Hello from Ireland

[Ysolla]

Hi all,
I have never had an aquarium of any kind (not even a goldfish)! But for several years now I cannot escape marine aquariums. I have scoured the internet, "pet" stores specializing in this field - there is only one about 60miles from where I live, oh and books, but I am skeptical about relying on them. I am somewhat timid about starting such a tank cause I have no experience and don't want to make any poor critter suffer and maybe be an absolute sap at being able to keep the whole thing going. I think I need advice from people who have nothing to gain financially but have good experience in the field. On top of all this, we experience occasional power cuts in the winter.

So, with all this in mind - would it be absolutely crazy of me to try keeping a marine tank with no experience of aquariums?

All advice gratefully recieved.
Cathy :flower:

 

[Nowellsy SNR]

Hi and welcome to RS

I would say with plenty of reading up asking questions etc etc why not give it a try BUT the only thing i would be worried about is the power cuts this could be fatal to a Marine setup.......

 

[Ysolla]

Hi
The power cuts are one of my biggest concerns - they could be anything from a blip to several hours. I know at work we had PC equipment plugged into some kind of device which kept them up and running in such an event - would something like this be a possibility or do I just need a generator? How long would it take for the tank water to become too cold?

Cathy

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

:welcomera to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members, that are very knowledgeable & always willing to help

 

[Lazyfish]

Welcome! I'm new too & also suffer from power outages.
I Live in a somewhat rural area of Louisiana & we loose power ALOT. I have a generator & run the pumps/ lights/ heaters when I can but it can be 8 + hrs with out power some times. I try to circulate the water by hand I(Or with a cup) every few hours if have no generator hooked up.
Some species are more susceptible to the cold than others and like a warmer climate it depends on the species & on just how cold the weather can get in the winter.
My mushrooms survived without light or heat for 5 days (before I had a generator) but I did loose one fish that liked very warm water I can't remember exactly how cold the tank got.

 

[Lazyfish]

oops double post (ignore)