How much flow should a FOWLR tank have? Most people will suggest a good minimum is to have your return pump turn over your main display tank volume 20 times per hour. The first method of flow in your aquarium is your return pump, assuming you have a sump of some kind – either a traditional sump in your stand or an integrated sump in the back of the main aquarium. You need to make sure there is a good amount of water flowing in, around, and through your rocks in your new tank when starting out to allow the micro-organisms to process the waste in the tank. Most of the fish I’ve purchased have been fifty dollars or less. It’s not uncommon for fish to cost well over one hundred dollars although I’ve personally never spent that much. Saltwater fish are not inexpensive either. A good-quality small AIO is going to cost over a thousand dollars and bigger ones can easily exceed a few thousand. Some people even keep backups of critical equipment such as return pumps and heaters in case of failure.Ī new All-In-One aquarium is expensive but piecing together all of the components and totaling up their cost is likely going to be nearly as costly. Ongoing maintenance costs are reasonable but occasionally you may need to replace a piece of equipment that may cost a couple of hundred dollars. It’s a big step beginning, but once you’ve made your initial investment the process and expense much more manageable. This isn’t an inexpensive hobby for people to get into. This would include live rock, water, fish, an all-in-one aquarium like the Red Sea MAX-E 170, and a few miscellaneous bits and bobs such as a water heater, fish food, and thermometer. How much does it cost to start a saltwater tank? The total cost to set up a beginner saltwater fish tank properly will typically be $2500-$3000. How Much Does It Cost To Set Up A Saltwater Fish Tank? It may seem counterintuitive but it is much easier to maintain if your budget can handle the added expense. For instance, I have a 125-gallon aquarium and I firmly believe that it would be a good first tank for most beginners to choose. Choose as big a tank as you can for your first aquarium. Larger saltwater aquariums have more water to dilute the fish waste, uneaten food, and dead matter. This can quickly make your saltwater tank deadly. The reason is that since the amount of water is so small, excess fish waste, uneaten food, and dead matter release toxic ammonia and nitrites into the small amount of water which doesn’t dilute it as easily. When parameters such as ammonia, phosphates, or nitrates begin to spike they do so more rapidly and drastically in a smaller amount of water, which can more quickly harm or kill fish and corals. They are cheaper to set up but require a lot more attention due to their small water volume.Ī nano saltwater aquarium can turn catastrophic quickly if you overfeed or something dies before you can discover and remove it.

My 125-gallon tank gets a water change every 2-weeks.ĭon’t be tempted by those beautiful nano aquariums just yet.

40-gallon tanks should be maintained at least weekly. 20-gallon aquariums need attention every couple of days. For instance, a 5-gallon aquarium needs attention every day. You may be concerned that a larger aquarium will require more maintenance but you’d mostly be wrong.

Not just for the aquarium but for all of the equipment as well. If your budget can handle a 125-gallon aquarium, like the one I have, you’ll find it very easy to have a thriving saltwater ecosystem. The more stable the tank the easier it is to maintain water parameters in a healthy range. The larger the tank the more stable it will be. In smaller tanks, it is more difficult to maintain stable water parameters. What Size Saltwater Tank Should A Beginner Get?Ī beginner should get a tank no smaller than 40 gallons.

Salt for marine aquarium