Anyone here own a reef tank?

[jinduy]

any idea how much maintenance it is for a reef tank of about 20-50 gallons?

 

[Gooberlx2]

Depends on what you have in it which will determine what kind(s) of lighting you need. Also you need to supplement the calcium that inverts constantly need in their diet. You may also need to have a chiller/heater (again depending on what you have in it) and then you might also opt for a UV sterilizer to take care of algae and phytobacteria (not likely since they're probably super $$$).

And since I have no idea how much any of these things cost I couldn't begin to give you a ballpark figure

 

[OulOat]

Magic 8 ball says: I see much money down the drain.

 

[jinduy]

so are you guys saying it is like umpteen times more maintenance than a freshwater tank? how's the maintenance on those then? me want fishy tank to decorate room.

 

[OulOat]

So you are basically admitting you care nothing about fishes and just want something to decorate the room? In that case, get some goldfish. They are the lowest maintenance of all the pet fishes. They don't need aeration (keep the # of fishes low), monthly cleaning, or regular feedings, although it's best that you do all of the above. They are very hardy so they will withstand bad water quality, wide ranges of temps, and pretty much whatever fish food you feed them. And they are the cheapest (unless you go fancy), so if you kill them you won't lose much money.

 

[resinboy]

I had a 90 gallon reef, with fiji live rock, lots of corals, etc. I spent each and every saturday maintaining things to give them the best (manmade) environment possible. It is a committment, not a " throw the crap in there and see how they do" kind of thing.
You need to do weekly calcium, ph, specific gravity tests, maintain the filters, pumps, lighting, etc. It's a lot of work, and yes, the gear (and animals) are expensive.

 

[TwiceOver]

All aspects of salt water aquariums are expensive. I applaud those than can afford the time, effort, and cost involved. They do look VERY nice though.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I would say for your situation, since it seems you're not into spending alot of time and money on this, youl should go for a freshwater tank.

It's pretty cheap to start up a 10 gallon and you can get some interesting fish. The shmancy looking goldfish will do fine. Otherwise you can get tetras, which look cool. Jus got check out your local pet store/aquarium dealer.

Then general rule that they'll tell you for home Aquarium was/is: "one inch of fish per gallon". So if you're getting a 10 gallon tank, then don't get very large fish or fish that can grow to be somewhat large (NO PLECOS).

Different fish will be more/less aggressive than others (i.e. cichlids), so if you wanna mix and match, then be sure you're not introducing fish that are gonna kill each other.

Lastly, keep in mind that you have to buy your setup and let the water chemistries establish before you can buy and introduce animals...this can take from a few weeks to several weeks (again depending on your setup).

 

[GagHalfrunt]

You also should not do a reef tank under 75 gallons. They're wayyyyyy too sensitive to water quality and small spikes in ammonia or nitrites could kill all the fish and corals. Bigger tanks are easier for beginners to maintain as they're more stable, larger water volume makes it easier for the tank to absorb the fluctuations. To set up a decent reef tank you're talking at least $3000+ and that's BEFORE you start adding livestock. Three grand only buys you a pile of wet rocks.

 

[jinduy]

damn iwas figuring it would cost around $500 in the first 3-6 months for a 50 gallon reef tank... but more than $3k ?

-___-

 

[DurocShark]

You're in for more maintenance with a smaller tank than a larger one. 150gal + tanks you can spend months just adding calcium, traces, and RO water. But smaller ones need massive water chagnes. (From my experience with a range of sizes...)

I personally prefer the 20 gal "micro" reef tanks. More interesting to me, and less house space is involved.

 

[jinduy]

Originally posted by: DurocShark
You're in for more maintenance with a smaller tank than a larger one. 150gal + tanks you can spend months just adding calcium, traces, and RO water. But smaller ones need massive water chagnes. (From my experience with a range of sizes...)

I personally prefer the 20 gal "micro" reef tanks. More interesting to me, and less house space is involved.

any idea how much it costs to maintain a 20 gal micro reef tank? how often would i have to change the water?

