Sw Questions

I have been keeping fw for about 5 years now. I'm thinking about starting a sw tank soon. Do many people do both? Or are most hobbyist elitist as in only Freshwater or only SW?
A few beginner questions....I plan to start with about a 40 gallon Live Rock set up.
Is it hard to upgrade to a bigger tank if I decide to do so? (I have upgraded my FW, so i'm sure this desire will arise with Saltwater as well)
If I don't do a reef tank at first, and I decide to add coral later, does that usually work out? I understand that I have to have reef safe fish and probably upgrade my lighting as well.
And finally...I have a 10 gallon tank that I can set up pretty quickly with water and media from my main tank to make a handy quarantine. How hard is it to set up a similar quarantine for SW, and is it possible to use the same tank that I use for Freshwater when needed?
Thanks for all you advice, I look forward to your views.

 

The hardest problem you will face in a qt tank is evaporation, you’ll need two auto top off systems so that water does not evaporate below the desired level, remember never top off with saltwater, salt does not evaporate with your tank water. Remember you also need a refractometer, digital or handheld, digital works best, but handheld should do ok. Hydrometers with the swing arm are inaccurate. You want to keep your tank at a specific gravity of 1.023-1.027 with higher levels being more Sutible for coral and invertabtes. And you can add coral as long as you have correct lighting and your tank is fully cycled, as you may know you want to start out with easy soft coral, then graduate to more experienced care coral

 

I have been keeping fw for about 5 years now. I'm thinking about starting a sw tank soon. Do many people do both? Or are most hobbyist elitist as in only Freshwater or only SW?
A few beginner questions....I plan to start with about a 40 gallon Live Rock set up.
Is it hard to upgrade to a bigger tank if I decide to do so? (I have upgraded my FW, so i'm sure this desire will arise with Saltwater as well)

Yeah! Come on over. Its so much fun!! Most people actually start with freshwater, and then go to SW. 40 gallon FOWLR sounds good. (Fish Only With Live Rock). Not that hard if you start with equipment that's adjustable and is rated for a bigger tank. For instance if you got a Jebao wavemaker get one that the first one or two settings is plenty of flow. THen you can just up the settings and get more flow if you upgrade.

If I don't do a reef tank at first, and I decide to add coral later, does that usually work out? I understand that I have to have reef safe fish and probably upgrade my lighting as well.
And finally...I have a 10 gallon tank that I can set up pretty quickly with water and media from my main tank to make a handy quarantine. How hard is it to set up a similar quarantine for SW, and is it possible to use the same tank that I use for Freshwater when needed?

Of course! The important things you need to have to go reef is good lighting and good flow. So if you start with good flow (which is always good, even in a FOWLR), then you can just upgrade your lighting if you decide you want more corals. Not hard at all. All you need is either something like a sponge filter you keep in your main tanks fuge or stick it somewhere in the tank, or a sponge you keep in the main tank that you can throw in a HOB. And yup, you can use the same tank. You will have different types of BB though. So just keep a sponge or something in main tank and put it in the QT when you get fish you need to QT.

 

Excellent! Thank you so much for the advice guys! I'm sure I will have more questions in the future. It's a little overwhelming because it seems a bit complicated. However I felt that way when I started Freshwater too! Now it doesn't seem as daunting and hopefully I can get started on it before the year is out.

 

I switched from Freshwater to Saltwater last summer. All I can say is that it is very rewarding, but also a lot pricier. So as long as you're ready to spend a bit more on equipment, go for it. You'll love SW!

 

Here's a guide I wrote recently that might help you.
Nart's Budget Nano Saltwater Guide For Beginners

 

I keep both Freshwater and SW! I find them both rewarding, though I have to admit to an addiction to corals, so the reef tank gets the most attention.

Great advice above regarding the upgrade. The hardest thing about an upgrade is buying equipment again. If you keep a bigger tank in mind, and buy equipment accordingly just like Culprit said, you will have a much more enjoyable upgrade someday. The other thing I'd say is, consider that most of us made the jump into coral pretty quickly, and didn't stay FOWLR for long. For that reason, I'd say go with the cheapest light you can for a FOWLR tank, or re-use a spare you may have from freshwater. With a fish only tank, the light is only for your viewing pleasure, so you don't need anything expensive or fancy. With corals, you would need a fancy light, so might as well cheap out for now.

Also, we do what works for us, and there are few hard and fast rules in aquaria. I have a 20 gallon long display, with a 5 gallon qt. Both have glass lids, and neither of them have an automatic top off unit, (ATO). I top off manually and carefully every day. Yes, an ATO is a great thing, but don't let the purchase of that hold you back.

 

I have been keeping fw for about 5 years now. I'm thinking about starting a sw tank soon. Do many people do both? Or are most hobbyist elitist as in only Freshwater or only SW?
A few beginner questions....I plan to start with about a 40 gallon Live Rock set up.
Is it hard to upgrade to a bigger tank if I decide to do so? (I have upgraded my FW, so i'm sure this desire will arise with Saltwater as well)
If I don't do a reef tank at first, and I decide to add coral later, does that usually work out? I understand that I have to have reef safe fish and probably upgrade my lighting as well.
And finally...I have a 10 gallon tank that I can set up pretty quickly with water and media from my main tank to make a handy quarantine. How hard is it to set up a similar quarantine for SW, and is it possible to use the same tank that I use for Freshwater when needed?
Thanks for all you advice, I look forward to your views.

One thing I wish I had known before buying my first tank was how expensive it all is. Keep in mind that any significant upgrade means that you essentially rebuy all your mechanical equipment. When I upgraded from my 36 gallon to my 90 gallon the only thing that transferred in terms of equipment was the 40lbs of live rock and a powerhead and lost a ton of money on the resale of the old tank. My recommendation is that you go as big as your budget and space will allow and really research what kind of fish you want to keep and then go with a tank that will support it. The other recommendation I have is to shop around your LFS and try and get a complete used setup as it will save you big $ in the long run. My 90 gallon actually cost less than my 36 gallon bowfront because I bought everything used, except the tank itself.

I strongly suggest spending some time on and look into what kind of fish you would like to keep and take a look at the recommended minimum tank size there as they are pretty accurate and that would give you a good idea of what kind of tank you will need for a given fish. Other sites are way off base (ie suggesting that a free swimming fish that gets 15 inches in size would be happy in a tank that is 4 feet long and 15 inches wide).