So over the weekend I bought my daughter a little 10 gallon tank. She's only 15 months old by the way.
I have it set up for tropical fish. I really enjoyed setting it up and we currently have 3 guppies and 3 glowfish in it. The maintenance is pretty straight forward for me.
While I was setting it up it brought me back to the days when I first moved to the U.S. from Germany. I moved over and my first job was at a petsmart store, in the fish department. I cared for the little tropical fish while the main guy there was all about the saltwater aquariums.
He had set up a massive display case he constructed himself and I remember that the fish and possibilities of saltwater tanks were stunning to me.
Well, there's a little history.
I did research for a while now and I keep seeing different things from different websites so I decided to join here and ask a couple questions.
First, budget is not a problem with me. I understand it can get expensive pretty quick, but I'm also not wanting to spend an atronomical amount of money.
How hard is maintenance? I read from some websites that the technology nowadays makes it tough to mess up, as long as you are paying attention of course. What are the things someone needs to test and at what frequency? How often and how much water drainage is needed to freshen up the tank?
How hard is it to move a tank from one home to another? I'm most likely going to wait until I purchase a house and move into it before I set it up, but I was just curious. I will be buying everything for it over the course of the year with the exception of the fish/coral/reef.
I'm on the edge about creating a mini reef tank vs. a reef and fish combination tank. If I went with fish as well, I would definitely, without a doubt, love to have a clownfish or two.
Also, what kind of gear do I need? I currently just have a filter, lights and a heater for my daughter's tropical tank, and I know that nowhere near cuts it for saltwater.
I might have more questions as the thread goes on and I think this might be a good start in getting information.
I will also be going to a local aquarium store this weekend to check some things out, jot some items of interest down and bring them here to talk about.
I have it set up for tropical fish. I really enjoyed setting it up and we currently have 3 guppies and 3 glowfish in it. The maintenance is pretty straight forward for me.
While I was setting it up it brought me back to the days when I first moved to the U.S. from Germany. I moved over and my first job was at a petsmart store, in the fish department. I cared for the little tropical fish while the main guy there was all about the saltwater aquariums.
He had set up a massive display case he constructed himself and I remember that the fish and possibilities of saltwater tanks were stunning to me.
Well, there's a little history.
I did research for a while now and I keep seeing different things from different websites so I decided to join here and ask a couple questions.
First, budget is not a problem with me. I understand it can get expensive pretty quick, but I'm also not wanting to spend an atronomical amount of money.
How hard is maintenance? I read from some websites that the technology nowadays makes it tough to mess up, as long as you are paying attention of course. What are the things someone needs to test and at what frequency? How often and how much water drainage is needed to freshen up the tank?
How hard is it to move a tank from one home to another? I'm most likely going to wait until I purchase a house and move into it before I set it up, but I was just curious. I will be buying everything for it over the course of the year with the exception of the fish/coral/reef.
I'm on the edge about creating a mini reef tank vs. a reef and fish combination tank. If I went with fish as well, I would definitely, without a doubt, love to have a clownfish or two.
Also, what kind of gear do I need? I currently just have a filter, lights and a heater for my daughter's tropical tank, and I know that nowhere near cuts it for saltwater.
I might have more questions as the thread goes on and I think this might be a good start in getting information.
I will also be going to a local aquarium store this weekend to check some things out, jot some items of interest down and bring them here to talk about.