Need Help Please

[AnDr3w]

My dad has a salt water tank that is 240g, and I know a little bit about it. I still need to know a few things though before I consider changing my 29g from fresh to salt.

First.

1. Can I do a FOWLR without specialized lights? (MH/PC etc.)

2. Is it an absolute must to have RO water for water changes?

3. Honestly, how do I do waterchanges for salt water? Like how do I get the salinity of my new water to match the water in the tank?

4. How about stocking? I know I want at least 2 Harlequin Shrimp and 2 Clown Fish. I know that the Clown Fish need to be brought up together otherwise they will fight.

5. Do I need a skimmer?

6. Do I need a sump?

7. Will a DIY sump work?

Thanks for your help.

[Reefscape]

My dad has a salt water tank that is 240g, and I know a little bit about it. I still need to know a few things though before I consider changing my 29g from fresh to salt.

First.

1. Can I do a FOWLR without specialized lights? (MH/PC etc.)

<<Certainly, lighting is there for your enjoyment, not a need for the tank>>

2. Is it an absolute must to have RO water for water changes?

<<In my opinion, yes, better off in the long run. Depends on your water source i suppose>>

3. Honestly, how do I do waterchanges for salt water? Like how do I get the salinity of my new water to match the water in the tank?

<<Mix RO and salt in a food safe container, keep adding salt untill the SG matches that of your tank, at the correct temp. Leave to aeriate for 24 to 48 hours before use. Use powerheads to continuously circulate>>

4. How about stocking? I know I want at least 2 Harlequin Shrimp and 2 Clown Fish. I know that the Clown Fish need to be brought up together otherwise they will fight.

<<No probs with the shrimp, as long as you dont mind sourcing the correct food. Clowns are fine to add one at a time, as long as the second clown is deff smaller in size so it will pair up with the larger>>

5. Do I need a skimmer?

<<As a beginner, i would say yes, as it will help with your water quality and stability>>

6. Do I need a sump?

<<You dont need a sump, but having one will certainly help you>>

7. Will a DIY sump work?

<<For sure, most sumps seen here on AC are DIY jobby's...>>

Thanks for your help.

Added some comments above in red...hope this helps..

[AnDr3w]

Originally Posted by AnDr3w http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/ms_icons_blue/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1502623#post1502623)
My dad has a salt water tank that is 240g, and I know a little bit about it. I still need to know a few things though before I consider changing my 29g from fresh to salt.

First.

1. Can I do a FOWLR without specialized lights? (MH/PC etc.)

<<Certainly, lighting is there for your enjoyment, not a need for the tank>>

2. Is it an absolute must to have RO water for water changes?

<<In my opinion, yes, better off in the long run. Depends on your water source i suppose>>

3. Honestly, how do I do waterchanges for salt water? Like how do I get the salinity of my new water to match the water in the tank?

<<Mix RO and salt in a food safe container, keep adding salt untill the SG matches that of your tank, at the correct temp. Leave to aeriate for 24 to 48 hours before use. Use powerheads to continuously circulate>>

4. How about stocking? I know I want at least 2 Harlequin Shrimp and 2 Clown Fish. I know that the Clown Fish need to be brought up together otherwise they will fight.

<<No probs with the shrimp, as long as you dont mind sourcing the correct food. Clowns are fine to add one at a time, as long as the second clown is deff smaller in size so it will pair up with the larger>>

5. Do I need a skimmer?

<<As a beginner, i would say yes, as it will help with your water quality and stability>>

6. Do I need a sump?

<<You dont need a sump, but having one will certainly help you>>

7. Will a DIY sump work?

<<For sure, most sumps seen here on AC are DIY jobby's...>>

Thanks for your help.


1a. Can I keep any basic corals, other then anemonies, with a standard light?

2a. How would it be better in the long run? I'm not questioning your judgement, but, how?

3a. SG is specific gravity, right? And how do I measure it?

6a. I have a DIY sump at my house, but it needs to be rebuilt. Any modifications that should be done to it to make it better for SW?

[archer772]

1. What do you consider basic corals??? if you are just looking at mushrooms, kenya trees and maybe some zoas then a inexpensive T-5 light would be plenty.
2. RO would be better because less chance of algea problems, and PH and ALK would hold better IMO.
3. SG is specific gravity and I always recomend a refractometer.
6. I would try to make enough room for a skimmer and macro algea and then your return pump, 1 section for each.

