I am getting a60gallon tank.Now my question is how much harder is a saltwater tank then fresh? how much more do they cost after they r all settled like when u add salt and stuff when doing water changes?? Plus I have alot of people telling me its hard and very expensive, and im new to the subject....... All replies and advice are very much apprectiated
How hard is it?
- Thread starter monch1es
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ahullsb
New member
It is quite a bit more expensive. If you are willing to research, research, and then research some more then it's not that difficult! 
You found reef central though so you are off to a good start. It isn't too difficult to get the hang of, it just takes TIME and PATIENCE. Most of the problems I read about are people rushing the process and throwing a bunch of fish, corals, etc. in a brand new tank. It doesn't work that way. It will take a month or two before your tank is ready for much life, but after that the sky is the limit. If you are willing to test water parameters a lot, and keep an eye on it I would say go for it. I really enjoy the hobby so much that rarely do feel like what I am doing is "work or maintenance."
You found reef central though so you are off to a good start. It isn't too difficult to get the hang of, it just takes TIME and PATIENCE. Most of the problems I read about are people rushing the process and throwing a bunch of fish, corals, etc. in a brand new tank. It doesn't work that way. It will take a month or two before your tank is ready for much life, but after that the sky is the limit. If you are willing to test water parameters a lot, and keep an eye on it I would say go for it. I really enjoy the hobby so much that rarely do feel like what I am doing is "work or maintenance."
papagimp
COMAS Rocks!
In my honest opinion, and this is from a couple years experience with reef tanks and a couple with freshwater tanks (misc, planted, guppies, discus, ect. ect.) I find the my saltwater tanks much easier to care for....just a tad more expensive for the initial upfront cost of setting one up. Of course I also dealt mainly with planted freshwater tanks....that was a tad more difficult for me to do correctly.
But some pro's I've seen to SW over FW: I don't have to clean the tank as often...algae not all over myglass like it was in the FW setup. Fish look way cooler (although I miss my large schools of tetra's) The livestock I have in the SW hobby seems much more personable than any freshwater fish I've ever cared for. I'm mean sure Big Blue used to eat from my hands (large discus) but my clowns actually seem to beg for food and when myhands are in the tank, with or without food, they come up nippin at me to see what I'll feed em.
Overall, I would not say saltwater tanks are "hard" if you have succesfully kept freshwater tanks. It's just a little different and getting the setup done correctly from the start will make a world of difference. That and plenty of research. Plus, it's far more rewarding in my opinion. If only for the reason that more people have freshwater setups than saltwater....makes it a little more dramatic when company comes over to oooo and aaaahhhh over your tank.
But some pro's I've seen to SW over FW: I don't have to clean the tank as often...algae not all over myglass like it was in the FW setup. Fish look way cooler (although I miss my large schools of tetra's) The livestock I have in the SW hobby seems much more personable than any freshwater fish I've ever cared for. I'm mean sure Big Blue used to eat from my hands (large discus) but my clowns actually seem to beg for food and when myhands are in the tank, with or without food, they come up nippin at me to see what I'll feed em.
Overall, I would not say saltwater tanks are "hard" if you have succesfully kept freshwater tanks. It's just a little different and getting the setup done correctly from the start will make a world of difference. That and plenty of research. Plus, it's far more rewarding in my opinion. If only for the reason that more people have freshwater setups than saltwater....makes it a little more dramatic when company comes over to oooo and aaaahhhh over your tank.
mwwhite
New member
FOWLR (Fish Only with Live Rock) is less demanding than a reef tank. Corals make the difference.
You'll need roughly 90lbs of live rock at about $5/lb.
You'll need lighting. Powered compacts are OK for FOWLR, but for many corals, you'll need T5 or Metal Halide lights. Plan on a few hundred dollars.
You'll need some kind of filtration. A sump with a protein skimmer is common. Another few hundred dollars. And a return pump. Another few hundred.
For reef tanks, you'll need water flow. A couple of power heads. $100 on the low end - on up.
You'll need water test kits - initially and occasionally for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate. A pH test, but a pH monitor would be better. "Something" to test salinity - either a floating hydrometer (not swing-arm) or a refractometer. A PinPoint pH monitor runs around a hundred dollars. Refractometers are around $50-$100.
Calcifying corals and calcerous algaes deplete Calcium and carbonate. You'll need test kits for Calcium and Alkalinity and a means to supplement (daily). You can either purchase supplements or make your own. There's an easy and inexpensive DIY recipe in the reef chemistry forum.
If you want a reef tank, you may also want to have test kits for Magnesium and Posphates.
You'll need a thermometer and possibly a heater. If your temperature runs too high,which may be the case with Metal Halide lighting, you may also need a chiller.
You'll need to do some research on livestock (corals, fish, invertebrates, mollusks) to determine what you like, species husbandry requirements and compatability. For us, corals seem to run around $50 each and fish are generally around $20 each, although it's very variable.
Once set-up, maintenance isn't THAT bad. Daily calcium and alkalinity dose. Check temp & pH. Add top-off water to replace evaporative loss. Feed. Clean glass/acrylic. Change filter sock. Weekly 10% water change, test chemicals, clean skimmer cup.
