| Author |
Message |
Todd (Tkrefeld)
Junior Member
Username: Tkrefeld
Post Number: 111
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, January 11, 2003 - 5:35 pm: | |
Or try a brackish tank |
stu cordova (Balataboy)
Member
Username: Balataboy
Post Number: 357
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, January 11, 2003 - 11:11 am: | |
My advice; hire a service that maintains them! I have a tank in my office, and for $150 a month, a guy comes in evey 10 to 12 days, cleans the tank, changes the plants and coral, checks on the fish and does everything else involved with the maintenance of a salt water tank. IMO - well worth it!! |
Mark (Study)
Member
Username: Study
Post Number: 371
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 4:10 pm: | |
I've had Saltwater tanks for 20 years.
Fish are colorful, relaxing, and all have unique personalities.
Octopus is most interesting and fun as pet.
As for big tanks they are less work. I was always working on my 55gal (water changes every other month) but with a 110 it didn't need much work at all. As system gets bigger they form better eco systems and almost take care of them selvfs.
I bet you could let a 500gal run for two years with out much fuss.
I was always careful to under-stock the amount of fish I put into a tank. Makes for a very healthy tank. |
Noelrp (Noelrp)
Junior Member
Username: Noelrp
Post Number: 154
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 4:02 pm: | |
Damn! I think I'll stay with my Ferrari hobby. |
Fred (I Luv 4REs) (Iluv4res)
Member
Username: Iluv4res
Post Number: 300
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 1:17 pm: | |
I had a large tank for many years. Here's my input:
Salt water tanks are a lot more difficult to maintain than fresh water tanks. However, I think salt water is the way to go. It's also not too bad if you keep up with it. They have very nice colored fish and cool stuff.
475 is a large tank. In addition to cleaning the glass, etc.., you will need to do periodic water changes, approx 1/4 to 1/3 of the water per month or so. You will need to mix up the salt with tap water to the correct salinity. You will need to add dechlorinators, etc. to the tap water. There are services for this, but they usually use ocean water or pre-mixed water. stay away from that. Usually the ocean water or pre-mixed contains bacteria that will make your fish sick. Never discard all of the water & clean everything or you will need to cycle the tank all over again. Only 1/2 to 1/3 of the water to keep it fresh, but still cycled.
You will need to decide if you want a fish tank or an invertibrate tank. It's difficult to keep both due to the chemicals necessary to keep away disease. That's the most important part.
When first setting up the tank, you will need to buy some cheap fish to cycle the water. This will get 'good' bacteria to grow and remove the ammonia, etc...
When you add fish, first put them in a smaller incubation tank with chemicals for a few days. This way, if there's anything wrong with the fish, it wont contaminate the rest of the tank.
You will need to buy compatable fish. You can't put just anything in because some fish are very aggessive and can only be put with others. Some species require either 1 or more than 2. You can't just put in 2 or they will kill each other.
The filtration system is pretty important too. For such a large tank, the filter will be huge!! Make sure you have pumps large enough to cycle the water quickly without dead spots in the tank.
This is beginning to be a large post, e-mail me if you have questons or want more info. |
DES (Sickspeed)
Intermediate Member
Username: Sickspeed
Post Number: 1035
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 11:50 am: | |
Jeff, 475 gallons sounds like a lot... My father had salt water set ups when i was a kid... Nothing in the wall, but they (salt water set ups) do require scheduled maintenance... what kinds of fish are you considering...?
At least 4 times a year, my father removed all the coral from the tank, transplanted the fish to a temporary tank, siphoned out the water, dumped the sand and cleaned the tank... then had to put everything back... it was a half-day job, at least... with a 475 gallon tank, you're looking at a lot more work... Salt water environments can be awesome, though, the fish are so pretty... good luck, just know that it's not like keeping a gold fish... |
Jeff (Jeff_m)
Junior Member
Username: Jeff_m
Post Number: 55
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 11:43 am: | |
I have been considering getting a 475 gallon Saltwater setup that will be viewable from both sides built into my office wall at home and was wonering if anyone has any experience/Advice before I get to far into it.
Thanks |
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