Welcome to FishTankForums Kyann!
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Originally Posted by vsbballplyr31
Im sure Aaron will comment and tell you all the detailed stuff...
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This is a warning to prepare yourself to read my 'novels'.
I will fill you in with everything I know to help you understand the answers so I tend to drone on a lot. Hope you don't mind too much.
I think we should start with this question:
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last but not least, how much does it ACTUALLY cost to have a salt water aquarium, and how much time do you have to put into it.
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There is no standard for aquariums, every one is different, and prices differ from place to place so it is impossible to give you an actual cost. The best I can offer is an example:
30 Gallon SW Tank
- 30g Tank ($30~$50)
- 20 lbs. of Crushed Coral substrate ($20~$40)
- 100W Heater ($15~$30)
- HOB AquaClear 70 Filter ($40~$80)
- Salt ($10~$90)
- Hydrometer ($10~$30)
- Single Fluorescent 24" Light Fixture ($20~$50)
This does not include any decorations or livestock and gives you a variable cost of between $145 and $370 approximately. That number can differ greatly depending on your personal choices.
A SW tank can be kept as easily as a freshwater can, especially a FO tank. The more time you put into it the better your tank will be, and that does not always mean visually better, but you can get away with as little as 5-20 minutes per week. (feeding aside)
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...one fish in your tank can fit in another fish's houth, it will probably end up there? Is that true?
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This is mostly true because the fish that tend to have larger mouths are the carnivores. Herbivores and most Omnivores have smaller mouths than most of the fish you will keep can fit in. Its more important to know what type of fish you're getting, how aggressive it is, and what it eats. But as a simple rule, that statement holds true.
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How large a tank do i need, minimum?
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This depends on what you want to keep in the tank. Clown fish in the wild never wander very far from their host anemones and will live out their entire lives within a small space.
I would safely say that a minimum is 10 gallons, with the recommended minimum being 30 gallons. Then again it all depends on what you are planning on keeping.
I would not try to keep 2 clowns in under 10 gallons though. Water quality will be a fatal problem in anything less.
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How much salt do you actusally need to put in?
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In my experience it takes about 1/2 cup of salt per every gallon to get my salt to the level that I want for my tank (1.025 ppm). They are accurate when they say "as much as possible" because they cannot make assumptions on what level you are wanting in your tank. Acceptable ranges IMO are from 1.018 ~ 1.027 ppm.
I know thats a little confusing for you to understand haveing no knowledge of the subject so I'll explain a little. Salt is measured in ppm (parts per million) by way of a device called a Hydrometer. There are better ways to measure it but I won't go into that here, hydrometers are the most common method used.
You mix your water and salt together with a 1/2 cup per gallon ratio in a bucket and wait an hour for it to dissolve fully, then use your hydrometer to measure the level present. If the result is too high then you add more water, too low more salt.
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i do not know if the floor would support the tank.
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If the floor can support a 27" TV on a stand with a DVD player, VCR, games system, etc., etc. then it is probably ok to support a filled 30g tank. The best place is near an outside wall since these walls are "load bearing" walls and can handle the weight. I would avoid putting it in the center of the room though.
HTH,
Aaron
size? salt? supper?
I just started with the whole idea of a salt water aquarium, and I am really confused about a lot of things. How large a tank do i need, minimum? Can I put 2 small clown fish in a 2 gal. aquarium? Will they be too crowded or something?
How much salt do you actusally need to put in? a lot, or a little, because i read on a sea salt package to put in "as much as needed", well i've never done it before so I do not know! I do have a 30 gal. Aquarium, but i live in a very old house so i do not know if the floor would support the tank.
I read somewhere that if one fish in your tank can fit in another fish's houth, it will probably end up there? Is that true? last but not least, how much does it ACTUALLY cost to have a salt water aquarium, and how much time do you have to put into it.
