# Marine Aquariums > Saltwater Beginner's >  Saltwater?

## Nemo

You walk into the aquarium shop and are immediately dazzled by the colorful and intriguing display. There before your eyes is an almost unbelievable menagerie of aquatic wonders such as clownfish, anemones, large angelfish, sharks, even a moray! You tell yourself, "I've gotta have a setup like that."

Well, sharpen your perseverance and patience, get ready to read a whole lot, prepare for some missteps along the way, and open up that wallet( :lol:  saltwater doesnt come cheap!!!). 
Welcome to the world of saltwater aquariums.

No doubt about it, there is simply no comparison between a freshwater setup and a successful saltwater display. Nothing against the freshwater tank it's fabulous and definitely the way to go for most enthusiasts, but the saltwater environment provides a home to a far more interesting array of creatures. The reason being is that the saline habitat is more complex, and therein lies both the wonder and the bane of the saltwater fan.

If the freshwater aquarium offers its own array of difficulties in maintenance and keeping healthy stock, the saltwater tank can be even more cantankerous. It can be downright tough to develop a saltwater environment and keep it on an even keel. For most succesful saltwater aquaculturists the journey was fraught with disappointments and expense before they finally achieved a balanced, healthy status. That journey can take anywhere from a few months to several years, and set you back many hundreds, if not over a thousand of pounds.

Yet the end product can be magnificent. And it is well worth the effort for the aquarium fan who is sincere about putting in the time, energy and money to make it happen. we are here to help you do just that, just give us a shout by starting a new thread, PM, etc. :Smile:  we will be happy to help... :Big Grin:

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## zma21

Ok guys.  Right now i have a 35 gal freshwater tank.  Next summer, i am wanting to convert it to a saltwater tank.  Could you guys help me out by letting me know about how much this might cost me starting off, and the main parts i would need for the new marine fish?  Thanks in advance.  :Smile:

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## Nemo

im no expert on marine but can help ya on the basics, the expert on marine is Gary  :lol:

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## lost

Hi gang i think its time to start keeping some saltwater fish again.I have a 15Gal (68L) Large Hexagonal Tropical Aquarium.The main thing i am worried about is the light i dont thing it is strong enough but i am not thinking of keeping live coral,a bit would be nice.Any advice from you guys would be welcome

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## Timo

> Hi gang i think its time to start keeping some saltwater fish again.I have a 15Gal (68L) Large Hexagonal Tropical Aquarium.The main thing i am worried about is the light i dont thing it is strong enough but i am not thinking of keeping live coral,a bit would be nice.Any advice from you guys would be welcome


Don't worry to much a but the light if you only want to keep fish, most fish don't like bright lights.

You can keep lots of soft corals most are filter feeders and live off nutrients. Look out for a small T5 unit to fit your tank would be a good mod to up your lighting.

First job you need it do is get a good protein skimmer, focus most of your budget on it to start with + live rock  :Smile: .

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## lost

Thanks mate first things first  this is my plan i have seen a few tanks with the rocks built up at the back i would like to try this .I am looking more at crabs/shrimps/tube worms ect more than fish.When you say soft corals what are we talking about? and is the t5 the whole kit or just a tube?This is a pic of my tank so i guess you could call it  a nano size plus some info on it

*Light System:*               18W fluorescent tube (with on/off switch)
*Filtration:*                     Advanced (3-stage) filter built into hood
*Tank Dimensions:*[FONT=Arial]Height 64cm (25”)x Width 46cm (18”) x Depth 41cm (16”)
one last thing for now how deep do you think the sand should be?  and after everything has settled in what sort of stock levels are we looking at? i plan to start with say one clown fish( i think this is a good starter fish) to seed the tank then start from there sorry for all the questions filter medium i was thimking of crushed coral good idea?

