marine fish
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www.reefs.org is an excellent one, there are a few around.
I would say the most important thing with marine fish is TAKE IT SLOW its not like freshy or tropical were ya can almost chuck in the fish the day you set the tank up NO.
It also depends on what you want and the size of the tank, are you keeping corals, live rock etc.
There ar emany beautiful fish but remember they need a lot more room than tropical as they can be quite territorial and some species don't get along with others.
Read as much as you can, but i would say forget buying any fish till at least 2 weeks of your water running through the filter, if your planning live rock you will need to let it cycle and that can be up to 2 months. But it will pay off in the end
Goodluck feel free to PM me if ya wanna know any more
I would say the most important thing with marine fish is TAKE IT SLOW its not like freshy or tropical were ya can almost chuck in the fish the day you set the tank up NO.
It also depends on what you want and the size of the tank, are you keeping corals, live rock etc.
There ar emany beautiful fish but remember they need a lot more room than tropical as they can be quite territorial and some species don't get along with others.
Read as much as you can, but i would say forget buying any fish till at least 2 weeks of your water running through the filter, if your planning live rock you will need to let it cycle and that can be up to 2 months. But it will pay off in the end
Goodluck feel free to PM me if ya wanna know any more
G
Guest
Guest
That second tank is nuts!!!!
I am lloking at setting one up as well,
This a a very good site-
http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB2/index.php
Cheers Alex
This a a very good site-
http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB2/index.php
Cheers Alex
Lamu22
Not so new Member
yea man
www.masa.asn.au definatly the place to be, australian local site great advice and friendly peeps.
ive just started but this is my tank forum journal
http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=155518
on the masa website, marine tanks are expensive but fun and ive learnt alot
LAMU
www.masa.asn.au definatly the place to be, australian local site great advice and friendly peeps.
ive just started but this is my tank forum journal
http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=155518
on the masa website, marine tanks are expensive but fun and ive learnt alot
LAMU
Fish behaviour has hardly anything to do with stocking less fish in marine tanks.
It's because Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate (and other chemicals) are more concentrated in a glass box than in the ocean.
-Buy the largest tank you can afford (larger tanks are always easier to maintain)
-Buy as much live rock as you can.
-Don't put any fish in for atleast 6 weeks.
-Use a protien skimmer.
-Don't stop reading..
Lamu22
Not so new Member
Spot on!!
-Buy the largest tank you can afford (larger tanks are always easier to maintain)
my nano is very easy to maintain, just do water changes religously until u got the parameters down pact and the ecosystem controls its self, call me mister obvious but the bigger the tank the more water u have to do and it really adds up after awhile :twisted: $$ :twisted: $$
thats the most important its amazing how much there is to know and
Be patient
LAMU
I never said there behaviour was why you shouldn't put too many in, its only one of many reasons which you rose quite correctly.
I only have a 100L but have 3 fish in it, thats it, if i had time to do water changes once a week I would prob put 5 in max, but 3 do just fine for me.
As for protein skimmers, I don't use one and have seen many tanks who are much bigger than mine which don't but you need to do more water changes than you would without one, and don't get sucked in to buying a cheap one, they are expensive but would be well worth it in a large tank.
Lamu, you got any pics of yours?
I only have a 100L but have 3 fish in it, thats it, if i had time to do water changes once a week I would prob put 5 in max, but 3 do just fine for me.
As for protein skimmers, I don't use one and have seen many tanks who are much bigger than mine which don't but you need to do more water changes than you would without one, and don't get sucked in to buying a cheap one, they are expensive but would be well worth it in a large tank.
Lamu, you got any pics of yours?
BiteAndSqueeze
Active Member
I had a marine tank. I kept it for about 1 year and then gave it up. I had corals and fish. I found that the fish cost about 10 times the price of tropical fish and many of them died within a few weeks/months. The corals also were very precious and were easily killed off. The biggest problem was the water changes. you need to either buy salt and make your own water which is expensive or get water from the bay. But because the bay water is polluted you need to bubble air thru it for a couple of weeks to filter it and then warn it before you do a water change.
