Fish Only Vs Reef

[vindeisel1]

As a New beginner some people say and everyone I know has an opinion and there is not one way to do this I am sure. However, People say that if you are going to do a Reef aquarium, do it. With new technology and methodologies, even beginners such as ME, can keep large reef aquariums???. I understand that
live rock is fundamental to a Fish Only tank and a reef aquarium??? Live rock is often what Makes the price of your system go up, I guess its 1 pound of rock to 1 gallon of water. So if I BUY a 150 gallon tank, I should have 150 pounds of rock. That does not sound right to me???

once set up with the reef aquarium be easier to maintain?????

Because if I do a Fish Only tank and want to convert to a Reef. I will have to start from Scratch??? And what about the Fish that is in my fish only tank??? Will they do well in a reef, whover these fish might be??? Am I going over the edge here??? I think I am HEHEHEHE

Vinny

 

[armyman16]

As a New beginner some people say and everyone I know has an opinion and there is not one way to do this I am sure. However, People say that if you are going to do a Reef aquarium, do it. With new technology and methodologies, even beginners such as ME, can keep large reef aquariums???. I understand that
live rock is fundamental to a Fish Only tank and a reef aquarium??? Live rock is often what Makes the price of your system go up, I guess its 1 pound of rock to 1 gallon of water. So if I BUY a 150 gallon tank, I should have 150 pounds of rock. That does not sound right to me???

once set up with the reef aquarium be easier to maintain?????

Because if I do a Fish Only tank and want to convert to a Reef. I will have to start from Scratch??? And what about the Fish that is in my fish only tank??? Will they do well in a reef, whover these fish might be??? Am I going over the edge here??? I think I am HEHEHEHE

Vinny

Well I'm gonna answer all the sentences you
added question marks to! Haha yes, you can keep a large reef aquarium even as a caveman! Just start with some beginning, basic research to learn what you need to in the beginning and learn as you go for what you need to! The bigger the tank the easier but more costly to take care of!
Yes live rock is essential to any saltwater aquarium! It is the main source of biological filtration, the coralline algae eats some f the bad stuff in your aquarium.
Haha I can't tell you how it sounds to you but to me, that is right! Or you can do more but not less!
You don't have to start from scratch if you decide to go reef as long as you have the right living conditions, lighting, live rock, filtration, and all the parameters are set
And it depends on what fish you plan to have! If you have say a clown trigger that will nip at corals you will definitely have to get rid of the
Ones that aren't reef safe! But the ones that are steed safe "with caution" can be removed or can stay and be watched very closely to see if they nip at corals, if they do, they will have to be taken out. If the fish are completely reef safe then they can stay! Haha i don't know where your edge is so I don't know if your going over or not!
Good luck with your progress in a marine tank!!

 

[Sniperhank]

What you stated was true. You need 1 - 1.5 lbs of rock per gallon of water. It can even be dry base rock, which lowers the price, as the rock becomes live once the cycle completes. The same is also said about sand in terms of lbs and becoming live once the tank is cycled.

If you start a FOWLR system, youc an convert it to a reef without starting over as long as your fish are reef safe. You can check on this by visiting sites like liveaquariua.com. If you are thinking about going to a reef setup, I would recommend getting lighting that will support the corals you wish to keep when you are setting up the system to save yourself money down the road. Buying two different lighting setups can be expensive.

 

[vindeisel1]

excellent information

 

[armyman16]

Anymore questions, just ask!

 

[Terrance]

IMO live rocks is not needed in any saltwater tank if you can grow enough macroalgae or do enough water change. It does make the tank look better and create a nice environment for fish to live in.

 

[Convict2161]

IMO live rocks is not needed in any saltwater tank if you can grow enough macroalgae or do enough water change. It does make the tank look better and create a nice environment for fish to live in.

Wish I knew this before buying 30lbs of cured live rock $$$$ ouch!! But it does look cool.

 

[armyman16]

And it makes for a more interesting aquarium with the chance of having hitchhikers! Like corals, shrimp, crabs, worms... But then there's the bad too