OK YOU salt water aquirium people! HELP!(pics added)

ok, here's the plan, 5 gallon tank, 2.5 gallon sump tank, 1 fish....tips and stuff i will need to keep the tank as perfect as it can be. I know the minimum and all for a salt water tank and etcc...but i want to try out a 5gallon since i've seen 2.5gallons done before for salt water fishes.

edit: opps, i thought i was in off topic....move please.

 

check this out buddy...

http://www.petstation.com/swbegin.html

it's a good read. remember, freshwater fish are good for 1in. per gallon. saltwater are more like 1in. per 3+ gallon.

 

thanks for the link man!

 

I've always wanted a salt water aquarium. There's a shark in one of the huge huge huge tanks at the pet store in Ramsey. It's like $900 though. Heh.

 

I can most likely help you with anything you need. I worked in a saltwater fish store all summer and I've been keeping "nano" tanks for almost two years now. I'm obsessed, check out www.nano-reef.com. They can help you with anything, but remember to search first, they aren't as bad as nasioc but it just helps keep things clean over there. Are you planning on keeping corals too? or just fish? Make sure to pick out some good live rock and live sand. And don't skimp on the flow or lighting, that's everything in a tank. Good luck and have fun!

 

^^ i don't think he's going with anything too exotic... i mean, it's only going to be 5 gallons... i suggest starting off with a goby or dragonet... cute and cuddly features... then go with the hyper exotic volitan lionfish, once you're ready to make girls call your name. hahaha i think shay knows what i'm talking about. exotic animals makes girl feel funny. hahaha j/p shay!

 

One quick thing, never get a dragonet/mandarin unless your tank is well established and is over 50 gallons. They live on small insects in your tank and a smaller tank just cannon sustain the amount they need. I would strongly suggest getting live rock and live sand as that is more of a filtration system than anything else, it also gives your tank a cool look and a good place for things to hide. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66551 this is my tank right now, I have 5 more corals coming in the mail tomorrow so I should get some more color in there pretty soon. In car terms, the stuff on my tank is the equivilent of a 600 hp STi I would actually like to suggest a tank for ya, it will be incredibly easy for you as a beginner, http://www.jbjlighting.com/sys_6g_nanocube.html it's called a nano-cube and it's 6 gallons with everything built in. You can do soft corals with the stock lighting so it would probably be perfect for you. Good luck!

 

i forget... i had my dragonet in a 12 tank to start things off for fun. it lived until i got main tank started; maybe it was luck? i'm no expert, just an enthusiast. if i were to restart the tank again, i'd have to have someone else set it up for me, honestly...

 

i'll keep that nano cube in mind but first i want to setup my tank first.

 

I don't think fish count. Puppies, kitties, etc .. things with fur that are cute and cuddly ..... Fish don't apply. At least not for me. Haha.

 

^^ well, i so totally get my hands on an alapaha bulldog/american bulldog mix pup! it's uber cute... not too furry though. i'm not a fan of shedding animals.

if anyone's interested in getting a pup that's got good genes, lemme know!

 

well, i finally got my tank up and going.



this is the main tank(5g), has 2lbs of live rock and live sand. a filter that circulates the water from the tank to the sump tank. I haven't put a fish in there yet being that i want to get the PH,gravity level, alk level and all that other stuff perfect first. Im also still researching a fish to put in. SO far a dragonet is what i want, i know that its gonna be a tuff one, but im gonna try it. I like it...either that or im gonna put a skunk shrimp in it.





this would be the sump tank(2.5G), it has live sand and 1lb of live rocks to help naturally filter the water along with the filter itself. It also has a filter that circulates the water back into the main tank.



hydrometer =D



and finally, ghetto rigging two filters using plastic tubes to suck water from other tank into the other. =D

 

how! how much did you spend? maybe i'll have you over one day and set up one for myself in whatever room i have! hahaha

 

i spent alot..lol...i think it was 150 total for everything except the tanks because i had them.