I found it to be a complete pain in the bottom. And an expensive exercise.
I gave up on marine as too much trouble. I then went to tropical which was MUCH easier. I did water changes every 2 weeks and I put a filter on the end of a hose and just topped up the tank direct from the hose. Doing about 20-25% water change I didn't worry about the water temperature because the heaters brought everything back to standard pretty quickly.
The tropical tank worked well. The fish were MUCH cheaper than marine and they did not die. Most of the tropical fish lasted a long time and filling direct from the tap made it MUCH easier.
Eventually I just got tired of the fish. I had the tropical set up for a few year and decided I wanted a change. I gave all the fish away and converted the tank into a snake tank and got my babies Bite and Squeeze.
Now I have snakes instead of fish.
There is no doubt that a good marine tank looks good but my experience is that a good tropical tank also looks good and is a lot cheaper and a lot easier to maintain.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
I found it to be a complete pain in the bottom. And an expensive exercise.
I gave up on marine as too much trouble. I then went to tropical which was MUCH easier. I did water changes every 2 weeks and I put a filter on the end of a hose and just topped up the tank direct from the hose. Doing about 20-25% water change I didn't worry about the water temperature because the heaters brought everything back to standard pretty quickly.
The tropical tank worked well. The fish were MUCH cheaper than marine and they did not die. Most of the tropical fish lasted a long time and filling direct from the tap made it MUCH easier.
Eventually I just got tired of the fish. I had the tropical set up for a few year and decided I wanted a change. I gave all the fish away and converted the tank into a snake tank and got my babies Bite and Squeeze.
Now I have snakes instead of fish.
There is no doubt that a good marine tank looks good but my experience is that a good tropical tank also looks good and is a lot cheaper and a lot easier to maintain.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
I'm with you B&S. I have a small tropical and have looked into marine but it looks so hard. I don't know about putting water in straight from the tap, I have to put dechlorinator in first. That said the maintainence of a tropical is a breeze and if you get the right fish they can look spectacular. I thought that I would start with the tropical and move on to marine but I've moved onto snakes and I think frogs will be next, maybe a lizard or gecko as well, I like variety. :lol:
I hope you're a rich man if youre going for a a 6 x 2 x 2 tank. live rock and corals alone to fill that baby will cost a fortune. you'll prob also need 2 metal halides to cover that. although having a greater water volume is better for keeping the water levels consistent, it can also have its share of problems. Personally I think a 4 x 2 x 2 is more than big enough. spend the money you save on cool corals etc. just my 2 cents
JunglePython
Well-Known Member
i have had chiclids(spelling) and they were a pain in the ****.
I then built my own reef tank and it was my AWESOME. My tank was 4x2x2 and it was full of rock, coral and fish(15).
I only had flouros for lighting(4) and this worked ok, but they needed replacing about every 3 months for them to be really effective.
I hardly ever had to do water changes, and the clarity of the tank was just incredible. Phosphates were the only thing that really built up in the tank and I would routinely use a phosphate remover to help this.
The only reason I dont have the tank now is it gets to hot where I live and at the time I didnt have 2500-00 to spend on a chiller.
I had a plenhum(spelling) system with a overflow into bioballs and a BIG ASS skimmer( 2ft tall and 5000L/hr pump.).
I had sea fans growing about 1/2" per month, it was really great.
I definately miss it and next year when I buy a house I will be buying a chiller and an 8ft tank and will then setup my dream tank(wave machine, tides, automatic water top-ups.), till then I must wait.
Good luck with your tank, dont go cheap on your filtration and you will have a low maintenance system. Reef tanks are the poo, no doubt.
I then built my own reef tank and it was my AWESOME. My tank was 4x2x2 and it was full of rock, coral and fish(15).
