Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with saltwater

What is the best aluminum boat for use with Saltwater?

Craiggy83 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:54:12 -0800

What is the best aluminum boat and motor combination that can be used for saltwater or freshwater that can be towed with a Mazda 6 wagon? I have been wanting to get a small boat to use for Salt/Fresh water fishing and putting around. I like the Honda four-stroke engines and I'm wondering what you would recommend for a boat? An aluminum boat was recommended to me. What size aluminum boat should I get? What size motor? What type of bottom (hull shape) and aluminum compound (mixture) should I get? I have a Mazda 6 wagon and may not even be able to tow a boat. I need something small but not so small that it would be overwhelmed by the waves while being used in the salt. Sorry for all the questions. Also what prices are we looking at for a decent boat which will last and require minimum upkeep. What would the approximate combined weight be of the trailer/boat/motor

Help me start my first marine aquarium

jeffmshaw — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:51:09 -0800

I'm thinking of buying a used saltwater aquarium, with fish included. What am I getting myself into that I should be aware of? What should I read to prepare myself for routine maintenance? I've always wanted a marine aquarium, but in my preliminary reading the set-up seems expensive and onerous, so I never pursued it. I've just moved into a new place, and in searching for furniture I find this on Craigslist. It comes with fish, including a clownfish, so the set-up would be minimal, and I'd just be looking at maintenance.

The price is right, and the timing seems right, too. I'm going out to look at the tank this week. What should I know before then? What specific issues, if any, are associated with buying a used tank? How does maintenance for a marine tank differ from the freshwater tanks I've had in the past?

Links to resources are welcomed, as are your own experiences. Thanks!

Starfish Aquarium

stewiethegreat — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:13:12 -0800

What animals are needed in an aquarium to keep sea stars? What size tank? We'd like to start a saltwater aquarium (I have c. 15 years freshwater experience with larger tanks) for the purpose of keeping sea stars. We were thinking:

-acrylic tank
-live rock, live sand
-protein skimmer
-refrigeration unit
-hood/light/etc...

Our question is: what animals do we need to cohabitate with the sea stars to keep them healthy and happy? At the local Aquarium of the Bay, they feed them daily by hand - chopped up fish and squid - with only a few sea cucumbers living with the many sea stars.

Are other invertebrates/fish are necessary to keep them happy? They appear to eat snails, corals and urchins, so we should probably stay away from those (except for supplying prey). Do sea stars even need fish?

How large should the tank be to accommodate a few hand-sized sea stars?

Thanks!

Getting a salt-water-logged digital camera to work again?

shivohum — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 15:54:51 -0800

A friend has a DSC-H1 Sony Cybershot camera. It got some salt water in it yesterday (probably not completely soaked, but definitely in the camera). She's already removed the batteries and the memory stick and tried to leave it out to dry. Currently, when the power is turned on the LCD turns on briefly and then the camera turns off. Ideas? Thanks.

Help me feed by acquarium obsession!

gilsonal — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 07:43:57 -0800

Acquarium hobbyist looking for suggestions on her new-found obsession. I've had a freshwater tank for years and just now really got into having it heavily planted and aquascaped. Now I'm really wanting to expand and possibly develop a cichlid or saltwater tank. There's just a few problems, (and lots of questions) I'm a graduate student at the moment, and this poses a few financial problems. So I'd love any info on ways to keep the hobby affordable.

Speaking of cost, how much do your acquariums cost? Is it feasible to think of doing a small scale salt tank on a budget? Or is this something that will have to wait til I get my PhD? It doesn't have to be huge or happen all at once. I'd love to just slowly start out and add a bit at a time.

Any links to sites and articles that youve found helpful would be great as well. I'm familiar with a few but I find forums are often to disjointed for somebody who really wants to learn the basics rather than somebody who is looking to have a specific question answered. Especially with regards to saltwater tanks, what sites or sources would you suggest I check out before I take the plunge? I'd like to try the DIY approach but I'm kind of inexperieced and dont even know what half the stuff is yet.

Also: moving tanks. I currently have 29 gal and 12 gal freshwater tanks. They were easy enough to move this last time, but if I get a larger tank (I'm thinking 55 or 75gallon) would this make moving feasible? I've moved about once a year or two years for affordable housing in a college town and I know I'll be wanting to move within the year.

Also, any suggestions on ways to make the freshwater planted tank more enjoyable? I really do love my tank, but Now that its fairly well stocked, I find myself looking to do more. Is there anything people can suggest without me adding more tanks to the collection? My friends already think I'm mad :)

And finally, DIY lighting for tanks. How does one who is inexperienced with wiring and general handy-ness go about building their own hood or lighting setup? I think that my tank would definitely do better with a setup that would allow me to use more than one t5 light.

So yeah. I realize this is a ton of related questions. Any suggestions, help or reality checks will be well appreicated.

What Did I Eat?

joecacti — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 10:39:15 -0800

Who: Me Where: Near Ocean City, on the great Assawoman. Why: Alcohol. When: Sunday, 4 PM. How: Tossed to the back of my throat, and swallowed with the Why. What: Aye, there's the rub. On the boat Sunday in the Assawoman Bay near Ocean City, Maryland, USA, we saw many 4-5 inch long pinkish worms swimming at the surface. Not only did we manage so catch one of the sea creatures, but I managed to ingest one, along with a healthy swig of beer.
One of my friends has proposed that I ate this. I thought it might be the Osedax mucofloris (bone-eating snot-flower). Any other marine biologists have guesses?

Saltwater Fish Tank

mystic cheezewhiz — Sat, 09 Apr 2005 14:48:48 -0800

We are thinking about setting up a saltwater fish tank in our house. Does anyone have some good advice for first time saltwater tank owners? I am interested in what kind of fish are the easiest to start with, also what size tank works best.