New Member

My husband and myself have had a fresh water tank for many years. Then the kids moved out... We had always wanted to have a salt tank but had been told it would be difficult. So far so good... should anyone one have any first time tips please just drop us a line and let us know what you think.

Sharon

 

Welcome to the site and a hobby that never gets boring . So that we can help with future questions you may have it would be a good idea to update your signiture to show what equipment you are running.

 

Thats a great idea, but as the husband set it up I will let him do that... I am sure that I would mess something up.
We set the tank up two weeks ago and then both of us had to travel out of town this past week, he is still gone and I have just returned home. Everything is good with the tank and watch it more then the tv.
Thanks for the welcome...

Sharon

 

Okay
I Will Try
HOW?

 

Welcome to 3reef first of all!
Now to help you with your saltwater tank and a beginner's intro to salt tank success 101.
First and foremost:read and research for size of tank and other equipment needed as wll as price upfront as well as throughout the course of the year(s). Make sure this is what you really want to do based on cost and time involved!!!!
Next: list what you need to purchase and diagram/layout your whole set-up to help with the initial ease of set-up of system
Read: info about saltwater in general ie. importance of lighting, what a protein skimmer is and what it does dsb or not, water parameters/testing water etc.!
decide what type of tank you wish to have-FOWLR, full blown reef etc.?
research husbandry, habitat and compatibility of corals/inverts/fish1
their are many good books and websites like 3reef to help you through this process... the more knowledgeable and more you read the better off you will be.
A few words of wisdom to live by: Be prepared(you can't be prepared enough for the overall success of your livestock). Go slow and try not to cut corners. Maintain water chemistry levels and parameters as close to the norm as possible as deviations(ie. spikes) could prove detrimental to a tank inhabitants. Ask questions, ask more questions and then ask some more questions-as the only dumb question is the one you didn't ask! Read, read , read...
Now It seems like i'm trying to scare you away! Quite the contrary..I don't want to sugar coat the whole saltwater hobby as it does require some work and you WILL have some successes and failures along the way.
Now, with that being said, a saltwater tank is an amazing thing of beauty as we try to bring a little piece of our ocean/reef into our homes!
The key to the success of our tank is to have the right equipment, properly cycle through all the way, have the right livestock that coincides with each other in harmony(for the most part). Perform water changes weekly(small) and test your water regularly.
KEEP A LOG/JOURNAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is basically it in a nut shell...a saltwater tank can be accomplished successfully for many years as long as certain requirements are met.

Best of luck and feel free to ask us here at 3reef!!!!someone will be able to help you with whatever you have trouble with, concerns or issues!

 

Such great advice from everybody thanks for your input. We have a couple of blue dams and about 15 pounds of live rock and thats about it right now. Going very Slooooooow. But have a skimmer and 405 fluval and different stuff that the husband did much research on prior to setting up. But we are looking at getting a couple of Clown fish in a few weeks any thoughts on them and their care?

Sharon

 

Welcome Scot and Sharon,

How big is you Tank? how long have you been running? What Lights are you running, What skimmer do you have, Are you running a sump.

hehe these are the types of questions you'll be getting

J

 

What kind of light... I dont know the check book shows I paid 400+, LOL and its a 55 gal tank. And no we dont have a sump. In all honesty not sure what I need it for.
Sorry for sounding lame, but this is the husbands hobby and I am trying to get interested in it. Love the idea and having a good time so far.

Sharon

 

Snafu and Scott&Sharon,

First and Foremost.....WELCOME TO 3REEF!!!

You enter this info in your signature by first hitting the USER CP button on the top left.

Then you will have menu options on the left. Click on EDIT SIGNATURE.

 

welcome to 3reef