Where the heck should i start?

[Fromthelbc]

hey guys, i had a fresh water aquarium for like a month, and i couldnt afford it, so i figured, i can get a nano reef set up, with no fish, and just some life rock, and maybe some coral. so, right now, i have a 10 gallon tank, no sand, 30 gallon filter, no hood, and no fish. its always been used for fresh water, so i think im pretty safe to go ahead with salt water.

Here are my questions:
Where do i start?
Live rocks, Types? Pro's? Cons?
Protein skimmers, what are they, and how necessary?
Lighting, what do i need?
Heater, how effective, and where do i store my tank so that its not that effected by the temprature swings..(i live in sunny socal, it goes from 65 one day to 120 the next)
WHAT DO I NEED?

 

[underdog5004]

You know, if you can't afford a 10G Freshwater aquarium, you probably can't afford a saltwater tank...just sayin...

 

[asudavew]

You know, if you can't afford a 10G Freshwater aquarium, you probably can't afford a saltwater tank...just sayin...

I would have to agree.

Live rock alone.... high dollar stuff

 

[Fromthelbc]

i couldnt afford feeding a freshwater bass 2 dollars of food a day... let alone the other 4 fish...

 

[asudavew]

No offense meant.
It's just expensive to run a saltwater tank.
I have 6 FW and would love to have a saltwater but the expense has kept me from doing so.

Just water changes alone can be expensive.
We were just trying to give you a heads up.

But if you can afford it, by all means go for it.

Just be aware that a 10 gallon SW tank requires constant attention.
Daily tests would have to completed as well as daily top offs.

Salt, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrate levels can change quickly and drastically in a small tank.
That's why the majority of SW enthusiasts have large tanks.

Hope this helps some.

 

[asudavew]

Where do i start?

Read. Read everything you can find that relates to setting up a Nano Tank.

Live rocks, Types? Pro's? Cons?

Live rock is the main filtration for a saltwater tank. It's possible to set up one without live rock.. but very few people set up tanks without it.
In the "old days" underground filters were used.

Protein skimmers, what are they, and how necessary?

In my view.. most SW tank owners view the protein skimmer (except for live rock) as the most important tool in maintaining a SW tank.

From Wikipedia: "A protein skimmer or foam fractionator is a device used mostly in saltwater aquaria to remove organic compounds from the water before they break down into nitrogenous waste."

Protein skimmer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lighting, what do i need?

Depends on your aquarium.. coral.. soft hard... etc.
Lighting can be straight forward and simple if you DO NOT want corals... or an expensive necessity if you Do want corals.

Heater, how effective, and where do i store my tank so that its not that effected by the temprature swings..(i live in sunny socal, it goes from 65 one day to 120 the next)
WHAT DO I NEED?

Is your house equipped with an AC? If not, depending on your house temps and livestock, you may need a chiller to cool the water.


My best advice... do some serious research.
I've been reading up on Saltwater tanks for over 6 months.
And I almost feel comfortable enough to set one up.

Remember take your time... I've read the following sentiment many times on this site: "The only thing that happens fast in a saltwater aquarium is the death of your fish."

 

[Fromthelbc]

Read. Read everything you can find that relates to setting up a Nano Tank.


Live rock is the main filtration for a saltwater tank. It's possible to set up one without live rock.. but very few people set up tanks without it.
In the "old days" underground filters were used.



In my view.. most SW tank owners view the protein skimmer (except for live rock) as the most important tool in maintaining a SW tank.

From Wikipedia: "A protein skimmer or foam fractionator is a device used mostly in saltwater aquaria to remove organic compounds from the water before they break down into nitrogenous waste."

Protein skimmer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Depends on your aquarium.. coral.. soft hard... etc.
Lighting can be straight forward and simple if you DO NOT want corals... or an expensive necessity if you Do want corals.



Is your house equipped with an AC? If not, depending on your house temps and livestock, you may need a chiller to cool the water.


My best advice... do some serious research.
I've been reading up on Saltwater tanks for over 6 months.
And I almost feel comfortable enough to set one up.

