Saltwater Newbie Questions

[Master_Yoda]

I have kept FW fish for many years(mostly Cichlids) and used to be a frequent poster on these boards but I have finaly decided to make the jump to Saltwater. I don't have a TON of money up front so I am thinking of starting out with a FOWLR setup and then when I can afford the $400 lighting I will get some corals etc. Will this work ok? Here is the setup I am thinking of using for my 1st tank, tell me if anything is no good:

55G Tank
Remora Protein Skimmer
Wet/Dry Filter or Emperor 400 Filter(Maybe 2)
2 150W Ebo-Jager Heaters
3 Maxi-Jet 400 Powerheads
2 40W 48" CoralLife Fluorescent Bulbs
50lbs Liverock
Aragonite Sand

How much sand will I need for my 55G?
Should I use some live sand? If so should I use it during the cyle process?
Should I use lace rock also, if so how much?
Also what is the best brand of water test? I have used sevral but none w/ saltwater(obviously). And is there a type or brand of Hydrometer you recommend? And what exactly are detrivores? I check this board sevral times a day for more info.
Thanks in advance for the help!

[OrionGirl]

There are several calculators out there for determining how much sand you need to hit a certain depth--google "Substrate Calculator".

Live sand--if it's the real deal and not the pre-packaged, sitting on the shelf in the LFS stuff, is great. You can use it to seed the bed, or not--the bed will also be seeded by live rock. Getting a wide variety of critters is desirable, so picking up things from a variety of sources is best, IMO.

Lace rock is a good way to build the foundation (ie, under the sand) for the more decorative rock. no set amount, just buy what you need to a platform. Or, you can use mostly lace, and seed it with good stuff. Really depends on your budget!

Not sure on the best test kit brand/hydrometer...I'll let others chime in on that one. I prefer the floating hydrometers, personally, since they take into account the temperature.

Detrivores are critters including crabs, snails, shrimp, stars, cucumbers, some fish, and many pods that clean up detritus. ;)

Detritus is the bio-waste--uneaten foods, solid wastes, dead plant matter, organics, that settle in low flow areas. It's easiest to imagine in a pond or stream--the little piles of stuff that collect the best snails and macro-inverts is detritus.

[latazyo]

dump the wet dry, you wont' need it, get 50# of Live rock, I"d say about 100# of sand

I have HEARD that the best test kits are Salifert

[Master_Yoda]

That does help some, but how does my equipment look? Would I be ok with only 1 Emperor 400, or should I get 2? Based on my FW experience I would say 2 but I know SW is totally different. Also should I figure the lace rock into my liverock amount sice I have heard it will be seeded by the liverock? Is tapwater ok to use in my cycle(in case I don't have the $100-$150 for RO/DI unit to start) my water out oof the tap in in the mid 8's Ph. I also don't know if my powerhead setup is too strong or if the heaters will be enough. Any comments? Thanks again

[latazyo]

you will need ZERO of them if you get the skimmer, live rock, and powerhead

[BrianH]

Your equipment list seems fine to me with the following suggestions. If you use between 55 - 75 lbs of live rock (including lace) and the DSB you will not need the emperors. If you use a lot of lace rock(50% of more) I would stock fish very slowly(1 per month) to make sure it has the opportunity to become "live".

I would also upgrade the power heads to maxijet 1200's. It is very difficult to have too much water movement in a sw tank. If you think this is too much at least go for the 900's. The 400 are too small IMHO.

Brian

[MisterFixIt]

Hey Yoda,
Slow down a bit,study and learn.It's not gonna happen overnight!
I started in December of 02,55 gal,80 lbs of crushed coral,15 lbs of live rock,40 lbs of live sand----store bought.A penguin 330 filter,and a standard aquarium bulb.Now have---55 Gal-330 penguin filter-50/50-40 watt bulb(1)-skilter protein skimmer/filter-3 power heads-1(400)gals p/hr--1(160) p/hr--1(525) p/hr.Many fish--50 lbs live rock--cleaner crew-snails/crabs/shrimp etc.Please take the time to learn--cause you'll have problems believe me.Been thru some looking for the next!