 

[Jzero]

It all depends on the number and type of fish. Honestly - buy a 20 gal tank and set up some cheap tropical fish. Read up on how to maintain a healthy aquarium. See how you like that before you sink $1000 into a saltwater setup only to kill a bunch of animals and find you don't want to invest the time.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: jinduy
damn iwas figuring it would cost around $500 in the first 3-6 months for a 50 gallon reef tank... but more than $3k ?

-___-

The corals and inverts in a reef tank require highly specialized lighting systems and saltwater tanks need very good filtration and temperature controls. You're looking at $1500-$2000 for that stuff alone. That does not include the cost of the tank, the live rock, live sand, protein skimmer, etc etc etc.

Saltwater fish are an extremely expensive hobby. Most of the fish themselves are not too expensive, but creating an environment to keep them alive costs a small fortune. The only way to approach reefkeeping is with a nearly unlimited budget and a willingness to spend whatever it takes. If you try to do it on the cheap all you'll get is a tank full of dead stuff. When you're looking at a lighting system that costs $1000 and an inferior one that costs $500 and you decide to get the cheap one, you're doomed to fail.

 

[selene]

I been keeping guppies/goldfish for long time now... since '88.. I can never afford the time + cash for a reef tank... it is very very expensive and demanding !

 

[jinduy]

Originally posted by: selene
I been keeping guppies/goldfish for long time now... since '88.. I can never afford the time + cash for a reef tank... it is very very expensive and demanding !

so how's the experience on maintaining those fish? does water need to be changed every week?

 

[axia55]

If you are experianced enough and set the reef up right, you can get by with 20mins a week.
I am on my third mini-reef that I have kept this way and all of them grow awesome for years. Spend lots of time reading before you
try setting one up!

 

[FuZoR]

my dad killed like $400 worth of fishes... and this was with simple fresh water fishes lol.
those arowana fishes and other expensive crap.


cant imagine the pain in the arse with reef tanks

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: FuZioN
my dad killed like $400 worth of fishes... and this was with simple fresh water fishes lol.
those arowana fishes and other expensive crap.


cant imagine the pain in the arse with reef tanks

Why didn't he move up? Arrowanas are friggin expensive...

 

[MulLa]

Just a general comment here. Fishkeeping can become VERY addictive just like computers. The urge to get more fish and bigger tanks is always there and the equipment, while no as expnsive as computer gear do burn a hole in your wallet. Having kept fishes for just over a year (Freshwater tropical), I've moved from a 15gallon to a 55gallon and now a 120gallon. Well, maybe I'm one of the rare few that do become carried away by them.

 

[Sust]

Reef tanks rule.
The only problems are:
(1) Specialized equipment for such a specialized hobby = expensive
(2) Live stock = expensive(that 3000 dollar number is actually pretty accurate)
(3) Can become more complex than freshwater tanks

Dont take it the wrong way, but you sound like a goldfish kinda guy.
Not really all that fascinated about whats going on behind the scenes, but you like the way it looks.
Successful reefs require your understanding of the underlying chemcial and biochemical mechanisms.
Why not get a dog or something?
They are cool pets too and they will physically let you know when they need something(unlike fish).

 

[Jzero]

Successful reefs require your understanding of the underlying chemcial and biochemical mechanisms.

Yes! A big part of the allure of keeping an aquarium is the idea of recreating an entire ecosystem in a box. If you just want a decoration, it's probably not a good fit for you.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

I've seen some pretty cool freshwater fish too. There's a place in Northern Cali that specializes in exotic freshwater fish. Would be tons easier to maintain and would give the same effect unless you have specific saltwater fish you want.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

WHOA! I just thought of something. You don't think...

No, what I have is a romantic abnormality, one so unbelievable that it must be hidden from the public at all cost.

?!?!

 

[beatle]

A couple guys I work with each own saltwater tanks. When they get to talking about their tanks, it sounds cool, but they always throw in "holy sh*t, the other day I had these ammonia spikes... I had this calcium problem... I had to buy more live rock..." It's kinda like overclocking, but more expensive and once you reach a "stable" setup, it doesn't stay that way.