John
Greetings to all!
I am completely new to the marine aquarium community, and must say that I am completely hooked. It is evident that all of you here appreciate the beauty of nature. The time, money, love and effort which all of you apply to these tiny ecosystems filled with life truly show off the best in human nature, and I am happy to now be part of it all.
I have tried to be as careful and sensible in my approach to setting up my first saltwater tank. I have had a great time the past couple of weeks reading marine aquarium books and sifting through related web sites and forums. I also printed about 50 pages of online ‘how to’ guides from those whom host personal websites displaying nice tanks. I am a pre-med student and concurrently completing a Masters degree in computer science, so I have plenty of microbiology and chemistry coursework to my credit, which has helped me better understand what the gurus here speak about.
The one common thread I find is the friendliness and sense of community amongst those whom share this passion. But one thing I found which baffles me is how much opinions differ regarding how to set up and filter a tank. About the only consensus I find lies on the size of tank to begin with, the proper amount of fish to host, and the use of sump systems (especially for the larger setups). But everything else seems in conflict. Some love wet/dry filters and say they have used them trouble-free for years, yet others swear that in time they will prove to be a disaster. Some love and praise canisters, while many hate them. Further, some say to use 3 to 6 inches of live sand has a substrate, others warn that using more than 2 inches will create a nitrate factory galore. And the same disagreement seems to go on about any other type of filtering system – many seem to have opposite opinions on what is effective and what is a disaster.
Even amongst those which appear to have extensive experience and fantastic tanks to prove it.
So a beginner like me who wants to do the right thing is left with a 1001 questions and an empty tank. I have become a member of this and 2 other sites which I have grown to like, and have decided to reach out for help.
So far, this is what I have purchased, all which is still brand new and untouched:
1) 46 gallon bow front glass tank with matching stand, hood and fluorescent lights
2) Hydor Proquatics 2400 Canister Filter, rated for up to 125 gallons at 240 GPH
3) Rena Air Pump model 400
4) Rena Cal Top Light Excel 300 Watt Heater
5) Rena glass diffusers, air check valves, clear silicone air lines, digital thermometer
6) Testing kits for PH, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia, Phosphate, and a Hydrometer
7) 60 pounds of sealed Nature’s Ocean Bio-Active Live Aragonite reef sand
8) Misc. accessories, artificial reefs, decorations, etc, with my girlfriend buying more synthetic reefs as I write this
9) Red Sea salt
I plan to start with a fish only tank to pay my dues and gain experience, and move up to a reef system in a year or so. I purchased the canister filter solely because I got a very good deal – I got it brand new, sealed, and with an assortment of spare seals and parts for just $49.00 at my local Petsmart (it retails for over $100), so I figured I could not loose. About.com gave it a pretty good review. It is rated for much larger tanks, so I figure it should provide adequate water flow.
Well, my question is this - after reading all I have read, I have tentatively decided on doing the following:
I plan on laying the live sand, adding the water, setting up the heater, canister filter, and air diffuser under a vented synthetic reef on day one (ok, I admit I just like the bubbles) Throw in a fresh cocktail shrimp, turn everything on, and patiently allow my tank to go through a full ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle, and just for fun, take and log daily readings of all that is important. As this progresses, I plan to commence a weekly ritual of cleaning the canister media and doing weekly 10% water changes (I refuse to throw in a Damsel fish or two during this process and risk his wellbeing!). Finally, when I find the ammonia and nitrate levels hovering around zero, and the nitrate at a negligible level, start adding the clean-up crew. And if all goes well, shortly thereafter start introducing my new friends, only fish which I determine will be happy and healthy in my size tank.
A sump is not feasible with my stand, it would be an aesthetic disaster. Will my setup work, or should I make any changes in equipment and/or technique?
I thank all of you for taking the time to read this, and look forward to being part of your community for a very long time.
John
Greetings to all!
I am completely new to the marine aquarium community, and must say that I am completely hooked. It is evident that all of you here appreciate the beauty of nature. The time, money, love and effort which all of you apply to these tiny ecosystems filled with life truly show off the best in human nature, and I am happy to now be part of it all.