[AnDr3w]

1. Yea, like mushrooms, polyps, and anenomies.

2. Ok. A 6gpd should be plenty, right?

3. Do refractometers cost a lot?

6. What's macro algae?

[AnDr3w]

Also. What about Live Sand/Rock. Do I need those or can I get sand from the beach and dead rocks? What are the benefits?

[AquariumFish]

1. Yea, like mushrooms, polyps, and anenomies.

2. Ok. A 6gpd should be plenty, right?

3. Do refractometers cost a lot?

6. What's macro algae?

get a hydrometer - a lot cheaper than a refracto ...

if you have a parent with that big of a tank why aren't you getting the info from him?


he probably has the RO/DI set up and maybe even a bunch of zenia or something like that to play with in the tank. It's even easier to just buy it by the 5 gal container

As for Clown fish - percula clowns only get up to about 3 inches long

[jjbtexas]

refractometers are a much more exact measuring tool and well worth the extra $$ in the long run

[Reefscape]

1. Yea, like mushrooms, polyps, and anenomies.

<<Not anemone's, no, just basic corals like mushrooms and polyps>>

2. Ok. A 6gpd should be plenty, right?

<<With a tank this size, i would be going for a 100gpd unit>>

3. Do refractometers cost a lot?

<<As has been mentioned, hydrometers are cheaper, but, not as good, i would recomend spending the extra and buying a refractometer>>

6. What's macro algae?

<<Macro algae's ( plants ) are what are used in an aquarium, mainly the sump, to absorb excess nutrients from the water>>



Also. What about Live Sand/Rock. Do I need those or can I get sand from the beach and dead rocks? What are the benefits?

<<Normal aragonite sand, and live rock is your best bet. I would not go taking it from the beach as you dont know whats been in / on the rock and sand, plus, its illegal in some places i believe>>




Added some comments in red..

[AquariumFish]

refractometers are a much more exact measuring tool and well worth the extra $$ in the long run

for a 29 gallon tank?


2. Ok. A 6gpd should be plenty, right?

for a 29 gallon tank it would be more practical to spend the money on perhaps a BIGGER TANK ...
Besides that - my Marineland hydrometer is off by one point on the salinity scale. I took it to one of the stores I spend $$ at and it took them all of a couple minutes to compare the 2 so I know how close it is to accurate.

Besides - with water evaporation - it's going to fluctuate at least that much from day to day even if you have a top off set up.

Around here RO/DI salt water is about $5.00 to fill a 5 gallon jug - that would be more than enough to do a serious water change.

RO/DI water without salt is cheaper - keep one to top off tanks from evaporation.

... but what do I know? I'm still learning about my 210 and 90 gallon tanks.

[archer772]

You posted in another thread that you feel Ribbon Eels are easy to keep when most consider them difficult to keep at best and here you ask how to setup a 29 gallon SW tank, I would think if you feel Ribbon Eels are easy then you should have no problem at all setting up a 29 gallon SW tank??? Does anybody else find this strange.

[AquariumFish]

:headshake2: knows ribbon eels and not saltwater set up?

... and father has a 240 gallon?

:lipssealedsmilie: hmpf!

[archer772]

AquariumFish just because your hydrometer is only off 1 point now doesnt mean it will be that a month from now, I have seen hydrometers read differently each time they are used, now I am not saying they will all change with each use but that is not something I would like to take a chance with. Most hydrometers I have seen run about 10-15 dollars and you can get a nice refractometer for about 50-60 dollars and not have to worry about them other than calibrating them about once every 9-12 months and the calibration fluid is only about 3 bucks and will expire long before you use it all.

[AquariumFish]

AquariumFish just because your hydrometer is only off 1 point now doesnt mean it will be that a month from now, I have seen hydrometers read differently each time they are used, now I am not saying they will all change with each use but that is not something I would like to take a chance with. Most hydrometers I have seen run about 10-15 dollars and you can get a nice refractometer for about 50-60 dollars and not have to worry about them other than calibrating them about once every 9-12 months and the calibration fluid is only about 3 bucks and will expire long before you use it all.

for a tank about that of a NANO CUBE?

for $30.00 you can buy the salt water for a total water change on that size tank - if it were a 75 gallon or bigger - maybe then.

Well spent price of that hydrometer could totally stock that tank with some nice frags from a frag swap! :drool:

it's a bit extreme - like buying a nuematic jack to change the tire on a moped ...

especially when in this area - I can take a water sample and hydrometer to the local SWFS and they will check both for free or at worse a buck!

[AquariumFish]

archer772 - I'm not trying to argue ... just conversing to show another side of the thought ...

