Salt water tanks for dummies :)

Question
Hi!
Well i've been taking care of fresh water fish for 4 yrs. now. i want to take care of marine fish but i have no idea how to start, i only have a 5 gallon tank (no space for any bigger) but i searched that it's impossible. but i really want to so What do i do? what kind of fish/es could i buy? i don't want anything too fancy but i want to have clown fish or something like that. what kind of set-up should i do? i have an air pump and side filter. im at total loss here :( NO idea.

Answer
Hi Cirille,

I have some excellent suggestions!  And no, your 5 gallon tank is NOT too small. :)

You should put a hang on back filter on it.  I'd recommend one rated for at least 30 gallons, and even though the filter might look really big on the back of the aquarium, it will handle your saltwater system efficiently.  Saltwater tanks require lots of filtration.  Find a filter that is the biggest the back will handle.

Buy a bag of live sand.  You should have at least 2 inches of sand in the bottom.

Start with Marine Salt (you can buy it in a petstore) and dose the tank with 1/2 C of salt per gallon.  

If you go to Wal Mart, right now they have Hydrometers on sale.  A hyderometer is a really neat device that measures our water to see how much salt is in it.  You fill it with water and watch the dial rise and fall.  When the dial gets steady, it should read 1.022 to be corred salinity for fish.  I keep mine a bit higher, so if you go to 1.025 it is fine also.

Once the system is running, you should let it run for one month.

Make sure to heat the system to 76 degrees during this time.  For one month, water will evaporate daily and you just add freshwater to it to replace the evaporated water.  In a saltwater tank, when it evaporates, the salt stays in the water.  Just water evaporates, but if you worry about salt levels, use your Hydrometer to test them.

During this month, you can go to the store to buy some test strips.  The reason I recommend water test strips instead of the bottles, is that they are easy for beginners.  After getting hold of the ideals behind saltwater fish-keeping, you can upgrade, but for now, this will be a sufficient way to begin and affordable as well.

Dip the strips in the water every 3 days.  If you have nitrates, ammonia or nitrites, do a partial water change of 25% of the water.  That means, drain 25% and replace it with saltwater.

Check the water every 3 days during the month that the tank runs, but in the second week, you can add a pair of snails.  They will help get the nitrification process going.  I recommend Nassarius snails.  They burrow into the sand, and they rise through it, keeping it nice and clean as well, so they are very beneficial to your system in the long run.  Feed them one very small pinch of food a day while they are in there.  This will help the cycle start.

At the end of the month, get one small fish and add it.  You have begun keeping saltwater fish.

If you want a "reef" aquarium, and corals, then you have to invest in a high quality light.  They sell T5 High Output lighting for your sized aquarium online, on Ebay.  They will run you around $100 each, but are worth it.

For now, begin with fish (that's my recommendation until you get the hang of it).

You can have 2 fish in your 5 gallon tank, as long as you use a huge filter on the back and change its cartridge every month.

I recommend something small, which will stay small.  You can get a pair of clownfish, but they will eventually outgrow the aquarium.

There are gobies which stay small, and many fish for the aquarium which stay small.  Check your local pet store.  Tell him what sized tank you have.  He will recommend fish for you.

Also, I do recommend 2 hermit crabs to 4 hermits to eat debris from the bottom.  I also recommend one shrimp.  Preferably a cleaner shrimp of some kind.  

You might consider putting some live rock into the tank as well.

This should be a sufficient way to start.

You will LOVE your saltwater tank!

I do!  :)

Renee