Fish tank

[Scott204 1]

Well my 3 year old is obsessed with fish tanks, whenever we see one he runs up and stares, so for Christmas (I know its early) my wife and I are going to get him one. I have had tanks in the past so I am experienced my questions are the following. I am considering going with salt water, which I have never done before, how hard is it? Is there a good place, local to Toms River to buy all the supplies? (I no longer have a tank, filter, hood etc. so I have to buy all these things again) And If I go fresh water what are some colorful fish? (what my wife is requesting, I always had red bellied piranhas). I am looking to go no larger than 30 gal.

[Scott204 1]

sorry for triple post computer froze please delete.

[Norseman 2]

I had 4 tanks of African cichlids for like 10 years. (120, 72, 45 and 20 gallons). The 72 gallon was a beautiful bow-front saltwater for like a year. I just got tired of the extra upkeep. I sold all the live rock, fish, clean up crew, etc and turned it into another cichlid tank. You can get some saltwater looking cichlids with far less upkeep. Some species of African cichlids the makes are a different color than the females so it looks like different fish. Then the coolest thing is that the are mouthbreeders and will likely spawn.

 

 

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[High Exposure 4,585]

Go to Tropiquarium in Ocean Twp on Rt 35. That place is awesome. They will have everything you will need and the employees are super helpful. They will be able to answer any questions you may have.

[Silphidae 27]

I was really into reef aquariums for a long time. The biggest difference is the salinity, you can't just take out some water and more in its place. If you're willing to get a reasonably accurate way to measure salinity ( refractometer) and you're willing to mix the salt water in a bucket every time you do a water change it will be fine. If you're doing fish only it can be that simple.

 

If you want corals , more delicate fish, etc then the difference really starts to kick in. Start simple , do some research and you'll be fine. The start up cost is more expensive but it's worth it and I feel a 30 gallon tank is fine as long as you start with easy fish. I also think the bioload with saltwater fish is much more critical....don't overstock.

 

Sign up for www.reefcentral.com and do some research fist. Just like local gun stores vs njgunforums the information at even the best retail stores doesn't compare to the forums.

[4redz 1]

I had a 175 gal reef tank for 11 yrs (until Sandy's 13-day power failure did it in).  I didn't have the desire to restock.  Some thoughts:

The current equipment is head and shoulders above what was available just a few years ago.  LED lites, protein skimmers, etc. Not sure how much of that you want/need though. 

I agree with visiting Tropiquarium.  They're the only local place I recall with a very decent selection. Tanks @ pretty close to cost, other stuff is marked up enough for them to make a profit.  Not a bad place.

Cichlids are cool fish, and will breed for you.  But they can be aggressive.  Do homework re: african/south american and the size they ultimately grow.

DON'T go small on salt water unless you are willing to have a low biological load (a couple clownfish, a damsel or two and a cardinal fish is all I would recommend in a 30 +/-.  Some clowns may not be happy without a host anemone and an anemone will require the right lighting.  Damsels are brightly colored, but can get nippy.

The nitrogen cycle is not your friend in a small tank.  You need enough volume so the wastes don't build up to a toxic level. 

Good advice noted above.  Water changes with salt water, evaporation replaced with fresh (distilled RO/DI) water.

[Norseman 2]

Some tips for keeping Africans: get fish that are from the same areas and like temperament and size. Also you want more fish per gallon than with calmer species because they are aggressive. So if you have 4 fish in a 30 gallon the toughest is gonna kill off the other 3. But if you have 10 fish in a 30 gallon it's harder for one to single out another. For me it was always exciting to watch them fighting and breeding and stuff. After having them any other fish just seemed boring. But that's just me - I'm not claiming they are the best - just that they were the best for me. There's probably videos of different types of tanks on Facebook. I'd find one I like and look into setting up that kind of tank.

 

 

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[EWC88 21]

reefcentral.com I recommend as well, I am in a process of building a saltwater tank as well.

[Shawnmoore81 623]

I have a caribe. Only piranha people will know what that is.

[High Exposure 4,585]

I am not a piranha person. I know what a caribe is.

 

Just sayin'

[Steve_G 34]

reefcentral.com I recommend as well, I am in a process of building a saltwater tank as well.

 

Also check out the local reef forum. Back when I was a member there, it was full of great people.

 

http://www.njreefers.org/

 

Fish only is not that difficult. You do have to keep up with maintenance much more than fresh water though. I started with a 65gal reef and upgraded to a 180gal. Had it for a few years than sold it off, a full blown reef tank is expensive to set up and expensive to maintain. I think my electric bill dropped to almost half after getting rid of that monster.

[fishnut 2,357]

I have a 29 gal full basic freshwater setup that I was last keeping cichlids in that I would be willing to sell pm me if your interested. I have had many fish tanks over the years. I really like reef tanks but I do not have the time anymore. Salt marine fish tanks are a bit more work than a tropical freshwater tank but they are not that bad. Fish tanks are another great way to spend more of your hard earned cash!  

[JackDaWack 2,370]

I've never gotten the impression that salt water is harder to take care of, but then again i have a freshwater turtle tank. I do however understand that it is much more expensive all around. Aquarium maintenance is something that is individual and depends on how well you can maintain a balance environment.

[71ragtopgoat 23]

I've been keeping fish for 30 years. I would go with Africans. I would also go with a wet/dry filter and a UV sterilizer. The filter can be made or bought cheap a UV for a 30 is pretty reasonable as well. Africans can take some abuse. Search CL for a set up. People are always getting out of the hobby as they Dont realize the work in keeping a beautiful tank.

Right now I'm keeping Fancy goldfish ranchu ,orandas and such. Anyone know where I can find some good stock?

[AlDente67 558]

I have a 55-gallon fresh tank.  Learned the hard way that the expensive colorful fish vanish once you get the wrong mix, and they get eaten whole.  Live plants are cool, then get eaten too.  The last fish I have left is a 6" Cichlid orange parrot fish.  Everyone else got eaten, even the Convicts.  If I stick my arm in the water to clean the filter intake, he leaves bite marks on my skin.

 

I'll let him live to old age before restocking with community fish.  Tired of spending $30 at the store only to see them vanish.

 

Saltwater is the ultimate cool factor, but like everyone mentioned, the upkeep is serious business, and you would hate to see a $75 reef fish go belly up.

 

Edit: One more thought...the kids seem to get bored with the whole thing pretty quickly.  Mine were entranced for the first few weeks and then ignored it thereafter.