[marciemp]

My hubby and I are considering starting a saltwater aquarium. We have a small fresh water tank (only 3 little much loved goldfishies ) we love but are mesmerized by the saltwater set ups at the fishy stores, so we have been considering it.

We do not have endless amounts of cash and have been looking at second hand saltwater setups. Is there anything we should be asking/looking for? What size of tank is best for beginners? We are brand new to this so for now we have no idea what we are doing but I am very anal and learn quickly, and we plan on researching and learning a lot before we get started. For now we have found a local guy who is selling his 90 gallon saltwater set up because he is moving. He was going to sell the whole set up, fish and other critters included but decided he is too attached/worried about the fish he has raised for some time and he wants to return them to the fish store and give us a gift certificate. Seems like he cares about his set up and the fish. He has had the aquarium for 3 or 4 years. Is 90 gallons too big for beginners? Should we be asking about the recent heath of the tank even if we don't get the fish. If we decide to go second hand should we try to take the tank, rock, sand and even some of the water as is (I realize 90 gallons is a lot of water!), or would it be advisable to take the tank and clean/sterilize it very well and start new?

We are also busy parents, once set up and cycled appropriately, would a saltwater aquarium be much more work than a fresh water tank? Would size make a difference on how much work the tank is? I am familiar with routine water testing, and changes, just can't imagine partially changing 90 gallons, how much is usually changed? 90 gallons of water is very heavy, is it OK to place in a house as long as it is against a wall? Maybe something smaller would be easier.

One more line of thought, I have read about fish only, fish with live rock, and fish with reef. If we started out with fish and live rock, could we eventually add a reef later? What does the set up entail if we would like to eventually add some corals or anenomes?(sp?)

Thnak you for any help given
Marcie

[volitan_fa]

Well if you found someone willing to part with their 90 gallon for a good deal, TAKE IT! Generally the rule is the bigger the better for beginners, because when you have a saltwater tank it's easier to stabilize your water parameters when you're working with more water volume. I would KEEP the rock, sand, and at least some of the water (like 15 gals?). Pack the sand and live rock in rubbermaids to transport them with some of the tank's water. Then set it up with all the originals and you should have little to no cycle once you get it up and running (assuming you get it up and running right away!). Now if you want to start with FO/FOWLR and upgrade to a reef later, that is perfectly fine. But consider getting fish that will be safe for your reef, as I'm sure you won't want to part with them later. Then the only other thing to really consider is your lighting.

After you get the tank up and running, you only need to do regular maintenance on it. This includes water changes (10-25% is generally the rule) every month, filter changes, and cleaning the protein skimmer collection cup. It sounds like a lot of work, but can really be done in about 45 min once a week.

[marciemp]

Thank you for your help, any other opinions/help would be appreciated.

Another question: Would it be best to go with a well taken care of set up, or if I got a tank that was in need of TLC, could I save it? I found a 50 gallon second hand set up, but it appears to be quite green , meaning lots of algae growth on the glass. It is also very sparse, with only a few rocks at the bottom, and no plants or anything. The tank has 8 fish, probably too many for that size tank? There is 1 Blue Tang, 1 Fox Face, 2 Clown Fish , 2 Blue Damsels, 1 Three Line Damsel, 1 Six Line Wrasse, 1 Porcalin Crab, live rock and water. The mommy in me wants to get this tank to fix it and save the fish, but maybe I would be getting in to deep to soon (parden the pun)? The guy says he is getting rid of it to manke room for their baby, so I can understand his focus has changed, but I feel bad for the fish considering that I have a 3 year old and 1 year old twins and I still manage to take care of all my pets!

There is also a 72 gallon tank that looks to be in good condition, with 7 or 8 fish, and a nice rock formation in the back.

They are all definitely a good deal, considering what we have seen for new tanks with a marine set up. The 90 gallon is $450, the 72 gallon is $800 and the 50 Gallon is $500, all or best offer.

Would a 72 gallon be good too? We are worried about the size, considering our house is already quite full of kids, and toys and other furry four legged and slimy finned critters! I have heard that a 90 gallon is usually no longer than a 72 though, true? Oh decisions decisions decisions!
Bubbles n stuff,
Marcie

[RyanG]

I would look for one that it taken care of. This means less work for you since the tank is pretty much already stable.

The 90 gallon looks like a good deal. Does it come with anything or is that just the aquarium tank?

-Ryan

[marciemp]

All 3 include everything they had it up and runnign with, filters, lighting, stand, protien skimmer, rocks sand, etc. The 90 Gallon doesn't come with the fish, as the owner is not confidant about selling them with the tank and he feels more secure returning them to the fish store and giving us a gift certificate for the value he gets back. Seems like a positive that he cares for the well being of the fish.

