Scared of getting a saltwater tank...

[SamuraSun]

Hi all,
I've had many freshwater tanks, small and big, but I've never had a saltwater reef tank.
I've been recently doing a lot of research on how to setup one, the maintenance required and etc. To be honest I'm getting really scared of the amount of effort and time it needs!!!
I really love aquariums but I'm very busy and once or twice a year I go on long vacations (two weeks).
What would you suggest to a person like me? Is it possible to have a tank considering a busy schedule? how about when you go on vacations? is it going to be a big hassle or blocker?

Cheers and thanks for helping an interested newbie

[Cliving1]

I think the hobby is as difficult as ones makes it. If you have the money, automation goes a long way. That being said, some of the simple setups are just as effective and can have similar results. Larger volume is typically better as your parameters will be less likely to be influenced, but if your that unsure, jumping into a large tank probably would not be the best idea either. Always think of the end result, and the rest should fall into place. Salt is not a quick to learn or easy hobby, it can be frustrating to even the most disciplined. However I think the challenge and different setups available is what attracts so many.

[Cliving1]

Oh and patience and research go a long way

[sde1500]

I think a small fish only, or maybe with some softies would be very maintainable. Just set up an easy to care for tank, and have a plan in place for those vacations. An auto feeder and an auto topoff would be good.

[ramseynb]

If you have a local reef club, join that and make some friends. Then you might be able to get someone to check on your tank while you're gone. I have a reef club that's not too far from me, but i'll probably end up paying someone in our neighborhood a small fee to check on things (I have other pets as well).

[SamuraSun]

To be more specific, I have space for a 90 gallonish tank. I was thinking of getting the red sea max e 260 which comes with everything I’ll need to start. Is it a good idea? Or should I start with a smaller tank or something more DIY?

[Uncle99]

It's a great idea but I am sure many reefers would agree that this hobby requires time and patience to be succesful over the term. You can automate many things these days but these things can also be problematic when they fail.
If you are prepared to invest a portion of your time on a regular basis and have someone who can watch it while on vacation...then good idea....otherwise bad IMO.....

[SamuraSun]

Thanks a lot for all your advice, I guess I have to accept that it’s a lot of work, I wanna be more optimistic but it seems like I won’t be able to dedicate enough time for this. I’m gonna join a reef club also to talk with more people. If anyone knows one in NYC please let me know!

[ramseynb]

Originally Posted by SamuraSun

Thanks a lot for all your advice, I guess I have to accept that it’s a lot of work, I wanna be more optimistic but it seems like I won’t be able to dedicate enough time for this. I’m gonna join a reef club also to talk with more people. If anyone knows one in NYC please let me know!

NYC? I'm willing to bet there's more than one! It does take time but I really think it depends on your goals. If you want some fish and soft corals, then it doesn't have to be a lot of work. Just do regular water changes and maybe deal with issues if they arise. If you want a full blown SPS tank, then it's going to be more work. You'll have test parameters, worry about nutrient and other levels, possibly dose additives, etc. However, you can get a smallish tank, a few fish and some softies, clean the glass every once and a while, mix salt and do a water change 1 every week or two, feed your fish and you'll be ok. It is addicting though and if you enjoy challenges, you might find yourself figuring out how to switch to keeping SPS in a year.

[j.falk]

Wait til you are retired. Plenty of time then.

[ramseynb]

Originally Posted by j.falk

Wait til you are retired. Plenty of time then.

Retire? I remember when that used to be a thing in the US!

I'm 37 and I'm wondering if even 20% of people around my age will ever be able to retire.

[SamuraSun]

Originally Posted by ramseynb

NYC? I'm willing to bet there's more than one! It does take time but I really think it depends on your goals. If you want some fish and soft corals, then it doesn't have to be a lot of work. Just do regular water changes and maybe deal with issues if they arise. If you want a full blown SPS tank, then it's going to be more work. You'll have test parameters, worry about nutrient and other levels, possibly dose additives, etc. However, you can get a smallish tank, a few fish and some softies, clean the glass every once and a while, mix salt and do a water change 1 every week or two, feed your fish and you'll be ok. It is addicting though and if you enjoy challenges, you might find yourself figuring out how to switch to keeping SPS in a year.

