On fence about going salt water & need honest opinions

[CWO4GUNNER]

So in review as recommended a FO salty tank is the way to get around a major portion of electrical expense in lighting and refrigeration requirements if like me one is primarily interested in FO. That the only required equipment different then keeping FW fish for a FO salty tank is the skimmer which seems to be an inescapable requirement for good FO tank health, is that correct?

Can anyone recommend a skimmer known for its value and high effectiveness that is also scalable to say 60 gallons. I mean it makes sense that if I invest in a good skimmer for a 20 FO starter tank that it be capable of effectively skimming 60 or maybe even 100 gallons if possible unless the difference is cost is much-much higher, also any corrections in what my general understanding is of whats been advised so far?

 

[ToeJam]

I think things are being blown out of proportion here. Fear of crashing a salt tank, yet FW experienced.

Like I said and linked: That water chemistry book will cover what you don't know.

You want to understand skimmers I have a sig link to the break down of it so you can understand it.

Reef is out the window since you are wanting to stay fairly cheap on the start. Better words Fiscally Strict.

You can simply buy a 55 gallon from walmart. Get your base rock. Sand and some live sand to seed it. Start putting in your live rocks... and let it sit for a month as you prepare your list of things you want to do.

Since cycling has no official timer. The only thing I can say is SW does for the most part takes more time to cycle. So just having a tank up and sitting for a month will be good way to avoid newbie crashes.

I think it's better to start with FOWLR for now. YOu seem so cautious it is just the safest route to go. Reefs take time and equipment. And often takes a SW Reef tank a year to properly mature. (in general)

Again that $9.99 book will save you headaches and really help your understanding of this before you dive in.

As for the topic of lighting ..it is only going to complicate things. Discussing usable UV light..what spectrums. sure going closer to sunlight at 6500-10k bulbs may encourage more rapid growth in specific corals like SPS. It is not necessary. The question is how do you want your display to look when it comes to rating pics...want more blue go up in rating...you what more white to yellow go down. Honestly the happy medium is near 14k. Phoenix Moguls bulbs ,Ushio, and other well made brands.

To break your brain more... We have T5's, Led's, Halides, and power compacts to pick from for lighting. Depending on your tank needs. Hoods, Retro kits, and Pendants. Oh my!

Like I warned ...being the cautious type you are. Start slow. build slow. All will be fine. I can not stress more to get this inexpensive book.

 

[ToeJam]

So in review as recommended a FO salty tank is the way to get around a major portion of electrical expense in lighting and refrigeration requirements if like me one is primarily interested in FO. That the only required equipment different then keeping FW fish for a FO salty tank is the skimmer which seems to be an inescapable requirement for good FO tank health, is that correct?

Can anyone recommend a skimmer known for its value and high effectiveness that is also scalable to say 60 gallons. I mean it makes sense that if I invest in a good skimmer for a 20 FO starter tank that it be capable of effectively skimming 60 or maybe even 100 gallons if possible unless the difference is cost is much-much higher, also any corrections in what my general understanding is of whats been advised so far?

Reef Octopus Skimmers for Sumps.
CPR Bakpak skimmers for Hang off the back

read my sig on skimmers ..seriously.

For the record:
I have two 250watt Metal halide Moguls, return pump, Phosban reactor with pump, heater, 4 power heads, and a fan to cool the hood with bulbs running.

bulbs are on 8 hours a day my average electric bill is 70 dollars a month in my city. I have a lot of electronic toys to...my bill is not bad at all.

Your issue is going to be heat cause of Arizona. unless you have central air keeping your house at 80 or under... A chiller is something you will require going reef.

 

[RiVerfishgirl]

That the only required equipment different then keeping FW fish for a FO salty tank is the skimmer which seems to be an inescapable requirement for good FO tank health, is that correct?

A skimmer isn't strictly necessary, but it will cut your maintenance load drastically with just fish. You will have to do less water changes to keep your nitrates down. Denitrifcation of liverock is largely dependent on the quality and amount of the rock you have. I had a tank with lots of live rock and still had a fair amount of nitrates due to the carnivores present in it, and no skimmer.

As far as good skimmers, I just ordered a super reef octopus for in sump. Have not set it up but I've heard a lot of good reviews on it.

Previously I used a coralife and it was a great skimmer as far as what it would pull out, but did take some tinkering, not to mention they have gone up in price to the point where there are other brands that would be better. So I wouldn't recommend one for a beginner especially.

 

[greech]

For the money I would recommend a SWC skimmer over the reef octopus but both are very good considering price. The SWCs are silent.

http://www.swcskimmers.com/

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Thanks for all your input which really helped me form a general idea of how to proceed minus all the required reading and research I will of course need to do, thank God for the internet, these forums, and especially those of you who answered.

Although I probubly will have to tailor my approach based on what truly works for now I plan to start off with my currently established FW Oscar 60 tank (remove Oscar) that is already FW cycled and then add black mollies then slowly add the necessary ingredients necessary until I reach the proper salinity and black mollies have had time to acclimate hopefully maintaining established cycle using the same filter, substrata and fake plants and tank. Also I will DIY a sunlight algae nitrate filter not unlike the DIY window screen algae nitrate filters I have seen posted on AC which pull nitrates and algae away from the main tank. After and IF the tank is established and balanced Im hoping I can add SW fish. I will not be introducing any live rock or corals but rather fake. The central AC at 79 should take care of summer heat same as for my current FW tanks especially since I will be using 15W florescent lighting only (total 60W tops 2 hour daily). The octopus skimmer will probably be the only piece of extra equipment I will use in the sump. Remember this is just a general concept which will be tailored by what works and what doesn't. But I hope to achieve a very low cost and low maintenance FO saltwater tank.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

PS- I found where I can get pure salt suitable for aquarium use at a cost of $3 for 40Lbs or 8 cents a pound. So that should help.
http://www.mortonsalt.com/products/watersoftner/white-crystal-solar.html

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194758

 

[Fishfriend1]

You know, you don't even need a skimmer, not if it FOWLR. I have a 30 gal FOWLR and i have no skimmer, its been fine, no issues with the water, no cloudyness, no loss of fish. Been going fer bout 9 months now, never once used a skimmer.

 

[redfishblewfish]

Wow, flipping a tank from fresh to salt by slowly adding salt....this is going to be an interesting cycle. Please keep us posted. The bacteria for a salt tank is totally different than the bacteria in a fresh tank. The mollies might not make it in the flip to salt when ammonia and nitrate spike when going through the salt cycle...but I say that with ignorance, because I don't know anyone who has done this.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Perhaps the skimmer on the overflow box will be enough to keep the surface protein down, if not Ill use the octopus in the sump below. Im hoping the bacteria like the mollies will either acclimate or convert-colonize as salinity goes up slowly from fresh to salt-fresh to low-brackish to high-brackish to salt-water, otherwise there must be many strains of cycling bacteria in-between, I doubt it . I will be using API toxin measurments as one of many guides to make the slow transition. How slow? hopefully no more then a month but perhaps as little as 2 weeks.