posted 03-04-2004 09:04 AM         

1. A glass tank will be cheaper and less likely to scratch. An acrylic tank will scratch more easily but the scratches can be buffed out and acrylic is supposedly "clearer" than glass.

2. Filtration I never looked into, sorry. But I know it's not your average filter.

3. Big investment!!! You will need a large tank, the stuff to actually make the salt water, something called a protein skimmer, and much more I'm sure. Then there's the livestock. Live rock usually runs about $50 per pound where I live and the fish are anywhere $15-$200. Also, there is generally no guarantee on salt water fish in my corner of the world. They are sold as is and if they die on the way to your house...too bad!

4. I don't think keeping salt water would be much harder if you understand all the aspects of keeping it up before setting the tank up. The same thing as fresh water, if you know what your doing before buying your fish you will most likely have an easier time getting it going than you would if you were clueless about bacteria and whatnot.

Hopefully there are some people here with more knowledge to share with you. I just thought I would throw in my two cents worth. Good luck to you and your future piece of the ocean!

posted 03-04-2004 10:41 AM         

FO is basically the same as a freshwater aquarium except you use salt water. For a 55 gallon you'd probably want an adequately sized wet/dry filter and protein skimmer. It's the least expensive salt tank to set up, but is still more costly in terms of equipment, upkeep and especially livestock than fresh.

FOWLR uses liverock/livesand as an filtration aid. It can either be in the tank as a substrate/decoration or in a sump(refugium). The advantage is deep bed livesand can be used to breakdown nitrate and the variety organisms can provide a food source for your fish. High quality liverock is fairly expensive.

Reef tanks are by far the most elaborate, expensive and difficult. They're generally not recommended for people without experience with FO or FOWLR tanks. Set-up properly, they can require very little maintenance beyond addition of nutrients and "top up" water. However, expect to pay a lot to set one up. Specialty equipment includes metal halide lights, lots of powerheads for water movement, and a variety of filtration "methods". Fish and corals are both very expensive. They're nice though.

posted 03-04-2004 01:09 PM         

NOW WHEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT PROTIEN SKIMMERS (A MUST) THEY ARE A COUPLE HUNDRED TOO. I SUGGEST SEA CLONES. YOU HAVE TO MAKE A SMALL MODIFICATION BUT IT WORKS SO GREAT!!!

POWER HEADS AREN'T TOO SPENDY BUT DEFINATLY NEEDED. FISH LOVE IT.

THERE IS ONE SHORT CUT YOU CAN MAKE. BUY BIG CHUNKS OF LACE ROCK AND MIX IT WITH SMALL INEXPENIVE LIVE ROCK PIECES. YOU'LL NEED LIVE SAND FOR THIS. THE RULTS WILL TAKE A LITTLE TIME BUT IS WELL WORTH IT.