I’m a go all in or don’t do it at all kinda person! haha
But I’m patient and I will definitely do this slowly if I get a tank! I will definitely start with easy fish and corals till I get a hang of it.
My biggest concern now is when I go out of town for long periods of time!

[SamuraSun]

Originally Posted by j.falk

Wait til you are retired. Plenty of time then.

I’ll have to take care of my grand kids when I retire!

[Troublekitty]

Originally Posted by SamuraSun

To be more specific, I have space for a 90 gallonish tank. I was thinking of getting the red sea max e 260 which comes with everything I’ll need to start. Is it a good idea? Or should I start with a smaller tank or something more DIY?

It all depends on how much you want to spend. I started with a 10g with a HOB an ZERO tank experience. I just did a ton of research and learned what to do and don't do. They say the bigger the tank the easier it is but whats not said is to sizeable water changes. Are you going to make your own? Buy from a LFS? I went small because I didn't know if I was going to be able to handle the upkeep or even keep my tank alive so why should I spend 6-7 hundred if I don't know Ill be able to maintain it. It's honestly not that hard. I do weekly water changes and I do enjoy testing my tank to monitor my levels. I don't want to scare you off on getting what you want. A 90 would be great.

[ramseynb]

Originally Posted by Troublekitty

It all depends on how much you want to spend. I started with a 10g with a HOB an ZERO tank experience. I just did a ton of research and learned what to do and don't do. They say the bigger the tank the easier it is but whats not said is to sizeable water changes. Are you going to make your own? Buy from a LFS? I went small because I didn't know if I was going to be able to handle the upkeep or even keep my tank alive so why should I spend 6-7 hundred if I don't know Ill be able to maintain it. It's honestly not that hard. I do weekly water changes and I do enjoy testing my tank to monitor my levels. I don't want to scare you off on getting what you want. A 90 would be great.

I started with a 12g JBJ nano that was on sale at Drs. Foster and Smith. Then upgraded to a 175g bowfront. There's been many other tanks that have come and gone since then.

[SamuraSun]

Originally Posted by ramseynb

I started with a 12g JBJ nano that was on sale at Drs. Foster and Smith. Then upgraded to a 175g bowfront. There's been many other tanks that have come and gone since then.

To your experience, was there a huge difference in effort and the time you put between the nano and the 175g tank?

[ramseynb]

Originally Posted by SamuraSun

To your experience, was there a huge difference in effort and the time you put between the nano and the 175g tank?

Yes, the 175g was a lot more time consuming and more expensive. A lot of people say that a larger tank is easier due to stability but I’ve had better luck with smaller tanks to be honest. You just have to keep up with water changes in a small tank and don’t overload it with fish. With a big tank, a water change means big brute trash cans rolling around, etc. It always felt like a huge chore. My current tank is about 40g (maybe 45g total water with sump) and I have a 14g brute tub next to the tank with a couple of old pumps in it and a heater and I use that to mix salt. I dump 5-10g (depends on the day) of water in it, mix my salt and let it mix well. Then I siphon out about 5g from my tank and use a gallon pitcher and fill my display tank back up. Easy and I’m not having to move around 20-30g of water with a pump. I should also point out that I do have an auto top off set up. I have an RO/DI unit hooked up in the garage that has a hose that runs to the living room and to an ATO container that has a float valve in it. In there, I have a Tunze ATO. It would be more work having to top the tank off daily but not much more. I dose ZEOvit products so I have various blue bottles that I’m adding drops from daily. I actually enjoy that part though. Water changes, not so much so I try to make it pretty easy.

[homer1475]

Even water changes are easy if you originally set the tank up for it.

I have a spare room(fish room/guest bedroom) that has my brutes in it. When I need to do a WC I plug in a pump, dump out 10 or so gallons(have a drain line plumbed into my sewer lines), flip another valve, remotely turn on pump(those x-mas light remote thingies work great), when my sump is full I turn the pump off.

