new tank setup

ekyfatang

ekyfatang

AC Members
Feb 6, 2007
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southampton uk
hello there,

ive kept african cichlids for 4 years now with great success , now i want to try marine. ive got a 55 gal tank with a trickle filter and thats it.

i would mostly like to keep some living rock a few invertabrites and maybe a couple of small gobys, ive read many conflicting articles and am a bit concerned about how to go about it.

i basically would like to get "hardy" creatures to make it as easy as poss to look after as i am only beginning.

could anyone help me .....as in what filtration / lighting / and occupants i could use ?
thanks steve.

ps. on my last visit to my local aquarium i was told by the woman working in the marine department that it would cost me 50 pounds a month just for the salt !! this sounds ridiculous to me , did i hear her right ?

.thanks again, steve
 
Hiya Steve, Welcome to the forums..

As you mention pounds, do i take it your in the UK?

£50 is very excessive, concidering your usully only going to be doing about a 10% water everyweek, or every other week has been know....

With regards to filtration, marine tanks generally use the live rock and sand for the mechanical filtration, about 1 - 1.5lbs of rock per gallon. This then does away with things like cannister filters, biowheel filters etc etc...

There are plenty of things that you could keep in the tank for a beginner, we have all been there mate..

Best bit of advise i always give to start with is to read and read and read...Research what you would like to keep...

Lighting will vary and really does depend on what you are going to be keeping. If its just going to be fish only with live rock ( FOWLR ), then standard lighting will be fine, mayvbe just add in some actinc light. For a reef, then the lighting changes dramatically. You would be needing a good T5 lighting setup or Metal Halide lights..

Best thing you can do is think about what you want to keep, how you want it to look and ask lots of questions about it here on the forums..We are all here to help you though it...

Niko
 
yes i am in the uk(updated my profile lol) id like to start with live sand some rock and just a few inverts / hermit etc.is it best to let the water in the tank settle for a few weeks before adding sand and rock ?
 
Nice to see some more UK based Reefers on here....

Well, if your going with a new setup...Using freshly made salt water, i would fill the tank a third full, get the sand in there, about an inch and half ( see note below if using a deep sand bed ( DSB ))...fill to 3/4 full and get the live rock in there..and top up as needed...there is no need to wait really. Once all is in there, start off down the route of which cycling method you are going to use...

Note** If your using a deep sand bed ( 4 - 6 Inches ), you best off getting the rock in first in my opinion. Reason is because if your stacking live rock on a deep sand bed the chance of it not seating right and possibly colapsing aint worth thinking about...

Then, its a matter of waiting for the cycle to complete ( 4 - 6 weeks ) and then get your inverts and clean up crew in the tank...

Niko
 
Just down the road from me, lol.

Fish wise - Damsels are quite hardy but can be Aggressive might be best to add last, but you also have chormis, tank bred clowns (they are all from the same group of fish) do a search on this forum.
If not just post list of fish someone will get back to you.
 
ok thanks, as i have just got this tank ive not got much else yet so i was hoping i could put 2 new bulbs into the attached lid housing , would this be ok for what i want ?(obviously the correct type of bulbs)
 
As its only going to fish only, yes, they would be fine..What i would suggest though is for you to buy a small wattage actinic bulb ( T8 ) and use this to simulate dusk and dawn effect..Bung the lights on timers and they would be good to go mate..

Is the Tank / Hood branded? does it tell you the wattage of the bulbs that it takes?

Niko
 
my tank is a hagen tropiquarium 88 with biolife filter. Measurements 33" wide x 19" high x 14.5" deep (front to back). ive seen these setup on ebay with the sort of setup i want , cant find the manual so i dont know the max wattage for it (2x20 watt bulbs in there now).atnixon in your last post you referred to my tank as a fish only setup. thats not wot i want , i want live sand / rock a few crabs maybe , and 1 or 2 small gobys if i can
 
hey mate...

ok ok ok.....specifics......ha ha ha ha...Fish Only With Live Rock ( FOWLR )...

For 32 Uk Gals, your lights will be fine at that mate..just concider getting a marine blue actinic aswell....

Just be aware, that if you do change your mind and want to keep corals, they will have to be chnaged.


Niko
 
hey nixon, you are the man you know your stuff so tell me if im ok.

tomorrow im getting my ro unit / gonna put some non-living base rocks down /get the live sand in (approx 2 in)/fill the tank a third to half full / add a small amount of live rock let it do its stuff for a couple of months , then i can add bit by bit assuming the water is ok. later i want to add some mushroom polyps or similar things as well as my crabs / gobys etc.ps what bulbs should i get? cheers
 
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