luck as i did

 

[mr.reef24]

i am very interested in turning my freshwater Tanganyika tank into a live coral saltwater tank. it seems very over whelming. how difficult is saltwater keeping? Easier then freshwater. the tank i have is for saltwater, i have a sump wet dry trickle filter with bio balls with a CPR over flow box. the sump also has a protein skimmer built into it (not using). how is the upkeep for saltwater fish and coral? the fish are simple just keep salinity and Ph, and temp. at the same level without much fluctuation's and your good, Corals' are easy depending on what you desire to keep. the colors of the fish and coral are unmatchable to freshwater tropical fish, im torn. please give me some insight with pros and cons. thank you

In the mean time I would buy this book and you'll be a pro at what you need to know to be successful at keeping a marine tank with or without coral's. Goodluck and Private message me anytime you need help.

http://www.marinedepot.com/The_New_...uarium_Books-House_Brand-BKNMA-FIBKSW-vi.html

mr.reef24

 

[chawk610]

It is overwhelming if you think of "everything" you have to do. Luckily, it is a slow process, so just take one step at a time, and do plenty of reading. I try to learn something new everyday. I am new at it...for the record, but so far, I am in love with the hobby. I say definately go for it. Maybe FOWLR is the path for you, young patiwan.

 

[bromie88]

just be prepared to pay a lot to get the live rock and any other livestock you desire. the actual upkeep isn't a lot harder, but setting it up and educating yourself could be costly

basically this post sums it up. everything generally is expensive. but where equiptment is concerned you only have to buy everything once (exept salt of course), and most of it you have.

the actual fish keeping isnt any more difficult than FW. corals arent as difficult as most people think either. most will just require a certain amount of light, to produce enough food, and possibly habd feedings and dosing some trace elements. but id recommend waiting at least 6 months before you buy any corals though, just to let everything settle down. as they are quite sensetive. do your research first. it'll pay off in the long run. when keeping marines, when it hits the fan, it really hits the fan.

some things id also read up on if you havent already, are types of filtration for marine aquaria, specific gravity or SG, and drip acclimatisation.

 

[mymindseye81]

wow there are some tanks on this web site that blew my mind. the set ups these people have are amazing
www.reefkeeping.com
thanks alot SOSTOUDT

 

[mymindseye81]

i went to the local book store yesterday and picked up a small marina book and will start my edumacating myself today. i will be moving within the year so this will be a great apportunity for me to educate and then when i move i can start my new FOWLR tank. very exciting! anyway ive also been reading saltwater fish profiles and there are so many fish that have different diets. if i want live coral what are the best tank mates for this set up?