My friend told me this site would be helpful. I was thinking about getting a tank for my home and was just looking for your guys opinions on what type I should get. he told me a fish only tank(with "live?" rock) or a reef tank. He also said reef tanks are expensive...
saltwater tank...
- Thread starter Peter
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Captain Nemo
Look Ma, it's Nemo!!
It is exactly like what m&m said, it's all up to you. The requirements are different for the different types of tanks. Do you want to keep corals ? Just fish? Mixture? This is something you will have to decide, but we will be happy to help you any way we can, just ask! And welcome to reef2reef!
Dave3112
2500 Club Member
Welcome to Reef2 Reef! As the others have stated it's all up to your tastes and how big your budget is! EVERYBODY here is very helpful and thoughtful with their responses to the questions you may have! So don't be afraid to ask about anything you have questions about. I for one would rather you ask a hundred questions before you even go buy a tank I guarantee you will have a much more positive experience in the hobby!!
m and m
2500 Club Member
LOL i agrea with that i would plan out every little detail you will save hundreds of dollars, also this doesn't include stocking the tank but a SW tank able to keep fish could be done for under 200. Somthing with coral i would not exspect to spend under 650 for a very basic 20G with coral.
btkrausen
Fish Hoarder
Don't plan on sticking with the same thing though 
Once you get started, you'll want to try more and more. I swore that I wouldn't get into corals when I started, yet only a few months later, I was buying a huge rock of mushrooms and star polyps. Its all been a great experience since then.
Spend the time reading, asking questions, and you'll learn plenty along the way. This hobby is all about learning and experience.
Once you get started, you'll want to try more and more. I swore that I wouldn't get into corals when I started, yet only a few months later, I was buying a huge rock of mushrooms and star polyps. Its all been a great experience since then.Spend the time reading, asking questions, and you'll learn plenty along the way. This hobby is all about learning and experience.
raymond
Active Member
there are alot of factors to think about, do you just wanna look at it every once in awhile or do you want to dive in and become part of your fish tank, some times i think im in my tanks more then my fish. its adicting
aalvarado87
Active Member
this is a scary hobby. it is awesome to have your own piece of the ocean rather it be fish only or a reef tank. Reef tanks are very addictive you always want that one more birght piece of coral, or new piece of equipment. None the less the hobby can be very rewarding. Start up can be a little much but once you get it going its not all that bad. Just do a lot of research before you start buying.
jonzee2006
Active Member
welcome to the club first off and reef tanks aren't that expensive but they do require your time. and its one of those things that if you aren't gonna be didacated to then you will spend more time and money trying to fix. Because the start up can be expensive what I did was I started off with a fish only tank and just added the equipment I needed for a reef tank a little at a time. then bought all my corals
First of all Peter, welcome to R2R.
Secondly congratulations on having the wisdom to properly take the most important step in keeping a reef aquarium; planning. Failure to plan ahead is sure to lead to trouble down the road. No doubt the most common mistake made in the hobby is rushing ahead without carefully planning and thinking things through.
The first issues of concern are indeed how much money and time you can devote to this hobby, as well as how much space you have available. Be sure and look ahead to the continuing costs as well as the start up costs. Be sure that in the end you have the time, space and money to follow your plans through to completion so that you don't end up short changing yourself or those organisms that you are committing to keep and provide for.
Obviously when it comes to the budget, only you can realistically make that decision. Keep in mind that there are always going to be hidden costs, planning for a little extra is always a good idea. Be sure and do your research ahead of time, it is often a better financial decision to spend the extra money on the more realiable and espensive equipment in the beginning rather than purchasing an item multiple times.
Plan on spending lots of time on maintaining your system as well, the exact amount of which will be determined by the size and type of system you ultimately decide to keep.
The question of space is one that should be considered in detail. Not only will you have to determine the size of tank you can afford, but you also have to determine if you realistically have enough space as well. Do you desire a sump underneath the tank? How much room will you need for your skimmer? Do you need to access the tank from all sides or only a few?
If you are considering a larger tank, make sure that the floor in your home will support the weight of the entire system (water weighs about 8 pounds/gallon), but with the tank, lights, rock, sand, etc. you will be considerably over that amount.
Additional questions you should be asking yourself involve your water supply and electricity. Will you be purchasing an RO system, or will you need to haul water (remember to factor this into your inititial and long term costs)? How far will you have to haul water? How about electrical circuits? Will they handle the load and do you have GFCI outlets or a GFCI circuit breaker in place or do you need to have them installed (again, costs that need to be factored in from the beginning)?
In determining your placement, you should also consider sources of heat or cool air, as these can make it difficult to maintain a constant temperature. Keep in mind that sunlight can also affect temperature.
Giving some thought to all these things before you ever start can help prevent many headaches down the road.
Again, congrates on having the foresite to consider all this ahead of time, welcome to the hobby, and may you many years of happy reefing ahead of you.
Secondly congratulations on having the wisdom to properly take the most important step in keeping a reef aquarium; planning. Failure to plan ahead is sure to lead to trouble down the road. No doubt the most common mistake made in the hobby is rushing ahead without carefully planning and thinking things through.
The first issues of concern are indeed how much money and time you can devote to this hobby, as well as how much space you have available. Be sure and look ahead to the continuing costs as well as the start up costs. Be sure that in the end you have the time, space and money to follow your plans through to completion so that you don't end up short changing yourself or those organisms that you are committing to keep and provide for.
Obviously when it comes to the budget, only you can realistically make that decision. Keep in mind that there are always going to be hidden costs, planning for a little extra is always a good idea. Be sure and do your research ahead of time, it is often a better financial decision to spend the extra money on the more realiable and espensive equipment in the beginning rather than purchasing an item multiple times.
Plan on spending lots of time on maintaining your system as well, the exact amount of which will be determined by the size and type of system you ultimately decide to keep.
The question of space is one that should be considered in detail. Not only will you have to determine the size of tank you can afford, but you also have to determine if you realistically have enough space as well. Do you desire a sump underneath the tank? How much room will you need for your skimmer? Do you need to access the tank from all sides or only a few?
If you are considering a larger tank, make sure that the floor in your home will support the weight of the entire system (water weighs about 8 pounds/gallon), but with the tank, lights, rock, sand, etc. you will be considerably over that amount.
Additional questions you should be asking yourself involve your water supply and electricity. Will you be purchasing an RO system, or will you need to haul water (remember to factor this into your inititial and long term costs)? How far will you have to haul water? How about electrical circuits? Will they handle the load and do you have GFCI outlets or a GFCI circuit breaker in place or do you need to have them installed (again, costs that need to be factored in from the beginning)?
In determining your placement, you should also consider sources of heat or cool air, as these can make it difficult to maintain a constant temperature. Keep in mind that sunlight can also affect temperature.
Giving some thought to all these things before you ever start can help prevent many headaches down the road.
Again, congrates on having the foresite to consider all this ahead of time, welcome to the hobby, and may you many years of happy reefing ahead of you.
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