outlaw

Wish it were that way here. lol but we have nowhere to put it. We could just get rid of the couch, but then it would be in direct sunlight. Not sure if its the same as FW and will grow algae like crazy. Is it possible to add LR as I go or would that damage a lot of beneficial bacteria and living organisms? If I have to do at once, I guess I should start saving. The other thing is I think the stand and obviously the light are going to be more expensive then the tank. I am definitely looking for used first but I guess we'll see what happens.

Tumbleweed

You can add the LR as you go just make sure the rock is cured befor you put it in. As for the stand and lights, yeah they can get expensive, but if you are handy you can build your own stand and put together a DIY light system and save yourself a lot of money.

outlaw

Thanks. For the stand I think that would depend on the style of it and what the basement looks like. I like to think I'm pretty handy. I have messed with quite a bit of electronics before. This would just be a higher voltage/wattage then I typically deal with. Some of the stands look like a standard piece of cabinetry which is what I would want to go for. I think I could build something but depending on the house we would get, might be easier to buy.

Tumbleweed

A lot of people build the stand out of satanderd 2X4's and then use a sheet of table cloth to cover the front so you can't see what is under it. And others leave it open so you can see everything that is happening. It all just depends on the look that you are trying to achieve.

outlaw

Obviously this is all part of my grand plan, but I would like I nice clean look and little noise from the viewing side. The noise and whatnot can be done on the other side. If it looks like standard cabinetry then there can be other storage that looks similar used also and it will just kinda blend in. At least that is my idea. I would like the aquarium to be the center of attention (obviously).

eric_m

hefully this will help your research. I came across this site and had tons of info with SW setup's.. when I got my aquarium my first question was salt vs fresh .. price and lvl of work dictated fresh for me.. at least for now anyways..

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/sta...r_Aquarium.htm

outlaw

Thanks for the link. I'll have to try from home as most of the links are blocked from work. We have 3 FW tanks right now. 1 46Gal, a 20Gal and 2.5Gal (in my info). The price is definitely something that was looked at which is why we did FW first. Last I looked it was about a $600 difference between the two starting from scratch. I love our fish and freshwater but want to do this.. It's just going to take time and lots of it.