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## Timo

T5 is the diameter of the tube but you probably will need to buy the running gear because they only run off electronic ballasts, T8 can run of magnetic the up side is electronic is cheaper to run. T5 are a lot brighter this is a T5 next to a T8 actinic;



There are about a million studies on having a deep (DSB) or a shallow (plenum) bed of sand and none of them are very conclusive in the end to which is best.

IMO is would advise a plenum because there is a lot less to worry about like gasses and nitrate release which can happen if you disturb a DSB.

So thats a shallow sprinkling of sand on the bottom  :Smile: .

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## Timo

> one clown fish( i think this is a good starter fish) to seed the tank then start from there sorry for all the questions filter medium i was thimking of crushed coral good idea?


Clowns tend to get a little aggressive if left on there own two tend to be more social. Your tank will need to be mature before you add a clown fish they are not as hard as a damsel fish.

I prefer the look of coral sand but its your preference.

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## lost

should of said the pic of the tank is just to show you what sort so you would have a better idea of the size ect it is not my tank if you see what i mean.I have coral sand at the bottom and i will post a pic when i have installed the rocks ect i have the same tank sorry for the missunderstanding

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## Gary R

just to add to this lost 

i see the tank as a fillter fitted in it but you might need a better one to be on the safe side and you will need to get yourself a good Protein Skimmer to remove waste from the aquarium water.

here are a couple of site's to look at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/High-Quality-P...742.m153.l1262

and here http://www.swelluk.com/marine/marine...FRLRugodrCDxXA

Regards Gary

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## Timo

A Deltec MCE300 Protein Skimmer would be good  :Big Grin: .

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## lost

Thanks for the help and advice guys just been looking for a new filter as i have noticed my  3 stage internal one is leaking.And i happened to notice the same place as one of the links also sells filters http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-Layer-filtra...d=p3286.c0.m14 i no its cheap but it might do me?

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## Gary R

sorry lost only just  seen this post.

did you get this in the end as i see the item as ended, looks ok for £20 

Regards Gary

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## lost

no mate not yet  it dose look ok but to be honest it is cheap so i am wondering if it will be any good.There are quite a few on fleabay i will have a look when i come back after me weekend away

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## Gary R

well all i can say m8 is have a good look at the back of your tanks hood to see what sort will fit without having to cut away at the hood to make it fit.

You do see some nice tanks around then you see that the hood as been cut to bits to make things like filters and Protein Skimmer fit it and it does not look that good afterwards.

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## lost

Thanks Gary i was hoping to put the filter on a shelf inside the cabinet but that would mean me having to extend the pipes to and from the filter is it ok to do this do you think? or would the extra length put to much of a strain on the pump in the filter if you see what i mean thanks mate

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## Gary R

I think you would be better looking at the cannister sort of filters then lost.

A Fluval 105 multi stage external filter will do around 100 liters and they have their own auto start on them so on messing about trying to get the water into it.....about £50

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## Gingernuts

Can you please help .

I have a Bio Orb marine tank .With two Shrimps and two hermit Crabs . I recently addedd one Clown fish . 

The fish isnt looking to good , Doesnt appear to be getting any of the food that we put in . Not swimming properly and seems to be gulping for air ( or has grown an over shoot jaw over night )

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## Timo

> Can you please help .
> 
> I have a Bio Orb marine tank .With two Shrimps and two hermit Crabs . I recently addedd one Clown fish . 
> 
> The fish isnt looking to good , Doesnt appear to be getting any of the food that we put in . Not swimming properly and seems to be gulping for air ( or has grown an over shoot jaw over night )


Sounds like there is not enough water movement in your tank to support the life in it. You need to get a Nano stream pump (or similar) to move the water.

I have not seen a "Bio Orb marine tank" just the goldfish Bio Orb.

Could you post a picture of your tank?

What are your parameters? (eg Salt SG Temp etc, more info the better)

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## Martin

I just want to mention that few fish need salt water and few need fresh water.keep this difference in mind.

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