Hey guys and gals, I have been keeping freshwater fish since I was pretty much born lol. I now wanna start a saltwater aquarium but I have a few questions first. I have a 36-gallon bowfront aquarium that I can use for my first saltwater (i wish I could get something bigger but I cant). My main concerns are filtration, I have no clue how filtration for a saltwater tank works, I know most have sumps but sumps are out of the question for me, I have a Marineland bio wheel filter rated for 75 g and another hob filter. I would like to do a reef tank but will most likely settle for doing a FOWLR setup. What kind of filtration do I need for either a reef tank or a FOWLR? Can my hob work? I have also noticed that a lot of people say you need RO/DI water for a saltwater aquarium, I cannot purchase an RO/DI system (unfortunately) and I checked my lfs and they don't have(their focus is mostly freshwater with a few saltwater options) I don't have a car so I can't drive to get water and I don't see myself with 36 gallons of water on the bus lol. Can I use my tap water and treat it? I live in NYC if that helps. Also how is maintenance on a saltwater aquarium, my only concern is that I go on vacation a for a couple of weeks and usually my neighbor feeds my fishes when I'm gone but that's about it(not really pet people so can't get him to do 25% water changes) so how will my tank stand if I'm gone for a couple of weeks? My top 3 things that are questionable for me are filtration, RO/DI water, and maintenance when I go on vacation. And I'm sort of on a budget so if yall can tell me the bare minimum I need and then some lol, if a saltwater aquarium is not possible for me that's ok I'll just stick with freshwater.
Beginner Saltwater Need Help!
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ndrwater
2500 Club Member
Hi and welcome to R2R!!
You can absolutely run a saltwater tank with a HOB filter. As for RODI, it is recommended for sure, but not mandatory in a FOWLER situation. Treated tap water still leaves many different chemicals that would be potentialy harmful to reef tank inhabitants. Fish aren't as susceptible to some of these compounds as inverts and corals. I might suggest checking places like Craigslist for a used RODI system. You could also check the for sale section on here. Great deals can be found.
As for maintenance, regular small water changes are again recommended. Feeding the fish a proper diet, and getting compatible fish are keys to success.
Being away for a couple weeks a year shouldn't be an issue as long as things are stable before hand.
Keep the questions coming!!
You can absolutely run a saltwater tank with a HOB filter. As for RODI, it is recommended for sure, but not mandatory in a FOWLER situation. Treated tap water still leaves many different chemicals that would be potentialy harmful to reef tank inhabitants. Fish aren't as susceptible to some of these compounds as inverts and corals. I might suggest checking places like Craigslist for a used RODI system. You could also check the for sale section on here. Great deals can be found.
As for maintenance, regular small water changes are again recommended. Feeding the fish a proper diet, and getting compatible fish are keys to success.
Being away for a couple weeks a year shouldn't be an issue as long as things are stable before hand.
Keep the questions coming!!
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Yeah your going to want RO/DI water. You could end up with a lot of problems if you use tap water. You should know in general this is not a cheap hobby. The first thing to do is ask your self what kind a tank you want to run then that will tell you the type of set up you need.
Hi and welcome to r2r!
Let me see if can help!
1. Filtration - most filtration in a saltwater tank is done by bacteria living on/in the rock and sand if you have sand. A hob can definitely work as a place to put chemical filtration like carbon and mechanical filtration like filter floss. If you keep up with water changes and stock low you will help your self keep the tank stable.
2. Water - check out the aqua buddy rodi, it is cheaper than most (though more expensive than other rodi systems in the long term I think). I think it’s also easy to hook up and then remove if you live in an apartment. If you decide no on rodi consider using bottled water from the drug store or grocery. You don’t need to haul 36 gallons on this bus, you just need a friend with a car for the first time you fill the tank with water. After that buying 4 gallons a week will probably cover your needs depending on much water evaporates. That brings me to another point - consider a 20 gallon aquarium - you will need less water for it and taking a couple gallons a week on the bus isn’t as big a deal.
