Dark_Rider2k3

I'm just reading up on SW tanks, and all the stuff you go through with them, but i'm just curious as to what maintenance is like for them (things like weekly maintenance and such..)

I eventually want to go "all-out" on an aquarium, and am thinking that SW may be the way to go

Thanks guys!!

Oil_Fan

For me I do about a 10 gallon water change for a 65 gallon tank each week. Plus test my water 2-3 times a week. And with the colder weather here this week here in Georgia, I have to add about 1 gallon of fresh water each day due to evaporation. When it's warmer, I add about 1 gallon every few days. I feed them every second day.

Most of it isn't too bad but the water changes take me a couple of hours if I need to heat up the water in the microwave to get it to proper temp. Today I had to heat up 1 gallon at a time for 4 minutes to get it warm enough.

But despite all of the challenges and mistakes I've made along the way, I really do like my tank and consider it very worthwhile.

Dark_Rider2k3

ahh so it's not too far off from the normals of a FW tank.

Now i've heard you don't use tap water for a SW tank. What water do you use, and also, how do you prep. water for a SW tank (for both starting out and doing water changes)

sgould

A lot of folks use RO (reverse osmosis) water for their SW tanks. I will admit to being a heritic and using regular treated tap water myself. If you use RO water, you do not need to use a chlorine treater like you would with fresh water. If you use tap water, treatment is required. I mix my water in 5 gallon buckets, the day before I actually plan to put it in the tank. The amount of salt mix depends on what mix you are using...just gotta read the instructions on that one. Anyhow...just mix in the salt, plunk in a power head to keep it mixing overnight, and a heater to get/keep the temp where you need it for the tank.

Dark_Rider2k3

Okay so that's simple! Thank you!

I am pretty sure my water is good from my tap as long as dechlorinate it.. so i'll probably go your route..

Thanks everyone!!

Oil_Fan

I'm lazy when it comes to water. I head my LFS with 5 gallon jugs and them fill them up for me. It costs me $1 per gallon of salt and 50 cents per gallon of fresh.

Dark_Rider2k3

haha yeah.. that sounds also pretty easy. I couldn't do it as my car is not that big.. and it's always cluttered lol

is there a compatibility chart for saltwater like there is for the freshwater fish? I don't know what i'd be getting in my tank at all, other then clown fish haha.

Btw, it's all in the planning right now.. nothing is permanent about what i'm doing, as i'm just getting information and stuff..

I do know, that I want a fairly decent sized tank.. anywhere from 50gallon to 100gallon.

BoSox Fan7

How big would the tank be?

sgould

Here is a compatibility chart.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/c...lity_chart.cfm

Dark_Rider2k3

awesome!

Well the tank size is going to be fairly large.. I'm aiming closer to 100-gallon, but i'd go as low as 50-gallon if I had to..

I gotta find some space first.. I know I have it, just am not 100% sure where

needabiggertank

The more water in your tank means the parameters wont change as easy. Bigger tank=easier. Just so much $

Jesses89

SW maintenance isnt hard at all really..
im my 75 gallon reef... what i do is
do a 20% water change every two weeks.....
dump the cup from my protein skimmer weekly or whenever its full..
use a scraper to clean the inside of my glass....
since its a reef i
add 5 ml of calcium daily
add 5ml of trace elements and reef vitamins
add 5ml of strontium/magnesium
and 5ml ofIodine
two times every week

i used to test my water every week also...
but after a while of doing the same thing i do all my readings were always pretty much the same so i just test the water now every now and then.

Peterpiper

SW maintenance is very much the same as fresh.
It does take more to set up a marine tank ( time, effort and money ), but once its up and going water changes (salt mix) and additives ( coral/reef tanks ) are the only extras.
It will cost you for LR, corals and fish... a lot more than for fresh water.
Then you will find that most of you fish are wild cought and need to be trained onto frozen.. not to easy with some fish... But when its all up and running and the coral and fish are healthy and eating... well its just magic