General Aquaria Discussion • New tank

[borohands8593]

It has been a long time since I have posted in these forums. My old 26gallon is still up and running and I bought a new tank finally. I decided to get a 46gallon and years ago would have loved the idea of making it into another cichlid tank but decided to try saltwater for the first time. Now I know cichlid tanks have a lot of beauty to them and interesting behaviors, but man to any of you guys out there on the border about trying SW for the first time jsut do it the tanks look amazing and are way easier to keep then I would have ever thought!

[13razorbackfan]

It has been a long time since I have posted in these forums. My old 26gallon is still up and running and I bought a new tank finally. I decided to get a 46gallon and years ago would have loved the idea of making it into another cichlid tank but decided to try saltwater for the first time. Now I know cichlid tanks have a lot of beauty to them and interesting behaviors, but man to any of you guys out there on the border about trying SW for the first time jsut do it the tanks look amazing and are way easier to keep then I would have ever thought!

Yeah...they are nice as well. Depending on the fish you can run into many of the same issues with tank size and aggression. However...what is really expensive when talking about saltwater is reef tanks especially SPS coral tanks. That is when the cost will skyrocket. They are sweet thought.

[lilcountrygal]

So.... stupid question. I've been kicking around saltwater tank for a while... what's the difference between reef and just saltwater? Reef having corals, etc.? (I have much to research before jumping in lol)

[13razorbackfan]

So.... stupid question. I've been kicking around saltwater tank for a while... what's the difference between reef and just saltwater? Reef having corals, etc.? (I have much to research before jumping in lol)

Yes...live corals....a lot of fun and colors. Really need a very good light my preference is metal halide DE HQI and a protein skimmer and a calcium reactor.

[borohands8593]

Do your research before you start, I spent the past few years browsing magazines just toying with the idea and thought I knew what I needed, then when I decided to give it a go I spent a few months researching and posting in forums for hours every day before I had the basic grasp of reef tanks. It can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be, I am shooting for somewhere in the middle. Medium sized tank with high quality basic equipment and some simple fish and soft corals only. If you want very difficult fish with difficult eating habits and sps corals with very strict requirements then you need very specific stuff for the tank. 3reef forums has been a great place for me to ask questions if youre interested