Seeking Help with Saltwater Tank

I have had several freshwater tanks throughout my life, dating all the way back to my childhood. Deep down I have always wanted a saltwater tank. I have been told by a few friends over the years that creating an ideal saltwater environment that the fish will flourish in can be tricky at best. To avoid buying fish only to see them not survive I would love to hear any and all suggestions that you may have, including fatal mistakes that you may have made in your early saltwater tank experience.

Thanks and I look forward to reading your comments.

I have researched getting a saltwater aquarium in the past, or a reef aquarium actually, however, I have never taken the time and pulled the ball. The main thing that has actually been holding me back is the cost. The number one piece of advice that I have been told time and time again is to make sure you do your research.

If you are interested in getting a saltwater tank, figure out what size aquarium you want, and then research everything you need. There are many people out in the saltwater world who will give you lovely advice.


However, with that being said, saltwater and reef aquariums seem to be one of those things where you can do your research but you will never fully know how to do it properly until your actually doing it yourself. No amount of research will make up for the experience of actually setting up a reef aquarium yourself.

Firstly it will depend on the type of saltwater tank you are thinking of.
Fish only
Invertibrates only
Mixed fish and inverts.
The tank needs to be the largest you can afford and have space for but a minimum should really be 30 gallons capacity.
Filtration is always a bone of contention but being old school I would go with powered undergravel and auxilliary outside power filtration.
There are a good selection of "hardy" marine species and if the tank is just decorated with sand, petrified wood and rockwork should the need for copper medication be required then it can be used without a problem. (Although after it's use you will not be able to introduce invertabrates, anemones or corals as the lingering copper residue will kill them).