Saltwater Tank

[sharkey]

So now that I have almost, and more than likely very soon will have, killed off all my fish in my 75ish litre tank (AR510) http://ausaqua.net/forum/index.php?showtop...396entry20396 I am seriously thinking of starting a saltwater tank.

I don't want coral because it's too hard to keep and I'm not sure about live rock. I just want a nice little setup with a few nice fish...how hard could it be? I'll let you know.

[Figure_8]

I had rotten luck with my marine setup... it was pretty while it lasted though. Best of luck with it :yes:

[sharkey]

Oh dear, maybe I might rethink that idea A couple of the LFS's near me have those little AR125's set up with a couple of clown fish in them and I think surely it can't be that hard. Might suss them out again.

[Jess]

You can do a nano tank set up fairly cheaply, all under $1000 Those all in ones are good, providing its not the UGF inbuilt. All you would need to do is add better lighting if you want a few pieces of live rock (You'll be surprised at what crawls out of it, it's amazing and keeps you entertained) Testing SW 1-2 times daily can drive you nutso though!

[Phil]

I have had succesful saltwater before, the key is water quality maintained by the correct filtration and things like live rock (this brings in lots of beneficial bacteria and organisms, sometimes some destructive ones too!) I basically did no mainenence on the tank, the odd water change, basic undergravel filter with a hang on back filter, a $15 protein skimmer and double fluros. The lights were enough for the live rock to flourish, the fish lived fine for over a year till i got bored and took them all to the shop and that was the beginning of my planted tank :yes:

[Fishchick]

useful info http://www.thetipsbank.com/marine.htm

[Callatya]

Have you used any copper treatments in the tank Sharon? I was warned off using any tank that had ever had copper treatments used in it (multicure, protozin, etc) because the marine inverts don't like it, kinda to the point where they drop dead, so i'm told. If you were doing fish only, I don't think it'd be such a problem, and I know you can get copper-sucking pads to try to leach it out, so maybe thats an option? If your house is cool enough, why not? :)

[Starwing]

With saltwater tanks . . . the bigger the tank the better. Small "nano" type tanks are notorious for crashing the instant you neglect them. In addition, with a saltwater tank you have to be much more pedantic about your stocking levels, so a tiny little aqua one style kit tank can only have literally 2 or 3 (small) fish in it or you are courting trouble. Personally, I wouldn't even bother with any sort of saltwater setup under the size of a 3 foot tank. That said, clownfish are *very* hardy and there are even hardier tank-bred clowns now freely available in Australia. Copper in saltwater tanks is a big no-no as it tends to wipe out inverts, as is any sort of metal (plant ties, stainless steel airstones, heaters, rings that fall off your fingers, etc) . . . You also need to be careful if you are living in a very old house as old copper pipes can start leeching copper into the water as it runs through them... As a general rule never put ANY sort of metal (be it medication or objects) in your saltwater tanks UNLESS it specifically states on the bottle that it is safe for saltwater tanks. I did start a post somewhere about a saltwater setup, I think it's under one of Callatya's threads about saltwater tanks. I have yet to add in many edits as I haven't had time to properly finish up my research and proofread what i've already typed up to be added, but i shall do so soon. All the general startup info is already in place. maybe someone can add a clicky to it as i don't know how off the top of my head.