3. Maintenance- i think a low stocked Fowlr or soft coral reef can make it 2 weeks with someone reliably feeding it and an auto top
Off unit. Of course there are risks, but it’s doable
Finally - consider going barebottom (no sand). That can help reduce overall maintenance in a tank.
Let me see if can help!
1. Filtration - most filtration in a saltwater tank is done by bacteria living on/in the rock and sand if you have sand. A hob can definitely work as a place to put chemical filtration like carbon and mechanical filtration like filter floss. If you keep up with water changes and stock low you will help your self keep the tank stable.
2. Water - check out the aqua buddy rodi, it is cheaper than most (though more expensive than other rodi systems in the long term I think). I think it’s also easy to hook up and then remove if you live in an apartment. If you decide no on rodi consider using bottled water from the drug store or grocery. You don’t need to haul 36 gallons on this bus, you just need a friend with a car for the first time you fill the tank with water. After that buying 4 gallons a week will probably cover your needs depending on much water evaporates. That brings me to another point - consider a 20 gallon aquarium - you will need less water for it and taking a couple gallons a week on the bus isn’t as big a deal.
3. Maintenance- i think a low stocked Fowlr or soft coral reef can make it 2 weeks with someone reliably feeding it and an auto top
Off unit. Of course there are risks, but it’s doable
Finally - consider going barebottom (no sand). That can help reduce overall maintenance in a tank.
Matt Carden
Valuable Member
Welcome to R2R!
I had a FOWLR 36 gallon setup with a canister filter(not much different than HOB). I bought a 5 gallon water jug from Walmart then found one of those self serve water stations that usually cost $1 to fill. PM @Paul B about his use of the seawater all around you. That would save you alot of money. You wouldn't have to buy salt $25 or bacteria $20. As far as inside the HOB, the only thing I used was live rock rubble. I didn't want to reduce the flow through too much by filters and carbon. You will need 30 lbs of dry rock. You will need a cheap powerhead, try Jaebo. And a heater. Any light will do for FOWLR. T Amazon for a Saltwater master test kit, only $15. Also talk to Paul about making your own food. It is cheaper by the pound. And its debatable that it is better for your tank. This will probably cost you $2-300 to get started with some cheap fish. Good luck and keep us updated with pictures
I had a FOWLR 36 gallon setup with a canister filter(not much different than HOB). I bought a 5 gallon water jug from Walmart then found one of those self serve water stations that usually cost $1 to fill. PM @Paul B about his use of the seawater all around you. That would save you alot of money. You wouldn't have to buy salt $25 or bacteria $20. As far as inside the HOB, the only thing I used was live rock rubble. I didn't want to reduce the flow through too much by filters and carbon. You will need 30 lbs of dry rock. You will need a cheap powerhead, try Jaebo. And a heater. Any light will do for FOWLR. T Amazon for a Saltwater master test kit, only $15. Also talk to Paul about making your own food. It is cheaper by the pound. And its debatable that it is better for your tank. This will probably cost you $2-300 to get started with some cheap fish. Good luck and keep us updated with pictures
bsn_rn_cen
Grandmaster Algae Farmer
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Welcome to reef2reef.
It’s useful to pull up the water quality report.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/wsstate17.pdf
Your alkalinity, GH and TDS aren’t off the charts, which helps as it won’t give you totally erratic salt mixing results. The range is quite high, so hope you don’t end up on a bad day and maybe measure your salt mix result water.
I’d say this would be totally ok for a softie tank even. Is it best to run stripped water through our salt mix process? Yes. Required? Not in this case.
Biggest long term problem would be the orthophosphates added as the pipe anti corrosion agent. If you end up with algae you can’t control this can be a factor.
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Billldg
My Gem Tang Is Watching You
Welcome to R2R!!! Some great advice has already been givin by fellow reefers, remember, nothing good happens fast in a saltwater tank.
thanks for all the responses! I've decided that I will do a fowlr setup. I will try my best to get RO/DI water but if I am unable is the fowlr tank still a option? And what type of stocking can I do, and what lighting do I need. I appreciate all the responses!
