i have a 55 gallon fish tank...i want to do saltwater...any tips?

  • Thread starter Thread starter lexi
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lexi

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i want to do a saltwater tank because my 55 is just sitting in the basement collecting dust. what all will i need to do? am i able to use a regular filter like for a freshwater tank? what else will i need? any tips or instructions will be very helpful! :)
okay well if you all are just going to say no to me starting a saltwater tank then just dont answer. i've had freshwater tanks all my life and have one up and running just fine right now. please just tell me what i would need to do. i might end up not doing it anyways if i dont have enough money or might not for a while so i can get some extra money.

just answer the question.
 
you can do anything ,,but start slow and get the tank set up and the water aged than as you read the books on salt water fishes ,,you do have a book right ? good so as you read the book the water is just getting better ,, in about a month you might be ready to get to get a cheap fish and see how it does ,, salt is hard and you have to test a lot,,good luck
 
it wont be easy.

I have 4 reef tanks and it will get expensive, 2000-4000 dollars per tank.

Live sand, around 1 pound per gallon
Live rock, 7- 10 dollars per pound, 1-2 pounds per gallon.

Saltwater tanks can run on HOB filters, but it is best to have a sump filter.

Then you need to get lighting, reef tanks need lighting systems that can range form 200-700 dollars . PC or MH units will get expensive, if you go MH, be prepaired to get a 300-500 dollar chiller unit.

Then after the tank is ready, you shouldnt even think about corals for about 8 months if you have the lighting.

Fishes will be expensive, but you will need to make sure your salinity is stable, water parameters just like ph, ammonia, DH

Then you have to suppliment the water with elements, idione, calcium, magnesium


Basically you need to do hours and hours of research as it isnt as easy as freshwater... yes it helps that you worked with freshwater, but i worked with freshwater for 13 years before i decided saltwater, and it wasnt hard of a change for me, but it will be expensive and there are new techniques that you will need to learn.
 
if you are just starting out I would NOT recommend you to start with saltwater.. fish will die just because you don't have enough experience
 
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