basic Q?'s on marine SW set up

[sushiray]

1. what doesw FOWLR mean?

2. why must u use RO/DI water?

3. how does an RO/DI unit work?

4. why can't u use conditioned tap water?

5. what are all the tests must do for SW?

6. is live reef same or different from live rock? how?

7. what is most common issues in a new start up?

8. what are common issues in an established set up?

9. what are most common diseases?

10. what are most common mistakes a newbie makes?

11. what brand salt is best to use? which is most economical?

12. why does one need a sump vs just using hob's?

13. what is a refugium & its purpose?

14. what does wet/dry filter mean, how does it work?

15. can u mix live rock, live reef & coral together?

16. will I ever have the nerve to start one up??

thks all for your time.

 

[Sploke]

1. what doesw FOWLR mean?
Fish Only With Live Rock

2. why must u use RO/DI water?
You don't HAVE to IME...but other will tell you that you do. My tap water is <100ppm TDS, I got away with it for two years in my reef. I needed to switch to RO/DI when I upgraded my lighting from CF to MH. A lot of tap water just has high levels of dissolved solids which can lead to serious algae issues in high-light tanks. If its a low-light FOWLR tank, it may not be as much of an issue.

3. how does an RO/DI unit work?
Depending on the unit, it will have 3-5 stages of filtration. Mine has two sediment filters, a carbon block filter, then the RO and the DI. The reverse-osmosis filter basically is a mechanical filter at the molecular level. It removed dissolved solids. The deionization resin uses a polarized resin to remove whatever is left, mostly polarized ions too small to get caught by the RO membrane.

4. why can't u use conditioned tap water?
see answer 2

5. what are all the tests must do for SW?
For FOWLR, after the basic cycling testing of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, you're good with nitrate, KH and calcium. For reef, you want to keep tabs on pH, KH, Calcium and magnesium for basics, some people test for a lot more.

6. is live reef same or different from live rock? how?
Reef implies living coral in the tank. Live rock is just rock that holds tons of beneficial bacteria and microorganisms that basically act as the biological filter for the tank.

7. what is most common issues in a new start up?
If you do your research and follow the correct steps, cycling should be the only real issue, apart from possibly treating illness in QT.

8. what are common issues in an established set up?
I myself have not had any real issues in the three years or so my reef has been running. Minor algae, and some equipment issues (crappy skimmer, crappy lighting) were the only real problems.

9. what are most common diseases?
Ich is probably the most common problem.

10. what are most common mistakes a newbie makes?
Rushing things can cause big problems down the road. Skimping on equipment can bite you in the rear as well. "The only things that happen fast in a reef tank are disasters."

11. what brand salt is best to use? which is most economical?
This varies a lot by personal opinion and experience. I use Reef Crystals, others swear by Oceanic or any number of other brands.

12. why does one need a sump vs just using hob's?
You don't NEED a sump, its just a popular option. It adds water volume (and therefore stability), you can include a refugium in a lot of cases, and it gives a good place to hide equipment.

13. what is a refugium & its purpose?
A fuge is an area that provides refuge (hence the name) for small organisms that might otherwise get eaten in the display tank. Good place to grow macroalgae for nutrient export, a place for a deep sand bed for denitrification, to grow out pods to support the DT population.

14. what does wet/dry filter mean, how does it work?
Wet/dry is another method of biological filtration, not used to often any more in SW tanks, as the liverock does the same job.

15. can u mix live rock, live reef & coral together?
A "live reef" is basically a FOWLR tank with better lights and coral in it...so, yes.

16. will I ever have the nerve to start one up??
that one's up to you.

thks all for your time.

see inline answers. This article is also a great starting place:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79292

 

[greech]

1. what doesw FOWLR mean? - Fish Only With Live Rock

2. why must u use RO/DI water? - Because its pure and free of the nasties such as nitrates and phosphates that usually come with tap water and other sources.

3. how does an RO/DI unit work? -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osmosis

4. why can't u use conditioned tap water? - You can if you want to risk dealing with the impurities of tap which can lead to an array of problems in a marine tank. Maine tanks are much more sensative and reactive to even slight changes in water chemistry.

5. what are all the tests must do for SW? - FO or FOWLR tanks can get by with Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH. Reef tanks should also be tested for Calcium and Alkalinity at a minimum but testing should be done if you dose any supplements such as iodine, etc. You also need a hydrometer or refractometer to measure specific gravity.

6. is live reef same or different from live rock? how? - Well I suppose you could have a reef tank (therefore live) without live rock but I would advise against doing that in any marine setup. Qaulity live rock should be a component of everyones system IMO.

