I have a 90 gallon tank sitting in my garage. I'm waiting for my husband to build a cabinet for me which I hope will be ready by the end of the summer. In the meantime, I am going crazy thinking about whether to go fresh or saltwater. Right now I have two small freshwater tanks (10 and 15 gallon). I've been searching the internet and visiting several stores and am finding it a very difficult choice. A couple of days ago, I spend about 20 minutes with one of the owners asking lots of questions about saltwater. His information was great. Here are some of the comments and questions he made.
1. I fell in love with the porcupine puffer and the guy went over all the pros and cons of having a meat eater with me. He said that if they bite you, they could crush your finger (If they are large). When I asked about water changes, he said that there is a 99 percent chance that they would just stay away from you. I'm nervous about getting one.
2. He said that the best and least expensive way to top off water and do water changes is to buy the saltwater. He charges 50 cents a gallon. To buy a system to make the saltwater would be very expensive.
3. Buying sand rather than crush coral is much easier to keep clean.
4. If I got a Puffer, I could be the cleaning crew. How difficult is it to keep up with it. I would think I would have to clean everyday.
5. He said I could start out with the fake stuff and I could go with LR later. Of course he said LR was much better for the environment.
6. The initial cost concerns me but I think the monthly cost scares me more. I have a reef ready tank and a wet/dry so far.
7. I'm sure I will have to upgrade my lighting. I have two 40 watt bulbs. What do I need to get for fake, LR and maybe LC in the future.
Any advice or comments would be appreciated on the above as I am still on the fence on which way to go.
1. I fell in love with the porcupine puffer and the guy went over all the pros and cons of having a meat eater with me. He said that if they bite you, they could crush your finger (If they are large). When I asked about water changes, he said that there is a 99 percent chance that they would just stay away from you. I'm nervous about getting one.
2. He said that the best and least expensive way to top off water and do water changes is to buy the saltwater. He charges 50 cents a gallon. To buy a system to make the saltwater would be very expensive.
3. Buying sand rather than crush coral is much easier to keep clean.
4. If I got a Puffer, I could be the cleaning crew. How difficult is it to keep up with it. I would think I would have to clean everyday.
5. He said I could start out with the fake stuff and I could go with LR later. Of course he said LR was much better for the environment.
6. The initial cost concerns me but I think the monthly cost scares me more. I have a reef ready tank and a wet/dry so far.
7. I'm sure I will have to upgrade my lighting. I have two 40 watt bulbs. What do I need to get for fake, LR and maybe LC in the future.
Any advice or comments would be appreciated on the above as I am still on the fence on which way to go.