Only hard part is turning the RO/DI unit on to fill my buckets back up, and dumping in salt.

If you have the room and money to automate quite a bit, it's not that hard or time consuming. What I have found over the years, the easier you make maintenance tasks, the faster and more often they get done. Maintenance is the one thing you do not want to skimp on. I spend maybe 30 minutes to an hour a week doing maintenance on my 80G. Sometimes more, sometimes less it all depends on what needs to be done.

[sde1500]

I’m about to automate my water changes completely. 32 gallon brute trash can for salt water. Connected to that is a 2 head 100gpd fixed Stenner peristaltic pump. I’ll connect the pump to a timer. 30 min a day it will turn on, pump water out of the brute and into the tank with one head, the other head will pump water out of the tank and down the drain. No more lugging buckets. And once a month I’ll just need to refill the brute.

[SamuraSun]

Ah, issue of living in Brooklyn is that I don’t have the space for all that! But I saw some videos on youtube that people build up to a no water change tank after a while by using deep sand bed, miracle mud and etc! That would be my goal, to build a full nature like ecosystem.

[sde1500]

No water change takes a while to work up to. Two tanks I recommend you check out for that would be in the SPS sub forum here. FarmerTy and GlennF. Two different methods, both with excellent results.

[SamuraSun]

Originally Posted by sde1500

No water change takes a while to work up to. Two tanks I recommend you check out for that would be in the SPS sub forum here. FarmerTy and GlennF. Two different methods, both with excellent results.

I’ll check those out, thanks!

[IPT]

Lots of people gave good advice and it is true, Saltwater in and of itself is not that much harder then fresh water. It all depends on what level you want to take it too. Also how good your tap water is. I used to run without RO in NY (and currently do in Alaska too) but that's just for fish, softies, and a few hard SPS mike Montipora and Hydrophona. Start having algae issues and then RO might be needed. As usual same as freshwater watching overfeeding and nutrient import .

For me the first automation I did and would not do Salt without again is an autotop off. If your not keeping a full blown SPS tank than the salinity is going to be the first thing to wander and need constant attending too. I like the Tunze unit myself, it's never failed me in over 15 years.

Good luck and have fun. It can be very addicting! You're lucky to be in NY. No frag swaps up here or good clubs in the boonies.

[Sk8r]

For a long vacation, bring a rubbermaid Brute trashcan into play as your topoff reservoir and relax. A 50 gallon tank can evaporate a gallon a day, but if you are gone 14 days, you will not run out of water, which is the biggest danger. An Eheim autofeeder poised atop your feeding port can feed multiple times a day, be it only flake, which is enough to prevent fin nippage; and your lights are on timer. If your skimmer sits in the sump, the worst it will do is overflow a bit and send some skimmate back where it got it, to no great detriment in 14 days. I have left mine as long as a month with instructions to a house sitter to switch the hose to another topoff Brute, and found my tank quite happy. We all have lives. This is an exacting hobby and you WILL learn salt water chemistry and a bit of plumbing, but it is far from rocket science. Join a reef club, best source of help. And read the information in the top of the New To Hobby forum BEFORE you spend money on wrong equipment. HTH!

[SamuraSun]

Originally Posted by IPT

Lots of people gave good advice and it is true, Saltwater in and of itself is not that much harder then fresh water. It all depends on what level you want to take it too. Also how good your tap water is. I used to run without RO in NY (and currently do in Alaska too) but that's just for fish, softies, and a few hard SPS mike Montipora and Hydrophona. Start having algae issues and then RO might be needed. As usual same as freshwater watching overfeeding and nutrient import .

For me the first automation I did and would not do Salt without again is an autotop off. If your not keeping a full blown SPS tank than the salinity is going to be the first thing to wander and need constant attending too. I like the Tunze unit myself, it's never failed me in over 15 years.

Good luck and have fun. It can be very addicting! You're lucky to be in NY. No frag swaps up here or good clubs in the boonies.

Did you ever had any issue with using tap water in NY? I'm thinking of having a coral heavy tank but not a lot of SPS corals! I will start with RO water but I wanted to know if I need that for every water change.