Stupid Question, But Please Humour Me....

[Irf]

I've returned to fishkeeping as an adult ater being quite into it as a kid. I've now had my freshwater aquarium running for over a month, and things are going great. The fish are happy, the plants are taking off and the tank looks fantastic! So what's all that got to do with this forum?

Well I've got the chance to buy a marine tank, stocked and ready to go. It's a mature tank, with live sand, rocks and various janitor items. The fish are few but well thought out, with cleaner shimp and starfish included.

What I want to know is this....

How much harder work/maintenance is it to keep marine fish over freshwater? Can any converts tell me? Or does anyone keep both? I'm happy to undertake basic maintenance routinely, but I also have other things to do (work/kids/etc.) so I don't want to spend every weekend maintaining the marine aquarium.

All help and advice gratefully received!

Thanks,

Irf.

 

[Fish Fingers]

Perconally I think it's not that much harder, but it is more time consuming and things needs to be done precisely. It really just takes more time, planning and consideration than freshwater. You'll need to do a lot of research before going into it though, make sure you fully understand all requirements for your stock and how to care for a saltwater properly. The main problem I've found with converting to saltwater is that I'm no longer interested in my freshwater tanks

 

[SkiFletch]

The learning curve for jumping to a fish only saltwater setup is pretty easy really and doesn't require too much maintenance. Really all you need to do is water change weekly, keep the glass scraped, feed the fish, empty the protein skimmer cup, topoff water, and inspect often to make sure everything is OK with your tank. If you're getting a tank that has lots of corals in it, the learning curve is going to be real steep as they are very demanding little creatures. Thins like lighting, dosing, florates, testing, target feeding in some cases, trimming, etc really make coral keeping a challenge for someone coming straight over.

 

[steelhealr]

Although I agree with both posts, marine tanks DO have their moments. As SkiFletch states, when the tank is running smoothly, 10 % weekly water changes is perhaps all you'll need to do besides feeding and scraping the walls of coralline algae. HOWEVER, you do have more equipment to keep an eye on and keep running...protein skimmers, an autotopoff system (if it comes with one), powerheads, etc.

You'll also need to provide a source of pure water, either with an RO filter filter or purchased. SW has to be made weekly or made in quantities and stored, or purchased. I'm sure that my fellow members here will tell you that when maintenance on the tank DOES need to be done, it can take longer than with a FW tank (not always).

Outside of being honest, if you have the energy, it is VERY REWARDING to keep one. I love my FW tanks, but, my marine........

SH

 

[Irf]

Thanks all for your time to respond.

It sounds like I could have a go, because I am quite a meticulous person. Also when it comes to researching stuff I usually can't get enough info.... bit of a nerd I suppose!

Another possibly stupid question, if you don't mind.....

What is the view upon whether the floor under an aquarium should be carpeted or hard floored? I ask because where this aquarium might go is being renovated right now, and we were going to put a carpet in the room. Opinions? Does it make a difference to anything other than the risk of flooding in a catastrophe?

Thanks to all again...

Irf.

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

I don't think it matters too much TBH as long as the floor is level

Just buy the best underlay you can get so it helps to spread the load.

I've found my nano to be alot easier than i expected and solving a few problems at the start. It gets easier with time as you get to know your tank and it's requirment. Goodluck and i'd say go ahead and pick it up

Dan

 

[SkiFletch]

I dont think it makes a difference between carpet and hardwood. Just make sure you level the tank either way

 

[Locke]

Well, I like hardwood floors because if the tank leaks, you can easily mop it up fast and fix the problem. Other then that, it wouldn't really matter to me. Long as it's level.

Don't forget to do your research!!


SB