I'm going to get a 10 gallon fishtank for my room. I figure it would be something to relax me while i'm working and what not . Anyone here into fish and can tell me what i'd need to get to have a saltwater tank ? I dunno if i can handle it and may go fresh water for now but i was wondering what kind of filters and what not i'd need for saltwater
Going to be buying a fish tank
- Thread starter jvd
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Is the tank going in your bedroom? if so are you a light sleeper ther pump might keep you awake. Other than that i have nothing to contribute. 
later,
epic
later,
epic
It used to be that salt water tanks were much more difficult to maintain vs. fresh water ones (VERY difficult to set up - right amount of salinity, etc). I'm not sure if that is still the case though. That said, if you don't have much experience with fish tanks in general, I recommend a fresh water tank to start with.
A 10 gallon tank is quite small btw, what kind of fish were you looking at?
A 10 gallon tank is quite small btw, what kind of fish were you looking at?
Silent_One
Newcomer
I've had aquariums since I was 10 years old.
A few things to consider:
1.) A 10 gallon tank is MUCH too small for a salt tank. Don't even consider salt water setups in anything samller than a 29 gallon size.
2.) If your serious about salt water tanks the bigger the better. This is because with greater size comes stability - temp changes, changes in salinity, disease, et... happen slower in a lager tank. Conversely in a small tank disease can overwhelm the whole tank faster that you sometimes can respond. Again, size matters.
3.) The best buy for the money is either a 29 gallon tank or, if you have room, a 55 gallon tank (based upon cost per gallon ratio). If you only have room for a 10 gallon tank you can see about getting a 15 or 20 gallon tank with the same footprint, their just taller.
A few things to consider:
1.) A 10 gallon tank is MUCH too small for a salt tank. Don't even consider salt water setups in anything samller than a 29 gallon size.
2.) If your serious about salt water tanks the bigger the better. This is because with greater size comes stability - temp changes, changes in salinity, disease, et... happen slower in a lager tank. Conversely in a small tank disease can overwhelm the whole tank faster that you sometimes can respond. Again, size matters.
3.) The best buy for the money is either a 29 gallon tank or, if you have room, a 55 gallon tank (based upon cost per gallon ratio). If you only have room for a 10 gallon tank you can see about getting a 15 or 20 gallon tank with the same footprint, their just taller.
Well I can get a 10 gallon tank for 50$ with filter , air pump , heater , the top cover with two lights in it , and gravel . The biggest tank i have room for is a 20 and that costs 150 and as a poor college kid thats alot
I just want to keep like 4 or 5 fish. The lady at the fish store said a 10 gallon tank is more than enough for like 3 saltwater fish but i would need a 160$ filter . Which i think is a little crazy .
I just want to keep like 4 or 5 fish. The lady at the fish store said a 10 gallon tank is more than enough for like 3 saltwater fish but i would need a 160$ filter . Which i think is a little crazy .
I like saltwater fish better, so I would recommend you go with that.
As which one is easier to maintain, they both required maintainance, and I don't think one is easier than the other.
If you're lazy to do maintainance, just go get those aquarium screen saver, with the noise from your water cooled rig, it should emulate it well.
As which one is easier to maintain, they both required maintainance, and I don't think one is easier than the other.
If you're lazy to do maintainance, just go get those aquarium screen saver, with the noise from your water cooled rig, it should emulate it well.
Silent_One
Newcomer
Wrong. Salts are require much more attention than fresh water aquariums or you end up with dead fish.
3 small fish. Like damsels. But its really not worth the cost to go salt for such a small tank. Go fresh water. And look for some African Cichlids. Their quite colorful. http://www.qwato.com/cichlids/ Also try looking for a 15 gallon tall tank. Same size as a 10 gallon tank, just taller by 6" or so. No different equipment than a 10 gallon tank and the only cost difference is a few dollars more for the tank.
Ok Silent One's post was pretty much accurate about size, however, there are always exceptions. You can setup a 10 gallon salt water tank successfully but it's going to be more difficult to do right than a fresh water tank. I've been through fresh and salt water tanks for years so I have a pretty good idea of what would work and what doesn't.
There are different levels of salt water tanks, from beginner to advanced and the costs involved will also rise with the level of complexity of the tank and inhabitants.
These are may classifications for beginner to advanced tanks.
1. Beginner - fish only tank with only a few hardy fish
2. Intermediate - fish and live rock
3. Advanced - fish, live coral, live rock, live sand, invertebrates, etc.
With the beginner you'll only need to monitor water quality as temperature is automatically controlled. Basically partial weekly or biweekly water changes and monthly filter checks. For a 10 gallon tank you should only house 3 small fish less than 1" and don't overfeed. When mixing your saltwater you should use filtered water not tap water preferrably using a Reverse Osmosis system. You also need your tank to go through the nitrogen cycle so that you have enough bacteria in the filter for biological filtration. You should get an external biowheel filter and preferably a protein skimmer. It you're going to do it right even at the beginning level, you'll still need the equipment I mentioned. The most difficult thing about maintaining a tank is disease control.
