Switching to Salt

[J2FcM]

Hello all,

I've always held an interest in salt water tanks, but I've only ever had freshwater. I take care of dwarf cichlids, mostly rams, green phantom plecos, other assorted random catfish\plecos, gouramis, bla bla bla.

My question is, how different is salt water from fresh? In terms of water parameters, diseases, filtration, and anything else general.

And please you can just be general if you want, for instances "water parameters are more difficult" or "there are less diseases"... something tells me everything requires more effort though :bum:



Also, for a starter tank, I'd like something small... perhaps a 10-20g.
Can you use decor from fresh water cycled tanks to knock off cycle time?
Are jawfish, blennies, gobies, or damsel fish good choices at all for a small tank + fresh water newblette.

What about inverts, corals, etc...

Just looking for good starters in all areas of saltwater life.

Many thanks in advance!

 

[old salty]

Totally different; I have a planted FW tank. Other than the fact that they are both glass boxes which hold water, I can't really think of too many similarities (I'm being a smart alec, but you get the point.)

Salt water is more pricey, die offs tend to cost more. Honestly, my reef has been much easier to maintain than the FW tank.

 

[Kengaroo131]

i made the mistake of starting with a small tank. its not that its hard it just requirs more attention and work but i find it fun. if you dont have alot of time on your hands then i would go with a pretty good size tank if you can. basicaly the bigger the easyer but more expensive and the smaller the harder(in most cases) and cheaper. i would recomend getting a test kit for saltwater cause you should check your nitrates nitrites and amonia levels the most(i do mine once every 2 weeks,if i see unusual behavior i usualy test) saltwater is without a doubt just a little more work then freshwater. to my knowledge i belive the desises are about the same(other people correct me if im wrong). for filtration i would reconend a protien skimmer(i went with one that was rated 10 gal. over my tank size) i'v read online that you dont need one but there really good to have. ro/di units are also good things to have, and again you dont need it but there good to have also it will keep your water pretty clear. uv steralizers are good to have aswell but again just an accesory. i would recomend putting in a power head to create some flow, as far as corals go thats up to you but if you want to grow a variaty of corals you should invest is some pretty good lighting atleast 3-4 watts per gallon i think it is. inverts on the other hand do not require good lighting although it brings out there nice coler, they are always good to have, mostly known as the cleaning crew in your tank. i wouldnt add any of that cycle stuff, if you can help it try not to add any extra not needed additives to the tank. with saltwater it all takes time. when you setup your tank the first month or so you will get algae blooms, this is normal dont be alarmed. you can tell your cycle is over when your nitrates and amonia are at 0%. hope this helps you get started!

 

[Salamander]

Might be cheaper to just fill a glass box with $100 bills.

Fish only with live rock tanks aren't too bad but still more difficult.

Reef tanks are on a whole other plane of difficulty. Its gotta have your full attention to survive and thrive. Its like having something on life support in your livign room.

That being said:
Softies are easier than stony corals. Many softies can survive and thrive under low lights and are more forgiving of poor husbandry.

Water parameters to monitor and adjust are more numerous and change more rapidly. Temp, Salinty, pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate are the most regularly tested but you may also need to test others on occasion.

Cycling with you freshy plants won't help. Different bacteria.

Filtration is totally different. Much is done with live rock but you'll also need a skimmer and its best to have a refugium for growing macro algae for nuitrient export.

Speaking to your questoin of disease...Ever heard of Rapid Tissue Necrosis (RTN)? Its when SPS corals just lose their flesh really quick. It and others can be problems that you may never know why they happened and can't control. There are always other parasites, algaes and other things to deal with. Even coral warfare.

OK. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket but you asked. There's alot to it. More than most know when they start out. Glad to see you asking questions before jumping in. This is one hobby where you must research everything before hand.

Good Luck!

 

[J2FcM]

Well, ok... me thinks I would start with a fish only tank, with like a crab... and a rock.. er wait a second a LIVE rock... =)

OK, honestly I don't know about reefs at all, and have yet to research this part of Salt water, so excluding all those, after cycling, getting some sort of salt water into the tank, and getting a protein skimmer... would I still need special UV lighting?

I really don't have any appreciation for corals, and whatever else isn't an obvious life form yet, because I know nothing.. so at this point until I research that, I will stick with the above (rock+fish+inverts). is that do-able (so far?)

 

[Chago09]

well I'm a SW nooby myself.... only been around a little over a month. I have been in FW for a long time though.

Yes you can do fish and live rock its actually called a fish only with live rock or a FOWLR. I am currently working on one right now of 150 gallons and a 55 gallon sump. Yes serioulsy everything you learned in FW throw it in the trash because the only similarity is that the water is wet.

