Saltwater aquarium tips?
I’ve decided I’d like to try my hand at a saltwater tank, I’ve had many successful freshwater tanks before but I’ve always loved saltwater tanks. Right now I’m just researching to learn the differences n see if I’m ready for one but any tips on innitial setup would be very welcome. Eventually I’d love to graduate to a reef tank but I think I’ll stick to just fish at first. If anyone is in the corpus Christi area that’d be a huge plus
I’m currrently looking at a bow front 46 gallon acrylic tank. Is that a good starter size? I’m getting mixed answers on that front. And one thing I haven’t been able to find is wether or not clown fish NEED an anemoni. Any tips on sumps?
Tagged with: clown fish • corpus christi area • freshwater tanks • gallon acrylic tank • love • reef tank • saltwater tank • saltwater tanks • starter size
Filed under: Getting Started with A Reef Tank
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when it comes to buying the fish make sure that they ARE reef safe or compatible as some varieties of fish can be very aggressive. i hear your doing research on the whole set up but keep in mind you’ll need to research the types of fish. you should really keep to one area of the world, in other words buy fish that are together "naturally" in the wild. this is a plus because all the fishes requirements would be the same e.g. temperature, salt levels and water movement.
if you do decide to make and construct a reef make sure to lay the rock foundation first as some fish or invertebrates like to burrow or dig to create homes.
research what type of corals you would like and match them found either with the fish or with each other this will insure that there would be minimal fighting or aggressive behavior from fish or coral.
My tips would be to set up your equipment as if you’re setting up for a reef tank, especially when you want to be able to own one.
Buy a protein skimmer much larger than what you need. People normally go for 3-7 times larger than their tanks volume.
EDIT: A 46 gal is fine if that’s what you want to start with. The bigger the better though (and the more fish you can have
).
No, clownfish don’t need an anemonie.
there are a few differences between freshwater and the main one being the equipment required you will need a better quality filter and a protein skimmer is a must! a wet dry trickle filter is in my mind the best type of filter but you can get away with a external canister filter but they are not as good at keeping water quality good! also you cant keep as many fish as in freshwater as a rule you can keep one fish per 10 gallons of water and i would suggest you use live rock even if you plan to have a fish only tank as it will help with filtration and keeps nitrates to a min witch is what you want if you wish to upgrade to a reef tank at a later date as most corals and invertebrates will not tolerate more than 5ppm of nitrate! also if you wish to upgrade at a later point get the correct lighting in the first place as the fish wont like the change if you want a reef then you will need t5 very high output at the min or metal halide lighting will simulate the sun better as all light comes from a single point however with a metal halide you will need a aquarium chiller to control the heat
you sound as if you are ready for a saltwater tank but do your research properly and make sure you cycle the tank properly as marine fish are far more sensitive than freshwater and cost a lot more and never add cooper based medicines to a reef tank or t a tank containing live rock as this will kill every thing
and with marine you need more flow in the water
best of luck