Salt Water

Salt Water

salt water?

my friend decided to start a salt water aquarium. he has a 10gallon and a heater for it right now (just a tank, no gravel, no filter, nothing). what should he get? I need details, what type of substrate, chemicals, test kits, what type of fish you recommend, anytihng you can think of. we're going to go buy the stuff soon, so answers soon please he does have freshwater fish in there now, so could he mix the stuff in to make it a saltwater tank (after removing the current fish) and add fish today? thanks so much!

yeah... salt water isn't my specialty, so this will be a learning experience, I'm excited. if you have any tips on

one more questions, I want a certain goby I saw at the pet store, i can't remember for the life of me exactly what kind it was but I know it was picking up rocks in it's mouth and spitting them out. would I be able to have this in a 10gallon?
lol stopped in mid sentence there...
*if you have any tips on anything email me

Hi Kylie!

A 10 gallon is a little small for a saltwater tank. It is doable, but will probably cause more frustration and more work than going with something a little larger. I would suggest at least a 29 (that was the size of my first, but in 6 months I upgraded to a 55 and kept the 29 as well - this is addictive once you get into it!).

What you need will depend on what you want to keep. Here's a quick checklist of the basics:

* a filter rated for a turnover of 5-10 times the volume of the tank

*substrate - I'd recommend getting an aragonite substrate (looks like small shells and broken coral fragments - not crushed coral)

* live rock - a couple of pieces that can be made into a "cave"

* sea salt mix - any of the synthetic mixes is fine

* hydrometer - used to mix the saltwater to the right concentration

* liquid reagent test kit - I'd use the API saltwater kit for a new tank

* good saltwater book - I like "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1
or "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5 - both of these helped a lot when I was first getting into salt.

** If you decide to go with a larger tank, look at protein skimmers (you don't need to get one just yet, but they're strongly recommended); you may also want to consider picking up a powerhead if you go for a 29 or larger. Also, if you go larger, get a properly sized heater - 5 watts per gallon of tank volume

The fish you saw may have been a species of jawfish or a shrimp goby - they look pretty similar and both pick up and sift through the substrate for food and to create burrows (why I suggested the substrate I did - these need something on the fine side for burrowing. There are a few small species (pearly jawfish, Randall's goby, red prawn goby, Catalina goby [needs cooler water], plus some others) that your friend might be able to keep.

Wait till you get the tank set up before you buy fish though - cycling and all, plus the saltwater should age a day or so, so you have time to check the pH, salinity, etc. and do the necessary fine-tuning of the chemistry.

I'll post more but want to submit this so far so you can go if you're still hanging around!

ADDITION: Okay, some other info for you. As I said, your friend may want to consider getting a protein skimmer at some point in the future. The better models of these use a venturi air injection to create small bubbles to which organic molecules adhere. The bubbles create a column pushing the organics up out of the water to where they're caught in a collection cup - this keeps them from contributing to the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in the tank (too bad they don't really work in freshwater!).

If your friend want to try corals or anemones, you might want to look at a better lighting system than what comes as a standard with most set-ups. Compact fluorescent or T-5 systems would be the smallest I'd go, if he gets a larger tank (55+) you might want to consider a metal halide system. These produce too much heat for a small tank, though.

As far as chemicals, the standard water conditioner, if the water to be used is tap water. If the tap water has nitrate or phosphate in your area, you might want to use reverse osmosis water, or mix these in the future, just to cut down on potential algae problems. The salt mix should have all the basic elements that your tank should have, but you may have trouble with pH levels. The aragonite substrate will help keep the pH up, but it is often difficult to get it above 7.8. If you have this problem, I would suggest getting kalkwasser to adjust it. This is a very caustic power, so be careful using it. Mix a teaspoon or so in a clean soda bottle of water and add by the spoonful until you get it at least above 8.2 (and it may take a good bit, depending on your water chemistry. Keep track of how much you had to use, so you can plan to add to water changes (if you have a 10 gallon tank, and mix the saltwater in a 5 gallon bucket, use 1/2 as much). You may have to add a little every few days if the pH drops (unlike freshwater, you do have to do a lot of pH tampering in saltwater).

