New to saltwater...

let me be the first to say:welcome: ...im very new myself and if u look through this forum u will see i have had a million ?'s and let me tell u from personal experience u came to the right forum...the people here are amazing and will do what they can to help u and when u messed up and feel bad they will b right there telling u about what they did wrong not making fun of u like some forums...but ne way to ur ?'s ...i will tell u what i know and someone w/ a little more experience will pipe in with the rest or add on to what i have to say....

What exactly does a protein skimmer do and would it be necessary to have one? a PS literally skims the top of the water and removes all the "stuff" off the top and puts it into a collecton cup which u remove every so often and clean....for a reef tank it is required for FOWLR not required but highly recommened ...the thing about these are u cant go cheap....i have a cheap on and its garbage it dosent even work....while cycling u dont need one so u can save up ur pennys....another thing to add while on money...SW is not cheap at all ...u cant skim buy and buy cheap stuff like FW it just wont work....
- Would it be better to buy cured or uncured live rock? it dont really matter becasue it needs to b cured again when u get it..my personally since my tank has nothing it ...its cycling now.. i bought it off of someone and just added it to my tank....for u if u get it at a store it needs to be cured ...which means in a tub or something with heater and powerhead for a few weeks til u get u show no ammonia....u can put 10% uncured in ur tank to help with cycling but there is a sticky i belive about it in this newbie section could b wrong...best but though is craigslist.com amazing site i got mine for 2.50 a lb.....also with that as well join a reef club if u can that topic was brought up recently and i cant tell u the money i saved by getting used but good stuff through them
- As I understand, when the tank cycle is done the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels should be 0. What should salinity(I think that's what it's called) be at? ammonia and nitrite yes...nitrate will be pretty high...u fix that by doing a ~50% water change...again there is a sticky on here about how to cycle ur tank and the few ways u could do it...plz dont do it with a fish...i feel its well infishmane lol(kinda like inhumane) and about salinity....u will need a hydrometer...cheap ...plastic thing ...i have a deep six by coralife...works fine....u need ur salinity to be about 1.021 to 1.023 on mine it has a bold bar to make it easier to read....


now as far as fish and ur tank...go with 55 ...the bigger the better for sure...i have a 55 myself...the smaller the tank the less u can hold and the more a minor change such as evaporation could kill ur fish..or even a temp change...

no as far as actual fish

-Royal Gramma Basslet- from what i knwo its a good fish
-Harlequin Basslet-dk
-Lawnmower Blenny-good to stir up sand and eat leftovers
-Canary Blenny-dk
-Banded Butterfly-dk
-Banghaii Cardinal-dk
-Perc clowns- yes definately everyone has to have a nemo but only one some are lucky to have a mated pair but one is fine...and as far as getting an anenome ...u dont need one and most of em wont go to it anyway..
-Yellow Tail Damsel--aggressive
-Domino Damsel--again aggressive
-Snowflake eel---stay away from eels get to big
-Longnose Hawkfish-ehh i forget but i wanna say ok some could better explain this one
-Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish- ehh poison fish lovely ...could eat ur smaller fish
-Bicolor Pseudochromis-dont remember bout this guy cool lookingthough
-Valentini Puffer-dk
-Most Tangs-u need at least a 75 or higher ...some will put them in a 55 but they like to swim long strides so stray away if at all possible

-Bubble tip anemone-wait
-Crocea clam-dk
-Emerald crab-need some to clean ur tank
-Blue/red legged hermits-again clean up crew
-Feather Dusters-not ure but supposed to help
-Some kind of cleaner shrimp
-Nassarius snails-clean up
-Turbo snails-clean up
-chocolate chip star-dk
-blue tuxedo urchin-dk

srry i couldnt be of more help
but a newb helping a newb ...more will chime in

Hello and welcome to the salty side of things. Im still a newbe myself but I can ansewer one of your questions. As far as salinity goes best if kept between 1.022 to 1.025. Sorry but thats all Im going to try and answer lol dont want to give you any bad info. Also I saw on your list you wanted Damsel's. These guys are hardy so since your just starting out I would start with them. Keep in mind though that these guys can become kind of mean as the get older. Also on the chocolate chip star if you plan on going reef later on I would not get one. Cause the will eat just about anything they can get ahold of including corals. Had one pretty to look at but had to get rid of cause of that reason.

-LeG[A]cY-;992194 said:

Thanks for the responses guys. I don't plan on doing a reef tank until way off in the future, so I'm guessing the chocolate chip star would be ok to have until then?

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Oh yeah nothing wrong with having one if you dont have corals and such. They are neat to watch. I liked feeding mine on the side of the glass you could watch him eat. Just target feed every few days Silversides, shrimp, krill.

