# Marine fish!



## Nikbabe! (Jun 24, 2011)

Hello.. For many months now I have been wanting to set up a marine tank, but I really don't know what I need.. So could you please help me what I need
To set up my tank thank you xx


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## russm (Aug 28, 2009)

Nikbabe! said:


> Hello.. For many months now I have been wanting to set up a marine tank, but I really don't know what I need.. So could you please help me what I need
> To set up my tank thank you xx


You will need a tank, filter of some kind, salt, substrate, water conditioner, lights, water, hydrometer and testing kits. Best thing would be to go into you local aquatic shop and have a look and ask the best way for you to set up a tank. It is quite dear and take a lot of time and maintenance to keep the tank and its inhabitants healthy. If you can spare the time and the money then it is a really rewarding hobby.


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## Nel5on (Aug 24, 2010)

my advice would be to buy a red sea max aquarium... an actual marine tank rather than a a tropical that is being converted.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

Nel5on said:


> my advice would be to buy a red sea max aquarium... an actual marine tank rather than a a tropical that is being converted.


 
tropical converted?

there is no difference... slap a protein skimmer in there... that's about it... maybe a u.v. sterilizer...


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## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

Do as much research as you can before buying anything.
Its not cheap and you need to get it right first time.

P


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

Paul B said:


> Do as much research as you can before buying anything.
> Its not cheap and you need to get it right first time.
> 
> P


yes... and freshwater tank experience is a plus!

learn freshwater first maybe... the mistakes are less expensive...

if you're a good freshwater keeper you'll be on your way to being a good saltwater keeper... i'd go fish only also as my first marine tank...


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

Marine Neccessities:

*Tank* (advise going for 100L upwards and buying a marine specialist tank is often cheaper than converting and having to modify tanks).

*Lighting upgrade* (does the tank come with decent reef lighting, can you upgrage to T5 or LED?)

*Protein Skimmer* (dont underskim the tank, you can overskim it a little, V 2 Skimmers are good, Deltec too).

*Powerheads *(with so much rock in the tank, you will need at least 1-3 extra powerheads to move the water around the rocks, i always use Seio powerheads with magnetic holders)

*Refractometer* (hygrometers arent particularly accurate and when you can get a refractomer £10.... for checking salt levels)

*Test Kit *(strip tests are no good, API Marine Master test kits a good starter kit thats easier to use)

*Live Sand/Coral Sand* (personally i never bother with live sand as its really fine, too fine for me, i use coral sand)

*Liverock* (generally between £10-£13 per kilo and you are looking at about 20-40 kilos for your average 3ft tank though you can go for 2/3 liverock and 1/3 ocean rock to bulk it out)

*Bacteria* (get a really good bacteria supplement to start the tank off, we have found Evolution Aquas "Pure" bio balls to work really well, the pond ones are a bargain as same price as tanks but do 20 x the ammount!)

*R.O Water* (you cant use tapwater, you need to have either £150 to buy an R.O machine with yearly replacement membranes being about £70 and lots of wasted water if on the meter.... or if you have some 25L barells, lots of fish shops sell RO water for about £3.50 for 25Liters)

*Salt* (i have always used the TMC reef salt but got sick of nitrate/phosphate problems and have moved over to Kent Marine salt but you are looking at about £70 for a 25kilo bucket that does about 400Liters or most shops selling RO and marines can sell salted RO water premix for roughly £7.50 for 25 liters.)


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## Nikbabe! (Jun 24, 2011)

Hey  thank you so much for all your help.. I have had freshwater for years now and about 2 weeks ago just set up a tropical tank and that's doing okay, but always wanted to try marine fish, but I think it's going to be alot more money than I think, what do you think? X


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

It really is expensive, something worth saving up for, it costs a lot and marine stuff just doesnt have much or a resale value atm if you give it up.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

Nikbabe! said:


> Hey  thank you so much for all your help.. I have had freshwater for years now and about 2 weeks ago just set up a tropical tank and that's doing okay, but always wanted to try marine fish, but I think it's going to be alot more money than I think, what do you think? X


you need salt of course... a hydrometer... skimmer... substrate... maybe a uv sterilizer... just a few things more ans you can have a very nice marine tank... it's basically the same as freshwater... just with salt...

you just can't be sloppy... saltwater fish aren't as forgiving as freshwater concerning water quality...


freshwater is cake... saltwater is cake...with icing... just a bit more work... but worth the extra effort..: victory:


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## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

I never ran a skimmer on my 180g lion fish tank. The tank was heavily filtered and I regualrly changed out the water and I did have a steraliser on it.