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I would not use tap water. Depending whats in the type of water you use will determine the type of problems you will have. You can buy RO water from the store which would probably be your 2nd best option then after that maybe distilled. Honestly though you can get an RO/DI buddy for $60. If you can’t swing that then this probably is the wrong hobby for you as there are fish that cost more then that. The filter is small and portable. You could set it up and take it down if need be.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002...+buddie+di&dpPl=1&dpID=512yg0C0iNL&ref=plSrch
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002...+buddie+di&dpPl=1&dpID=512yg0C0iNL&ref=plSrch
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For a Fowler tank you can buy any lights you want pretty much as fish don’t care. I suggest a cheap LED or T5 light. Just find one to fit your size tank. As an example:
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As for fish I would look here and see what you like then post a list.
https://m.liveaquaria.com/divers-den/category/3/marine-fish
I would not use tap water. Depending whats in the type of water you use will determine the type of problems you will have. You can buy RO water from the store which would probably be your 2nd best option then after that maybe distilled. Honestly though you can get an RO/DI buddy for $60. If you can’t swing that then this probably is the wrong hobby for you as there are fish that cost more then that. The filter is small and portable. You could set it up and take it down if need be.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002...+buddie+di&dpPl=1&dpID=512yg0C0iNL&ref=plSrch
I can purchase a RO/DI system but the thing is I live in an apartment and I'm not sure how I would go about setting it up. I'm not that familiar with a RO/DI system, can I have one in my apartment? In other words how big are they and are they something that I need to have a plumber install? I'm sorry if I sound like an idiot but I'm really not that familiar with these sort of setups lol. Thanks for the response!
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It will fit under your sink. The RO/DI buddy is small. No you don’t need a plumber. They are simple to set up. It comes with all the fittings you need. There is an adapter to fit on the sink or you can go to the hardware store and buy a fitting to add it under the sink if you want to leave it hooked up all the time.
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You don’t sound like an idiot. I was the same way. I didn’t know anything about these filters and I hooked it up so you will have no problem.
Thanks! Looks like I'll pick up one. Do you know have any recommendations of where I can get dry rock( I hear it's cheaper than buying live rock and you avoid picking up unwanted organisms). And what do I need to turn the dry rock into live rock?
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If you can I would buy a bit better filter only because in the long run it will save you money but an RO/DI buddy is going to be the cheapest and smallest RO/DI filter. You would want at least a 4 stage.
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-reverse-osmosis-filters-systems/reverse-osmosis-systems.html
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-reverse-osmosis-filters-systems/reverse-osmosis-systems.html
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All dry rock will become live rock in time. I’ve seen it at some Petco’s or petsmarts or just search dry reef rock online. Amazon will probably be one of the cheaper places to shop.
https://aquarium.bulkreefsupply.com/search?w=Dry rock&asug=
https://www.marinedepot.com/search?Query=dry+rock&sq=dry+rock#/q:Dry$2520rock
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k=dry+reef+rock
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sfin52
So many pedestrians so little time
Hob filter will work just fine for fowlr. I use two fluval hob for my fowlr and a couple of power heads.
Tap water is fine for fowlr. I use it in my tank. You could turn your tank into a macroalgea tank as well. Not coral but it still would look amazing. The macrowould help control nitrates phosphates to control nusience algea. Just a thought.
I would highly recommend a skimmer for your tank as well.
As you can see we all have different ideas but we are all here to help.
@Matt Carden excellent idea on food. $30 made enough food for four months. Better quality as well.
Tap water is fine for fowlr. I use it in my tank. You could turn your tank into a macroalgea tank as well. Not coral but it still would look amazing. The macrowould help control nitrates phosphates to control nusience algea. Just a thought.
I would highly recommend a skimmer for your tank as well.
As you can see we all have different ideas but we are all here to help.
@Matt Carden excellent idea on food. $30 made enough food for four months. Better quality as well.
