[J_9]

Kae, I hope this gets to you. I have recently acquired a 55 gallon long tank and hubby would like to set up a salt water tank. We don't have filters yet, nor do we have lights. Only the tank and the stand.

Can you please walk me through this?

[AKaeTrue]

Sure can! Would be happy to!
Has your husband mentioned what kind of set up he'd like?
Fish only, live rock (what I have), reef?

[J_9]

He's going back and forth now from salt to fresh. But I know he was thinking of reef.

[AKaeTrue]

The pros to fresh water is that it's quicker and less expensive to set up.
The cons, it's not a salt water reef LOL

The pros to salt water reef, a gorgeous aquarium.
The cons, expensive to set up.

The lighting is pricey, however you can affordable build or have someone build a canopy top for your aquarium and install a ballast for the lighting system it will need.
That's what I did, and it's a money saving option.

I'm not sure how the reef is priced, but it's probably per pound like the rock.

Those would be the two biggest expenses, totaling more than all the other equipment cost combined.

[AKaeTrue]

You've had fresh water tanks in the past if I remember correctly so here's a list
Of equipment for saltwater setups that's different than freshwater.
Canister filter
Protein skimmer
Power head
Hydrometer

For the lighting, you can build your own canopy top to install the light system in.
There are free DIY aquarium canopy top (and cabinet stand) building instructions online and
It will cost a fraction of the price.
I did this and really saved a lot of money, some people don't like canopy tops but it's always an option.

As far as mixing the salt & water and maintenance goes, It's really not that difficult at all.
Most peoples concerns are about nitrate levels & water changes and acclimation processes for fish and invertebrates in newly set up aquariums.
But it's one of those things, the more you do it, the easier it gets.

If your husband wants to go marine, 55 gallons is a great size for it, and they are so nice,
Especially reef, those tanks are gorgeous.

Of course freshwater can be just as nice if he decides to go that route,
I love my freshwater tanks, I was just joking above because of the big differences.

Do you have any particular questions about anything?
If or when you do, just let me know and I'd be happy to see if I could answer them for you.

Be careful of what you read online as well, some of the info about marine tanks is incorrect, and some borderline.

Hope you and your family have a happy 4th of July!

[J_9]

Kae,

We have decided to go with a tropical tank with ciclids. We have 3 fish at the moment, some kind of parrot fish, and oscar, and a pike. We have had the fish for about 24 hours. The water is already getting cloudy. Is this normal?

[AKaeTrue]

Yes, very normal. Being that it's only been 24 hours,
The cloudiness is more than likely due to a high ammonia level caused by fish waste.
Welcome to the cycling process:)

Have you added anything to the water?

[J_9]

I'm not sure if he has added anything to the water. Hubby has been doing this while I have been at work. LOL

Will the cloudiness go away on it's own? What do we have to do from here?

You say a high ammonia level due to fish waste, will that happen with only 3 small fish in a 55 gallon long tank?

[AKaeTrue]

Yes, ammonia will build up in the water because the tank has not cycled yet.
This early on there is no beneficial bacteria built up in the aquarium and filters
To break down waste and toxins.

The cloudiness will go away on it's own as the tank cycles.
It's caused by ammonia and bacterial blooms (good bacterial blooms)
I wrote a sticky that explains the aquarium cycle, but please let me know if
You have any questions about it.

You can either cycle the natural way and allow the good bacteria to develop on its own which takes about 4 to 6 weeks.
You have hardy fish and if they're healthy they should do fine.
A few partial water changes a week will help remove some of the toxins building up in the water so that it's easier on the fish.
Any more work could do more harm than good unless you notice your fish stressing, then a bit more water will need to be changed more often.

Another option is to use bottled bacteria.
It's added to the water and cycles the aquarium quickly w/o all the hassle of water changes.
Cycle by Nutrafin is my #1 choice for bottled bacteria and a product called stress zime is the absolute worst.

I use to cycle naturally until I discovered that using the bottled stuff really worked and took away all the frustration.:)