Is it as hard as they say? Is it tough to maintain a saltwater aquarium in a 10?

Wanna start on saltwater fish. Ive been having freshwater fish for sometime now.....but thinking of starting a saltwater tank.
Could u let me know the exact things I need to get started. Ive read all the facts on fishlore.....but need an opinion once more.
I'm not a big fan on havin anemones.........so I wanna kno if its alright to not have them in my saltwater tank.
Also keenly wanna know if it is ok to not have live sand or rock.

 

welcome to fishlore!!

I don't know anything about sw but from what ive read, ppl say to start off small to learn...but then ive heard ppl say start off big, its easier to upkeep...

I'm sure some sw experts will come along but I wanted to just welcome you

 

On tank size, the bigger the better. Yes, you can do a 10 gallon Saltwater setup, but you will be very limited in what livestock you can keep in it, and you will have to be extremely diligent in monitoring water quality. Larger water volumes give you the benefit of extra time to catch and correct problems before they pollute the water to the degree your stock becomes threatened. With a small tank you do not have that benefit.

Yes, you can do a FO (fish only) tank and leave out live rock. However, my opinion would be to think twice about that. You get a lot of biological filtration benefit out of having live rock in your tank.

Not only do you not need an anemone, it is recommended that beginners not attempt them, and that they not be kept in tanks less than 6-7 months old.

Things you need: salt mix, water conditioner, hydrometer or refractometer, heater, thermomoter, Saltwater test kit, power heads (usually more than 1, but it depends on what kind of tank you end up with and what size). Highly recommended : protein skimmer, RO water filter. Lighting will depend on what you are stocking with. If you are not going to be keeping any corals, a standard fluorescent light fixture is fine.

 

Yeah I would agree with sgould life rock is super helpful. My tank crured in just two weeks. I thought it was going to take longer so I didn't think about livestock. But now I have two three striped damsels and three blue leg crabs. Get a refractometer. Those will work way better than hydrometers. Why did you think you needed to have an anemone?? Life sand will also be helpful. It helps boost your pH and have lots of bacteria. Hope this helps!

 

Thank you guys so much for ur opinion.
Thanx a lot Shawnie.
So...ehem....u guys r makin me think twice. LOL....looks like I'm not gonna have a Saltwater tank after all. But **** isn't there an easier way to maintain a saltwater tank other than with all those equipment?

 

Thank you guys so much for ur opinion.
Thanx a lot Shawnie.
So...ehem....u guys r makin me think twice. LOL....looks like I'm not gonna have a Saltwater tank after all. But **** isn't there an easier way to maintain a saltwater tank other than with all those equipment?

you could always watch craigslist for a good deal on a sw tank w/ equipment. that will be where I buy one.

 

I have a 10 and its not that hard just keep an eye on it and check your temp, once you get the hang of it it is easy. it all depends on how much dedicaton you put in it. hope I helped

 

Hey guys what kinda filter do u think would be best for a Saltwater setup? And Would it be a hstle to not have live sand?

 

I'm not a salty guy yet still waiting but from what I understand you don't need a filter if you go with the proper amount of LR. Sand or crushed coral is your choice some go with a bare bottom. With sand you also have the option of going with a shallow or a deep sand bed both have advantages and disadvantages. Protein skimmers are really good to have and as far as filters it depends on the size of the tank and if you don't have enough LR in the tank to act as natural filtration. Filters can add a whole new set of problems if not maintained properly.

Cheers

Ryan

 

Ok now that ive made up my mind about not goin for a Saltwater setup, with my busy schedule; wanna stick to a Freshwater but larger this time.
Talkin abt critters to have along with ur fish. What should I go for to add beauty o my

tank?

 

HI snukfactory Welcome to Fish Lore

I love Saltwater tanks, I'm never going to have one unless someone comes to my house and just puts one there! lol

I noticed your aquarium info. You shouldn't think of getting anything until you get a bigger tank for the fish in the 5g
All those fish have been in there with no filter for 6 months?
It's seriously overstocked.

What kind of plecos do you have? The common one will grow out of your tanks rather quickly. I love them, but they can get huge.

 

Ok now that ive made up my mind about not goin for a Saltwater setup, with my busy schedule; wanna stick to a Freshwater but larger this time.
Talkin abt critters to have along with ur fish. What should I go for to add beauty o my

tank?

You need a bigger tank to put all of your fish in. The 5 gallon is highly over stocked and all tropical fish need filtration. What kind of cichlid do you have?

 

Hey guys nice to be back after such a long time!
Have a 600mm tank now and bought 4 little white discus fish with 4 kuhlI loaches and a little lobster. I feed them blood worms.
everything was going well but after 2 and a half weeks my discus fish developed ich spots, for no apparent reason and I had to isolate them. They died in a day. I have no idea as to how and y they died. My water conditions are always at its best.
Could someone explain to me wat happened.

 

Probably no heater, no filter, overstocked tank, and the crawfish might have caused them stress.

Also it sounds like you didn't cycle the tank. Discus are very delicate fish. You should get a 55 US gallon tank, at minimum, for just 2 or 3. You also need to cycle the tank, keep a filter and heater, and do twice weekly water changes. The twice weekly water changes aren't necessary but they are highly recommended.

Just a heads up so you don't lose more fish, just check in next time on here and we will let you know what you need to do or if the fish is good for your tank.

Good luck!

And I agree with all the others about your 10 gallon and 5 gallon being very overstocked. You might want to get those tanks settled before you try and start a new one.

Cory