New - Shallow Water!

haha, I understand totally. I just wanna get my feet wet first. If I decide its right for me, I may invest alot more money into a big tank.

I like playing god (creating habitats and ecosystem) thats where I get more joy. Buying stuff, and making things somewhat natural.
 
Unfortunately like the others said...that setup, while it could possibly work....it would be worthless. Understand that the amount of flow used in saltwater tanks is generally 10-20x the tank size.

That being said, you wouldn't be able to see the fish. The water at the top of the tank is so turbulent it's like trying to look through a waterfall. It's not happening.

Then, you need rock, and alot of it for the filtration system. with that shallow of a tank and the added rock, mix that with the necessary flow of the tank, you'd have a system that you couldn't see into, and you'd have water splashing everywhere.

In short, it would be a mess.

Just find a small starter tank to get your feet wet. Good luck.
 
You will more than likely have a beter experience and be better to make that decision if you get a true tank and use it. Start small. A 2-5 gallon tank will not cost much and will give you a better idea what a larger, more expencive tank would be like. In other words, use an enclosure that is made to hold fish instead of one made to hold turtles. You can get one of these setups for the same or, more likely, less than you would pay to get the tub set up to hold helathy fish. I have concerns about the material it is made of too. How will it react to saltwater and all of the cycles it goes through maturing in a tank?
Check this out as a viable option.
Desktop & Starter Aquarium Kit: 3-gallon Deco Kit Aquarium

This was used in a contest held on this site this year. I'm sure any of the contesants could tell you how well it works. It will "get your feet wet" and not cost you an arm and a leg.
 
lol Johno, did not say I wasnt interested, just that its not my main concern. We all enjoy our pets in different ways. I have the money, time and space for my hobby. How I enjoy it is my business. No offense.
 
Whatever. Apparently you arent capable of understanding or just don't care what any of us are telling you. Just go on and kill your fish, make a mess of it. Let it be on your head. I wash my hands of the affair.
 
Let's put a halt to all the non-sense. Rooster, there is no advice anyone here can give you to make that tub work. As PRC pointed out earlier, you will end up with rock and water flow that would make it impossible to see down intio it to see what is going on with your livestock. You would need some sort of filtration system, and looking at the tub, you'd have to use a hang on, or drill it and add bulkheads. I suppose if you really wanted to, and were just obsessed with the idea of using that tub, you could throw some sand in it, and a few hermits and be dome. But you'd have to change your water out quite frequently I'd think, and you will experience something that may not be pleasant in the way of smells, not to mention stagnant water from lack of flow, and algae.

So that being said, you have been given the best advice available, by people that have been doing this for years. How you use it, and what you take from it are entirely on you at this point.
 
Johno, the advice I have been given for the most part has been based on me seeing whats in the tub. Not based on them living or not. And it wouldnt be a mess, I understand what you are trying to say though.

Yes, lets put an end to this non-sense.

I have seen this done at the PD Zoo here. Very similar conditions. At the zoo they have a very shallow tank, that is meant for people to put their fingers in and touch the native wildlife (no fish though). It is very clean and everything is doing well in there. And you can see inside of it. So clearly it can be done. Depending on how I would set it up. I can make a beach scene at 16 gal with a surface area of 3'x2'x6". This is almost exactly what they have. This can be done, but I need help from you my friends, in finding the correct equipment to make this Mini NW Pacific Ocean Beach possible.

I am determined to try to make this work because I know it can be a succes. If not; what I want to do isnt going to harm the fish, its just going to (like some say) make it so I cant see them. So if it dont work, I'll probably just get a small tank and use that. :-\

Otherwise I read
"

A: If you have access to clean ocean water (NSR or Natural Sea Water) to put in your saltwater aquarium, by all means use it. Dissolved trace minerals and salinity may vary slightly by area, but since natural sea water is what marine animals live in, it can often be a better source than using fresh tap water and a commercial salt mix to make up solutions, which can be time consuming and costly. When deciding to use ocean water, just be sure to collect it away from freshwater river and stream run-off areas, especially if they are near chemical plants, factories, and animal or agricultural farms where the water may contain toxins, or when fuels are present in places such as around boat docks and high traffic harbors"

Is this a good idea?
 
Besides, I dont think it would be any harder to see with marine equipment then with what I use now. Being I had a turtle in there, you must use filters that are for larger tanks, and I still saw clearly with my waterfall setup.
 
If your goal is to keep things alive and not see them, then good for you. Many of us like to see what we have.
The waterfall HOB filters for freshwater/reptile setups will not work for saltwater. Plus you need powerheads pointing at the surface of the water to help with the oxygen exchange which causes ripples in the surface of the water. I, for one, cannot see a darn thing when I look down from the top of my tank.

And the tanks at the zoo are generally plumbed into a much larger system, which gives them better water quality.
 
This may be a bad time for me to come in so noone bad mouth me lol(: But I agree with Erin and everyone else who is trying to help you out there not trying to chase you away they are trying to find the best for the animals and they are trying to save you money in the long run something that small. Also places that have those like zoos they are connected to one large system thats why you can see perfectly.
 
A picture is worth a thousand words...just trying to help you out. Here's my tank. 180g. Here's my livestock list.

Yellow Tang
Bluethroat Trigger
2 clowns
3 chromis
2 anthias
Orange Shoulder Tang
Solon Wrasse
Sailfin Tang
about 70 snails.

Here's a video from the side, and the top. See if you can locate any of my fish from the top of the tank. The majority of them are about 6" so they should be easy to find. From the top, I'm pointing the camera right at them.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJx16echl5g&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL]YouTube - Video 10[/ame]
 
Its not actually a waterfall, its a powerful pump, but it has the long tube with the holes which I aim towards the water. It does an excellent job keeping the oxygen in the water (btw I am aware I will have to get a different setup) and I can still see into the water well enough. It does make a current in the awter, depending on where its aimed. But I cannot imagine with the surface area I have that the entire surface of the water will be blocked.

Yes, I assume they have a system under their counter that feeds into their shallow tanks, but these were on counters in the middle of a room, so they cannot be too huge. But like I said, already have a tank to view fish. What I want out of it is more like a beach setup. I want land and water. It will be less of a fish tank, and more of a "art piece" like having a small waterfall in your house. You know what I mean? Im not looking for pretty fish. Just a diversety of life. I want a setup like what I saw there. I know nobody agrees with me, but to each their own is what my pappy always said.
 
Awww, I cant see the pic right now PRC. I'll check it when I get off work.

Nobody will bad mouth you. YOu're on their side haha. Anywho I appriciate all your opinions, I really do. But I'll say what I said in another thread.

Im going to setup the tub with everything but the critters, or "Livestock" as some of you say. If it looks good, I will use it. If it doesnt, then I can find a real tank and use what I bought for the tank. No harm, no foul.
 

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