Help meeeee (so i don't mess it up)

DesoShade

I'm a noooooob
OK I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank... but I want to step things up a bit and get a saltwater setup. I don't know anything at all about saltwater so I need all the help I can get. First things first, I'm not exactly rich. Kinda watching my money. I'm a poor man. :(

K. Here's what I'm looking at.
There's a 29 gallon starter kit aquarium at :pooh:walmart:pooh:. Aqua Culture I believe is the brand name. It has filter, light, hood, everything I need to get started which is pretty much the same thing I did with my little 10 gallon tank. Is that :pooh:walmart:pooh: setup going to work with a "saltwater" setup? Priced at just under :twocents:100:twocents: it's about all I can afford right now.

Here's my plans. First, I'm just going to start out with a simple tank with some simple and inexpensive saltwater fish and janitors, gradually ad more as I get the hang of it. Future plans include some living rocks, a few corals, reefs once I feel comfortable and confident enough.

I don't know much of anything about saltwater right now, but I want it. The fish are so beautiful as are the corals and reefs. Crabs. Shrimps. Beautiful.
 
ok i bought mne at walmart which was a mistake because the only thing youl be keeping is the heater, the tank and maybe the hood.no doyou want all different kinds of corals or softies
 
That setup will probably be fine for a few fish in your tank, but if you want to keep corals or more than a few fish, you will need a different filter and lights. Start with that if you want and keep a fish only tank for a while. See how it goes.
 
Well, I don't know a THING about corals (softies? huh?) so right now I'm going to stick with a fish only tank. Then a few months down the road I'll start adding some corals and reefs if I do okay wth just the fish.
 
My first saltwater tank was a 10 gallon...here's how I went about spending my first $150.00 :)

10 gallon tank
Glass top
Marine sand (not live)
12 lbs. live rock
10 lb. bag of salt
AquaClear filter
Coralife 18W mini light (place on top of glass top)
_________________________________________
$150.00

Good luck!
 
Sound like you got a pretty good plan going Deso.Thats how I started out in this great hobby.
Since your planning on starting out with just a couple of fish,then that wal-mart set up will get you started.Just keep in mind that you'd like to go reef and make all your buys with that in mind.
Good luck.
 
Personally if I had it to do all over again. I would keep putting a little money back and keep watching the classifieds in the newspaper. You can find some realy good deals if you are patient. Or possibly check some LFS (local fish stores) for used setups.
 
Yeah. I've been a little weary about the walmart tank because I know how cheap that store is. I'm sure I can probably upgrade the hardware after awhile right? But with the light, will I be able to just replace the bulb or will I have to replace the entire hood? Because I'm sure that basic florescent light won't be enough to support corals or reefs... btw... hibye, you mentioned a skimmer? hmm. what's a skimmer?
 
classifieds. hmm. used equipment... I'd be afraid of ending up with junk, since I don't really know what I'm looking for... or worse, diseased/infected aquariums that will kill my fish. :(
 
I would check and see if that set up is saltwater safe.I seen some stuff from Walmart that isn't recommended for saltwater.Maybe those equipment don't have the added corrosion protection needed in a saltwater system.Personally,I would save up for something much better.This hobby can be inexpensive but rarely cheap.Check your local area classifies and local craiglist for some possible deals.

I like the Finnex 30g. all in one
30g. tank
wet/dry filtration(pump included)
refugium
skimmer(pump included)
T5-HO fixture(4x24w)

$350,I know it sounds expensive but its actually a good buy.This tank is my future frag tank or second DT.
 
eh? save up money? ah. ... to be patient... I don't wanna be patient. lol. :) I will probably hold off on buying any fish for the tank. Maybe a few weeks. I want to try to get the tank properly cycled before putting in my fish.
 
all I have to spend right now, is $100. I can't buy everythinbg right now. Maybe the basic setup and ad some more when I get the money. I want to get my tank setup now and start the cycling process and let that run for a few weeks. by that time, i should have a little more money to spend on more supplies.
 
pee and poop skimmer with foam eh? hmmm. I thought that's what thefilter did. :( wow. confusing. this is going to be difficult.
 
ok but feed the fish formula 1 marine pellets
and frozenfood alter the foods each day like sun pellets and tues,frozen
 
And DON'T feed pellets or flakes. It will lead to algae problems. Use only frozen food.

A filter removes waste from the water by catching it in some sort of media (i.e. carbon). The waste is still in the water in filters, and can be re-released back into the tank. A protein skimmer completely removes waste from the tank by separating it from the water and putting the waste into a separate container. To clean it, you just need to empty out the container into the sink. In a saltwater tank, skimmers are waaaay better than filters. Most setups do just fine with only a skimmer and live rock. No additional filtration equipment needed.
 
Back
Top