I only had flouros for lighting(4) and this worked ok, but they needed replacing about every 3 months for them to be really effective.
I hardly ever had to do water changes, and the clarity of the tank was just incredible. Phosphates were the only thing that really built up in the tank and I would routinely use a phosphate remover to help this.
The only reason I dont have the tank now is it gets to hot where I live and at the time I didnt have 2500-00 to spend on a chiller.
I had a plenhum(spelling) system with a overflow into bioballs and a BIG ASS skimmer( 2ft tall and 5000L/hr pump.).
I had sea fans growing about 1/2" per month, it was really great.
I definately miss it and next year when I buy a house I will be buying a chiller and an 8ft tank and will then setup my dream tank(wave machine, tides, automatic water top-ups.), till then I must wait.
Good luck with your tank, dont go cheap on your filtration and you will have a low maintenance system. Reef tanks are the poo, no doubt.
Lamu22
Not so new Member
hey guys, i might as well share my experance with you,
on my 15th birthday mum brought me a 18" tank with 2 gold fish,
knowing me i get bored easily so i went out and brought a standard 2ft tank (2x1x1) which i converted to tropical, then i got reading and read up on different types of fish "Cichlids" caught my eye so i brought a 4ft tank and different types of Malawi cichlids (Malawi= a lake in africa) they started to breed so i put the babies in the 2ft tank to raise them, then they breed more so i brought a 3ft tank to raise them, then they breed more......... so i brought 4more 2ft tanks. before i new it my room was a bubbling labortary and i had over 300fish.(and i got a bearded dragon Pretzil (RIP :cry: ) i sold all the fish after about 2years and that paid for food water and electrcity, the novilty wore off as it wasnt challanging so i upgraded to a marine tank(2ftx18"x12")......bad choice, i didnt read up enough on it and i ended up wasting alota cash. i still have a 2ft tropical and my marine tank today but i emptied it and spent 3-4months researching now everything is running well.
and i brought 16 new reptile units :twisted: Cough
LAMU
on my 15th birthday mum brought me a 18" tank with 2 gold fish,
knowing me i get bored easily so i went out and brought a standard 2ft tank (2x1x1) which i converted to tropical, then i got reading and read up on different types of fish "Cichlids" caught my eye so i brought a 4ft tank and different types of Malawi cichlids (Malawi= a lake in africa) they started to breed so i put the babies in the 2ft tank to raise them, then they breed more so i brought a 3ft tank to raise them, then they breed more......... so i brought 4more 2ft tanks. before i new it my room was a bubbling labortary and i had over 300fish.(and i got a bearded dragon Pretzil (RIP :cry: ) i sold all the fish after about 2years and that paid for food water and electrcity, the novilty wore off as it wasnt challanging so i upgraded to a marine tank(2ftx18"x12")......bad choice, i didnt read up enough on it and i ended up wasting alota cash. i still have a 2ft tropical and my marine tank today but i emptied it and spent 3-4months researching now everything is running well.
and i brought 16 new reptile units :twisted: Cough
LAMU
beknluke
Very Well-Known Member
Hey Guys
Wow!! I am so pleased to see that I am not the only one slobering all over these marine tanks.
I have been in love for a few years now.
Luke and I bought 2x 3' tropical fresh water tanks about 4 years ago (chiclids and a community tank) and we LOVED them. But after 3 years of them causing us no other work apart from a 2 monthly filter clean, occasional water top up and the replacement of a fish here and there, we thought we had mastered fresh water and wanted to move up to marine.
For my 21st last year, I asked ppl for $$ to put towards my tank, (raked in about $500ish) BUT I had my eye on a 6x2x2 - and we ALL know that $500 won't go a long way towards one of those!!
I found RTAW (reefing the australian way) to be EXTREMELY helpful, even after I asked enough stupid 'newbie' Qs to drive them all mad.
