Thinking about starting a saltwater 30g?

[Exteremecheddar123]

Hello to all!
I have a 30 gallon tank which is currently freshwater but I was thinking of changing to to saltwater. I don't really know anything about saltwater tanks. I wanted to get some feedback to open my eyes about the responsibilities before i switch. I need like a saltwater 101 class for simple things even like filtration needs and water changes.
Thanks for the help !

 

[J8kpin]

Hey man,

A 30 gallon is ok for a starter, if you are willing to take care of it. Marine aquariums are beautiful and amazing, yet require so much more care than freshwater. You can do a canister filter, but a sump is also an option. What lighting do you have? Are you doing fish only? Is it reef? Is it invertabre friendly??? This is info we would like to know. If you need a list of things necessary, here it is. You can use ur heater over if you want

Tank
Stand
Heater
Power head
Filtration
Protein skimmer
Lighting, depending on what you want to keep
Live Rock
Live sand
Algae scraper
Net
Test kits
Fish food
Supplements

And much more that I can't remember off the top of my head. Fish ideas are clownfish, green chromis, bangaii cardinals, and royal gramma. All are easy and very hardy. I have all in my 100 gallon reef tank. Any other questions, let me know!

 

[jeh1487]

The post above has the right info but only thing I would say is go bigger and keep that tank as a freshwater setup since it already is I would say start off with 90 gal tank it's the best since maintenance is easy and has a large buffer for error

 

[Exteremecheddar123]

Jeh1487, I would love to have a 90 gal but i live with my parents and they said they said that we cant have anything bigger than this 30. I have asked many times. I still want to try saltwater though. I had freshwater for 4 years.
J8kpin,
1) ok does it pay to have a reef with all of the live corals and stuff in a tank as small as mine? The lighting i have has 42 white LED lights and 3 blue LED lights.
2) what is a sump? I have a aqua clear 50 HOB filter currently.
Would I have to get a new filter?
3) is it necessary to have live rocks? Cause I have some shale in the tank currently or would it be too harmful.
4) I have an air pump hooked up in my tank now. Is it still necessary in a saltwater?
5) also I have those fake plastic freshwater plants. I have never seen those plants in a saltwater tank. Is is that you cannot put them in?
Thanks for both of your help!

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Jeh1487, I would love to have a 90 gal but i live with my parents and they said they said that we cant have anything bigger than this 30. I have asked many times. I still want to try saltwater though. I had freshwater for 4 years.
J8kpin,
1) ok does it pay to have a reef with all of the live corals and stuff in a tank as small as mine? The lighting i have has 42 white LED lights and 3 blue LED lights.
2) what is a sump? I have a aqua clear 50 HOB filter currently.
Would I have to get a new filter?
3) is it necessary to have live rocks? Cause I have some shale in the tank currently or would it be too harmful.
4) I have an air pump hooked up in my tank now. Is it still necessary in a saltwater?
5) also I have those fake plastic freshwater plants. I have never seen those plants in a saltwater tank. Is is that you cannot put them in?
Thanks for both of your help!

First off no a 30 is not to small to start with.
1) you can do a reef if you want it's up to you, but I'm guessing you'll have to upgrade your lighting. Most reef lights are at least half blue lights so I kinda think you have a fw plant light.
2) the aqua clear will work fine, I would ditch all the media that comes with it and just run some CPE or purigen and a phosphate media if needed.
3) yes live rock is a must, you want about 1-1.5 lbs per gallon. You can look into dry rock or base rock if you want to save a little money but don't use the shale.
4) air stones are more of a fw thing, and they spread salt creep in sw tanks. Get a couple power heads to add flow and you'll be good.
5) there is nothing wrong with the fake plants, most people think the plain LR looks better for fowlr systems, and the plants will require regular cleaning.

 

[Exteremecheddar123]

Ok i really think it would be in my best option just to stay away from the reefs since i am new to this & what is this media that I would put in the filter. 2 i researched a bit about sumps and protein skimmers and I have a feeling they won't work for my tank cause my tank is a half-moon shape. The stand is really small cause it is seperated into 2 sections. View attachment 230707View attachment 230708 is it really necessary to have a sump and protein skimmer because from what I understand, it wouldn't work for my tank.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

No a sump or skimmer isn't necessary on a tank this size, that being said they do sell hob skimmers and a skimmer is never a bad thing to have. Water changes done weekly willbe able to handle your nutrient export. CPE = chemi pure elite, and purigen are both brands

 

[Exteremecheddar123]

I don't know if those worked so Imma try again

 

[Exteremecheddar123]

I dont think it is feasible to do water changes every week for me to be honest

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Why? They only take like 10 minutes

 

[90galWavefront]

That is a cool tank though

 

[Exteremecheddar123]

Honestly i dont have all of the high tech cleaning system to make it easy. I have to drain water with a tube & then clean it with a scrubber manually. Then i fill it back up manually in a gallon container. It takes roughly about an hour. I do 30%/ month & it takes like 2 hours

 

[Exteremecheddar123]

& thanks. Lol i don't know why I do it for cause there are only 2 fish in there anyway

 

[90galWavefront]

Try a larger hose and bucket. LOL

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Try a larger hose and bucket. LOL

That's how I do all my wc's, siphon out the water and dump the new back in takes 10 minutes. The day before I mix up the sw for the wc in a 5 gal bucket put a ph and a heater in the bucket. Pour it into another bucket the next day through a screen and right back in the tank. 20 minutes total, 10 each day

 

[Exteremecheddar123]

So speaking of water changes, how do you like change the water. Its a stupid question i for mean like draining it i mean like when you go to put the water back in is there a ratio of like salt to water.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

So speaking of water changes, how do you like change the water. Its a stupid question i for mean like draining it i mean like when you go to put the water back in is there a ratio of like salt to water.

I use a red solo cup marked for 2.5 and 5 gals of how much salt to mix to my desired salinity. I believe the general rule of thumb is 1 cup mixes 5 gals to 1.025

 

[Exteremecheddar123]

Where do you get the salt from? And what water do you mix it with? How much water do you change/ week

 

[melosu58]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f14/stock-list-and-tips-for-maintaining-your-sw-tank-73477.html

 

[J8kpin]

I get mine from natures ocean . I believe it is 65 dollars for a bucket, which makes 160 gallons of water. I mix it a day before , then I do my change. It usually takes a 1\2 an hour, and I do 10 gallons for a 10% change twice a month for my 100 gallon.