I would like to find out how to set up &maintain a salt water fish aquarium?
chemicals you have to use, what kind of sand and what kind of salt do we and to the water?
Do a lot of reading before starting.
http://search.about.com/fullsearch.htm?terms=setting%20up%20a%20salt%20water%20tank
http://www.aquariacentral.com/
http://www.aquariumboard.com/forums/home.php
June 24th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
you have to use real sand and sea salt you buy it all from a pet store you can get the sand from the ocean you should really talk to someone about the chemicals and do some research about it all b4 jumping into it….
November 4th, 2009 at 12:55 pmReferences :
the bet thing i can tell you to do is go to petsmart and talk to a sales associate. they are better than petco and in my opinion better than local pet shops
November 4th, 2009 at 1:32 pmReferences :
ok well, you need to research a bit to find a good pet shop and if you do, ask more ppl and they might be a good source. then get real saltwater sand like @ the ocean or a special petshop. then do the same for real salt water, or do somethhing that might not help, but its funny! put water and put salt! lol, ok and gl with that, and bye.
November 4th, 2009 at 1:39 pmReferences :
There is a lot to know, and the expense of setting one up can be daunting( if done correctly) I would say that you first need to ask yourself some questions. #1. Have you owned fish before? Do you have experience? If you don’t have experience with freshwater, then I would not start with a saltwater tank. 2. Are you prepared finacially to spend what it will require to set up your tank so that your fish are healthy and taken care of? I would not reccommend a tank under 29 gallons, and a 55 to 125 is really the best. Do you have room for a big tank? Are you ready to take the time to cycle your water, do water testing ( salinity, ph, amonia, and nitrites) syphone regularly and feed your fish the diet they require?
November 4th, 2009 at 1:50 pmIf you are sure this is what you want, see what is available in your area, as far as fish and products go. Talk to someone with lots of experience. My experience is that the smaller pet shops usually know more. I have worked in a locally owned shop for years, and at a chain pet store, and the chain stores alot of times just hire anyone, and someone with little or no experience may get put back in the "fish dept". Not always of course, buit I have seen it happen alot! Figure out what fish you are interested in, what their specefic requirements are and go from there. Good luck
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Many years of exp. and training
Do a lot of reading before starting.
http://search.about.com/fullsearch.htm?terms=setting%20up%20a%20salt%20water%20tank
http://www.aquariumboard.com/forums/home.php
November 4th, 2009 at 2:13 pmReferences :
My recommendation is to start with a freshwater aquarium. After having one for a year and you know everything there is to know about the whole biological filtration process, water changes and maintenance………. then you are ready to upgrade to a saltwater aquarium. There is obviously some differences, but it will be easy for you then. Also, freshwater fish are cheap to practice on. Saltwater fish are too expensive to just take home and kill.
November 4th, 2009 at 2:18 pmIf you are still dead set on jumping into saltwater…….. I hope you have a friend that knows alot about saltwater that can come over and help you. There is a lot to learn. Good luck to you.
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you should really start with a freshwater. Saltwater aquariums can become a helluva commitment.
The hobby can get very involved, that is for sure. If you are serious about it, you WILL spend at least 500 bucks getting a saltwater off the ground, and that’s if you use a small tank and go very minimal. You will continue to put money into it well after start up. At least with freshwater, you can limit your expenses to filters and food. Saltwater involves testing the water with expensive kits and what not (if you want the fish to live..)
About.com has an excellent tutorial on starting a saltwater tank, I would read that before doing anything if I were you. It is very detailed and will show you how big of a project you’re in for.
November 4th, 2009 at 2:59 pmReferences :
make sure you have at least a $800 set aside for the set up. Make sure you Take it Slow. or you will lose a lot of money to dead fish. when you set up make sure you let the tank and water sit for 1 month before adding fish!!!!! Buy a book on how to set up and Maintain. its a lot of work to get one setup your first time but it’s well worth it.
good luck!
November 4th, 2009 at 3:26 pmReferences :