I had a freshwater aquarium for years now. I recently bought a new 60gallon tank. I am thinking of going for a saltwater aquarium.
First, do you need a special filter or an addition for saltwater? The One I have says it is for fresh or saltwater aquariums, so I am assuming it is fine.
When you first start do you just add the special salt and maintain proper levels by adding salt?
What is the best/recommended protein skimmers?
Last question… Is live rock completely necessary? Is is expensive?
Thanks so mush for your help!
There are no "special filters" for saltwater. Any filter will work for saltwater or freshwater just fine because the mechanics behind the filtration process are identical. Cycling still applies as well.
You add the salts when doing water changes…don’t just dump salt into the tank. However, top-off water needs to be fresh. This is because the water evaporates, but the salt doesn’t–it stays in solution. As such, it becomes more concentrated, and thus the water becomes more salty, over time.
Which protein skimmers are the best really depends on who you ask. People can agree that some skimmers are terrible (Seaclone, for example), but which ones are good vary. Steven Pro once wrote a great review online, giving his impressions of skimmers. It’s biased, sure, but he’s isn’t exactly a nobody in the hobby. You might it helpful to review it here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_1/cav1i1/protein_skimmer_impressions.htm
I won’t say live rock is necessary…I will say that you’re a fool to go without. It can be expensive, yes, but it’s easily the one of the most justifiable expenses you can make. With cured live rock, you will not require any other filter (except the protein skimmer)…not only does it filter the water, but it dentrifies wastes entirely to boot. Its abundant advantages outweigh the costs several times over.
——-
There’s a bit more to know, of course, and I’m not sure how much research you done. I highly recommend picking up a copy of Bob Fenner’s "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist." If you follow the advice in the pages, you’ll be steered in the right direction.
yes liverock is needed as thats what filters water in marine aquariums unless you use something like a wet/dry trickle filter which in my oppinion are over-priced.
tunze mce series skimmers are good skimmers
You dont need a special filter but liverock is unless you have a wet dry.
its usually around £9 per kg.
you also need powerheads because marine tanks require more flow, maybe livesand, strong lights if you want to keep corals.
Keeping marine fish is very expensive you also need hydrometers or refractometers to measure salinity.
References :
for saltwater filtration i suggest buying a filter that is 10-20 more gallons then your aquarium. i highly suggest using canister filters rather then power filters but its was you can afford. when adding salt to your water, you do this by putting de chlorinated water into buckets then adding marine salt into the bucket and mix it around for a while. your salinity should be 1.22 and your ph should be 8.2 and temp should be high 70s like 78. buy a power head for water movement for your size i would buy two but of course its what you can afford. buy around 40-50 pounds of live sand this is fairly expensive about 20 bucks for 20-30 pounds. protein skimmers are recommended but are optional but it makes it all the much easier. live rock is the show peace of an saltwater aquarium and most marine fish require live rock in their aquarium. live rock is an natural filter and a biological site for bacteria and plankton to thrive and live to keep your saltwater aquarium stable and clean. live rock is expensive and your going to need around 50-70 pounds, some prices are 5 dollars per pound but these aren’t that nice but you can pay 10 dollars per pound for beautiful purple live rock with tons of coralline. if you dont plan on getting live rock then theres no point on doing a saltwater aquarium, remember freshwater is for beginners and to learn then going to saltwater is experience and beauty. saltwater is 10 times more expensive as beginner fish are $5 dollars minimum but are as colorful to $200. wait around 4 weeks before adding invertebrates then 6-8 weeks before adding fish or corals and or anemones. if you want to buy anemones and corals you must have a high power lighting system as switching the bulbs them self to coral life wont do anything at all, like my new reef tank i just started about a month and a half ago has 30 pounds of live rock and some inverts but no fish or coral yet because you must wait with saltwater as fish are so delicate to water levels fluctuating. on my new reef tank i have an lunar aqualight which in my opinion is the best light for coral and anemones, i have one running on a 55 gallon FOWLR tank and a 90 gallon reef tank, keep in mind the lighting system is very expensive. when acclimating fishes,corals,anemones and invertebrates you must acclimate them for 20+ mins as they are so sensitive to water changes especially corals and anemones. when changing the water you must have the same temp,ph and salinity. remember start of with easy fish what i call level 1 fish such as some gobies, damsels,dottys, and basselts but also only buy cheap ones. also i suggest you dont buy damsels as they are very aggressive and territorial but thats if your making an aggressive tank. if you want to go advance you can create sumps or refugiums which are smaller tanks like 10 gallons under or right next to your main tanks. sumps go under your tank inside the stand where your protein skimmer goes, your filter media, and other equipments. a refugium is a tank on the side fo your main tank attatched by some tubes for water transfering and it usuaslly has a good lighting system, live sand, few pounds of live rock, hair grass any type of plant usually, the popular plant is mongrooves, also some hardy corals like mushrooms and some shrimp like pepperiments. but both of these are optional
References :
saltwater, especially if you’re keeping corals, usually requires a lot of movement. You will need a combination of aerators, powerheads, or a wet/dry filter for surface movement. Aerators aren’t necessary if you have the other two.
A canister filter might be sufficient, an overhang/in tank filter probably won’t. Wet/dry (also called trickle) filters are the best as they provide tons of oxygen, add more total water for stability, and have the most space for biomedia. You can also put your protein skimmer in one.
Live rock is usually necessary as it carries crustaceans/beneficial bacteria and gives your fish a place to hide. it costs anywhere from $2-8 a pound, and you will want about 1 pound per gallon or more. Live sand also works. Buying plain coral rock (not live live rock) along with live rock and letting them sit in your tank will work too.
Good luck!!! It’s lotsa fun =)
References :
There are no "special filters" for saltwater. Any filter will work for saltwater or freshwater just fine because the mechanics behind the filtration process are identical. Cycling still applies as well.
You add the salts when doing water changes…don’t just dump salt into the tank. However, top-off water needs to be fresh. This is because the water evaporates, but the salt doesn’t–it stays in solution. As such, it becomes more concentrated, and thus the water becomes more salty, over time.
Which protein skimmers are the best really depends on who you ask. People can agree that some skimmers are terrible (Seaclone, for example), but which ones are good vary. Steven Pro once wrote a great review online, giving his impressions of skimmers. It’s biased, sure, but he’s isn’t exactly a nobody in the hobby. You might it helpful to review it here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_1/cav1i1/protein_skimmer_impressions.htm
I won’t say live rock is necessary…I will say that you’re a fool to go without. It can be expensive, yes, but it’s easily the one of the most justifiable expenses you can make. With cured live rock, you will not require any other filter (except the protein skimmer)…not only does it filter the water, but it dentrifies wastes entirely to boot. Its abundant advantages outweigh the costs several times over.
——-
There’s a bit more to know, of course, and I’m not sure how much research you done. I highly recommend picking up a copy of Bob Fenner’s "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist." If you follow the advice in the pages, you’ll be steered in the right direction.
References :