I'm gonna go for it.

[ace1uno_00]

Ok i've decided to quit being so darn cheap and go for it.
I have a 80 gallon acrylic tank sitting in my garage. I want to make it a saltwater tank.
I just wanted to know.
whats the salt per galon ratio?
and is it hard to keep anemone?
What does live rock do?
I know i need crushed coral for substrate. but why?
What i want to keep in the tank is clown fish and a dog face puffer and some tiger fish. can those be put all together?
I have more questions too. thanks folks.

 

[JG]

"whats the salt per galon ratio?"

Usually about 1/2 cup per gallon



"and is it hard to keep anemone? "

Depends - maturity of tank and lighting are key as is species.



"What does live rock do?"

Provides food farm for some fish and a place to culture the bacteria that convert ammonia to nitirates and ultimately to nitrates.



" know i need crushed coral for substrate. but why?"

Helps maintain pH, provides surface for those bacteria again, slowly dissolves acting as a pH buffer.



"What i want to keep in the tank is clown fish and a dog face puffer and some tiger fish. can those be put all together?"

Haven't had the last two - someone else might be able to tell you more
I have more questions too. thanks folks.

It is well worth your time and effort to read, read read, ask ask ask, before making hasty decisions. Impulse buys in Saltwater do not always work out as you would like them to.

 

[zacdl]

Salt Per Gallon depends on the salt, but its around 1/2 cup per gallon.

The bags of salt should say how many gallons it makes.

Anemonaes dont live long in captivity (so I hear) And many people dont reccomend them because they stink really bad when they die.

Live rock is decoration for one, its also your primary bio filtration. Its hiding places, etc as well.

You DONT want Crushed Coral for substrate, you want sand (preferably Araganite (spelling))

No you cant keep all those fish together. Trigger fish are really aggressive, puffers need larger tanks.

 

[Brodie]

Salt per Gallon is in most cases 1/2 cup per gallon.

Live rock is rock with algae and bacterial growth. It's a beneficial filtering agent for your tank.

You should start reading up on the saltwater hobby. The public library has tons of good books on it. I should also mention the hobby is time consuming, expensive, and worth it! Good luck!

 

[Brenden]

Brodie:
You forgot addictive.

 

[Brodie]

Oh yeah, addictive also. Crack is probablly less addictive than saltwater aquariums

 

[clowninround]

Isn't that the truth! In fact I remember one of our friends joking with family about how much we spent on just one fish. Later down the line we sold him our 55. 3 months later he upgraded to an in wall 150g...he spends so much he has to sugar coat everything he tells his wife that he spends!!!

 

[Brodie]

Do you all sugarcoat prices too? My girlfriend is always asking how much everything costs me, I usually tell her about 50% of the truth.

 

[Brenden]

I do not sugarcoat. I just had to buy my wife a $14,000 tennis braclet. We are even now.

 

[clowninround]

I can't my husband is into saltwater too. Hes usually skeeming me. He will say "look what they have, that would be perfect for your tank"...course it's always MY tank when it "needs" something lol.

 

[ace1uno_00]

Is the watts per gallon the same as fresh water? 2-3 watts per gallon to raise anemone?

 

[ace1uno_00]

and what about filtration? would a filstar xp3 be enough on a 80 gallon? or do i need more than that?

 

[clowninround]

I would go about 4 wpg atleast, since you are wanting an anemone.

 

[FlyingL0]

Crack is probablly less addictive than saltwater aquariums

OMG... LOL... just about fell out of my chair!

 

[SirLight1337]

anemones live fine in captivity as long as you dont over feed them and have some good lighting and plenty of hallow type rocks. Their foot and extend up to 12 inches into a rock to anchor themselfs. Also make sure you put some sponges over your powerhead intakes. I lost 2 anemones because someone didnt tell me this. Just read as much as possible and ask lots and lots of questions.

You have just taken the step into a larger, more addicting then crack and World of Warcraft world. good luck

 

[David03]

Ace,
I would highly recommend that you check out some of the articles that are listed here:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=42920

They'll hit almost everything that you asked in your post.

Also, I would get one or two books, and read... then read 'em again.

I got "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Fenner. Great book!

Do these two things, and 75% of your questions will be answered. The rest will be taken care of by the awesome folks on this site.

David

 

[haus]

It is well worth your time and effort to read, read read, ask ask ask, before making hasty decisions

I agree 100%, I thought I did a lot of research for about 2 months about what to do. I asked people that I knew what they thought, and did a lot of talking with the LFS owner (very knowledgeable and trustworthy......and gives police discounts ) Even after what I thought was plenty of research and questions, I am still learning. I even question myself from time to time if I am capable of handling sw. I don't mean this to sound negative, my tank is my baby, and it is very time consuming. the highlight of my nights is watching the fish, making it all worth the effort.

 

[ace1uno_00]

well guys thanks for all your help. i will take your advie and read read and read some more. i just bought "Salt Water Aquariums for dummies" from Petco. lol

 

[ace1uno_00]

So i shouldnt use crushed coral? or is sand better? live sand or regular?

 

[Fluff]

In my opinion sand is better. More surface area and doesn't need vacumned. Regular dry agronite play sand works fine.