Newbie with a 40g

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Sethman94

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Sep 11, 2013
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Seth
So I set up my first saltwater tank today! I have...
40 gallon
I don't have a special light yet
I have 30 lbs of love sand
I have a HOB filter/protein skimmer
I have a 55 gallon HOB canister filter (forgot what brand it was)
Heater
circulation pump

Getting love rocks hopefully next week if my conditions are right and where they need to be.

I'm wanting to do a dwarf lion tank and want some fish that are big/aggressive enough to go with the lion, I'm not sure if I can but I was thinking two lions and hopefully a couple more fish to go with it like I said.

Just waiting for to cycle!

I know there's gunna be a algae bloom, is there fish that eat the algae or do I need to clean it myself?

Is there anything I need to make sure I do while it's cycling

Can I use reverse osmosis with distilled water? I'm not sure if that makes a difference

I'm new to saltwater but I've wanted one for quiet some time now and just want more and more knowledge about it!

Thanks!


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greech

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May 13, 2009
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Graham
Congrats on the new setup!

As long as you have saltwater in the tank, conditions are right for live rock. You should not be worried as long as there is no livestock going in immediate;y (shouldn't be anyway).

No reason to use distilled. Just use RO but use RO/DI if possible.

Tough part about stocking is that the "swimming" fish you should be keeping in a 40B will all stay small enough to fit into a fully grown dwarf lions mouth. This would include the algae grazers like lawnmower blennies, etc. Kind of the price we pay for going with a biotype but they are really rewarding when done right. Use of snail, crabs and worms will help with display alge control along with a good filtrations and regular water changes using good (RO/DI) water.

You don't need a "special light" unless you intend to keep photosynthetic corals. This isn't always ideal with perching fish like lions since many corals can and will sting fish. Macro algae however look great with lion biotypes. These algae will also help with filtration to a degree.
 

TL1000RSquid

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Apr 6, 2011
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1 fu man chu lion will work in a 40, I'm not sure about 2 though. Possible tankmates would be damsels should be big enough to not get eaten but cheap enough not to cry over if they do. Maybe Maroon Clown but then I might be worried about the lionfish's saftey.
 

TL1000RSquid

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Apr 6, 2011
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How long ago did you add the water? Depending on the source of the sand a few days of cloudiness isn't unusual. If the why's that about the maroon and fu manchu, lionfish don't always do well with very aggressive fish, spines might discourage larger fish from eating them whole but I saw a triggerfish take apart a slightly larger volitan. Maroons temperment can range from semi aggressive to rabid, more so in smaller tanks.
 

ktrom13

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Feb 4, 2013
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A 40gal is perfect for a flame angel :) i only say this because i love flame angels but have yet to start a SW tank :/ i wish the best of luck for you and hope to see some pictures once you get everything in place :)

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