What's saltwater like?

[reefman]

Sorry didn't realize my phone changed vho to chi

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

The lighting system on my 40B already cost 1k
I'm running sump less and skimmer less since I need nitrate for my clams and doing 25% water change per week to keep up cal and alk for them. My CUC are only 4 snails, few stometella snails (not sure how many but they breed their own colony), 1 sea hare I love this one the most cause it like pleco in freshwater, eating machine 24/7.

 

[PYRU]

Fowlr isn't bad, but still expensive. I had a couple of Gs puffers in a 75. The amount of wasted water for RO or rodi is just too m much for me too deal with.

Now corals etc your getting into the money flying out of your wallet stage. I watched a friends coral tank & its like having that got to go #2 feeling while in the boonies all the time. Stuff can just go haywire in a blink of the eye & they don't handle fluctuations well. It's beautiful when right though.

My buddy described it like driving your car with the gas to the floor. It's an exciting ride for awhile, but when you wreck its catastrophic.

 

[Atomic081]

After 10 years of saltwater, Ive found that a 75g or a 40 breeder are the best starter size. It seems that its big enough to be stable, but not so big that equipment is super $$$$

 

[Mbargas]

So my gf mom just set up a small 30 gallon saltwater tank and seeing one setup actually at a home makes me wanna try it but how difficult/easy is it?

First off if I was gonna try it id go low bioload either a small tank like 30 or convert my 75 over.

What about equipment? Could I use my fx4?

Water changes? Iv search online about it a bit and it seems a lot of ppl do 10-30% every 1-4 weeks.

I would prob only buy saltwater from my lfs so that would force me to keep low bioload anyways.

Corals? I would obviously want maybe a few but is there any "bullet proof" corals u can throw in almost any tank?

Lighting for corals? Need anything special?

Stocking... I don't know much but I would prob like some clown fish but my favorite saltwater fish i know of is the mandarin goby....i know it's not begginer but Iv read u can keep a colony of copepods in larger tanks making them easier to care for? True?

What about general maintenance? Gravel vac? Iv heard u can set it tank up with species that basically do everything for u except water changes so is this also true?

You can make it as simple or as complicated as you want.. I personally have chosen the simple route. I am sticking with hardy fish like damsels, which are actually as colorful as any other marine fish out there. I’m using an UG filter for the nitrogen cycle and Caulerpa for nitrate reduction. Strong LED lighting to assure strong algae growth.

 

[4FordFamily]

I keep expert level Fish and beginner to intermediate coral. I don’t do a lot of maintenance, but my fish selection requires proper quarantine methods which is a bit of a pain.

It’s more work but it’s quite rewarding, IMO. Larger tanks tend to require less maintenance as far as water changes, and as mentioned are more forgiving.

 

[tlindsey]

I keep expert level Fish and beginner to intermediate coral. I don’t do a lot of maintenance, but my fish selection requires proper quarantine methods which is a bit of a pain.

It’s more work but it’s quite rewarding, IMO. Larger tanks tend to require less maintenance as far as water changes, and as mentioned are more forgiving.

Welcome aboard

 

[4FordFamily]

Welcome aboard

Thank you, glad to be here!

Now I hope to find out how to build a monster plywood tank here, this seems to be the place to find others as crazy as myself!

 

[tlindsey]

Thank you, glad to be here!

Now I hope to find out how to build a monster plywood tank here, this seems to be the place to find others as crazy as myself!

Lol your on the right Forum and have great plywood diy members.