Okay need help plaining...

[Winzzy]

I would like some help plaining, my last thred had great response but also left me a little uncertain of what to do.

29 Gal aquarium
4-5" DSB (still not sure what sand I am going to use, was also thinking about using LS from GARF.org)
50 lbs of LR (may just use 10 lbs and seed the othe 40)
Lighting, would two regular 24" 55 watts be better than a 96w quad? that way I could have a morning cycle etc...
I will also be building an LED moonlight

My questions now are:
Should I use my fluval 204? as a filter? as a pump?
How many pumps should I have?
What rock is best for seeding into LR?
Will a cleanup crew try to eat the food a mandarin eats?
What is a plenium, and why would I want one?
How many fish? 1? 2? 3?
Is there a certain type of sand that bufers PH?
What are the best books for me to read?

 

[as40]

Aragonite sand is supposedly good for helping to buffer the water in your tank, or so I've seen it advertised. I use it, I like the look of it... Won't hurt anything.

"The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists" is supposed to be excellent. I plan on picking up a copy myself sometime soon. Here's the amazon link to the book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1890087025/102-5052576-0633748?v=glance

How many fish depends on how big they get, as well as their temperment, territorial demands, etc. etc. etc. A lot of variables to consider. The general "rule of thumb" if you will that I've seen on here and around the net is roughly "1 inch of fish per 5 gallons of water" for a saltwater tank.

Pourous rock, something that has rough or pock-marked edges/surface is good for seeding with LR, as it gives the bacteria and critters something to go into/grip onto.

I'd just use the fluval as a pump and depend on the LR, cleaner crew, and water changes to act as the filtration.

HTH

 

[as40]

Forgot, also, as for how many pumps... That isn't as important as how much water flow you get out of them. You want to get a lot of current going in your tank, so you could get away with two pumps if they take in a lot of water. You want to figure a tank-turnover rate of 10X per hour.

As for the other questions, someone more knowledgable than I will surely answer those. Good luck!

 

[Winzzy]

Thanks as40,

I just ordered that book from Barnesandnoble.com a little while ago.

another one I was thinking about is "the new marine aquarium" though I am not sure that this one will be benificial down the road..

any others that are must haves?

What about the aquarium atlas series, those good or just a big list of fish.

Oh and what brand is best for test kits?
which test kits do I need?

 

[ben72227]

for lights since you said you wanted a cycle w/ moonlights, you might try the CustomSeaLife PowerCompact Moon Lite (I'm not sure what it's called now since CustomSeaLife went out of business) but they still sell it at drsfostersmith.com

as for other books - i think the two good ones are fenner's book which as40 already recommened and scott michaels' Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species. Fenner's book is the "bible" of saltwater fish and michaels is considered to be one of the top marine photographers in the world. Fenner, Michaels, and Paletta all work together, so it's all pretty good.

I recommend michaels book because it's the "encyclopedia" of marine fish and it comes in handy when you have questions like, "I like that fish, but would it work in my tank?" or "What do I feed this thing?"

For pumps get MaxiJets and AVOID - AVOID - AVOID Rio pumps.
Aragonite is probably the best sand, but sillica sand works as well.

 

[wastememphis]

Hey,

The filter is fine expecially with that large of a sand bed. the intake would be to long to put it vertical... so you'd have to angle it. The clean up crew shouldn't eat what the mandarin does... they eat things that involve cleaning your tank, like algae... and "stuff". You shouldn't have to worry about a mandrin for awhile though.