What do i need to start a new sw tank?
I plan on keeping either clowns or lionfish with a horseshoe crab and maybe o spiny box puffer.
I plan on keeping either clowns or lionfish with a horseshoe crab and maybe o spiny box puffer.
what do i need for a sw tank?
- Thread starter mudvayne
- Start date
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11232
This thread helped me more than anything so far. Hope this helps
This thread helped me more than anything so far. Hope this helps
you need
Patience patience Patience and then some more patience. This is one hobby that you really can't rush with out some sort of sacrifice
a tank of a suitable volume for the fish you want.
salt mix
lights of some sort
circulation of some sort (if you are going to do a reef then you probably don't want to run any filter media.. just power heads. If you are doing fish only then filter media is probably a good idea)
a heater
basic test kits are a good idea
and thats about it.
If you want to make the system more stable then you could add some live rock and some substrate.
If you want to help improve the water quality to cut down on water changes etc you need a skimmer
If you want to keep a reef of some sort (corals and inverts) then you should probably have all of the above as well as fairly strong lights.
Patience patience Patience and then some more patience. This is one hobby that you really can't rush with out some sort of sacrifice
a tank of a suitable volume for the fish you want.
salt mix
lights of some sort
circulation of some sort (if you are going to do a reef then you probably don't want to run any filter media.. just power heads. If you are doing fish only then filter media is probably a good idea)
a heater
basic test kits are a good idea
and thats about it.
If you want to make the system more stable then you could add some live rock and some substrate.
If you want to help improve the water quality to cut down on water changes etc you need a skimmer
If you want to keep a reef of some sort (corals and inverts) then you should probably have all of the above as well as fairly strong lights.
stephenray75 said:Simple you need money! and lots of it!
Ain't that the truth!!!
I would suggest researching by asking here before you buy any equipment. Some things you won't need. Some things you must have. Some brands are much better than others. You get the idea.
You need to find a good lfs. Most fish stores only want your money so they will tell you all kinds of things to get your money. Just because someone on the boards have alot of posts doesn't mean they have alot of experience. Buy some good books about this hobby and do tons of reading before you buy any equipment. Go for the best of what you want instead of upgrading. That's what I am doing with my lights and the first few purchases were just a waste of money.
buy used where you can if you want to save money.
Buy equipment rated for larger systems than you have now as you will likely upgrade later and you will never get your $$$ back out of anything.
$$$ certainly helps and you will likely spend a fair bit on the hobby.
the way i look at it is you can either buy a system ($$$$$) or you can build a system ($$$). Take your time and you can do well but patience is key.
Buy equipment rated for larger systems than you have now as you will likely upgrade later and you will never get your $$$ back out of anything.
$$$ certainly helps and you will likely spend a fair bit on the hobby.
the way i look at it is you can either buy a system ($$$$$) or you can build a system ($$$). Take your time and you can do well but patience is key.
Your going to need a 100-150gl aquarium for that list, Horseshoe crabs alone get to about 3' long and require enough sand to completly burry themselves, they also need ALOT of open space. They start off small in pet stores, but they usually end up dieing due to improper setup.