that all i need to set up a saltwater tank is live rock and then add fish, is this true or is it just that simple?

No there is a little more to it than that. Something that simple might and thats a longshot, might work but odds are against you without taking a few more steps than that.

First thing you gotta do is decide what kinda tank you want. There is FO (Fish Only), FOWLR(Fish Only With Live Rock) then Reef tank. Under Reef Tanks there are two basic ways you can go prehaps three. Soft Corals which include soft corals such as Leathers, Zoanthids and a long and lengthy list of others. SPS, Small Polyps Stoney corals which are your hard branching type and then there is a mixture of both. Each of these will dictate the lighting you need and a lot of the equipment you will need.

Once this is figured out you can assemble the required equipment and set the tank up. You will need to cycle the tank which can take 3-5 weeks. During this time you will not want any live stock or invertibrates in the tank as the extreme swings in ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels will more than likely doom them. With a new tank, many people will "cure" the live rock while cycling the tank. Once this is done and the water parameters have stablized out and things are running smooth you can add live stock.

Some of the first things that should be added is a "clean up crew". This will consist of various Snails, Hemit crabs and prehaps a star fish and shrimp. These guys might seem unworthy but they will cut your maintenance work in half if properly chosen and stocked at the right levels number wise.

About a week after those guys have been added you can now add a fish or two once every 7-10 days. Obviously small fish like Damsels can be added as a small school of 3-7 with little problems. Of course if your adding a large fish such as a Grouper then you will have to move a bit slower and add only one at a time. Corals can be added at a slightly quicker rate and a couple at a time. If you add too much live stock too quick your systems bacteria level may not be able to keep up fast enough and your water quality will go south and this can cause whats refered too as a "tank crash".

Saltwater tanks arent all that much more harder than a nice freshwater set up, but they are very unforgiving if you get in too much of a hurry or make radical changes suddenly.

I would suggest lots of reserch and lots of questions to someone you trust and to make good use of the internet and all that it has to offer and then decide what type of system you want to build. Develop a rock solid plan that will get you there and stick to it. Remember patients in this aspect of the aquarium hobby as nothing good happens in a saltwater tank fast, only bad things happen fast!!!

Hth scratch the surface a little bit more for you. This is still pretty vague but should give you a little more back ground. I would have to write a book tonight to cover all of the possibilities here. If you tell me what you want and the "look" your striving for I can help you wade through the better part of it enough to help you choose the right equipment, live stock and what not.


Reef tanks are awesome! They are drop dead goregous not to take away from freshwater of course. There is just so much more life that can be seen in a healthy reef tank and a much more diverse number of really cool critters in those little glass boxes too. Good luck with it!

dang....you are good at saltwater LOL

I dont know everything...but I do have a few laps around the block though, so to speak.

There are a lot of ways to have a successful tank but not too many sure fire ways to have a bad one. Just got to decide what you want and how you want to get there. Some people like the Berlin Method, some like the Jaubert style tanks and some like a combo a couple differnet styles. Thats one reason I recommend doing some research so much, so you can make an informed choice and do whats best for you and your critters of course!

Most of my tanks use lots a live rock like the Berlin Style tanks and the same type of sump for filtration. Since I am a fan of "Biology before Technology" I also like to use large refugiums as well as opposed to relying on a skimmer for removing DOC's as well as excess nutrient export. But one this is for sure, I am truely a certified "SPS coral and Tridacna Clam freak" in no uncertain terms!

But hey each tank is different. What works great for me might not exactly be the "Cats Meow" for you.

Im actually planning a SW tank, and I found that reading books is one of the best ways to learn. I have 4 books dedicated to SW fish now, which all come in handy (and a couple took a nice bite out of my paycheck! :o )

--Dan

None of the really good ones are cheap by any strech of the imagination! I have a whole foot locker of them! I really hate to think about how much I have spent on them. Any by Mike Paletta, Anthony Califero, Steve Tyree, Daniel Knopp or Julian Sprung are more than worth the price you paid! These guys are the "Dean" of Reef Tanks, Corals or Clams. I promise you wont be disappointed in their writings! If you ever get a chance to hear these guys speak, by all means available , do so!