jeudi 30 octobre 2014

Ultra Newbie or am I psyching myself out? First time saltwater questions.

Hello Everyone,



This is my first post and I'd like to Introduce myself.



My name is Dominic I'm 29 and I live in PA and I'm scared to death of owning a saltwater tank, I need your help.



I would not call myself a novice animal keeper as I am a lover of all animals especially reptiles and own a few hard to keep specimens.



I'm don't own any fish but I'm well versed in freshwater aquatics due to my Axolotl Salamander breeding colony. I know the basic's of cycling tanks as well as some more advanced stuff like adding c02 for plant growth.



I've had my eye on owning a Peacock Mantis Shrimp for a while and I recently picked up a 30 gallon fish tank with a stand on craigslist and figured I would bite the bullet. With all my supposed animal keeping knowledge I sat down and stared at this empty tank filled with dread of all the horror stories I've heard about Saltwater ownership.



This fear comes from my childhood as my estranged father also loved "exotic" animals but did not have the motivation or knowledge to properly take care of these unique animals resulting in my opinion gross neglect and abuse. It has instilled in my an almost neurotic attention to detail when it comes to animal care.



I'm rambling so heres the skinny of it.



The actual Question(s)



How do I start? I am looking for some super specific guide online or maybe a book that explains from start to finish how to set up a FOWLR tank that doesn't assume I know anything because I don't want to accidentally forget something and kill my inhabitants.



Once I have the tank set up 30 gallon Fowlr how do I stock it? What is the rule of thumb? I know Mantis Shrimp are mostly a solitary animal but I know some top swimming fish are usually introduced as well. What is the fish per gallon rule?



Any other Protips? I heard joining a Reef Club is a good idea for beginners so I found the "Delaware Valley Reef Club" and signed up yesterday I'm still waiting to hear back from them.



Thank you all! for reading my long ass post I work in an office so all I do is browse forums so if you need anymore information ask and I'll jump back in shortly.




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