Quiston About Getting Started.

[codystar]

*Sorry if this is in a the wrong section, if so can someone move it.*

Well First off i have a 29 gallon tank and 10 gallon tank. I want to make the 29 gallon tank a salt water tank. I want to know a cheap way to get it started.

Info about 29 Gallon tank:

It was a fershwater tank, all them dead Aguest 6th 2009. I still have the water in their. If i want to to make it a salt water tank should i remove the whole water and eveything in it? (mabye that would be a smart move)


hope someone know a cheap way out their for me!!

 

[jessicasmarine]

Cheap is not synonomous(spelling) with Saltwater. uhuh
Start fresh. Empty the tank and clean it with vinegar. Anything you think you might want to reuse, clean very well.

 

[jessicasmarine]

If you dont mind me asking, "all of them dead August 6"........uhhhhh.....why

 

[thominil]

I agree with Zack, nothing in saltwater is cheap I have put well over $1000 into my 20g reef and I am not even done with coral yet. As for the water, remove it all and rinse the tank with either a bleach and water solution, or a vinegar and water solution (with the bleach and water solution rinse it with extra dechlorinator in the water following the bleach and water rinse). Your best bet is to get a RO/DI unit and use the water from it as tap water contains silicates and if you use it, you will have problems with diatoms not going away. HTH

 

[codystar]

My mom thinks (i'm only 15 lol) that the chemicals in the water.

*Crystal Clear* (Clears water recemed by pet smart lol)
*Alge Removel* (Kills Alge)
*Aquarium Salt* (Idnk heals fish or removes disceas)
*Aqua Safe (For Healthy and Clear water)

What all do i need for a salt water tank? Jessica or anyone els?

 

[thominil]

Generally in freshwater chemicals are a waist of time and money IMO. Aquarium salt has no point IMO. Do you want a fish only (FO) tank?, fish only with live rock (FOWLR)?, or a reef? This will depend on the equipment you need.

 

[codystar]

I want a mini Reef in the tank. With Clown fish or the Finding Nemo Fishy!!

 

[Flake]

I would just go with freshwater. I've spent a small fortune on my tanks.

 

[thominil]

T5 HO or MH lighting, power heads (aim for 20x-30x turnover per hour), live rock, sand (don't buy bagged live sand as it isn't live IMO and don't even look at crushed coral, big nitrate problem), heaters (two is better than one in case one fails), bout all I can remember at the moment. Will go into what kind, brand, and saize later. HTH

 

[Flake]

I spent about 1200$ today picking up my filters and the stuff to set up a new tank. >> my light cost a fortune.

 

[codystar]

I want salt water bec their so amazing to look at the reef with life
i really want a clown fish ever since i seen finding nemo!

 

[Flake]

The problem is if you're looking for a "cheap" way, you're not going to do very well. The lighting you need to keep a reef costs about 200$. The salt is 30$ a bag. rock is 4$ a pound. Corals aren't cheap. fish aren;t cheap. food isnt just a flakes in a big box for 2 bucks at walmart. Salt is expensive. If you dont have the money, dont try to do it cheaply, you'll just kill nemo. Don't want something because the movie was shiny. Do some research.

 

[Woody5465]

My mom thinks (i'm only 15 lol) that the chemicals in the water.

*Crystal Clear* (Clears water recemed by pet smart lol)
*Alge Removel* (Kills Alge)
*Aquarium Salt* (Idnk heals fish or removes disceas)
*Aqua Safe (For Healthy and Clear water)

What all do i need for a salt water tank? Jessica or anyone els?

Not asking for specifics or being nosy but what kind of financial resources do you have being that your 15? I don't want to discourage you but there is not a way to build a SW tank cheap, especially a reef. It also takes a lot of patience when getting it started. The pay off is enormous though. If your determined, take it slow and buy your equipment a piece at a time. Look for bargains at yard sales or craigs list. Read up on setting up and maintaining a SW system. Visit this forum often and follow some of the threads in here. You'll run across a lot of issues and answers you never thought of.

 

[thominil]

LOL Flake! You seem a little discouraging. Salt isn't all that expensive if you buy in bulk. You can get a 160g bucket worth of IO for only $50..... Clownfish aren't that expensive either.....they are only around $15-$20...Pellets are like $4 for almost a years worth to a clown. I agree that he should research, but you are just really discouraging him and thats not what this forum is about, we are supposed to encourage the right behaviour and he has it, don't dicourage him....

 

[Flake]

yeah but if you're only wanting to get into a hobby for nemo and then discover it's work means an uncared for tank. I just think its wrong trying to look for a cheap way just to have nemo.

 

[Woody5465]

yeah but if you're only wanting to get into a hobby for nemo and then discover it's work means an uncared for tank. I just think its wrong trying to look for a cheap way just to have nemo.

I agree Flake.

Cody, I think it's great that you're interested in having reef tank with a Nemo fish. It's just not something you can through together fast and cheap. You need to work your way into it and gain knowledge in the process. I have seen quite a few new people posting in here who have just jumped in to the hobby blind and are having all kinds of problems maintaining their tanks and keeping their livestock healthy. If your tank becomes more problematic and work then chances are you'll get discouraged and lose any enjoyment in the hobby.

 

[sweetshannon]

I am really new, too. Just bought my tank yesterday....and it will be 2 months until I can afford my lights and rock! It is VERY expensive and time consuming. Maybe you can spend the time learning (like me) while you save up the money needed to start your saltwater tank. Do you know about the nitrogen cycle? It is a good place to start.

 

[partypalooza5]

yeah but if you're only wanting to get into a hobby for nemo and then discover it's work means an uncared for tank. I just think its wrong trying to look for a cheap way just to have nemo.

+1 for that flake.

My advice is to spend a year or two doing research. That's what I did and I'm just now taking on the responsibility of SW. If you buy everything brand new, it's going to cost you. There are no CHEAP ways to do it, but you can cut some costs. (buying used stuff or getting cupons)

Edit: Also, if you are going to start SW for the first time, I would recommend getting a larger tank than 29g. More water means more stable parameters. I'm starting out with a 75G lol.

 

[Colt17]

Cody, I believe some sound a little discouraging because we have all seen people jump into keeping fish, be it fresh or salty, only to lose interest due to lack of knowledge and therefore it's the fish that suffers. But hey, we all have to start somewhere and everyone here was a beginner at some point. The best advice I could give is to learn from your mistakes. First, I would investigate why your original fish died. The best way to do that is read this forum and read read read, books and online. There are some great articles in this forum on how to get started which will give you information on what type of equipment to research. Like the others stated SW is a slow process and needs to be researched in great detail. I would recommend keeping your tank FW while researching saltwater techniques and equipment. This will give you time to decide exactly what you want and the ability to buy equipment over time. I think we have all jumped in too early at some point and later wished we had done some more research before getting started. I hope you do not get discouraged if this is something you really want to do, but keep in mind SW will be so much more rewarding if you take the time to do it right. Good luck to you!

 

[JPKeenan]

the costs of maintaining a SW discouraged me from setting up one of my new tanks as salty.

I'd say keep the tank you have as FW and do like the others have said, think about and research the salty side.