You should also get a glass cover for the tank to reduce evaporation and keep the fish where they belong - most are jumpers if given half a chance.

As to fish. A smaller goby or a firefish would be your best choice for a 10 gallon. If you go up to a 20 or 30, you could keep a few more species. You'll also want to add a few snails, hermit crabs (blue legged or scarlet), maybe a shrimp as well. But as you know, hold off on these until the tank has cycled.

Some reading material for you and your friend:

For More Salt Water Info Click On The Blue Links Below

In North America, chlorine is by far the most popular method to sanitize a pool. However, it is not the only way. Long a favorite in other parts of the world, saltwater swimming pools are starting to gain popularity all over North America. Proponents of salt water pools claim since there is no chlorine in the pool water, it feels smooth or 'silky', will not irritate your eyes or skin, is safe to swallow when swimming and will not fade bright colored swim wear. Some also claim the saltwater pools are virtually maintenance free, less costly to operate and more environmentally friendly since they use a totally natural product - salt - rather than a manufactured chemical -chlorine. Sounds like a lot of good reasons to install a saltwater pool, but perhaps we should take more balanced look at the discussion.

Common Myths of Saltwater Pools

Saltwater pools contain large amounts of salt. First, here is an interesting fact - saltwater pools do not really have salt water in them, at least not salt water like in the ocean. A properly maintained saltwater pool does have salinity but is well below that of ocean water (somewhere between 10 and 20 percent), much closer to the salinity level of water that has been passed through a water conditioner or softener.

Saltwater pools are chlorine free: A saltwater pool is not a chlorine free pool. In salt water pools, when the water circulates through the pump and filter system it also passes through a chlorine generator. Inside the chlorine generator an electronic process combines hydrogen molecules from the water (made up of hydrogen and oxygen) with chlorine from the salt (sodium and chlorine) to produce hypochlorous acid which is carried in the circulating water back into the pool. This hypochlorous acid is what keeps the pool free of algae and bacteria. So in reality, the main difference between the two systems is with one you need to store chlorine and add it intermittently, while in the other the system is constantly adding chlorine when the pool is running.

Saltwater pools are maintenance free: Remember, the chlorine generator only adds chlorine to the water, it does not replace the requirement to monitor and balance the pool water. In order to maintain pH and alkalinity, the owner will need to regularly test the water and when necessary, add chemicals to bring the water into proper balance. As well, the chlorine generator itself requires regular maintenance. As part of the electrolysis process, calcium builds up on the titanium plates inside the generator and the calcium needs to be cleaned off or the system will no longer be able to produce chlorine.

Saltwater pools are less costly: In fact, installing a salt water pool is more expensive initially than a chlorine based system - primarily because of the need to include a chlorine generator as part of the pool equipment. However, after installation you only need to add inexpensive salt (regular table salt or salt pellets used in water conditioners works well). So, once the system is installed salt water pools will be less costly to run since there is no need to constantly buy (expensive) chlorine to add to the pool.

The 'fly in the ointment' here is since chlorine is only generated when the saltwater system is running, many experts suggest you should run your salt water system 24/7. So in effect you are trading the cost of Chlorine for the cost of electricity and depending on the price of power in your area, a saltwater system could in fact be more costly.

Another potential cost factor is the chlorine generator itself. Besides the initial cost of approximately $1500, they have an expected life span in the range of 10,000 hours of operation. Depending on the length of your pool season, that could be as little as three years before it might need to be replaced.

So what have we learned?

Compared to a chlorine pool, no one can argue that the water in a saltwater pool does not feel different - it's smoother and softer. Also, because the chlorine level is so low, the water will not smell or irritate a swimmer's eyes and skin. As well, there are undoubtedly environmental benefits to using salt rather than chlorine. However, the operating costs are highly dependent on the price of electricity so, it's impossible to generalize as to which system is actually less costly. Salt water or chlorine? It is an individual decision.

Villette Nolon is the President and CEO of HomeSavvi. HomeSavvi provides free home remodeling guides, including Seattle home remodeling resources and instant inspiration. Online guide features home remodel design ideas, photos, expert advice, including bathroom and kitchen designs, budgets and costs and other helpful information.

Many thanks for reading our Salt Water article

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