Mr Fix It :D

[Ray Pollett]

Originally posted by Master_Yoda
I have kept FW fish for many years(mostly Cichlids) and used to be a frequent poster on these boards but I have finaly decided to make the jump to Saltwater. I don't have a TON of money up front so I am thinking of starting out with a FOWLR setup and then when I can afford the $400 lighting I will get some corals etc. Will this work ok? Here is the setup I am thinking of using for my 1st tank, tell me if anything is no good:

55G Tank
Remora Protein Skimmer
Wet/Dry Filter or Emperor 400 Filter(Maybe 2)
2 150W Ebo-Jager Heaters
3 Maxi-Jet 400 Powerheads
2 40W 48" CoralLife Fluorescent Bulbs
50lbs Liverock
Aragonite Sand

How much sand will I need for my 55G?
Should I use some live sand? If so should I use it during the cyle process?
Should I use lace rock also, if so how much?
Also what is the best brand of water test? I have used sevral but none w/ saltwater(obviously). And is there a type or brand of Hydrometer you recommend? And what exactly are detrivores? I check this board sevral times a day for more info.
Thanks in advance for the help!

I guess I am the one that doers it differently. And there are many ways to do it. Here is what I would use:

Remora Protein Skimmer - Drop ( very good skimmer but unneeded)

Wet/Dry Filter or Emperor 400 Filter(Maybe 2) - use 2 of the emperor 400s no wet/dry

2 150W Ebo-Jager Heaters - good choices

3 Maxi-Jet 400 Powerheads - with the 2 emperor 400s these are not needed for what you want at present.

2 40W 48" CoralLife Fluorescent Bulbs - these will be fine for now.

50lbs Liverock - Use a box of base rock from www.hirocks.com and then add one or two pieces of LR hand picked from your LFS to make it look the way you want after the cycle is over with the base rock.
Aragonite Sand - Use the play sand- cheaper and works fine make that 100 pounds of play sand ( about $5.00 at lowes or Home Depot.

Have tanks set up this way and they work fine.

Ray

[latazyo]

I use 1xMJ1200 in my TEN gallon tanks....I'd go for 1200s

[Master_Yoda]

Thank you ALL for your advice it helps alot. I have decided to take the advice and get the 3 Maxi 900's instead of the 400's(or sshould I get 1 400 to give the water flow more dynamic?).
I have a question about sumps, what are they used for(other than having a space it put your heater and skimmer out of the tank) and how do you set one up? I ask because I have heard alot of people use them and one of my 20G tanks just became available to possably use as one.
Thanks again for all the help.

[latazyo]

I'm tellin' you man, I have a MJ600 in a 5.5 and that thing barely pushes any water...it's not in a live rock holding tank, I'd go with 900s or 1200s

[always learning]

to set-up a sump all you really need to do is just connect it with some tubing or pipes (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=3884 something like this would connect the two tank powered by a pump or two) and they can be used for storage, I would use it to store any LR I don't have space for or to have a second DSB. It can be also used for (as you know) equipment and such; and I would also have mine set up so you have shut-off valves on the pipes so you can empty it out for water changes (exactly how? you'd have to things that up for yourself)

You should have at least 75 lbs. of LR and I would put less than 50% of lacerock so it can be quickly and well seeded. A good place to get lots of LR for under 4$ a lb. would be liveaquaria.com (part of Drs.FosterandSmith.com) and don't go with livesand just buy playsand preferably castlehouse and get the bacteria going with two Jumbo shrimp (best if fresh and not frozen, with shell still on, you can get this at stop and shop) and make sure you have at least 3-5 inches of sand. MisterFixIt is right I spent around half a year studying and searching for good sites and info but thise is the best.

I have heard that red sea test kits are one of the best, those are the ones I have. You're equipment is fine for all I know the only things I would change is what I have told you but it's your tank so do as you please.

One more way to get bacteria in the tank is to cure un-cured LR in the same tank that you will put the fish in. Once the curing process is done it will be like cycling and then putting in LR that is cured. just make sure you have a protien skimmer that's very strong and don't turn on the lights if you do this (details http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=59 , this is the same website from which you should buy your LR and what you please.

2 400's are great just remove the bio-wheels (they compete with LR and LS).

that should be it! good luck and I hope you have a wonderful aquarium!

P.S. what kind of fish are you planning to get?

your welcome,
always learning.

[always learning]

I've read that Nitrates are taken out of your tank by regular water changes. I've also read that plants (in both SW and FW) absorb nitrates, is this true? If not then are there other things in the aquarium that'll get rid of the Nitrates?

thanx,
always learning.