I have tried to be as careful and sensible in my approach to setting up my first saltwater tank. I have had a great time the past couple of weeks reading marine aquarium books and sifting through related web sites and forums. I also printed about 50 pages of online ‘how to’ guides from those whom host personal websites displaying nice tanks. I am a pre-med student and concurrently completing a Masters degree in computer science, so I have plenty of microbiology and chemistry coursework to my credit, which has helped me better understand what the gurus here speak about.
The one common thread I find is the friendliness and sense of community amongst those whom share this passion. But one thing I found which baffles me is how much opinions differ regarding how to set up and filter a tank. About the only consensus I find lies on the size of tank to begin with, the proper amount of fish to host, and the use of sump systems (especially for the larger setups). But everything else seems in conflict. Some love wet/dry filters and say they have used them trouble-free for years, yet others swear that in time they will prove to be a disaster. Some love and praise canisters, while many hate them. Further, some say to use 3 to 6 inches of live sand has a substrate, others warn that using more than 2 inches will create a nitrate factory galore. And the same disagreement seems to go on about any other type of filtering system – many seem to have opposite opinions on what is effective and what is a disaster.
Even amongst those which appear to have extensive experience and fantastic tanks to prove it. So a beginner like me who wants to do the right thing is left with a 1001 questions and an empty tank. I have become a member of this and 2 other sites which I have grown to like, and have decided to reach out for help.
So far, this is what I have purchased, all which is still brand new and untouched:
1) 46 gallon bow front glass tank with matching stand, hood and fluorescent lights
2) Hydor Proquatics 2400 Canister Filter, rated for up to 125 gallons at 240 GPH
3) Rena Air Pump model 400
4) Rena Cal Top Light Excel 300 Watt Heater
5) Rena glass diffusers, air check valves, clear silicone air lines, digital thermometer
6) Testing kits for PH, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia, Phosphate, and a Hydrometer
7) 60 pounds of sealed Nature’s Ocean Bio-Active Live Aragonite reef sand
8) Misc. accessories, artificial reefs, decorations, etc, with my girlfriend buying more synthetic reefs as I write this
9) Red Sea salt
I plan to start with a fish only tank to pay my dues and gain experience, and move up to a reef system in a year or so. I purchased the canister filter solely because I got a very good deal – I got it brand new, sealed, and with an assortment of spare seals and parts for just $49.00 at my local Petsmart (it retails for over $100), so I figured I could not loose. About.com gave it a pretty good review. It is rated for much larger tanks, so I figure it should provide adequate water flow.
Well, my question is this - after reading all I have read, I have tentatively decided on doing the following:
I plan on laying the live sand, adding the water, setting up the heater, canister filter, and air diffuser under a vented synthetic reef on day one (ok, I admit I just like the bubbles
) Throw in a fresh cocktail shrimp, turn everything on, and patiently allow my tank to go through a full ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle, and just for fun, take and log daily readings of all that is important. As this progresses, I plan to commence a weekly ritual of cleaning the canister media and doing weekly 10% water changes (I refuse to throw in a Damsel fish or two during this process and risk his wellbeing!). Finally, when I find the ammonia and nitrate levels hovering around zero, and the nitrate at a negligible level, start adding the clean-up crew. And if all goes well, shortly thereafter start introducing my new friends, only fish which I determine will be happy and healthy in my size tank. A sump is not feasible with my stand, it would be an aesthetic disaster. Will my setup work, or should I make any changes in equipment and/or technique?
I thank all of you for taking the time to read this, and look forward to being part of your community for a very long time.
John
The point is to understand a) what must happen in a tank for it to support living animals (ie, nitrogen filtration, water oxygenation and turnover, steady temps, organics removal). Then look at all the pieces available for accomplishing those goals, see what works together, in your system, with your routine. Sometimes it's a learning process, sometimes it all comes together smoothly (and for those in the latter category, I envy you. Really.) Learning what works together, what you can experiment with and succeed is part of the appeal in this hobby.