just wondering

[a&j_tanks]

i have a 10 gal right now, and its got two goldies in it

we are getting a 30gal for them soon, and i was thinking of setting it saltwater with a couple of clown fish in it

-first of all what do i need to do a slatwater tank?
-whats the temp need to be?
-filtration, canister?
-what kind of cycle am i looking at?
-could i do a big coral rock in there?
-what kind of lighting?
-whats a good heater?
-anything esle needed?

its somthing my girlfreind has been tossing around

[rxdoc_85]

well, i'm still a relative beginner, but i'll do my best. someone please correct me if i'm wrong...


i have a 10 gal right now, and its got two goldies in it

we are getting a 30gal for them soon, and i was thinking of setting it saltwater with a couple of clown fish in it

-first of all what do i need to do a slatwater tank?
the essentials are of course salt, live rock, substrate (i recommend aragonite, but that's just me), and other things i adress later in the response.

-whats the temp need to be?
it varies, but mostly it's between 74 and 80 degrees. not a whole lot different thatn freshwater.

-filtration, canister?
the best filtration is live rock. in order for the live rock to be an adequate filter you need 1-2lbs live rock per gallon, but i'd go with at least 1.5 lbs, so you're lookin at around 15 lbs. with that much rock in there you don't have any need for a canister filter. but if you don't want to drop 100 bucks for the live rock then a canister will tide you over until then. i'd just watch as carbon/sponge filters can be nitrate/nitrite factories.

-what kind of cycle am i looking at?
i'm not the cycle expert, but i've heard anywhere from 2-6 weeks of cycling before adding fish. and if i were you i'd avoid using fish to cycle as they usually die :( throw in a deli shrimp or something to accomplish your cycle...a lot more humane and cheaper too.

-could i do a big coral rock in there?
by coral rock do you mean a rock with coral on it? if so then you absolutely can. the live rock that you put in there will be a great substrate for any frags you purchase to grow on. you just have to stay on top of water quality and make sure you have adequate lighting. different corals need different amounts of light. if your'e stickin with softies thatn pc or t5 lighting is fine, but if you wanna go acro or mill i'd upgrade to metal halide just to be on the safe side.

-what kind of lighting?
haha, seems i answered this one prematurely. as i stated before, corals require special lighting. if you don't want corals then you can use whatever lighting you please.

-whats a good heater?
this isn't a good question for me...i have a heater (not even sure of the brand), but it doesn't work properly and it never shuts off. thankfully i never need to use it, as my tank's lighting keeps it right around 78 degrees. just be sure you get one that is realiable, and will kick off when the water gets warm. mine busted and i got home from school and my tank was 86 degrees!!:angryfire:

-anything esle needed?
flow, flow flow. you'll need a powerhead, i'd recommend a koralia nano, as they have good broad flow that won't turn your 10g into a whirlpool. you want at least 10 x's water volume in flow per hour, so we're talkin at least 100 gph here, and the koralia nano is rated at 240 gph, so you're covered. i'd also recommend a mag float to clean the glass...i love mine. saves me having to stick my hand in the tank. be sure you have a good thermometer that is reliable and accurate so you can stay on top of the temperature, a good hydrometer to check the sg of you water (the salinity), plenty of ro/di water, none of that tap stuff. with your clowns you'll also want to have a clean up crew, so a turbo, couple ceriths and an astria or two. maybe a small brittle star or small sea cucumber to help clean up the bottom of the tank and eat detritus. also, you'll need test kits for nitrates/nitrates/ammonia, calcium if you keep corals, ph, kh, etc. there's a really good master test kit out there that has almost everything you need in it. i'd stick with the liquid test kits, as the badges you hang inside the tank tend to be inaccurate and slow to respond to changes in parameters. as you get into it you'll see that there are countless other things you need/want, and they're all pretty specific to your tanks needs.

its somthing my girlfreind has been tossing around

i hope this helps you out. i'm sorry if my advice is incomplete/inaccurate. i've only been doing this for about 5 months now, so i'm still kind of new myself. i hope you decide to do it, it's so rewarding and this hobby hooks you faster than you can blink. good luck to you in whatever you end up doing!

ps...i also wanted to mention water top offs. in freshwater when the water evaporates and your water level goes down, it's no big deal. i have a feshwater tank and sometimes when i'm busy with finals the water goes down a good couple inches before i realize it. however, in saltwater when the water evaporates the salinity of the water goes up. the water evaporates, but all the salt stays behind, so you have the same amount of salt in less water. this can be bad, especially for the inverts in the tank. i'd put a small line with dry-erase marker on the tank to mark the water level, and when the water falls below this line just top it off with ro/di water that HAS NOT had salt added. adding salt water will defeat the purpose and only compound the problem...be sure the water is freshwater, not salt water. sorry for the long explaniation, but i've heard newbies ending up with specific gravities of 1.45 because they were topping off with saltwater instead of freshwater. don't want to see this happen to you :)