Couple questions...

[Pallen81]

Thanks a lot everyone. I went out and bought 40 lbs of Caribsea Argonite Marine Sand, and 15lbs of Instant Ocean Salt. I need about 15 more pounds of sand and about 5 lbs of salt for my 55 galllon right? I want to keep the specific gravity around 1.025. Also I was looking at the protein skimmers and the guy there was informing me on them and he made it seem that all the tank really needs is a strong current. If this is true i was thinking about getting a fairly powerful filter (like a hang on one) and a couple fairly strong power heads (opposite side of the tank). Think this will work??

Thats alot of sand! When using instant ocean, on the back of the bag it states how much salt you'll need per gallon. Just make sure you have enough for the initial set up and more for water change or an emergency.

Before you start buying some of this equipment... you really have to have an idea of what type of tank you want. There are 3 main types.

FO (Fish only)
FOWLR (Fish only with live rock) this doesn't really mean FISH only. you can have starfish, hermit crabs, snails, etc etc. there is life all over the place. just no corals.
Reef Tank - Corals, Strong expensive lighting, etc. you get the picture.

For a first tank, i'd recommned FOWLR. Live Rock is essentially your filtration system. Sounds wierd I know. But the rock is so full of nooks and crannies that it has TONS of beneficial bacteria on and in it that will consume the toxins in the water. Plus, all sorts of critters will come out of your rocks eventually. You don't have to go crazy buying a big HOB filter like you would with Freshwater because its not nearly as important. In fact, if you have enough live rock some people don't even get filters. I personally, have a small HOB filter on my FOWLR system. I use the filter for extra circulation, to pull particles out of the water, and for carbon use. Also, if you go the live rock route, you should place your live rock on the glass bottom of the tank first. before you put your sand in. this will prevent rocks from collapsing because of sand moving under them. its just more stable.

skimmers are another choice. depending on the type of system you want a skimmer is either highly recommended or not as important.

Now, what type of tank do you want and what type of fish are you interested in... we can help you further then. :idea:

 

[5xevy]

I'm one of those people who didn't tackle freshwater first.

Whether you go with FOWLR or reef is up to you. Just know that with a reef you'll need better lighting than a FOWLR. It's really not that much harder. Just patience, commitment and research is all...and LOTS of it. Ask a lot of questions if you need to. It's just really important not to rush things.

 

[dub*c]

Thanks everyone! I went out and bought 40lbs of Caribsea Argonite Marine Sand and 15lbs of Instant Ocean Salt. I know I need about 15lbs more of sand and 5lbs of salt for my 55 gallon right?? I want to keep the specific gravity at about 1.025. Also I was looking at protein skimmers and the guy who was answering my questions made it seem like all the tank needs is current. So, if this is true i was thinking about getting a fairly powerful filter ( like a hang on one) and a couple fairly powerful powerheads (and place one on each side of the tank). Think this will work??

 

[dub*c]

sorry about posting the last post twice, i thought i erased it all. Oh well. Well I was planning on getting some clowns and anemones first then go from there. But i do have a question about the live rock though. To cure it all I have to do is place it in the tank and let it cycle for a few weeks? I dont have to put any chemicals or anything to aid in the curing? My local fish store is getting a shipment of live rock from fiji in a couple weeks so i have to wait to start cycling anyway.

 

[Pallen81]

sorry about posting the last post twice, i thought i erased it all. Oh well. Well I was planning on getting some clowns and anemones first then go from there. But i do have a question about the live rock though. To cure it all I have to do is place it in the tank and let it cycle for a few weeks? I dont have to put any chemicals or anything to aid in the curing? My local fish store is getting a shipment of live rock from fiji in a couple weeks so i have to wait to start cycling anyway.

There are two main types of Live Rock... Uncured live rock and cured live rock. Uncured live rock will have alot of dieoff and will stink up your house. It will take longer to cycle before you can add lifeforms. However, its usually cheaper. Cured live rock will have very little die off and will probably cycle your tank much quicker (I got good live rock - cycled in 7 days - so fast I couldn't believe it) You should find out which type of rock they are getting. You can also buy live rock online if your LFS is overcharging you. I bought online and got awesome stuff. my LFS charged 10 bucks per pound. you can get cheaper online. there are a bunch of sites offering different fees and whatnot. You can get fiji rock, tonga branch rock, etc.