$25 for 20lbs of live sand
$20 for 3lbs of live rock
$6 for salt mixture
$15 for hydrometer
$17 for ph/alk test kit
$18 for heater
$12x2 10g water filters

and a few i cant remember.

 

your water looks a bit cloudy. how long have you got it sitting there?

 

its actually pretty clear, just that i used a webcam to take the pictures, the tank has been sitting for like 3hrs now.....i got the gravity level perfect but then when i added the water and also the sump tank, it dropped, so its still in its breaking in phase...just getting it up to specs.

edit: holy crap i just discovered a baby star fish...hehe...it must've been in the live rocks when i bougth them.

 

A baby star fish! NEAT! What kind of fish are you going to get for your tank?

 

green mandarin dragonet =D

 

good luck with that bad boy... he's gonna make you sweat...


looks something like this...

 

so i went to pick one up today, the stupid petstore wont sell it to me. It was in the coral tank and it was a pain to catch so the store owner told me he wont sell it anymore. man........he said they'll get new ones on wednesday so i guess i wont get one til then.

 

lol... which pet store is this? i know that at har mar mall's pet store, they have a 25% discount on fish you buy on mondays... not sure if it applies to salt baddies, but worth a visit. tell gary i said hi.

 

I hate to be the person to say this, but you really shouldn't put that fish in your tank or anyother fish in your tank for at l least two weeks after you set it up. The biggest problem with that fish is that it will starve after a few months. Unless they have been weened onto frozen food. Before you buy a fish ask them to feed it regardless of their feeding schedule. If you see it eat, then buy it, otherwise pass. Good luck with the tank! My fish decided to go carpet surfing the day before yesterday and I wasn't there to help him So right now I'm fishless and it kinda sucks.

 

^^ A+++ i couldn't agree more!

 

it was at har mar....lol....the odds of the fish starving is quite slim....the ones there adapted to getting flake food and frozen food. even after he chased it around the tank for awhile, it still came out and ate flake food that he used to try and drive the fish out. I know i should let the tank cycle, right now the water and all has perfected to match the dragonet's neeeds. He also says that when he gets the new ones in on wednesday, he'll put them in easier to catch tanks and sell me those. Im gonna have to wait more, until he can get those to adapt to flake food and frozen food as well and until they are healthy and eating again.

 

try to get him to sell it to you for the monday deal because you couldn't buy it on monday because of him... lol

 

lol i should huh? haha but tomorrow im gonna head to minneapolis to look at their salt water fishes. the petstores there have a better selection.

 

which place is this? i'm probably going to dump about 200-300 on setting a tank up or something within a month or two. i don't want to do it too late into the season; i might just wait until christmas is over before starting it...

 

world of fish, something fishy, aquarium aquarium, wet world and some other ones i cant name at the top of my head.

 

LVT - other ways of setting up a saltwater fishtank

lots of water
use the home salt...
just go to the beach to find sand
pick up rocks from your backyard
buy a few goldfish and your saltwater tank is done

 

very well said! do that and tell me how it goes!

anyways, got the dragonet, 40bucks from something fishy, raised to eat brine shrimp, flakes and is very healthy. see how this one goes, if it goes on me..no more of them and i'll just buy me a shrimp or clownfish or what ever nano saltwater fish i can find.

 

very well said! do that and tell me how it goes!

anyways, got the dragonet, 40bucks from something fishy, raised to eat brine shrimp, flakes and is very healthy. see how this one goes, if it goes on me..no more of them and i'll just buy me a shrimp or clownfish or what ever nano saltwater fish i can find.

 

$40 is kinda steep! i hope it knows how to fetch, play dead, and is potty trained! lol

 

yah it is, compared to the one at har mar which is 28(+25% discount) only.....but oh wells...i dont have to make it learn to eat frozen food...besides, i can always return it if har mar gets some better looking ones this wednesday....but the one i have now looks damn awesome and is alot smaller than the ones i've seen in other stores. Its coloration is also so much better than all the ones i've seen at har mar and other stores. Also being that its that small, its dorsal already stands very tall and it displays it alot unlike the other ones i've seen.