Remember take your time... I've read the following sentiment many times on this site: "The only thing that happens fast in a saltwater aquarium is the death of your fish."

i was just thinking an aquarium, with lights, heater/chiller device, and live rock, filter, and skimmer, and that would be it. no fish, no corals.

 

[Fromthelbc]

Read. Read everything you can find that relates to setting up a Nano Tank.


Live rock is the main filtration for a saltwater tank. It's possible to set up one without live rock.. but very few people set up tanks without it.
In the "old days" underground filters were used.



In my view.. most SW tank owners view the protein skimmer (except for live rock) as the most important tool in maintaining a SW tank.

From Wikipedia: "A protein skimmer or foam fractionator is a device used mostly in saltwater aquaria to remove organic compounds from the water before they break down into nitrogenous waste."

Protein skimmer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Depends on your aquarium.. coral.. soft hard... etc.
Lighting can be straight forward and simple if you DO NOT want corals... or an expensive necessity if you Do want corals.



Is your house equipped with an AC? If not, depending on your house temps and livestock, you may need a chiller to cool the water.


My best advice... do some serious research.
I've been reading up on Saltwater tanks for over 6 months.
And I almost feel comfortable enough to set one up.

Remember take your time... I've read the following sentiment many times on this site: "The only thing that happens fast in a saltwater aquarium is the death of your fish."

i was just thinking an aquarium, with lights, heater/chiller device, and live rock, filter, and skimmer, and that would be it. no fish, no corals, then eventually, after like 2-3 months, maybe longer, i'd get 1 piece of hard coral frag.

 

[asudavew]

Sounds like a plan.

You can even wait to add the lights when you get the coral

 

[thincat]

A conservative estimate on a 10-29g tank but not including the price of the tank would be ~$745.00 if you did lots of shopping around.
Lights, chillers are very expensive...not to mention a good skimmer...

 

[Fromthelbc]

You know, if you can't afford a 10G Freshwater aquarium, you probably can't afford a saltwater tank...just sayin...

also, it was a 55 gallon fresh... which im now selling...

 

[melosu58]

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

 

[Fromthelbc]

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

that actually really helped, this is what im thinking....

http://www.bigalsonline.com/edealin...leUSA+Datafeed&utm_medium=Comparison+Shopping

for a filter


http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18491/si2373025/cl0/taamrionanoskimmer

for a skimmer

and would i need a heater/chiller just for live rock?

 

[blasterx]

Dont forget about RO/DI water and the salt mix, this adds to your costs

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

Heat really doesnt matter when it comes to just live rock... the only thing you need to watch out for is when you add fish or coral. as your temperatures fluxuate.. so do your salinity readings.

 

[Fromthelbc]

alright, this all helped a lot, i'll put up updates once i start in a couple months and start buying the things that i need... i think that the most expensive thing for all this is going to be the heater/chiller, i'll get an automated one, so i wont ever have to worry about intense temp flux's.

 

[reefsforme]

If you couldnt afford a freshwater setup, what makes you believe you will afford a saltwater setup?

 

[mdaniel2882]

Just a thought. I know it is by far the cheapest way I could go but I do a 14 gal water change every 2 weeks on my 55 gal. The premixed water is 1.00 a gal. that is 1.00 a day just for water. as far as equiping a salt tank. 300.00 for the live rock 400.00 for the lights. I don't think a salt tank can be done for 2.00 a day. I have that in mine now if I don't spend another dime for 2 years

 

[thominil]

No skimmer is needed on a 10g as pwc will accomplish the same thing. You could get like 3lbs. live rock to seed about 7lbs. base rock, whick will become live over time. I would guess that yo could set up a 10g for about $400 with salt, live rock, base rock, sand, powerhead, refractometer, lights, test kits, heater, thermometer, etc.......

 

[Fromthelbc]

If you couldnt afford a freshwater setup, what makes you believe you will afford a saltwater setup?

THANKS FOR ALL THE USEFUL INFORMATION.