MyFishTank.Net Freshwater Saltwater Aquarium Fish Forum - View Single Post

colesea · 01-19-2003, 10:33 PM

No problem Niki. It's great to see someone dedicated enough in the hobby to ask intelligent questions, and it is a pleasure to answer them for you. Saltwater keeping is not all that difficult once you learn the ropes, and can be just as easy as a FW tank provided you give it the proper care. After awhile it all becomes second nature. I hope I haven't discouraged you too much.

A great way to keep your dream alive is to start a journal, writting down your ideas and the information you find. Visit your LFSs regularly and price shop. You can get cheap equipment if you look hard enough. The SW side of the hobby is full of as much antidotal information as the FW side, so keep in mind what might work for someone else may not work in your situation. Take all advice with a grain of salt. The only way you'll know the employee at the LFS is selling you something fishy is to keep yourself well informed!

The best way to plan a SW tank is around the fish you intend to keep. Jot down the species of fish you are interested in, then look them up in several sources. I like books more than the internet personally, and the library photocopies are not that expensive. Heck, even Borders and some other bookstores let you preview without buying. I go to Borders all the time to look stuff up, I sit down right in the aisle and read it.

To be honest, I don't have any personal SW tanks at all either because I don't have the space, finances, or time to dedicate to one. That and I don't want to show up all my friends who are so proud of themselves for struggling through with absolutely no clue as to what the hell they are doing.
~~Colesea

01-19-2003, 10:33 PM	#4 (permalink)
colesea Super Fish Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: NY USA Posts: 1,612	No problem Niki. It's great to see someone dedicated enough in the hobby to ask intelligent questions, and it is a pleasure to answer them for you. Saltwater keeping is not all that difficult once you learn the ropes, and can be just as easy as a FW tank provided you give it the proper care. After awhile it all becomes second nature. I hope I haven't discouraged you too much. A great way to keep your dream alive is to start a journal, writting down your ideas and the information you find. Visit your LFSs regularly and price shop. You can get cheap equipment if you look hard enough. The SW side of the hobby is full of as much antidotal information as the FW side, so keep in mind what might work for someone else may not work in your situation. Take all advice with a grain of salt. The only way you'll know the employee at the LFS is selling you something fishy is to keep yourself well informed! The best way to plan a SW tank is around the fish you intend to keep. Jot down the species of fish you are interested in, then look them up in several sources. I like books more than the internet personally, and the library photocopies are not that expensive. Heck, even Borders and some other bookstores let you preview without buying. I go to Borders all the time to look stuff up, I sit down right in the aisle and read it. To be honest, I don't have any personal SW tanks at all either because I don't have the space, finances, or time to dedicate to one. That and I don't want to show up all my friends who are so proud of themselves for struggling through with absolutely no clue as to what the hell they are doing. ~~Colesea __________________ The above, of course, is strictly opinion. If you don't have your own, I'll gladly give you mine.