What size tank you planning on setting up??? I would recomend nothing smaller then a 75 gallon only because you said you want to do FOWLR and believe me you will regret making a smaller tank because of the fish you will be restricted to keeping in anything smaller. Go even bigger if you can afford it.

Basicly the basics are :

1.) substrate is up to you, crushed coral, sand or bare bottom. A lot of people seem to really like sand although no one has really told me why yet, or which brand??? lol

2.) Remember having sponges in your FW tanks filters and never being allowed to clean them or else you would loose all your biological filtration. Well ya forget that because live rock will do that for you now. People recomend 1lb per gallon in a reef tank although in a FOWLR tank you can have less, if your gonna use other means of bio filtering.

3.) Other means of bio filtering would be a sump. Some bioballs that are rinsed in tank water monthly should keep them maintained and keep your levels right in your tank. If you want to run FOWLR I would say have atleast 0.5lb per gallon. Some people have zero live rock but I don't know about that.

4.) FOWLR lights don't mean anything.... just bright enough for you to see your fish.

5.) Your fish don't like to drink beer or coke.... so don't spill any of that in your tank.

Thats about it enjoy

 

[J2FcM]

Well, what about a mid size tank, 20-50g. With my intentions only staying on blennies, gobies, jawfish, damsels, live rock, inverts...?

Later down the line, with experience and a thirst for larger fish, couldn't I turn the smaller tank into a QT tank, or a small critter tank???

At this point, I am really only interested in the above mentioned critters... I can't see why I would get a big tank unless I really wanted some big fish, or psycho aggresive fish. But I'm new, so I ask questions!

 

[Chago09]

ok well if thats what you say you want don't say I didn't warn you LOL yes of course it can work.... people make reef tanks in a coffee pot believe it or not. It's just I recomended bigger because I know your gonna wanna go bigger so just do it once rather then a bunch of times. But whatever your choice. I'm not vey patient I want big right now lol

 

[Lotus99]

So far, I haven't found saltwater to be hugely different from freshwater, except that the cycle is easier in saltwater

I guess that's my take on things.

I test my freshwater tanks, drip acclimate and quarantine all my freshwater fish. I've been interested in the chemistry side of things in freshwater, and maybe I take it too seriously. I think it has helped my learning curve in SW. I'm still learning in both, and probably always will be, I think that's part of the enjoyment of the hobby.

If you're a person who likes to read, get a couple of the recommended books and read up on water chemistry, cycling, fish care, tank setup and all the other good stuff. There's a link at the bottom of each page that says "RC Bookstore" that has some of the favorite books. I personally find books to be a great resource, rather than relying only on the Internet.

 

[J2FcM]

Gotchya. Well the other thing is, mine would be the FOWLR type, I will be holding holding off on anything that requires special lighting, etc...etc...etc... This tank would merely be to test out Salt water, and get some of my favorite "small fish" and any cool inverts that pop along.

So really, go big for economic reasons, for reasons of needing bigger fish, and it buys you more time when things start going sour in the chemistry... anything else?

 

[Chago09]

yes one more thing... me and you have a lot more in common then FW and SW ahahahah I am studying in university right now and I am majoring in Marketing and minoring in accounting. Secondly we both have a obvious interest in aquariums. Thirdly I just noticed you wrote mma in your interests. Well I am a huge enthusiast and practinioner of mma. I have fought in 7 kickboxing fights and 3 mma fights. I have been fighting in competition for 3 years but have been training for 5. Started doing bjj and mma about 1.5 years ago. I was at an event that hosts mma and kickboxing together in the same night. I showed up for my 8th kickboxing match although the guys I was supposed to fight dropped out so I trained and showed up for nothing. Well it turned out someone in my weight class in mma had the samething happen to him. I agreed to fight him in mma rules (I knew nothing about bjj, wrestling I was all stand up) ahahaha this fight didn't exactly go the way I planned the first two rounds. I basicly got taken down and beat like a old rug. Thank God for that sweet sound of the bell LOL begining of the third round we came back out I FINALLY judged him going for a shoot and kneed him and KO'd him. LOL I won the fight in the third after getting beat horribly for two rounds. After that I realized the importance of ground fighting and have been hooked since. Haven't fought kickboxing anymore since although I have fought mma twice. Anyways sorry just never had anyone else on fish forums to talk mma about LOL

 

[J2FcM]

haha, nice man. It sounds like that Saturday night fight night match with Josh Koshcheck vs that scrappy white guy who won with the 3rd round knee + rear naked.

It'd be sweet if you lived in So Cal, we could train together. I got my 7 day pass for No Limits, but I'm gettin a job and stuff so no time for hardcore training. I just go home and do that GSP and Coutoure circuit training. meh

 

[Chago09]

ya i'm a little far away from you LOL Ontario Canada. So cal is a great area to live though for mma. A lot of really good places to train.