New to marine,

Ghost_knife

Ghost_knife

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Nov 17, 2005
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I read the marine tank topic and decided that it diddnt have too much useful things to it, I would like some help on setting up a marine tank so that when I get the fish they go right in,

I have a 55 Gal tank that will become a salt tank and a 75 that will become a fresh, I need to know salinity and what other things I would have to do to keep it up
 
My friend, your broad questions and need for knowledge/research are beyond the scope of this forum; salinity is only a small part of the picture... please start by reading a couple of books may I suggest--"The Consicentous Marine Aquarist," by Fenner.
 
I was hoping for real life experience from members whom started their tanks how they did it and what obsticles they faced,
 
I'm with floridaboy on this one. Your question is too broad. There are so many different ways to set up a saltwater tank. Everyone you will talk to about saltwater has something different to say. The best thing to do is research as much as possible and pick which tank set up you want. That way you'll be able to ask more specific questions and everyone can be more helpful. I started my saltwater tank a few weeks ago, but I've been researching everything about saltwater tanks for the past three or four months. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on! This forum is very helpful but you'll need to do some research of your own. Good luck!
 
Unless your are pumping in sea water directly from the ocean there is no such that as setting it up so when you get fish they can go right in. First you need to make a list of what type of fish and inverts you want to have, then you can design your aquarium for thier needs.
 
My mother likes the ocean so I would like a simple tank with some small corals and small but nice looking fish that would be happy, maybe a clown fish and some small anomies with other compatable fish. Does that help any?
 
I too agree with FB however i will offer some advice.

Clowns would make great additions to a 55G and you are preety much open to whatever species you decide to keep, although bare in mind maroon clowns and clarkis can be agresive

Corals have specialised needs they require specialst lights and impecable water quality. Anemones are very hard to keep and you need to have a tank at least 6 months mature to attempt this along with very powerfull lighting and carefully chosen tank mates.

As for you set up, Live rock is the best filtration you can get and will be a must if you intend to keep corals most people sugest 2lb per gallon. Protien skimmers are another must if you intend to keep corals and also are very benificial to a fish only system.

Hope this helps happy reading

BTW Bob Fenner also keeps a website www.wetwebmedia.com maybe worth a look there, post in the newbie forum from now on, lots of newbies there and you can read the advice they recieved

Dan
 
I went out and bought a few books on the subject and with your post it helps make things more clear, I still have 1-2 months before we move so, I will do all that I can to read and learn
 
I setup my first marine tank this week. its a 90 gallon overflow tank with sump filter. Just make sure when you buy stuff that you are SURE its what your going to end up using. I ended up buying things for the tank while i was reading the books, and in the end i had to return alot of things to get better stuff, or different stuff because i kept learning different things when i read the books. I also bought cheap stuff cause i was on a tight budget and then had to return it when i used it and realized it was too small or not powerful enough (my heater, powerheads, and return pump were all underpowered for my tank - all cause i wanted to save a bit of money). It doesnt work that way, you have to spend the money on good stuff. I got alot of my stuff off ebay like my sump filter and protein skimmer. Honestly the more you can learn about every detail of marine tanks, the better you are. Learn about fish species and corals and what they need to survive, learn about lighting and the different types of lighting (actinic, daylight, etc) and colors of the spectrum, learn about filtration (sump, wet/dry, trickle, canister, power filters) learn about protein skimmers and why/how/when they work, learn about how all these things work together (like a protein skimmer sits in a sump) - do you want a setup that has everything hidden underneath the cabinet? (has to be a sump or canister) or do you not care about protein skimmers and filters hanging off your tank?) When and if you decide to run a sump filter, learn alot about how they work and what type of plumbing is best for your specific size and dimensions. Also do you want live rock and live sand?, or do you want just fish only with fake ornaments? Just learn as much as possible. My tank has finally come off to a good start after spending almost $3000 on all the proper components and live rock. Its really easy once you have everything set up and going. Also make sure you learn about the cycling process and about beneficial bacteria and learn about test kits too and acceptable levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, PH, calcium, etc... you will need to test all these things periodically with a test kit. Theres just so much to learn. I dont know what you already know, but if you know a bit about freshwater tanks then thats a good start. saltwater just has a few more components to the filtration/circulation system (protein skimmer and powerheads) and salt. I started off with a 10 gallon saltwater tank that is now currently my quarantine and hospital tank. It was so easy. I just mixed up the salt water in seperate buckets, ran an aquaclear 20 power filter, small heater, 1 piece of live rock, a few cups of live sand, then the next day I added my first damsel to cycle the tank. make sure you learn about species and cycling the tank. like I said i dont know how much you already know, but i hope all of this helps. The best things to do is read books... one book that I read when i first starting showing interest in marine tanks is "saltwater tanks for dummies" and it gives you the basics and some good info on all the different parts of the hobby. Also try to meet someone at the local fish store who will take the time and talk to you about all the different things you need. I met a guy at the Mississauga Big Al's, his name is Mark and he is the store manager and he spends 1 or 2 hours with me almost twice a week trying to decide what to buy and he teaches me what everything is for and stuff. If your local fish store doesnt know much about saltwater tanks and they are jerks who dont care and sell primarily goldfish (like Big Al's in Brampton, Ontario) then find a better place before you get frustrated. Ok sorry for such a long post, I will shutup now! Hope I helped.
 
There are better ways to cycle a tank than use fish Esp damsels(i will Explain later) The cycling porccess is extremely stressfull for fish if not fatal. Most people here use either a cocktail shrimp or bottled amonia this has the same effect!

Also if you cycle with Damnsels you will be stuck with them cromis aside Damnsels are a nightmare i had a three spot that terrorised everything in the tank it would not let the clowns out of the corner of the tank and eat my old boxer shrimps antenas!
 
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