Marine Tank?

[beany_bot]

Before you scream at me that i should be posting in the marine section im posting here for a reason.
For if I post this in the marine section I feel the answer would be biased.

Just wondering a few points.

Are marine tanks fun?
Are marine tanks hard to set-up and keep running?
Are marines tanks and their running expensive?
Do marine tanks have to be big?

And anything else you can thing of. I have only ever kept tropicals but would love the diversity of the sea.

 

[ox5477]

Are marine tanks fun?
I've loved the last 6 months and recently upgraded to a bigger tank and more powerful lighting to start a reef. Starting out with fowlr (fish only with live rock) is prob the best way to start as it gives you a taste of the marine world without you having to dive headlong as you would with corals.

Are marine tanks hard to set-up and keep running?
I don't think so. It just takes knowledge and a little patience while your learning. TFF has been a huge help in setting up my marine tank and so has two local salty shops I have in the area. They have helped me with stocking questions and other questions I have had. When you start a reef with different forms of coral, things can get expensive and a little more complicated as now you need more powerful lights, better water quality, and need to worry about keeping the water buffered with magnesium and calcium.

Are marines tanks and their running expensive?
In general, the start-up is usually the pocket killer. With the need for salt, special water, live rock, high powered lights, and powerheads, there is alot more equiptment to buy and usually the equiptment is more expensive. But in the long run, many feel that it is comparable to a large freshwater tank. I still think it's more expensive but well worth the money as you see the ecosystem grow

Do marine tanks have to be big?
No. there is a whole class of tanks called "nano" and even some called "pico." Nano is anywhere from 5 to 30G and pico is below 5G. But both these classes are deemed to be expert only tanks as the chance that the tank can spiral down quickly is raised with the lower the water volume. For a begginer, a 30 to 55G is prob the best way to go in marine. This give plenty of room for many common stocking options and allows it to be small and managible for a newbie. But just like freshwater, many reef fish can grow large and be aggressive so a thorough knowledge of the species must be gained before any purchased should be made

 

[shibby]

Before you scream at me that i should be posting in the marine section im posting here for a reason.
For if I post this in the marine section I feel the answer would be biased.

Just wondering a few points.

Are marine tanks fun?

addictive

Are marine tanks hard to set-up and keep running?

not hard hard but certainly not the easiest thing in the world

Are marines tanks and their running expensive?

yes empty your wallet. more expensive then tropical freshwater setups

Do marine tanks have to be big?

no but its easier if they are.

And anything else you can thing of. I have only ever kept tropicals but would love the diversity of the sea.

 

[fishwatcher]

I agree with all of the above. You can keep costs down a little though if you do FOWLR or fish only set up. Live rock does cost a bit, but the corals and lighting are really where the money is. I have a normal 29g tank with fish, live rock and inverts. I prob have about $300 in the substrate, fish, inverts and rock (not incl the tank/stand/filter/light/etc). I don't have any special lighting since I'm not doing any corals and such.
It's not as cheap as a 10g full of danios, but it's much more exciting in my opinion.
If it tells you anything, I'm having to reduce the number of tanks to make room for a baby on the way, and the marine tank is one of the few I'm keeping.