Top-off and water-change water can be more of an inconvenience than a cost issue. You can opt to buy an RO/DI unit to make your own water. You'd also buy salt mix and "something" to mix and store salt water. I'd estimate $300 for initial setup, but it's much better than picking-up and lugging water jugs from the LFS.
A final thought on cost - if you're somewhat handy, there's a lot that you can do yourself to really cut costs. There's a DIY forum here that's helpful.
Best of luck to you!
You'll need roughly 90lbs of live rock at about $5/lb.
You'll need lighting. Powered compacts are OK for FOWLR, but for many corals, you'll need T5 or Metal Halide lights. Plan on a few hundred dollars.
You'll need some kind of filtration. A sump with a protein skimmer is common. Another few hundred dollars. And a return pump. Another few hundred.
For reef tanks, you'll need water flow. A couple of power heads. $100 on the low end - on up.
You'll need water test kits - initially and occasionally for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate. A pH test, but a pH monitor would be better. "Something" to test salinity - either a floating hydrometer (not swing-arm) or a refractometer. A PinPoint pH monitor runs around a hundred dollars. Refractometers are around $50-$100.
Calcifying corals and calcerous algaes deplete Calcium and carbonate. You'll need test kits for Calcium and Alkalinity and a means to supplement (daily). You can either purchase supplements or make your own. There's an easy and inexpensive DIY recipe in the reef chemistry forum.
If you want a reef tank, you may also want to have test kits for Magnesium and Posphates.
You'll need a thermometer and possibly a heater. If your temperature runs too high,which may be the case with Metal Halide lighting, you may also need a chiller.
You'll need to do some research on livestock (corals, fish, invertebrates, mollusks) to determine what you like, species husbandry requirements and compatability. For us, corals seem to run around $50 each and fish are generally around $20 each, although it's very variable.
Once set-up, maintenance isn't THAT bad. Daily calcium and alkalinity dose. Check temp & pH. Add top-off water to replace evaporative loss. Feed. Clean glass/acrylic. Change filter sock. Weekly 10% water change, test chemicals, clean skimmer cup.
Top-off and water-change water can be more of an inconvenience than a cost issue. You can opt to buy an RO/DI unit to make your own water. You'd also buy salt mix and "something" to mix and store salt water. I'd estimate $300 for initial setup, but it's much better than picking-up and lugging water jugs from the LFS.
A final thought on cost - if you're somewhat handy, there's a lot that you can do yourself to really cut costs. There's a DIY forum here that's helpful.
Best of luck to you!
I agree and disagree with what has been posted so far, a friend turned me on to this a year ago, I have a reef withe SPS, LPS corals and fish, and yes I have lost some of each!! Patients is the key, a protein skimmer, fuge, and IMO mechanical filtration is a waste and a nitrate factory. I tested for everything at first, now that I know my system and everyone's take's on it's own chemical personality you will not have to test for everything all the time, unless you see a sudden change and have to find out what is out of wack, and be intuitive, what did I just add to the tank??? Lost some LS due to 2 Cardinals I got from a LFS, dating a lady that worked there, there system crashed that morning, bought the fish at 2, she called me at 3. too late, infected my tank. I test every 2-3 days, nitrites, nitrates, Alk, calc, and check the SQ, which I know by adding make up is fine, habit. Join a local fish club, your LFS can direct you usually. Check out Reef.org it is like this site. I live in Milwaukee, WI and really have 1 good LFS for quality LS. I have found Liveaquaria.com and MarineDepot.com are the best, LA gives a 14 day no question guarantee. Great for supplies too, I have found a 30% water change biweekly does more then a 10-15% weekly, because I have a reef I use Reef Crystal salt, Instant Ocean is more for a fish tank, RC has more of the trace elements and with the size of H20 I do I only have to drip Kalk and some C Balance, to maintain Calc for the corals. Good luck and enjoy. A water change takes me 15 minutes no big deal. If you go reef with corals you want a RO/DI system and get some total house prefilters at your local home improvement center, adds life to the system. IF you drip Kalk that will usually take care of daily make up. Get a basic SW book, read it, read it, and read it, I read my buddies at least 30 times and ha, I broke some of the rules, won some lost some.
Bob
Bob
A good power head is the Hydro Korials less then 60 for the largest, and you do not need the #4. a return pump and and I like the Mags are right around 100 depending on flow and head rate, with a 60gal I would get 2 of the HK #2's $39 each for a return depending on your head loss from your sump/Fuge a Mag 7 or 9, but check out there specs, I run a Mag 18 but I am pushing a 8 ft head and line loss. and 3 KH left to right 2's and 2 1's back to front, but again I need the flow for the corals, if you do fish only you do not need that much circulation in your tank. I think MWWhite was a little high on cost for pumps/power heads. and low on the MH, IMO, check out all the web sites. Hellolights.com is a start for pricing. I build my on stand and hood with lights, both are a piece of furniture, do it all over again for excess to the tank I would buy a light thing that is not an in closed hood for easy excess, or make it higher to get in there easier to add stuff or fix what the Turbo Snails knocked down the previous night!!!!
Bob
Bob
Bob
Bob
I can not express enough about joining the Local Fish club before you buy. You get all of there experience of what is good, bad, what you need and do not, sometimes used stuff from them when they upgraded to larger systems, and knowledge, instead of that most costly thing, learning from your own experience, and money!!!!!!!
Bob
Bob
