Salt water aquariums/corals?

awatkins

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Hi everybody,

Anybody here keep saltwater set-ups? I just got an assignment to write an article about the care and feeding of corals. I've always thought that corals are so beautiful (and they're protected in many areas now). This will be a fun, interesting, complicated, learning-intensive assignment for me.

Are corals hard to maintain? I've got two freshwater tanks--have kept tropical fish for YEARS--but have never been brave (or smart) enough to tackle a salt water tank.

~ Anne
 

MacAllister

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I'm just about to tackle a salt-water tank--haven't set it up yet. Let me know what you find out, Anne! I'd love to have corals and seahorses, but have heard that both are pretty tricky to keep alive and healthy.
 

awatkins

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Oh, lucky you, Mac! I've always thought salt water tanks are soooo beautiful. Let me know how things go.

I have to contact companies and manufacturers about the products needed to successfully maintain and feed corals, so hopefully I'll be able to pitch a few tips your way. :)
 

DaveKuzminski

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I maintained a saltwater tank almost 30 years ago. The biggest problem was keeping replacement saltwater on hand. I did that by making and keeping the new saltwater in a heavy-duty plastic trash can. That way I could measure the balance of the salt and the pH before exposing the fish and shrimp I was keeping at the time to it. I didn't have any live coral, but the piece of coral in the tank was quite popular with both the fish and shrimp. I darn near had success in getting the shrimp to breed, but the tank eventually got out of balance and we lost everything in it. Because I was in the military at the time and was reassigned shortly after that happened, I never started another saltwater tank.
 

sandymae2000

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Dear Anne:

I just finished writing a 40-page site about saltwater aquariums and corals. I had no idea how interesting they are.

The best information I found was on the about.com, saltwater aquarium pages. The guides are a husband and wife team who have written hundreds of pages of great information. There are some pictures and useful links to other sites, also.

Good luck with the assignment.
Sandy
 

awatkins

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Hi Dave,

Sounds like you were on the right track if your shrimp were doing that well! Salt tanks are so gorgeous and I'd love to have one some day.

Musing: You know, I bet a power failure would ruin a salt tank in no time. Back in '98 we were without electricty for 11 days during an ice storm. We had two large freshwater tanks and didn't lose any fish at all; blankets on the tanks, kerosene heater in the house that kept the temps fine. But if those tanks had been salt, it would have been bye bye, fishies!
 

awatkins

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Hi Sandy,

Where is your site? I'd love to see it. Salt/reef tanks are incredible!

Got the article turned in over the weekend. It was for a trade so it had a technical/retail angle, but I'd love to do something with a hobbyist slant sometime. If I ever get the opportunity, I'll certainly check out the about.com pages! Thanks so much for the tip. :)
 
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