Hi Travis, I'm a newbie myself with only my tank only up and running for 3 months. I read a lot. OK fine, I'm obsessed. Completely obsessed and probably need an intervention. =) Anyhow, I can answer a few of the questions:

I want to start out with either a 30 or 55 FOWLR tank

Go with the 55. I have a 55 and it didn't take long to wish I had bought bigger. It will be easier to keep the water stable, you'll have more choices in what livestock you can keep.

and then eventually make a kind of reef tank. In about a week and a half I will be getting the tank, filter, heater, lighting and some other basic stuff.

Definitely get advice on equipment from this forum or others before buying anything. It will save you money and we'll not be trying to make a profit on the advice. Some local fish stores give great advice, some not so great.

What exactly does a protein skimmer do and would it be necessary to have one?

They strip the water of waste by products. Ever walk along the shoreline and see the frothy bubbles at the waters edge? That is the same kind of stuff a skimmer helps remove/skim from our tanks by using bubbles inside the skimmer. Some skimmers work better than others. Get opinions before buying one. You can wait to get one on a FOWLER but you'll want one for certain with a reef.

Would it be better to buy cured or uncured live rock?'

Matter of preference, I chose to get cured locally so I'd not have to deal with smelly rock in the house or garage. Warning, if you get cured rock from online expect that it will still need to be cured because of die off during shipping.

As I understand, when the tank cycle is done the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels should be 0. What should salinity(I think that's what it's called) be at?

Yes, all at 0. You'll want your SG between 1.023 -1.025

Also, I don't know a ton about marine fish, but I do know which ones I like. Here's what I like/am considering putting in the tank, opinions would be appreciated:

Royal Gramma Basslet some say they hide a lot but they are popular

Harlequin Basslet might be hard to find one to buy, they will also pose a threat to ornamental crustaceans and smaller fish

Lawnmower Blenny great fish, very popular, be sure you have enough algae before introducing it.

Canary Blenny great little fish

Banded Butterfly Really needs a 75g minimum. Not an easy fish to keep for many and will be a risk when you go reef.

Banghaii Cardinal Great choice. Try to buy captive raised. They hover more than swim all over.

Perc clowns Great choice and as above try to buy captive raised. Also, they don't need an anemome if someone has told you that they do.

Yellow Tail Damsel I'd skip it. Although it is less aggressive than some damsels, it is still a damsel.

Domino Damsel Oh boy, aggressive guy he'll go after all your other fish. Many stay away from damsels because of this. However, the clowns are in the damsel family as are chromis, investigate those.

Snowflake eel I think your tank will be too small

Longnose Hawkfish Any smaller fish and shrimp will be in danger. Otherwise great little fish that will perch.

Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish I'd personally only keep one in a predator tank.

Bicolor Pseudochromis Known to be aggressive towards the other fish. OK if the other ones can stand up to it.


Valentini Puffer Like the lionfish, I'd only put it in a predator tank.

Most Tangs Most are going to tell you that your tank is too small. Some will say that a yellow or a purple can go in a 55. I got the advice first that a yellow would be OK in a 55 and I got one. I have some regrets about that after reading as much as I have since. He is small still and I've decided to keep him and watch him closely. I'm prepared to invest in a bigger home for him or find him a new home if I need to though.


Bubble tip anemone I'd stay away from this until you have 6-12 months under your belt. If you still want one then you'll need good lighting for it. Either MHs or T5s with reflectors.

Crocea clam Will need MHs and pristine water

Emerald crab I'm anti crab at the moment so I'll let someone else comment

Blue/red legged hermits

Feather Dusters good beginner stock

Some kind of cleaner shrimp Highly suggest scarlett skunk cleaner. I'm getting one of those and a fire cleaner in my 55. Read the warnings above though on some of the stock you like that won't work with these.

Nassarius snails Good

Turbo snails Good

chocolate chip star Everyone I know that got it as a pet, rather than food for a harlequin shrimp has regretted it.

blue tuxedo urchin Lovely things, but expect it to eat all your coralline algae.

Welcome to the forum.:welcome: I see you got lotsa goals.

Welcome Travis!!

Welcome Travis!!! Check your wallet now becuase it will never be the same SW is really addicting and a true joy. One of the many things is research, research, research and then ask the questions here. Everyone has been great and patient. This is one hobby you don't want to make snap decisions (eg, if you want reef later your think about your current set up differently - so you don't have to re-purchase items later...like lighting) There are sooo many sources on the web as to how/where to purchase that you can usually get the best prices if you search.

A couple of stock comments. I have a serpent start that is small by genetics and is reef friendly. They are really facinating and fun to watch. They are not destructive, nor do they "crawl" out our your tank. Just food for thought.

Also, as far as fish I have to say that the CB Clowns are almost a forgone decision. There are many varieties...so I would check them out. I really became partial to the red/yellow percs, but didn't find them til after I got my standard pair - and they are a riot to watch.

Also, you may want to check out the Ecsenius bicolor (Bicolor Blenny) he has been a good edition to my tank. Mine is reef focus so I only have a few fish.

There is a great thread started by Grins on "Books to get" so check that out when you get some time. Buy the Pocketexpert Guide for Marine fishes and the one for Marine Inverts.

Hope this helps a little.....