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Started By
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Salt water fish tanks
Posted on 9/11/14 at 9:24 pm
Posted on 9/11/14 at 9:24 pm
Anyone have one?
I'm thinking of getting one, is it a pain in the arse? How much should I expect to spend?
I'm thinking of getting one, is it a pain in the arse? How much should I expect to spend?
15
Posted on 9/11/14 at 9:25 pm to LSULyle00690
My 75 gallon set me back around 700-1000.
If you do coral live rock will be your biggest expense.
Not THAT much of a pita, but it'll take weekly maintenance
If you do coral live rock will be your biggest expense.
Not THAT much of a pita, but it'll take weekly maintenance
This post was edited on 9/11/14 at 9:32 pm
Posted on 9/11/14 at 9:26 pm to LSULyle00690
Over a grand if you do it right. Lots of maintenance, but manageable if you're all in on the idea.
Posted on 9/11/14 at 9:27 pm to LSULyle00690
From what I hear it's like having children, only it never grows up or moves out.
Posted on 9/11/14 at 9:27 pm to LSULyle00690
It's expensive. And the upkeep is a bitch. I fired my last maid because she always fudged up my chemical levels.
Posted on 9/11/14 at 9:27 pm to LSULyle00690
Get a freshwater imo. You can still get some really cool fish and the upkeep is less than an hour a week
Posted on 9/11/14 at 9:29 pm to LSULyle00690
Posted on 9/11/14 at 9:30 pm to LSULyle00690
Like they said, it's sensitive to cleaning stuff. Don't spray windex or anything else anywhere near it. It'll fry coral and throw it out of whack
This post was edited on 9/11/14 at 9:31 pm
Posted on 9/11/14 at 9:32 pm to LSULyle00690
Had one in high school. Requires weekly maintenance. The amount of money needed is all up to the size of the tank. Took my about 500 to get my 55 gallon running.
Ill tell you one thing. Go as big as you can afford, larger tanks have much more stability. Katrina killed them. That bitch.
Ill tell you one thing. Go as big as you can afford, larger tanks have much more stability. Katrina killed them. That bitch.
This post was edited on 9/11/14 at 9:35 pm
Posted on 9/11/14 at 10:54 pm to LSULyle00690
I have one. As someone else said, the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep you levels balanced.
You have to have special water (RODI) for top offs, RODI water to mix with salt for water changes (every two weeks), and test your levels weekly.
And you're always adding coral and getting equipment. I just spent $200 on a piece of equipment to lower my phosphates.
You have to have special water (RODI) for top offs, RODI water to mix with salt for water changes (every two weeks), and test your levels weekly.
And you're always adding coral and getting equipment. I just spent $200 on a piece of equipment to lower my phosphates.
Posted on 9/12/14 at 12:45 am to CP3
You did all that for under $1,000? A few years ago I almost did about a 150 gallon. I was told it would cost around $6K to do a setup with live rock and corals. Eventually I'll do one, possibly up to 200 gallons. But right now we're gone too often and I don't want to leave it unattended. Instead I'm going big with snakes right now.
ETA- yours is exactly the look I want, nice job
ETA- yours is exactly the look I want, nice job
This post was edited on 9/12/14 at 12:49 am
Posted on 9/12/14 at 7:59 am to CP3
Nice tank CP3.
I had a 55 in college set up with live rock. It was a maintenance nightmare mostly due to the lac of time and money I had to maintain the system properly. But if your all in from the get go they are not that bad to maintain and a hell of a conversation starter. Especially when you have a lion fish and its feeding time.
I had a 55 in college set up with live rock. It was a maintenance nightmare mostly due to the lac of time and money I had to maintain the system properly. But if your all in from the get go they are not that bad to maintain and a hell of a conversation starter. Especially when you have a lion fish and its feeding time.
Posted on 9/12/14 at 8:01 am to LSULyle00690
I have 300 gallons in my living room. And yes it's very expensive. Idk he prob has 15k into ours. But it's all tricked out so who knows what normal is.
