willowthepoet
Aquarium Advice Activist
I am a completely noob to saltwater. I've never had a SW tank, and frankly I don't even know where to start. I've had FW for a couple years now, but I just aquired a new tank and want to do something a little more challenging.
I have a 20 gallon tank and a new aquaclear 30 (rated for 10-30 gallons), but the filter can be returned/exchanged.
I'd planned on discus because I was supposed to get a 46 gal tank from a friend who was moving, but the tank was broken in the move so now I just have the 20 gal from my boyfriend whose fish I returned to the LFS because he didn't take care of them... and then I took his tank. haha.
Since I'd had a discus budget of about $250 and can no longer have discus in this small of a tank, I thought I'd try SW if at all possible.
Enough rambling... what do I need?
I'd like seahorses, but I understand they're extremely difficult to keep... so what kinds of fish can I have in that size tank? Is it possible to get any kind of starfish?
What substrates are best? Is live rock absolutely necessary? Can I use FW decorations? What kinds of decorations can I use?
(Sorry if these are common-sense questions, I just want to be sure and not mess anything up)
I also know there's a lot of talk about buying saltwater. Is it really that hard to make your own? If I do decide to make my own saltwater, can I use tap water (well water) or should I buy distilled at the grocery store?
Anything else I should know? Any good places to start my information search?
I have a 20 gallon tank and a new aquaclear 30 (rated for 10-30 gallons), but the filter can be returned/exchanged.
I'd planned on discus because I was supposed to get a 46 gal tank from a friend who was moving, but the tank was broken in the move so now I just have the 20 gal from my boyfriend whose fish I returned to the LFS because he didn't take care of them... and then I took his tank. haha.
Since I'd had a discus budget of about $250 and can no longer have discus in this small of a tank, I thought I'd try SW if at all possible.
Enough rambling... what do I need?
I'd like seahorses, but I understand they're extremely difficult to keep... so what kinds of fish can I have in that size tank? Is it possible to get any kind of starfish?
What substrates are best? Is live rock absolutely necessary? Can I use FW decorations? What kinds of decorations can I use?
(Sorry if these are common-sense questions, I just want to be sure and not mess anything up)
I also know there's a lot of talk about buying saltwater. Is it really that hard to make your own? If I do decide to make my own saltwater, can I use tap water (well water) or should I buy distilled at the grocery store?
Anything else I should know? Any good places to start my information search?