I got a 75 gallon tank today from someone. It was the entire setup for saltwater fish, so I am guessing it has everything needed, but I honestly don't know. My problem is, I don't like freshwater fish. Just something about them seems so dull and ugly. I do love the looks over saltwater fish, but have no idea about the cost of keeping them. So my question is, in general, roughly how much would it cost to do this? lets assume that all the equipment is there, so i don't have to buy all of that, thank god. Another question i was wondering, other than the fish, what will i need in order to make it work, and keep the fish healthy. I would like to go the cheapest route right now, as i have a extremely limited budget. This would be the first time I have had saltwater fish, if i go through with it, so I really have no idea of what needs to be done.
New tank questions.
- Thread starter sprky86
- Start date
TBrewerton
Reefing newb
Hey mate,
Welcome to the site! I think rather than us listing what you need it might be easier if you could list what you have.
If you are unsure what everything is maybe take some pictures and post those :-)
Look forward to hopefully following your progress! :D
Welcome to the site! I think rather than us listing what you need it might be easier if you could list what you have.
If you are unsure what everything is maybe take some pictures and post those :-)
Look forward to hopefully following your progress! :D
grozier
something smells fishy
Salt.
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
+1 TB
Pictures help, too. If yours came with lights, post a pic so we can tell you if the lights are adequate for corals. But if you want just fish, lights aren't so important.
Pictures help, too. If yours came with lights, post a pic so we can tell you if the lights are adequate for corals. But if you want just fish, lights aren't so important.
alharrison
Reefing newb
The first thing you need is a RO/DI water filter system. Trust me , I started by using tap water and I had nothing but algae problems. RO/DI water is a must. Cost if you search for a system on the internet about $100 to $150. The second thing you need is alot of patience, nothing happens fast with a saltwater system.
poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
Not months.. for fish.. but a few weeks maybe.
Does your tank have holes drilled in it? Can you post a picture of the tank? It matters as forum members help you, more than you think at the moment.
Ditch the blue balls.. they are nothing but problems. They cause several kinds of ecological problems the inventors never dreamed of.. and may be why the person you got the tank from got out of the hobby.
The thing with the blue balls in it is the sump... it is good you have that.
If you photographed everything but the tank you do have a few missing things.
You need a heater, a way to measure temperature, a way to measure salt content of the water .. we call that salinity... and most likely you will need a skimmer... I hope you have a skimmer.
We need to know if you do or do not plan to have coral.. if not you can get by much cheaper. .. Being able to have coral in that sized tank requires deep pockets at first.... mine is a 90 gallon and I have about $5K+ in the set-up, and I too bought a used "got everything" rig for a bargain price. I want you do go in with your eyes wide open. For example: to have coral you will need at minimum one pound of live rock for every gallon of water, while the expense of live rock can be done in some cost saving ways, live rock runs about $7 a pound.
You said you have something you think is the reef, can you post a photo of what that is??? .. it may be what was live rock...
You will need a salt water aquarium water quality test kit. If I were in your shoes I'd want to be able to test for pH, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, KH (hardness or alkalinity), PO4 (phosphates), temperature, and salinity.
My best suggestion for now is to spread out EVERYTHING and photograph and post pictures of EVERYTHING.... no matter how unimportant you think it may be.
Do you know if the previous owner still has other tanks up and running? I am wondering if they are still in the hobby or dropped out for some reason.
You have come to the right place!!!! This forum can get your there....
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Everything is outside in a shed right now, and it is dark out and snowing pretty hard, so I can't take a picture until tomorrow. But the tank doesn't have holes in it, and if it will help any the measurements are roughly 48x18x21. I still have to clean the tank and everything else cause it was filthy. I actually got everything from him for free because he lost his house and didn't have anywhere to take it. although there were a couple dead fish and it looked like it didn't get cleaned for a while. so I am not sure if he didn't take care of them, or just didn't know how.
I have a water test kit, and it came with a thermos that plugs in. So i am guessing that is a heater, but again i am new to all of this so don't know. I will also take a picture of the rocks tomorrow. I want fish, coral, and live plants, but like i said in my first post, i have a very limited budget. so I know i won't be getting everything i want. Thats why i came on here for advice on what i need and how much stuff is. I feel like if i go to a store they will try to sell me the expensive stuff and things i don't need.
He doesn't have anything else, so I am guessing that he is done, at least for now. I would ask him for help but it isn't a close friend, just someone i know.
I have a water test kit, and it came with a thermos that plugs in. So i am guessing that is a heater, but again i am new to all of this so don't know. I will also take a picture of the rocks tomorrow. I want fish, coral, and live plants, but like i said in my first post, i have a very limited budget. so I know i won't be getting everything i want. Thats why i came on here for advice on what i need and how much stuff is. I feel like if i go to a store they will try to sell me the expensive stuff and things i don't need.
He doesn't have anything else, so I am guessing that he is done, at least for now. I would ask him for help but it isn't a close friend, just someone i know.
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poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
yep.. re-read my post I edited more in.