I think for many situations a hydrometer is a needed tool - especially when it comes to the more difficult SW livestock!

[Catpicklesdog]

AquariumFish just because your hydrometer is only off 1 point now doesnt mean it will be that a month from now, I have seen hydrometers read differently each time they are used, now I am not saying they will all change with each use but that is not something I would like to take a chance with. Most hydrometers I have seen run about 10-15 dollars and you can get a nice refractometer for about 50-60 dollars and not have to worry about them other than calibrating them about once every 9-12 months and the calibration fluid is only about 3 bucks and will expire long before you use it all.


for a tank about that of a NANO CUBE?

for $30.00 you can buy the salt water for a total water change on that size tank - if it were a 75 gallon or bigger - maybe then.

Well spent price of that hydrometer could totally stock that tank with some nice frags from a frag swap! :drool:

it's a bit extreme - like buying a nuematic jack to change the tire on a moped ...

especially when in this area - I can take a water sample and hydrometer to the local SWFS and they will check both for free or at worse a buck!

Both valid points. The idea is to pass on information and share experiences.

However - my experiences also show that hydrometers can be way out. My friend was getting a reading of 1.023 with her hydrometer when with my refractometer it was reading 1.032. We took a sample to our LFS who got the same reading as mine.

Whilst it is cheap to buy water for a smaller tank, what you have to remember is what if you need to do an emergency water change late at night when the shops are shut. I always have RO and salt water on hand just in case.

[AquariumFish]

Both valid points. The idea is to pass on information and share experiences.

However - my experiences also show that hydrometers can be way out. My friend was getting a reading of 1.023 with her hydrometer when with my refractometer it was reading 1.032. We took a sample to our LFS who got the same reading as mine.

Whilst it is cheap to buy water for a smaller tank, what you have to remember is what if you need to do an emergency water change late at night when the shops are shut. I always have RO and salt water on hand just in case.

There are some brands of hydrometers which are really horrible ...

The SW store that checks mine won't suggest any except for the Marineland brand Instant Ocean because of that.

They say that Marineland is normally off by 1 point on the SALINITY side of the scale.


That's what mine is ... off by one ...

Every time I buy something there - I try to take a sample with me to keep everything in check ...

[Reefscape]

Lets not draw this off the thread OP's topic please...By all means, start up a new thread to discuss the comparison between hydrometers and refractometers, should make interesting reading...

Thanks..

[Catpicklesdog]

It's nice when people can restore our faith in things:grinyes:

My hydrometer was a freebie!!!!

[AnDr3w]

You posted in another thread that you feel Ribbon Eels are easy to keep when most consider them difficult to keep at best and here you ask how to setup a 29 gallon SW tank, I would think if you feel Ribbon Eels are easy then you should have no problem at all setting up a 29 gallon SW tank??? Does anybody else find this strange.

It's my dad's tank, and he pays someone to come and take care of it. I only can learn so much from him since his information is limited. I feed his fish, so I watch how the eel eats.

[fsn77]

1. Can I do a FOWLR without specialized lights? (MH/PC etc.)
No special lighting for a FOWLR... If you start adding corals, it's no longer a FOWLR. If you want to start adding corals, buy proper lighting from the start, not just good enough lighting to "get by." The people I know that have bought lighting just to get by were always disappointed and felt the money they spent on lesser lighting was more or less wasted.


2. Is it an absolute must to have RO water for water changes?
The benefits of using RO (or even better RO/DI) greatly outweigh the costs. If you plan on adding invertebrates and/or corals, RO would be a minimum requirement, as corals and inverts will not tolerate some of the chemicals traditionally found in the bulk of tap water supplies.


3. Honestly, how do I do waterchanges for salt water? Like how do I get the salinity of my new water to match the water in the tank?
Using a hydrometer to compare specific gravity levels in the tank and the new water to add back after a water change is fine, but if you feel that you will eventually want increasingly more difficult critters / corals in your tank, a refractometer is highly recommended. Hydrometers may work fine over the long term for some people, but a refractometer is very easily recalibrated to assure accuracy of specific gravity levels. Hydrometers are not so easily recalibrated by the average user.



5. Do I need a skimmer?
A skimmer is certainly not a requirement, but can be a very useful tool.


6. Do I need a sump?
A sump is never a requirement. They are just nice to hide equipment like a skimmer and heaters in, as well as allowing for the growth of macroalgae for nutrient export if a refugium section is incorporated into the sump.


7. Will a DIY sump work?
A DIY sump can be far better (and much more affordable) than the commercially available sumps. A basic DIY sump is very easy to build.