100 Gallons of n00b

[Beta Cow]

Well..where to start. I have had Freshwater Aquariums for about 5 years, and have had much luck with all my fish ( I still have a 3-year old Silver Hatchett in my Eclipse System 6)

I am now 15, and have made the decision to move to saltwater, but first, a long list on n00b Questions, here they are:

The tank is 72in by 18in by 24in, so it is long enugh for Tangs()

-For salt, what mixture do you feel is the best (Not value, but nutrients and other ingreedents)

-I plan to cycle my tank with good old Jumbo shrimp, but what order should I add all the parts in? Water, Salt, turn on filter, then add live sand and rock, then cycle for 4 weeks?

- I plan on using a wet/dry filter as they add more of a buffer for a newb in case of error(I plan on that). But, who makes fairly good wet/dry systems for a 100 gal tak (Marineland or MAXi Reef, or what others would you Reccomend?) and what is this drilling I hear of? or is that just for if you don't use an Overflow skimmer? After the filter is picked, what Pump is apropiate and costs <$120?

-During Cycling, do I need the lights on?

-I live in an area where we have very hard water, and I don't have an R/O machine, nor do I want to purchase one. Can I just use the tap water, de-chlorinate it, cycle it, and have it Suitable for fish?

-If I use a Wet/dry filter, wil that provide enough movement, having the intake in the center back, and outflow in the back coroners? or will I need powerheads?

-Also, who can Reccomend an All-around decent test kit with all the essential tests in it?

-How many Watts of heat will I need to keep is 78F in ~ a 68-72F room?

How much Live rock/sand will I need?( I plan on mixing in some Play sand too, to cut down on cost, let it build up during cycling)

-Lighting, I'll need to call the shop about the hood(Don't even know if it has a Ballast) But I plan on using 3 Actinic white and one Actinic Blue VHO bulbs, or is that overkill? i'm planning on 4-5 watts per gallon so I can get coral sometime in the future. I plan on a 12-hur cycle, and I wil have 2 bulbs per Ballast, so can I turn on 1 blue and 1 white to start, then after 1 hour have the others turn on for like 10 hours, than black to blue/white for an hour, than off? Or can I use one ballast, and controll a decent "Sun Phase" effect (don't think that is possible tho). Are those also the Correct Bulb combinations?

-As for a skimmer, all of the "Good" ones need an external pump, but can I just use the pump on my wet/dry to power it also, just run them in-line(Please Specify skimmer Capiable of this)? Or, if not, what skimmer can I get to andle 100 gallons, that has it's own pump?

As for food and fish help, I think i'm good (Love that fish chart all over the internet, tells me what works well together).


Thanks in Advance, and thanks for your Patience with the long post, i'm looking foward to entering the salty side

 

[mogurnda]

First, welcome to AC!

-For salt, what mixture do you feel is the best (Not value, but nutrients and other ingreedents)

I use Instant Ocean. It has performed well for me, and analyses rank it very high in terms of resembling natural seawater.

I plan to cycle my tank with good old Jumbo shrimp, but what order should I add all the parts in? Water, Salt, turn on filter, then add live sand and rock, then cycle for 4 weeks?

If you are gong the shrimp method, I would add the LR and LS afterward. You can also buy uncured rock and use it to cycle the tank.

-During Cycling, do I need the lights on?

Nope, it will just encourage unwanted algae growth.

-I live in an area where we have very hard water, and I don't have an R/O machine, nor do I want to purchase one. Can I just use the tap water, de-chlorinate it, cycle it, and have it Suitable for fish?

The main reason I use RO is because my tapwater has a lot of nitrate. Hardness shouldn't be a problem, in fact it will probably help maintain your alkalinity.

- I plan on using a wet/dry filter as they add more of a buffer for a newb in case of error

Will this be a reef or FO? If you plan on having a reef, I would nix the wet/dry.

-If I use a Wet/dry filter, wil that provide enough movement, having the intake in the center back, and outflow in the back coroners? or will I need powerheads?

