Will this tank work fine?

[jiazzi]

My neighbor just gave me this 49 gallon tank which used to house freshwater fish. It has a vertical structure which I know isn't the best for saltwater fish but do you think that it is possible? If I do decide to make this a saltwater tank, I am thinking of keeping it as simple as possible with live rock, one or two clownfish, and other beginner's saltwater fish. I used to research on salt water tanks like crazy but after calculating the start up and maintenance expense at the time, it wasn't going to work. However...I'm in a different situation now where I received the tank for free, it's sitting in my living room, and I think I'll be able to cover the costs now...

Do you think this tank will be fine for a basic/beginner's saltwater aquarium?

Thank you very much for your advice!

 

[adampw]

You could use that tank. You just need to decide what kind of tank you want. FOWLR, Reef, etc...I think it could be an interesting tank once all setup. The only problem I see you running into, is space for you equipment...Hopefully someone else will chime in on this too.

 

[ccCapt]

No problem for fish only, but coral might be tuff. That's a really deep tank and you would need strong lighting to penetrate that deep.

 

[Bifferwine]

You would need stronger than normal lighting. Normally, reef tanks try to maximize surface area (i.e. are long and wide, not deep), because that also ensures better oxygenation. But that tank would be just fine for saltwater. You want to be sure to have a lot of water movement in it. It's easy to get stagnant spots in deep tanks. Also have a lot of movement at the surface of the water to oxygenate it.

You will have no problems keeping fish in it, and most corals will be fine if they are placed in the upper 1/2 of the tank. Low light corals could be kept on the bottom.

 

[Melonbob]

I think it would do just fine. If you plan on going reef, get a high powered MH light. Because the length is so short, you can throw a single 250w or maybe even higher, and it won't cost you a fortune. I was really thinking of a cube myself, with a single mountain of rock in the centre

 

[Piggy]

Kind of reminds me of a tank on it's side. I think it would make a unique saltwater tank. Will be interesting watching it be built.

 

[yote]

Like was already mentioned,A single halide,skimmer,and some live rock,and those cubes make great looking reef tanks.
And you cant beat the price on that one.

 

[daugherty]

you would prob need a 400w MH just because it is so deep

 

[sen5241b]

A tip on saving money: put the tank where it won't overheat in the summer. If the tank gets to warm then you have to turn on A/C all the time or buy a chiller (rather expensive). I use a big ugly, noisy fan to blow air across the top of the tank but this causes fast evaporation and so I had to buy an ATO and pump ($100 right there), etc. And I still have problems with temperature control!