I always ran a skimmer on smaller tanks though with corals etc. I am not that great with marine if im honest as only had them for a few years but never had any issues.

Expensive though as others say


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

To be honest I think you need to go back to basics and read information on fish keeping for beginners as in your other thread you thought fish only grew to the size of the tank they were kept in.


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## sss_180 (Jan 29, 2010)

Ive recently moved over to marines after keeping tropicals for 15years and all i can say is its very expensive and very time consuming but ultimately very rewarding.

I went for a red sea max 130. This is a 130li cube tank that is a plug and play system. So it has a hood with built in T5 lamps. It has a built in skimmer in the back of the tank, and the back of the tank is actually a mini stumped area, which runs two power heads and also has space for your heater.

All wires and electrics are hidden which makes for a nice clean look and obviously there is a cabinet area to hide all your bits and bobs.

But just to warn you, with a tank of the above size, fortnightly water changes are a must (approx 20%) and topping up of RO water (from evaporation) is almost daily, especially in this mini heat wave. You would also need to invest in a chiller to keep the temperature as stable as possible. The fish can tolerate temperature swings better than corals. A 2temp swing and your corals can die / bleach and then its a mini disaster.

If you are ever going away for a holiday you really need to be able to trust who is going to look after the tank. You cant simply leave it to chance.
If you are serious about looking into marine you MUST sign up to UltimateReef.com
It is a wealth of information!

Realistically you dont want to use RO water from your local fish shop if you can help it, as they can be very unreliable in their nitrates and salinity levels. A lot of people have had tank crashes because they believed the already salted RO water is the correct salinity or that the unsalted RO water is pure, when in actually fact the DI resin filters haven't been changed and its full of nitrates/nitrites.

Good luck in what ever you decide, but if you can sign up to the above site and find a local marine enthusiast in your area, who can give you hands on help and advice. Thats how i started, and i dont think i ever what have taken the plunge if it wasnt for my friend.


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## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

sss_180 said:


> A lot of people have had tank crashes because they believed the already salted RO water is the correct salinity or that the unsalted RO water is pure, when in actually fact the DI resin filters haven't been changed and its full of nitrates/nitrites.
> QUOTE]
> 
> Thats up to the aquarist to check that it is correct first. I would never just put something in the tank without at the very least checking the salinity.
> ...


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

fish only is easy... you have to get serious when you want to keep corals and inverts...

you can use tap water unless your water has some issues...

start with some damsels... some common clowns maybe... yellow tangs...

you just need stable, decent water...

i've kept saltwater fish for years being very basic... very few problems...

a skimmer really helps... a sterilizer too... massive filtration and very clean system...


tinker... start with a couple hardy fish... advance your knowledge and slowly upgrade as money allows...

initially the goal is to learn... then to have a beautiful setup... it's a great hobby for the tinkering and thinking type...


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## sss_180 (Jan 29, 2010)

caribe said:


> sss_180 said:
> 
> 
> > A lot of people have had tank crashes because they believed the already salted RO water is the correct salinity or that the unsalted RO water is pure, when in actually fact the DI resin filters haven't been changed and its full of nitrates/nitrites.
> ...


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## sss_180 (Jan 29, 2010)

HABU said:


> fish only is easy... you have to get serious when you want to keep corals and inverts...
> 
> you can use tap water unless your water has some issues...
> 
> ...


#

Beautiful tank you have there HABU :2thumb: Whats your set up and how long have you had it??

Our water quality over here in the UK isnt that great and people who have tried setting up with normal tap water, have in the long run, experienced problems with water quality and tank crashing (even years later) Something gto do with the LR soaking up the bad nutrients and then leaching them out later on, slowly poisoning the tank?!


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