Newbie advice sought freshwater or marine?

[Terry Jones]

I would appreciate some advice...

I have never kept had an aquarium other than a small goldfish tank as a
child.

I am keen to begin keeping fish as a serious hobby. As a some-time
scuba diver the thought of a marine tank is very appealing to me.

I have read loads of FAQ's and a couple of books on the subject and feel
that I would be up to handling the technical matters.

I was thinking of community tank with 50 gallons or so. I'm not too
bothered about inveribrates other than the fact that I love clownfish
and they appreciate anemonies...

The question is how likely am I to be successful with a marine tank?
Should I be a bit less ambitious and go for fresh water and add a marine
tank later?

Terry Jones
terry...@gecm.com_nojunkemail

[Matt Pritchard]

Terry Jones wrote:

With a large tank and a good filtration, it isn't that hard at all!

I have been keeping marine fish since the fourth grade and have found
them to be no harder, though more time consuming (because of the monthly
water changes) than freshwater.

The important thing is to purchase or build a good biological filter. I
would advise a wet/dry. You must also get a protein skimmer. For more
information about these, please take a look at
http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~aquaria/krib/filters/sasala/

Lighting will depend on the type of invertebrates (if any) you keep.

To cycle your tank, I would advise purchasing 4 blue damsel fish. These
fish are very hardy. You will also need to get a few gallons of water
or an old filter from an established tank. The best way to get this is
to ask your aquarium dealer to save you some of the water he/she syphons
from the gravel of his/her marine tanks when they do water changes. When
you put it in your tank, your water will become extremely cloudy, don't
worry, the cloudiness will go away in a few days.

Your tank will go through a series of algae blooms as it cycles. During
this time you will need to test your water at least once a week. When
all the tests stabilize at the advised level, your tank will be cycled.
You may now remove the damsels and put in one or two of your desired
fish, adding a few every month. It is imperative that you study each
species before adding it, so you can be sure of their compatibility.

[Nathanael Henderson]

: I have read loads of FAQ's and a couple of books on the subject and feel

: that I would be up to handling the technical matters.

:
: The question is how likely am I to be successful with a marine tank?

: Should I be a bit less ambitious and go for fresh water and add a marine
: tank later?

If you understand the basic concepts behind it, I think your chances
are quite good. While actual experience is quite valuable, there's
nothing magical at work--if you understand what constitutes a healthy
environment for an organism and know how to provide it, there's no reason
to be afraid of trying to keep said organism. :-)

Nathan H.