The 6x2x2 never eventuated thanx to a) lack of cash (that and a sexy lil herp caught my eye - the $500 is no more!!) and b) Luke and I agreed that a 6 footer would look REDICULOUS in our lil home, and we would have needed new bracing under the floor boards.
HOWEVER
We've just gotten back from Fiji and are in love all over again.
We're now looking at a 4x2x2 max with a few lil fishies and a heap of coral.
I think that that most frustrating thing (for me) about marine, is the fact that, unlike freshawater tanks, you can't just go out and buy a fairly good set up for around $500. You're looking at THOUSANDS. Worse still is the idea of either buying one lil piece every pay and it tanking the rest of your life to have a comeplete setup, or you have to save for the next 5 years to buy the thing in one go!! Not to mention the water cycling period!!
But hey, I am a glutton for punishment when it comes to hard work - and personally - I reckon it's well worth it!
Join up to MASA redline - I look forward to seeing piccies of your tank come along!!
(Very jealous)
Bex
PS - Sorry about the essay!!!
Wow!! I am so pleased to see that I am not the only one slobering all over these marine tanks.
I have been in love for a few years now.
Luke and I bought 2x 3' tropical fresh water tanks about 4 years ago (chiclids and a community tank) and we LOVED them. But after 3 years of them causing us no other work apart from a 2 monthly filter clean, occasional water top up and the replacement of a fish here and there, we thought we had mastered fresh water and wanted to move up to marine.
For my 21st last year, I asked ppl for $$ to put towards my tank, (raked in about $500ish) BUT I had my eye on a 6x2x2 - and we ALL know that $500 won't go a long way towards one of those!!
I found RTAW (reefing the australian way) to be EXTREMELY helpful, even after I asked enough stupid 'newbie' Qs to drive them all mad.
The 6x2x2 never eventuated thanx to a) lack of cash (that and a sexy lil herp caught my eye - the $500 is no more!!) and b) Luke and I agreed that a 6 footer would look REDICULOUS in our lil home, and we would have needed new bracing under the floor boards.
HOWEVER
We've just gotten back from Fiji and are in love all over again.
We're now looking at a 4x2x2 max with a few lil fishies and a heap of coral.
I think that that most frustrating thing (for me) about marine, is the fact that, unlike freshawater tanks, you can't just go out and buy a fairly good set up for around $500. You're looking at THOUSANDS. Worse still is the idea of either buying one lil piece every pay and it tanking the rest of your life to have a comeplete setup, or you have to save for the next 5 years to buy the thing in one go!! Not to mention the water cycling period!!
But hey, I am a glutton for punishment when it comes to hard work - and personally - I reckon it's well worth it!
Join up to MASA redline - I look forward to seeing piccies of your tank come along!!
(Very jealous)
Bex
PS - Sorry about the essay!!!
beknluke said:
you're not wrong there! I think I spent abt 3K setting up my 4x2x2. and over a period of time spent thousands upon thousands on coral and fish.
expect to spend most Saturday mornings in an aquarium buying that 1 extra piece of coral :lol: :roll:
beknluke
Very Well-Known Member
:lol:
sounds like fun! lol
fortunately for me - Luke won't drive me EVERY sat - or even MOST saturdays for that matter...
then again, there's always mail order :twisted:
mwuhahahahahaha
sounds like fun! lol
fortunately for me - Luke won't drive me EVERY sat - or even MOST saturdays for that matter...
then again, there's always mail order :twisted:
mwuhahahahahaha
6x2.4x2.4, man you must be loaded, the second pic i posted is a 4x2x2 which is what i am setting up, have everything other than my metal halides now, but he spent 10 grand on that in 3 years.. I dont have that cash yet so ill be waiting a little..
I agree there is always that extra bit of coral, or fish you see you just have to have, damn expensive hobby but very impressive once set up properly.
I agree there is always that extra bit of coral, or fish you see you just have to have, damn expensive hobby but very impressive once set up properly.
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