7. what is most common issues in a new start up? - Newbies going too fast and adding livestock before the tank is ready and or overstocking a tank. Also buying undersized or otherwise inadequate equipment to meet the needs of the life in the tank. Other than that, algae growth is probably the most common nuissance that almost everyone goes through in the early stages.

8. what are common issues in an established set up? - Introduction of pests and disease. Introducing incompatible fish or corals without proper research. Lack of maintenance causing excess nutrient issues leading to death of livestock or a tank being overrun by algae.

9. what are most common diseases? - Ich, brooklynella, flukes, parasites in general (the later 2 not a disease obviously)

10. what are most common mistakes a newbie makes? - Going to fast, lack or proper research before buying livestock, buying undersized or inadeqaute equipment.

11. what brand salt is best to use? which is most economical? You'll get a wide array of answers here. IMO all salt mixes are about the same. To me a quality salt is one that goes into solution quickly and concentrations of trace elements are consistent batch after batch.

12. why does one need a sump vs just using hob's? - You don't but having a sump provides extra water volume (better stability), a place to mainatain a refugium, extra live rock, skimmer, and lots of other equipment that you don't want cluttering your display.

13. what is a refugium & its purpose? - A place to grow macro algae, add additional live rock, and /or maintain a deep sand bed. All of with adds to the stability, nutrient export and bacterial filtration of your system. It also provide a safe place for copepods and other creatures.

14. what does wet/dry filter mean, how does it work? - Wet drys are just another form of a sump but usually incorporate some sort of filter pad and/or sponge for mechanical filtration and the use of bio balls, the later or which are not really necessary in a marine tank because live rock is a much better form of biological filtration. Wet drys are also typically manufactured filters whereas sumps are typically made from tanks.

15. can u mix live rock, live reef & coral together? - Don't really understand the question but I think its safe to say yes. Again, reserach is key to determining compatibility BEFORE you buy.

16. will I ever have the nerve to start one up?? - You mean you don;t already have one? What are you waiting for?

Note: These are some 50,000 foot answers to your very good questions. I recommend you do a little more reading on your own and continue to ask more as you become more familira with the hobby.

 

[sushiray]

wow folks! thks for your replies. learning as much as I can. it will be a long while b4 I take the plunge.

 

[zeeter]

As for a couple of questions that were not asked:
Size tank: I wouldn't go anywhere lower than 75 gallon. The reason is that your mistakes are more apparent in a smaller tank. A few extra drops of a chemical in a 75 gl tank mean a lot less than the same thing in a 29 gl. Plus the larger tank gives more versatility. 75 is great to start because it doesn't require the most expensive equipment while allowing you to add a lot of variety to the tank.

Type tank: Whether glass or acrylic, get one with an internal overflow. There's nothing like sitting at work all day worrying whether or not the hang-on-the-back overlflow lost its suction and you have a flood in your house.

Filtration: As the other poster noted, live rock is the "in" method of biological filtration these days. Even if using live rock, it is good to have a sump system underneath the tank. It helps to hide extra equipment, you can run mechanical filtration through it, feed a refugium (some people use the sump itself as the refugium - I don't). Plus as another poster said it adds to the overall volume of the tank.

Research: A lot of care must go into buying fish. I've had to return several fish in just a few months because I didn't know as much about them as I should have when purchased. And local fish stores don't exactly give you market value when they buy a fish back.

Expense: It costs a lot more to get set up initially with a SW tank. After a while it's not so bad, but at first you'll be counting the days until the next payday (13) and you won't think of paydays anymore. For example - my next payday is really RO/DI system day.

Enjoyment: I could literally sit in front of my tank all day. And I would, if that pesky Xbox didn't keep calling to me. They're fun to work on, they're fun to watch, they're fun to plan out - I have my upgrade planned out already. A 220 tank that runs to a 100 gl sump in the basement. Eh...it's something to do besides joining a gang or watching age-inappropriate movies.

 

[Fishfriend1]

Good Luck, and never forget to feed your fish... oh and have fun, that too.

 

[Jstdv8]

Ha, i love the line " the only thing that happens fast are disasters"
Priceless.
The biggest mistake i see is people being impatient with thier cycles. your tank probably won't be truely stable untill about 6 months in. a cycle "usually" lasts 4-6 weeks and its the hardest time to sit and stare at a tank with no fish or corals in it.

the other mistake is thinking you won't want corals and getting everything for a FOWLR set up (namely lighting) only to find out that corals are really awesome!
I actually prefer my corals over my fish hahahaa.

It's great that you are asking questions well in advance.
If you have any more feel free to post. we'd rather try and answer something you might consider a "stupid question" rather than hear of all your livestock dying and you don't know why.
Good luck to you.

 

[sushiray]

thks all again. so for now I can continue dreaming. happy with my discus tank, want more juvies but...