want to experiment--need advice

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kk_thomas05

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Jun 2, 2003
Messages
6
Location
TX
I have a freshwater tank that's up and running just fine, but I have an old 2 gallon that I cleaned up and just have had running for a while with nothing in it, so I decided to try a saltwater tank. How much salt do you use and is there anything I need to know? i'm completely new to salt! 8O
 
First off let me say that a 2 gal tank is not a size that anyone here is going to recommend as a starter saltwater tank.

The reasons are very simple. The smaller the volume of water the more the water conditions are going to fluxuate. Im not saying you cant do a 2 gal aquarium but what I am saying is that making a 2 gal aquarium as your first saltwater tank I would say thats way to small.

d9hp has a 7 gal tank and he can tell you how much work he puts into the tank per day.

If you insist on a 2 gal tank then you will need sea salt mix. You can not just use table salt.
 
You seem to be in your teenage years, hence the color of text. This should not discourage you as I am only 15. BUT, this is an expensive hobby and I dont have a lot of money for spending, just ask my girlfreind. My tank gives me great satisfaction, but right after I am done feeling good I need to fork out more dough.

Just think about that. BTW, if the movie finding nemo has anything to do with your new adventure I would just stop now, a clown will not fit into a 2 gallon tank.
 
hehe.. i'm 19... i'm going to school right now meaning i don't have much to spend.. i have a 95g tank because it is way easier to work with.. by the way i live with my girlfriend and her mom so the tank is something left over from her dad.. so i got lucky.. once my heater was unplugged for some reason for like half a day and the temperature stayed the same.. i'm pretty sure if anything like that happens with your tank things would go a different way.. when i first started, i bought a 50g tank.. i bought it from a man who was getting out of the hobby for 50 dollars.. it came with a magnum 350 filter and other things.. all i had to do was clean the tank and i was off to a great start..
 
I would suggest reading "The Concientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert M. Fenner fisrt...before you even think about getting a tank. Then you'll have a good knowledge base from which to form your questions. We'll be happy to assist you in any way we can, but this is a hobby that requires a lot of research. It never stops either...I guarantee you that every SW advisor here has read something (and probably learned something) about marine aquariums in the last week. So, you'll need to start with the articles here and get that book. Once you get a feel for the basics, we can be of much more help to you. I don't want to discourage you from setting up a SW tank, but setting one up with first doing the research will almost certainly result in failure. Welcome to Aquarium Advice! :mrgreen:
 
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You seem to be in your teenage years, hence the color of text.
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umm.. yeah thanks for making me sound like an idiot


Forget it.
 
Nobody thinks you're an idiot. Type your posts in any color you want as long as we can read it. Get the book, read it, and you'll have a good start on setting up a SW tank. We'll help you with the rest of it.
 
kk_thomas05,

No worries here, we will all try to give the best advice possible but the advice you get may not be advice you want to hear... I say if you research saltwater, you will find that for first timers, it is recommended that you go no less than 30 gal. This is not to say that it cannot be done in a 2 gal, and yes you could have 1 clown fish in there however, I am not going to advise that for the first saltwater tank, you do this. Here is why.

You only have 2 gals of tank. In that two gal, you will be using at least 2 quarts of that space up by substrate and rock (or decoration). That leaves you with 1.5 gal of water. This means that build up of food and waste happens at a 20 times faster rate than in a 30 gal.
This means at least 1 quart of water be changed daily, and salinity kept watch constantly. Not to mention the ammonia and nitrite, nitrate levels.

It sounds easy enough until you have to do it. Then you will see. I have seen many beautiful 1, 2, 5, 7, and 10 gal setups that were full blown reefs. The one thing that they all have in common, is that the owners have been in this hobby for years, and took on a challenge to make it work and it is working for them. I guess I said all that to say this. Do not let anyone discourage you from attaining what you want. Just please be patient and read as much as you can before jumping into it. We (I) would like to see everyone succeed in this hobby and hopefully find something new that may help all of us in the future. Good luck with your venture and keep your chin up... :D
 
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