How much more expensive and hard & difficult would it be than a freshwater aquarium? It would be a 55 gallon fish tank. Do I need any special lighting for ALL invertebrates (like starfish, shrimp?, etc.). Can I just use the same filters I would for a freshwater tank? Is a sump really necessary?
you don’t need special lighting unless you have photosynthesizing invertebrates (i.e. tridanca clams, corals, tunicates). it really depends on what kind of animals you intend on keeping that decides how difficult it is. you can use the same types of filters as a freshwater tank, but for a large tank such as yours i would advise a wet/dry filter
14 gallon reef tank owner
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I’ve been keeping a reef tank for almost ten years. In that short amount of time, I’ve seen the hobby change. New products, advancements in technology and various new methods for keeping fish, coral and invertebrates alive and healthy in captivity are continuously being introduced. The research hasn’t and won’t ever stop. Therefore, new advancements could mean new expenses over time.
The last thing I want to do is scare a new person from entering the hobby. I was a newbie when I started, as was everyone else when they started, including William. If the old timers in the hobby succeeded in intimidating me from starting my reef, I wouldn’t have gotten the experience I have now as well as the joy of having my reef for all these years. Therefore, it is very important for you to read. Read some more. When you are done with that, read more. I’ve included a couple of books for you to read below (with links). In my opinion, the best book in the hobby, for a beginner is, “The Conscientious Marine Aquarist” by Robert Fenner.
This hobby can be very expensive. It can also be done relatively cheap. One of the ways to do it on a budget is to join your local reef club. There are hundreds of them around the country. If you don’t have one local, there are numerous online reef sites that can not only offer you guidance, but also have ‘For Sale’ forums on their sites. This is where you’ll find other hobbyists either selling their older equipment because they bought the newest and biggest and bestest
piece of equipment that was just released. Or other hobbyists that are just getting out of the hobby.
The websites are great for learning HOW to buy the right equipment. I say this because newbies are notoriously buying their equipment two or three times. Why, you ask? Because there is a lot of cheap and ineffective equipment on the market for people who don’t know any better and want to do it cheap. Well, it is an expensive hobby. When the newbie buys cheap the first time, they invariably learn that the cheap equipment was cheap for a reason. Often it doesn’t work efficiently. So they buy the same piece of equipment a second or third time but better quality each time. If they were part of a reef club BEFORE starting their tank, they could have learned what was a good protein skimmer, powerhead or metal halide, T5 or LED light the first time. Then they can buy that piece of equipment used from someone else at a fraction of the cost for new. Many times this quality piece of equipment can be bought used for less than the cheap garbage they bought new the first time.
As you can see, you have already learned a lot about starting the hobby on a good budget. Don’t be scared to start, just do it VERY slowly. Find a good reef site and just read so that you learn the nomenclature. You don’t have to post any questions right away. You’ll learn just by following along.
I hope this helped. Before you know it, you’ll have a tank set up, cycled, matured and you’ll be asking questions about calcium reactors, nilson reactors and the proper way to breed clownfish
Best of luck,
swimmer
PS – A great source for quality equipment and very knowledgeable service is Saltwater Critters (linked below).
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/bookreviews/fr/conmaraquristbr.htm
Saltwater Critters:
http://saltwatercritters.com/dry_goods
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Its not that its difficult, its about time. Its the time it takes to do the research. There is a lot more knowledge required to keep Salt water VS. Fresh water. The more successful you are with fresh the better your chances. I would try Cichlids first. Cichlids are referred to as the poor mans salt water, even though the fish can be as costly as Salt. Cichlids require brackish water and are more sensitive to things like alkalinity levels and such. If you can keep Cichlids alive then you will have a much much better chance for success with Salt.
Shrimp and fish do not require high intensity lights. Corals do though. Most people start with fish then go to coral down the road after feeling comfortable with fish and are able to afford some of the costly equipment. A sump is not a necessity, it just makes things a lot easier. A sump allows you to hide things like heaters and protein skimmers etc. An in sump skimmer always works better and looks better than a hang on the back skimmer
15 Years Reef Keeping
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