Mad About Cichlids;673723; said:
Got my mind set on setting up a little 10g saltwater tank to raise a Mantis shrimp.
This will be my first saltwater venture, so here's a few questions.
Ok, how hard it is really to keep saltwater setup?
How often do you have to do waterchange?
Do you have to constantly check water parameters and such?
Can I use regular play sand instead of crush corals, etc?
Are strong lighting necessary if I don't intend to keep live rocks?
It is easier to buy saltwaters from the LFS or mix'em yourself? (its a dollar a gallon here to buy saltwaters)
What types of filters/filtrations are best? (I have alot of hangon filters)
Am'I just worrying too much?
This is it for now, will post up more as I think of them. Any suggestions/answers are greatly appreciated.
Thanks in Advance.
1. Well that depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Innitially, the set-up its self, the equiptment and chemistry involved can seem a bit overwhelming, but it doesn't need to be, and usually any equipment you use has simple-term instructions, and water testing is also simplified now days with all of the gizmos and gadgets they have going. I would say invest in a few "Saltwater for Dummies" books. No I am not calling you a dummy, lol, its just that believe it or not, in those books, they really do break it down into simple english with great explanations for anyone needing to learn the ins and outs of the basics.
2. Once again this will depend on what you stock. Are you looking at Fish only, Fish only with live rock, fish and reef, reef and inverts???? See what I am getting at. Once you narrow down what you would like to (and resonably could) house, from there you can move into specific general care. There is no absolute when it comes to water changes, it depends largely on what you keep, and how many you keep, and how big your tank is, and what filtration you use, and so on, and so on, lol.
3. As far as parameters go, getting yourself into a solid routine early in the game is always a good idea. I would suggest checking them 2 times weekly while your tank is newly etablished and you are still stocking, and then you can move it back to once a week, once complete. Just note that uneaten food, reef supplements, new stock, as well as waste from seasoned residents in the tank are all contributors to poor water quality.
4. I would stay away from play sand. There are people who use it - one because it's cheaper. But you never know what you are getting at that point. I have hear stories of people buying play sand and having a chunk of glass in it, and some have had what appeared to be charcoal in it. Not to mention you have no way of knowing what rock and other materials were ground to make that sand so you could potentially be opening your tank up to toxic compounds being leeched from the sand.
5. If you are going for no corals and no live rocks, then no, you would not need strong lighting such as metal halides. You could opt for flourecent lighting instead, or, depending on the look you prefer, there are a variety of spectrums available on their own for you to create your own lighting scheme.
6. Buying saltwater - no, I would never trust a LFS to supply my saltwater. I have seen some places just pull water straight from their own tanks which is a disaster waiting to happen, considering LFS are not known for good husbandry. SO, if introduction of disease and bacteria is what you are after, go for it, if not, lol, stick to mixing your own. Now when it comes to buying RO water, that is ok to purchase from a LFS but always make sure you are with them when they fill your containers to ensure it comes directly from that source. If they refuse to let you see their units then I would be skeptical.
7. Once again this varies based on the tanks inhabitants. You have Bio-filters, RO units, sumps, protein skimmers and on and on. There is such a HUGE selection - some work best when used in conjunction with another, and some are made to "do it all" so to speak. Once you narrow it down, I am sure plenty of people can give you great products to aim for. Most hang-ons are fine, though I always advise to use another source of filtration in addition.
8. No, not at all, I think it is awsome you are asking a lot of relevant questions! The more you ask, the more knowledge you can gain. The more knowledge you gain, the better a fishkeeper you will become. Not a stupid question out there, except those which go un-asked!!
That is a lot more than what I posted! If you can not start a 10 gallon mantis shrimp tank off of that then I would have to say stick to freshwater!
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. Tank has been running since last Friday with waters I bought from the LFS. I was thinking about getting mollies to help cycle the tank but found a pretty good deal yesterday for two good size Damsels ($3 for both). BTW where can I find salts for good deals? Went to Petco and their bags of salts are pretty pricey
