Anyone keep saltwater fish? (survive, food, cost, favor)

[Valea]

Hi
I plan to set up a 55 gallon saltwater fish tank . Couple of clown fish couple of yellow tail Fiji damselfish.

I was thinking of storing saltwater in plastic barrels in garage and filtering them BEFORE adding them to tank not just to set up tank but for weekly water changes . Would get the water from clean reef in Key west
Anyone do this any input?

Thanks

[JustPassinThru]

Originally Posted by Valea

Hi
I plan to set up a 55 gallon saltwater fish tank . Couple of clown fish couple of yellow tail Fiji damselfish.

I was thinking of storing saltwater in plastic barrels in garage and filtering them BEFORE adding them to tank not just to set up tank but for weekly water changes . Would get the water from clean reef in Key west
Anyone do this any input?

Thanks

Using natural water instead of synthetic is very tempting if you have easy access. I considered this and then decided against it after doing some research. You have to deal with trace elements, micro organisms, and frequent water changes. There are no benefits that I am aware of, and it is more costly and time-consuming.

Water changes can be stressful to the fish, so I limited mine to monthly. My clownfish did just fine without any anemones, and were a favorite with kids.
My bio system took longer to stabilize because I didn't check the pre-filter daily for uneaten food. The starter fish survived my inept care and became my favorites.

I think your tank will support about 12 inches of fish, but you can exceed this limit with excellent care. Good luck.

[virangos]

Check out Reef Central Online Community
and
Fishaholics Homepage
Both sites will give you very helpful information.

As JustPassinThru said with diligent care you could probably do more. Are you planning Fish only or are you using live rock?

My Clown (true Percula) doesn't have a host anemone and is doing just fine. I did add a Bubbletip for him and he ignores it.