I am curious about the size, dimension wise. Is a 90 gallon way way bigger than a 72? Seems like a lot of the larger tanks just increase in width (front to back) so a 72 and a 90 gallon would both be 4 feet long, but the 90 would be 18" wide and the 72 would be less. Is this standard or do they vary in length as well?

Thnaks again and please keep the opinions coming!
Marcie

[RyanG]

Yes 90 gallons run larger width wise. This is normal. 48" is pretty standard. I would go for the 90 gallon. Do you have any pictures of it?

[volitan_fa]

From the sounds of it, I would go for the 90 gallon as well. A 90 won't be much bigger than a 72, and only a slightly bigger footprint than the 55.

[marciemp]

We waited to long and the 90 gallon is sold. I didn't realise until doing more research what an amazing deal it was, I was just worried about it being to big, and too hard to care for, but now I understand that it can be easier to care for a larger tank. There were no pictures as it was for sale in a local paper. The 72 gallon is still available so we are going to see it tomorrow. There is a picture of it online and it looks pretty good. It has a blue tang, 2 clown fish, a moroon clown, a yellow tang and a small blue fish. It has 50 pounds of live rock. Looks pretty clean in the picture
There is another photo more close up too.

The guy said it comes with: ac500 skimmer ac402 and 802 heater lights stand sand everything you see in the picture. Not really sure what all this means? Is this a good set up or would we need to upgrade a bit, easpecially if we would like to turn it into a reef tank eventually?

The local bargain finder comes out on Thursday so I will look in there and see what is available too.

On another note, and i will make a new post about this when it comes to it, any ideas on how to move the set up? Should we put the sand and rocks in a rubbermaid container together with some water? Since this tank includes the fish, would it be best to put them all in seperate bags filled with tank water for the move, then when we get home, move them to a big bucket with tank water? We would like to bring as much of the water home as possible to avoid having the tank re-cycle, since we would need to get the fish back in ASAP. How long could they safely be out of the tank in a bucket?

Thanks

[marciemp]

We have decided to get the above tank and got a great deal on it, but I am very nervous about the move.

We saw the tank in person and it is nice but not 100% well kept. It is 72 gallons and the guys has only be refilling the evaporated water, which I know already is a bad thing.

I am also not 100% sure on the fish that are in there. He has 2 clownfish, a blue tang (looks like Dory in finding Nemo) a yellow tang, a clown of some sort that is blackish, a little blue guy with yellow tail (damsel?), a crab, maybe a snail, and a maroon clown. We were considering seeing if the LFS would take the maroon clown as he seemed to be picking on the percula clowns, and I read in a book they can be aggressive? I would like to add a few fish we go pick out, and a bunch of snails, shrimp, crabs etc. Any suggestions on how many fish the tank can hold, and what sort would be best, which ones we should return to the store, and what and how many invertabrates we should add?

He also has only 50 pounds of live rock, should we get more? I know this tank is in need of some TLC, but not too much and it is the only second hand one available in the area that isn't horrible. (we can't afford to buy new). There was quite a bit of algea on the back wall of the tank, can I scrub that off before we re-set up the tank, or would this cause problems? Would it be better for me to get some snails? I would like the tank to be nice and clean/clear eventually.

Should we quarantine everything live we buy to add to the tank? If so, for how long?

I also read somewhere that we should only take some of the sand, then add that to new sand, and it will re-seed itself. Is this best, or should we try to take all of the sand? I was worried about stuff in it dying and then causing decay.

I really hope we can get this moved OK. It is very very cold here right now (-30) so the move will be tough. Any ideas or suggestions would be very helpful. We need to get the whole move done in a day for the fish and because we need a babysitter to keep the kiddos out of the way.

The guy said he moved the fish there in buckets (he got the set up from a friend second hand as well), but I was thinking bags put in coolers would be better and more gentle (no bumped heads). The rocks we were going to carry in buckets or bins, trying to not take them out of the water at all. How should we keep the fish when we get them home? Leave them in their transport bags, or move them to a large bucket or bin with their tanks water, a heater and something to aerate the water?

One more question, I have the test supplies from my freshwater tank that can all be used on Saltwater as well (PH, Ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites) What else do I need for water tests?

I guess I should mix up some water in advance too, so I will be off to the fish store for advice there. I get the basics (filtered water, chlorine remover, special salt) but I have read about additives to, which is where I need help. I am in Canada, so brand names are all different.

Thanks for help,
Marcie