Question from new guy

[alexander]

Hello everyone,

I am very new to saltwater aquariums, and feeling a bit
overwhelmed.

I am so new I dont even know what questions to ask :-(

I think anyone who is nice would be great if they could help me.

What are the things that I need to know about salt water aquariums?

What should I be concerning myself with.

Who are the experts or authorities in this arena, authors?
What are some good recources.

What was the biggest challenge you had in this hobby and
how did you overcome it?

I apppreciate any feed back and look foreward to
interacting with you all on this forum

-Jon

 

[Fluff]

Welcome to Aquarium Advice!
You'll find tons of info just by browsing the forums. Don't feel overwhelmed, just know that the hobby takes tons of patience. Just relax and everyone here are more than willing to help you through it. The first suggestion I'll give you is to pick up the book, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner. It's an excellent beginner book.
Also, think about what you want from your tank. Do you want a fish only tank? A fish only with live rock? or do you want a full blown reef tank. Be sure to read up on fishless cycling also. Just a few things to get you started.

 

[BreederSmart]

For a saltwater tank, start off with the biggest possible tank. The biggest with your budget and the biggest you can fit. I started salt at 13 yrs. old with an 80 gal. which I still have. now I am 18 and started a 37 gal. reef tank (which I invested about $900 in so far and its only 4 months old). Reef is expensive but beautiful, fish only tanks have a good variety of fish that you cant put with corals, Fish only w/ live rock gives you the benefit of having live rock that provides beneficial bacteria and biological filtration. You can also achieve this with live sand. Deffinately do your research with books, magazines are great, and of course the internet. Hope I helped.

 

[j_a_wickstrom]

Research. Research. Research. I've been in this for maybe three months now, researching almost non-stop. I now know enough to know that I need to now more.

www.wetwebmedia.com is a great resource for beginners.

 

[melosu58]

We are there to help you too!!!

 

[evenings]

What are the things that I need to know about salt water aquariums? There are a ton of things to know about saltwater aquarium, however, it can be taken one step at a time. Research is the key, start with the basics and move up slowly. My suggestion is buy the BEST stuff u can afford. Buying acceptable items or equipment will end up being more costly than you ever imagine.

What should I be concerning myself with. The most important thing in the saltwater hobby is PATIENCE. you will not have a beautiful tank in 24 hours. However, you should expect a wonderful set up within 6 months. Patience combined with all the knowledge u can gather from researching and reading, you'll expect to save a lot more money and a beautiful centerpiece in your living room (or whereever u end up putting your fish tank)

Who are the experts or authorities in this arena, authors? There are several books out there that may help you. This forum will usually suffice with every bit of information you need, as advice from EXPERIENCE usually will serve you better than written articles which really only details the basics... but to name a few books

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner
Marine Reef Aquarium Handbook by Dr. Robert J. GOldstein
The Saltwater Aquarium Handbook by George Blasiola
The Tropical Marine Fish Survival Manual by Gordon Kay
The Complete Book of The Marine Aquarium by Vincent B. Hargreaves.

What are some good recources. Look Up

What was the biggest challenge you had in this hobby and
how did you overcome it? The Biggest challenge was overcoming my Excitement... Took me awhile to learn that PATIENCE is KEY. Read every article u can about fish and other livestock before u realize that you can't put just ANY FISH in the tank.

I apppreciate any feed back and look foreward to
interacting with you all on this forum..

I hope this helps... feel free to post more questions, we're all here to help

 

[StrongBad]

I agree with the above patience statements. Definitely go with a fishless cycle, it can be much faster. Also, I tried out Bio Spira on my quarantine tank and it really did cycle in 2 days. Beware though. if you dont have fish in the tank after using the BioSpira add a few drops of ammonia yourself each day to feed the beneficial bacteria you just established until you get some fish in there.
Next, use live sand. not crushed coral or gravel for your substrate. Also, avoid under gravel filters like the plague. You can save money by using 75% regular argonite sand (will come in a dry plastic bag) and use live sand on top of it for the other 25%. This is called seeding. (live sand comes wet) BTW always use aragonite sand. Make sure it is aragonite sand.
Along the same lines, invest in some live rock. About 1 pound per gallon to start with. Adding up to 2 pounds per gallon as finances become available will help even more. A good money saving technique is to buy 75% base rock and "seed" it the rest of the way with more expensive live rock. (if you have it shipped, pay the extra to get next day. You will avoid so much die off)
Last for now, dont skimp on your chemical test kit. You want to know exactly what your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are.

 

[pufferman]

ahh, just one book, The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta. Pick that up and it gives you all the equipment info and setup of a basic marine aquarium with Live Rock.