To save money, I'd go fish only at first... there is plenty to learn.. and plenty enough to buy. You can always go coral later... or some easy coral as you get everything running right. Fish are way easier and less expensive. ...And can be very exciting and impressive.... With a fish tank you can have fish, shrimp, crabs, snails, hermit crabs, star fish, clams, and more. Your tank can be alive with critters everywhere.. and a real hoot.
We need to know about the rocks.. you can have a far healthier tank with live rock and what that rock is counts huge on your potential first expenses. If you really want to eventually go coral you will have to have live rock... so.. we need to see it.
... no problem.. we are not falling off the Dec 20th 2012 calendar planet earth thing.. post the pictures as you get the chance.
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If the weather here clears up some tomorrow i am planing to clean everything up and get it inside. when I do I will take pictures of everything that I have so that I can find out what else I need to start out. Here is a picture of a couple of the bigger rocks.
Attachments
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poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
That might be "dry" live rock. If it is that is good.
Is it dry? .. and is it honey combed with holes and does it seem to be made of dead coral skeletons??
It we decide it is dry live rock it needs to be cleaned up and soaked in a tub of water while you do the other planning.. that water needs to be changed a few times until it doesn't get stinky. We call that curing the rock.. it is to get all the dead living mass out. Then it needs to set in the sun to dry and be soaked again. Then rinsed again and put in the tank and stacked to form a reef. When the tank with this rock in it is full of water it needs to have a few pounds of "live" live rock added to the tank then cycled.. we on the forum can guide you through that process later. If we decide that is dry live rock, you have just saved yourself several hundred bucks.
I have never actually cured pre-used dried live rock, I am sure someone that has done it will chime in and make any corrections on a better method to cure it. Also you can google curing un-cured live rock.
Is it dry? .. and is it honey combed with holes and does it seem to be made of dead coral skeletons??
It we decide it is dry live rock it needs to be cleaned up and soaked in a tub of water while you do the other planning.. that water needs to be changed a few times until it doesn't get stinky. We call that curing the rock.. it is to get all the dead living mass out. Then it needs to set in the sun to dry and be soaked again. Then rinsed again and put in the tank and stacked to form a reef. When the tank with this rock in it is full of water it needs to have a few pounds of "live" live rock added to the tank then cycled.. we on the forum can guide you through that process later. If we decide that is dry live rock, you have just saved yourself several hundred bucks.
I have never actually cured pre-used dried live rock, I am sure someone that has done it will chime in and make any corrections on a better method to cure it. Also you can google curing un-cured live rock.
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Yes that is what i was actually thinking it was, just dead coral. cause it looks exactly like coral, but almost as hard as a rock. I haven't looked over all of them, but the few that i looked at have the honey comb indentions in at least half the rock. There is i would say between 20 and 30 lbs of the stuff total, ranging from the ones in the picture, which are pretty big, to a couple that can fit in my hand. I will soak it in water tomorrow while i clean everything else up.
poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
Good!!!! When we say you need at least one pound of live rock to every gallon of tank we mean the wet weight. It will be a good bit heaver when it is soaked with water. If you weigh it at that point the weight is important data. This will give us a better idea how much more actual live rock you should buy to have in the tank when it is cycled. Then this rock will begin to turn "live" again.
Doing this and cleaning everything is a great and excellent start. If you use any cleaning agents they need to be completely cleaned away form everything. I'd use vinegar and or alcohol... if not to clean the tank and sump at least as the last agent used to remove the other cleaning agent.
Since you do not yet have a RODI system you should either buy your water to make the final fill of the tank from a fish store or as distilled water from a grocery or package store. Then you will need to mix the salt, it has to be salt purchased specifically for a reef tank and with most brands it takes 1/2 cup per gallon. Read your instructions on the container. Remember the rock will occupy some volume, frequently the sump will make up for the rock volume. Plan to have the water a little short on salt when you do the mix.. it is easier to add salt than to remove it.
Most of use an instrument called a refractometer to measure salt content. This will be one of your first important investments at about $135. There are much cheaper methods to measure salt content at first, and are plenty good for fish only.
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OK, thanks for the advice. I was just guessing about the weight of all of it, but it should be close. once i get all of the rock cleaned and ready, i will see about weighing them to get an accurate amount. That makes me happy that it will take away from how much everything will cost.
poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
Make a habit of re-reading my posts as I have a habit of doing edits and adding information.
There will be others giving advice with more experience than I, so expect some differing opinions. I'm trying to stick to the basics.
poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
If you buy the fill water from a fish store you can buy it already salt mixed and ready..... I "think".
poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
As you clean and look all the part over make sure NONE of the parts of any kind that come in contact with the water are metal... any metal. Stainless Steel is ok, but as a better guide just avoid metals all together.. sometimes what claims to be SS is not.
When others start to help LR means live rock. FOWLR means fish only with live rock. Those blue balls were .... I said were... bio balls. They are gone now right?
When others start to help LR means live rock. FOWLR means fish only with live rock. Those blue balls were .... I said were... bio balls. They are gone now right?
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when I start to clean up everything tomorrow i will throw the balls out. With them gone do i need to put something else in place of them, or just leave it empty? again thanks for all the advice and words that will be used. I am glad that i found a place like this instead of going to a store. from what I have heard most of the pet stores and other places don't know that much about this stuff.
