Hoping to jump from FW to SW

[Aquastudent]

Hello WAMAS,
 
I've been keeping freshwater fish for a bit over seven years, not including the 10g I had growing up.
 
My current tank is a 75G with an Amphilophus trimaculatus. I hope to get him in a 6' tank this summer once I can expand my space a bit. Sometime this year I hope to expand into saltwater too. I can't wait to read up more on the info here and hopefully get to meet some of you next month! Will be joining the official forum ranks soon. $20 is a small investment for such large gains. I haven't been in the hobby long but I do appreciate that it's not an entirely solitary endeavor.
 
The goal would be to have a tank cycled by the end of the year. If there's anything I learned in the freshwater hobby is it's best to do something right the first time and be patient. I want to start with a 90+ gallon tank (preferably a 6' 125 or larger), with a designated QT, and the ability to make easy waterchanges. My current locale isn't good on space so until then I'll absorb knowledge like a sponge.
 
Other than browsing the topics and journals on here, does anybody have any websites or literature (I would love a book with pictures!) they would recommend? The amount of information available is a bit overwhelming and, while techniques need to be adjusted for individual tanks, I'd like to learn about standard practices to start from.
 
To make this post somewhat pretty here's my Trimac named Ragnar (yes, I broke the Cardinal rule of not naming fish, but he's a wet-pet).

 

 

 

I hope I'm not breaking two rules of the forums 1) Posting a picture of a FW fish and 2) the fake plant in the tank! This is the first time I've had a fake plant in any tank I've owned. Had to see if I like the green. I think it's coming out next waterchange.

 

Thanks!

Edited March 15, 2018 by Aquastudent

[mari.harutunian]

Welcome! There are a lot of great resources online that can help you. If someone has asked it, it’s probably been answered on REEF2REEF. Starting a saltwater tank can be a large investment when it comes to equipment and livestock. You can save a lot from buying used equipment here when it shows up. Make sure to look up how a saltwater cycle works, look into rocks, the benefit of sumps, protein skimmers, ATOs, and then a backup generator or battery packs to protect your investment. I have a 36 gallon reef tank full of corals and my power was out for 48 hours from that wind storm. A small $100 generator kept everything from dying. Whether or not that cheap generator will ever work again is a different story. Oh also YouTube! There are a ton of great tutorials and reviews like stuff from Bulk reef supply. Welcome to the club!

 

 

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[YHSublime]

Welcome to WAMAS. I would counter that if somebody has asked it, it has probably been answered on WAMAS, we have a lot of local knowledge that's already at your fingertips.

 

I would suggest reading "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner

 

Also, an easy reader that I enjoyed was Tony Vargas, The Coral Reef Aquarium: From Inception to Completion. 

 

I was worried about the jump from freshwater to saltwater, and the only real concern was it's even more addicting! There's a lot of information out there, odds are one simple question will yield 10 different answers, luckily we have sticky's, and a plethora of documented questions already, so you're on the right path. 

[mari.harutunian]

Welcome to WAMAS. I would counter that if somebody has asked it, it has probably been answered on WAMAS, we have a lot of local knowledge that's already at your fingertips.

 

 

I said REEF2REEF as they are usually the first to show up in a google search and personally I’m not good at finding old topics here on WAMAS. But everything can always be asked anew here and everyone is happy to answer.

 

 

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[AlanM]

Are you thinking a fish-only saltwater system or a reef tank?  Fish-only doesn't have to be that much more complicated than freshwater. Reef is more complicated and requires much more patience.  It also consumes much more real estate in your house since a sump is next to mandatory.

 

Plenty of people think they'll want a fish-only system and then they gradually move in to a reef, heh.

[mari.harutunian]

Are you thinking a fish-only saltwater system or a reef tank? Fish-only doesn't have to be that much more complicated than freshwater. Reef is more complicated and requires much more patience. It also consumes much more real estate in your house since a sump is next to mandatory.

 

Plenty of people think they'll want a fish-only system and then they gradually move in to a reef, heh.

I forgot about fish only lol...I’m in it for the coral.

 

 

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[Aquastudent]

I'm so happy this is such an active group!

 

I would go FOWLR but I don't think that would satisfy me long term. I would rather go straight to reef because that's the way it works, right? The fish get you into the hobby but the coral keeps you coming back!

 

I'm fine with taking it slowly. I've been watching videos by Bulk Reef Supply and Tidal Gardens on the youtubes. I'm finding them both quite enlightening.

 

I was thinking about it more and I really like the dimensions of the 4' 120G tank. The extra 6" from front-to-back makes a huge difference. A 4' tank is also easier to find wallspace for. I suppose that's more of a down the line decision though. It's tempting to build a tank too. I helped my dad put together his ~120G acrylic tank. We definitely learned a lot. I'm more of a glass person than acrylic though.

 

Will take a good look at Tony Vargas' book. Looks like a good read and is cheap on Amazon! I'm all for that!

[YHSublime]

Don't rule out a nano tank. I've gone through my fair share of tanks, and I'm finding the smaller ones to be the most fun, and challenging. Also, a lot of saltwater is your water quality, and that starts with making it. Don't forget about basic purchases like an RO/DI, saltmix costs, testing chemicals, etc. You'll find that this hobby will drive you into been not only a reef enthusiast, but a carpenter, a plumber, an electrician....

 

Check out our build threads forum, you can see the progression of many tanks, and spend a lot of time there if you're not careful! 

[Aquastudent]

Don't rule out a nano tank. I've gone through my fair share of tanks, and I'm finding the smaller ones to be the most fun, and challenging. Also, a lot of saltwater is your water quality, and that starts with making it. Don't forget about basic purchases like an RO/DI, saltmix costs, testing chemicals, etc. You'll find that this hobby will drive you into been not only a reef enthusiast, but a carpenter, a plumber, an electrician....

 

Check out our build threads forum, you can see the progression of many tanks, and spend a lot of time there if you're not careful! 

 

The build threads are one of the most dangerous places on this forum! I can't wait!

 

One of the reasons I decided to get into fishkeeping was the diversity of the hobby. There are so many DIY projects that one can encounter and the problems that arise are so much fun to solve.