Posted on 9/12/14 at 8:09 am to Sir Drinksalot
you can go as low as 300 or the sky is the limit.
Look on craig's list or ebay because lots of people get one and dont want to stick with it anymore.
Look on craig's list or ebay because lots of people get one and dont want to stick with it anymore.
Posted on 9/12/14 at 8:22 am to LSULyle00690
It's a pain in the arse but damn they are sweet. You could always compromise and do a really nice African cichlid set up.
Posted on 9/12/14 at 8:34 am to TigerWise
It all depends on what you want to keep. I had a 170 gallon that I had around $8k in. I'm in the planning stages for building another one next year, much smaller though. It will only be 50 gallons and my budget is between $1500 and $2k. I want to keep stony corals and clams, will be lit with LED lights. I want all pumps to be silent and efficient.
You pay for good equipment with this stuff.
Maintenance wise, it will take some time to get the chemistry down and understand your calcium demands and how to accurately supplement for it.
Other than that, it's not a lot. Weekly or biweekly water changes, clean your skimmer weekly, clean pumps every 2 or 3 months.
It gets easier as you go. In the beginning there's a steep learning curve and that's where the majority of the work seems to come from.
You pay for good equipment with this stuff.
Maintenance wise, it will take some time to get the chemistry down and understand your calcium demands and how to accurately supplement for it.
Other than that, it's not a lot. Weekly or biweekly water changes, clean your skimmer weekly, clean pumps every 2 or 3 months.
It gets easier as you go. In the beginning there's a steep learning curve and that's where the majority of the work seems to come from.
Posted on 9/12/14 at 8:37 am to CP3
quote:
CP3
Posted on 9/12/14 at 8:54 am to Austin Cajun
Start off with a freshwater tank if you have never had a tank before because there is a learning curve
I haven't made the jump to salt water and probably won't for a while. I am fine with my freshwater 25 gallon setup. I have a bunch of tropical fish in there like neon tetras and gouramis.
Only question I have is what do these fish do all day?
I haven't made the jump to salt water and probably won't for a while. I am fine with my freshwater 25 gallon setup. I have a bunch of tropical fish in there like neon tetras and gouramis.
Only question I have is what do these fish do all day?
Posted on 9/12/14 at 9:00 am to 911Moto
Its probably more than $1000. It gets to a point where you stop paying attention to how much you spend on it 
I also got lucky because my buddy got tired of his tank and gave me 25lbs of live rock.
Your gonna want:
Tank - ~$300
4 bulb light fixture or LEDs -$300
Sump -$150
Good pump -$100
Power heads (I'd do 2) -$100
~20 lbs sand -$40
dosing kit -$100
test kit -$100
RO/DO water filter - $200
and then rule of thumb is 1lb live rock per gallon, and live rock is ~5.99/lb. You can slowly build that up over time though. I'd add a protein skimmer as well which is another $150
Then whatever you wanna spend on fish and corals.
Craigslist is your friend for a lot of the equipment. Especially a tank/filter.
I also got lucky because my buddy got tired of his tank and gave me 25lbs of live rock. Your gonna want:
Tank - ~$300
4 bulb light fixture or LEDs -$300
Sump -$150
Good pump -$100
Power heads (I'd do 2) -$100
~20 lbs sand -$40
dosing kit -$100
test kit -$100
RO/DO water filter - $200
and then rule of thumb is 1lb live rock per gallon, and live rock is ~5.99/lb. You can slowly build that up over time though. I'd add a protein skimmer as well which is another $150
Then whatever you wanna spend on fish and corals.
Craigslist is your friend for a lot of the equipment. Especially a tank/filter.
This post was edited on 9/12/14 at 9:01 am
Posted on 9/12/14 at 9:08 am to LSULyle00690
Its not that hard all the time but sometimes it can be a pain in the arse. Here is a photo of mine.
This post was edited on 9/12/14 at 9:10 am
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