Been reading a lot and starting to second guess myself on start a sw tank. Seems like a lot of work. Not that i'm not up for doing the work but seems pretty tough and don't want to put a lot of money into it and fail.
Been reading a lot and starting to second guess myself on start a sw tank. Seems like a lot of work. Not that i'm not up for doing the work but seems pretty tough and don't want to put a lot of money into it and fail.
Depending on what your planning on setting up . It's not that expensive after you get everything set up . You will go through a fair bit of salt from the start with constant water changes but once you get your parameters to where you want them it runs it self . And water changes are only 10-20 % weekly I bought a 35 lb bucket of salt on July 3 for $65 and just did my last water change last weekend with it . $65 for 6 months isn't expensive at all , but keep in mind it's a obsession and there is always something you will want, you will always want more , bigger and better .
Don't be nervous , Or let all of this seam to be a lot . The best advice you will ever hear is take your time . Let it come together , Nothing good happens over night , patients and a lot of research . I will suggest research what you want to stock first . Start with 1) tank size What tank size is suitable for you , available space and finances . 2) research different species that are compatible with the size of tank and other tank mates . 3) the system . What you will need lights for what you plan on stocking . Keep in mind it is a obsession and you will want to upgrade eventually . 4) filtration Things to price - lights - skimmer - pump/ filter Either a canister suitable for the volume or a sump Power heads Heater Salt mix . There are different grades of salt . Reef mix mad more in it and is normally more expensive . And the most important your wife's permission lol Happy wife means happy life
Just as an offer of some confidence, I went from a 20g fw guppy tank to a 125g saltwater tank... You can do it. Also other than the expense of bigger equipment. (And more salt mix for water changes) bigger tanks really aren't that expensive. I think I MAY spend $50/month on my 125 to keep it going. That's between salt use, todo cartridges over 6-9 months, food, and electricity. It's fairly cheap once up and running. It's the constant buying of fancy new fish and better equipment that's expensive
That is great to know. I was a little concerned with the cost. I found a 120 gallon with everything i'll need to start (heater, sump tank, filter, lights) for $400 on craigslist. But not sure if i want to have that big of a tank. A LFS put a start up kit together which would be a 55 gallon with everything I need for $350. Not sure what to do. Not really wanting to use a sump tank. If I ran a canister filter and a HOB filter would that be okay????