When you get your live rock, be it cured or uncured.
1. have your temperature stable.
2. have your pH at an acceptable marine level.
3. have your salinity be at an acceptable level.
4. no need for lighting during the cycling... it will only create algae blooms that you don't want to deal with... leave that for when you got a clean up crew and critters in there.

 

[dub*c]

Nice thanks. So I might go and get some tonite from another local pet store. I haven't got a filter yet and am going to get one tonite as well (if i make it out there before it closes). So id put the live rock in place, lay out the sand, fill up the tank, get the heater and filter and powerheads going, treat the water with Cycle and AquaPlus, then dump the 15lbs of salt in the tank. Then let it sit and cycle for a few weeks. Does this sound about right?

 

[Pallen81]

So id put the live rock in place, lay out the sand, fill up the tank, get the heater and filter and powerheads going, treat the water with Cycle and AquaPlus, then dump the 15lbs of salt in the tank. Then let it sit and cycle for a few weeks. Does this sound about right?

Pretty close... a few little changes from that process.

1. Fill tank with RO water... or if treated water if really your only option, then I guess go with that, but I'd go RO water all the way if possible...seriously.
2. Adjust your heater to 72-78 degrees.
3. Start up your powerheads, filter to get the water circulating.
4. then add your salt. wait a day for the salt to completely dissolve. may have to use your hand to get big piles of salt to dissolve but this will happen eventually anyway. then check to see if its at an acceptable level. (you'll need a hydrometer or refractometer to check salt levels)
5. you may need a buffer to ensure your water has good alkalinity and the pH is stable. I add one just to be sure. its Kent Marine Buffer. just follow the directions if you decide to get it.
6. once you know your salt levels are good, pH is good, temp is good. Order Live rock or buy some at the store. Rule is 1 to 1.5 lbs per gallon. (I have a 30gallon and I have around 31 lbs of live rock) Better to bite the bullet on this one and get the proper amount of rock all at once. It's your MAIN filtration for the tank. the price hurts, but its worth it.
7. Get your live rock and place it into your tank. Aquascape to your liking. Just make sure its relatively stable. (watch your water levels, you'll obviously overflow the tank if you're not careful when adding the rocks!)
8. You'll want to rinse out the sand as well before adding it to the tank. Pain in the butt... I know this. hehe. But if you don't two things can happen. 1. your tank will be really cloudy. it will be anyway when you put the sand in, but it will be cloudy way way longer. 2. if you use treated tap water to rinse out the sand its possible you will have nitrates and phosphates in your brand new sand from the tap water. this means that when you add it to the tank there is nitrates embedded deep in the sand bed. this will slowly be released over time causing you headaches and possible algae blooms. I know it sucks but its best to use RO water to rinse the sand. Use a bucket... put RO (you'll prolly only need like 3-4 gallons of RO water for this task) water in.. then put the sand in the bucket. swirl your hand around the sand in the bottom to loosen it up. this will get any tiny sand particles and dust out of the sand. dump out the cloudy water. you'll be glad its not going into your tank... trust me.
7. put the sand into your tank gently around the live rock. try to avoid getting it on the live rock. don't worry about the surface of the sand being all even... it will over time spread and cover your glass.
8. Check your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate over the next few days to weeks and you'll be golden.

my fingers hurt........ lol.

 

[BIGgourami]

1.025 is just a little high for the starting salinity. IME higher range salinity make fish more prone to parasitism. just try starting the tank out at about 1.021, this is especially good for reducing ick outbreaks.
def, make sure the water is heated and fully salted BEFORE you add the rock as the shock can kill off the benificial bacteria.
also there is one more option to your tank setup, it's kind of lesser used but more presice. when pallen said that FOWLR wasn't actually fish only, there's a stage sometime used called RNC. Reef No Corals. it includes all mobile inverts.
and what people consider reef tank should actually be called coral reef as there are rubble reefs, man-made reefs, and rock reefs.
but that's all technicalities, so they don't really matter

 

[Germanman]

i keep my tank at 1.025 and everything flourishes..just as another opinion in here...its the water quality and the care that keep ich away. the ocean ranges from 1.024-1.026 usually 1.026...so 1.021 is really low compare to the oceans...but it works just fine. i personally just like the more natural approach.

 

[BIGgourami]

your tanks a reef though right?
inverts can't handle the low salinity. that's what kills the ick.