Again, depends on what you plan to have. MOre water movement will be beneficial to a FO system, and you will definitely need powerheads or a closed loop for a reef. Oops, I just read that you're thinking about corals. I would definitely suggest dumping the wet/dry, adding a very good skimmer (others will have better ideas for your size tank), and boosting your circulation to 10-15 tank volumes/hour total.

But I plan on using 3 Actinic white and one Actinic Blue VHO bulbs, or is that overkill?

That should be about right, except for the most demanding corals and clams. I have the actinics (actinic light is blue, by the way) on for 12 hours a day for dawn and dusk effects, with the daylight on for about 10 hours in the middle. The combination is fine, although a lot of people like 50/50 actinic/daylight. I'm not sure what you mean about using one ballast for a "sun phase." You'll need a separate ballast for each bank of lights that you want to control separately.

Also, who can Reccomend an All-around decent test kit with all the essential tests in it?

In my experience, any of the NH3/NO2/NO3/pH kits will get you through the cycle, like the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals or Hagen kits. Once the tank's established, you'll want to keep monitoring NO3, and also watch Ca and alkalinity. For NO3 and Ca, Salifert is good, alhtough I find the SeaCHem Ca test has a sharper cutoff. I am happy with the Aquarium Systems Fastest alkalinity kit.

Well, that was a mouthful. And I'm sure that's just the first response you'll get.

 

[Beta Cow]

Thanks for the speedy reply, but I stil have a few Questions.

Originally posted by mogurnda
If you are gong the shrimp method, I would add the LR and LS afterward. You can also buy uncured rock and use it to cycle the tank.

I thought the point of cycling was to get the sand built up. I'll just get Uncured rock

Originally posted by mogurnda
Will this be a reef or FO? If you plan on having a reef, I would nix the wet/dry.

Why so? I have always wonderd this...
BTW; I was planning on FOWLR to start. Technically, what seperates a Marine Aquarium from a Reef Aquarium?

Originally posted by mogurnda
That should be about right, except for the most demanding corals and clams. I have the actinics (actinic light is blue, by the way) on for 12 hours a day for dawn and dusk effects, with the daylight on for about 10 hours in the middle. The combination is fine, although a lot of people like 50/50 actinic/daylight. I'm not sure what you mean about using one ballast for a "sun phase." You'll need a separate ballast for each bank of lights that you want to control separately.

By "Sun Phase" I meant the 12-hour light cycle. I guess that means 2 VHO ballasts then...expensive...

Once again, THANKS!

 

[mogurnda]

There are people who use wet/dry systems successfully, but one theory is that they are too efficient at taking NH3 and turning it into NO3, which is an aerobic process, but incapable of turning NO3 to N2, which requires an anaerobic environment. The production of NO3 outstrips the ability to turn it into N2 and have it go away. Live rock and sand, on the other hand, have both environments in close proximity, so the processes go hand-in-hand. Another theory is that the bioballs or whatever substrate is used in a wet/dry just trap debris and it gets broken down to high levels of NO3.

Whatever the reason, most reef tank rely on a skimmer, live rock and live sand (and sometimes a refugium) for filtration and are very successful.

 

[tricksterpup]

Beta,
Welcome to the world of SALT WATER. It is a very rewarding hobby and will keep you inthrawled for years. I setup my first SW when I was 18 and that was over 20 years ago.
OK: Rule number one to saltwater, toss out the PHRASE its expensive. Trust me on this.. you will feel much better in the long run. As long as you are happy, that is all that matters.
If you want to run live rock and have healthy happy tangs, you will want to promote good Alage growth on your rocks (I mean the good kind of alage.). I have seen yellow tangs kept in fish only tanks with no live rock and look pale and terrible but once they are kept with live rock and alage, they are bright canary yellow. If you do a regular FOWLR then you can use NO bulbs but if you want corals the you will have to the the VHO, CP or MH Lights which can get costly but they should treat you well.

I do recommend some books, Sites like this are very helpful but not as a good extensive read. Here are a few good books.

The Reef Tank Owner's Manual: A Practical Guide to Establishing and Maintaining a Coral Reef Aquarium
by John H. Tullock
Saltwater Aquariums For Dummies®
by Gregory Skomal (Author)