Personally I really got tired of the high maintenance of salt water aquariums so I'm back to fresh water. My freshwater tank is only 5 gallons and contain only guppies. They're very colorful guppies though and I have live green plants so it looks very nice in a fresh water way.
These are the essential things you'll need for a salt water tank. You do not need an air pump.
1. Biological filter - I recommend the Penguin Bio-Wheel Mini wet/dry filter for your size tank $13
2. Heater 50 Watts - Acura, Visi-Therm, Ebo Jäger, or Tronic $15
3. Thermometer - You need it to adjust the heater - Sticker type $2
4. Hydrometer for testing salinity - I recommend the floating glass hydrometer type as it's fast needing only a quick glance and accurate too - $17
5. Protein Skimmer - I recommend the SeaClone or Prizm because it's cheap and includes the water pump - $70
6. Water test kit
7. Salt mix
Now all you need is the sand/gravel, sterilized rock/ornaments, fish and tank which should come with a light fixture. Try to get one with a flouresent tube not the halogen type. Total cost should be around $150 for a 10 gallon salt water beginner tank.
I recommend this site for more information on supplies or care.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/
These are the kind of freshwater fish I have. As you can see they're very coloful.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1100
There are different levels of salt water tanks, from beginner to advanced and the costs involved will also rise with the level of complexity of the tank and inhabitants.
These are may classifications for beginner to advanced tanks.
1. Beginner - fish only tank with only a few hardy fish
2. Intermediate - fish and live rock
3. Advanced - fish, live coral, live rock, live sand, invertebrates, etc.
With the beginner you'll only need to monitor water quality as temperature is automatically controlled. Basically partial weekly or biweekly water changes and monthly filter checks. For a 10 gallon tank you should only house 3 small fish less than 1" and don't overfeed. When mixing your saltwater you should use filtered water not tap water preferrably using a Reverse Osmosis system. You also need your tank to go through the nitrogen cycle so that you have enough bacteria in the filter for biological filtration. You should get an external biowheel filter and preferably a protein skimmer. It you're going to do it right even at the beginning level, you'll still need the equipment I mentioned. The most difficult thing about maintaining a tank is disease control.
Personally I really got tired of the high maintenance of salt water aquariums so I'm back to fresh water. My freshwater tank is only 5 gallons and contain only guppies. They're very colorful guppies though and I have live green plants so it looks very nice in a fresh water way.
These are the essential things you'll need for a salt water tank. You do not need an air pump.
1. Biological filter - I recommend the Penguin Bio-Wheel Mini wet/dry filter for your size tank $13
2. Heater 50 Watts - Acura, Visi-Therm, Ebo Jäger, or Tronic $15
3. Thermometer - You need it to adjust the heater - Sticker type $2
4. Hydrometer for testing salinity - I recommend the floating glass hydrometer type as it's fast needing only a quick glance and accurate too - $17
5. Protein Skimmer - I recommend the SeaClone or Prizm because it's cheap and includes the water pump - $70
6. Water test kit
7. Salt mix
Now all you need is the sand/gravel, sterilized rock/ornaments, fish and tank which should come with a light fixture. Try to get one with a flouresent tube not the halogen type. Total cost should be around $150 for a 10 gallon salt water beginner tank.
I recommend this site for more information on supplies or care.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/
These are the kind of freshwater fish I have. As you can see they're very coloful.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1100
Yep, I'll say it again, salt water is much more difficult to maintain than fresh.
In fact it's not uncommon at all for your tank to crash (every fish dies) a few times before the right levels are reached (urea, etc.) though I've heard you can now purchase kits that help with the initial setup. I used to live in Hawaii so my friends would simply collect fish at night. Using live coral is illegal there though.
I prefer a wet/dry home brew filter for salt water tanks.
Anyhow though cichlids are certainly hardy fish, won't they be crammed into a tank of that size? Unless you're purposely trying to stunt their growth?
I recommend a Gourami or two. Also fairly hardy fish though not as colorful.
In fact it's not uncommon at all for your tank to crash (every fish dies) a few times before the right levels are reached (urea, etc.) though I've heard you can now purchase kits that help with the initial setup. I used to live in Hawaii so my friends would simply collect fish at night.
Using live coral is illegal there though.I prefer a wet/dry home brew filter for salt water tanks.
Anyhow though cichlids are certainly hardy fish, won't they be crammed into a tank of that size? Unless you're purposely trying to stunt their growth?
I recommend a Gourami or two. Also fairly hardy fish though not as colorful.
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