Trying to start my first saltwater tank.

jeo4 said:
I have a 10 gallon aquarium that was once occupied by freshwater tetras. I have moved them into a 30 gallon tank and now im questioning what to do with my 10 gallon tank. I have always had freshwater fish for the last 5 years, but have never gotten into saltwater tanks. However, I have recently acquired an interest and have a few questions. To start, I have no idea how to even begin the setup of a saltwater tank. Like what do i need, what certain filters, should I use crushed coral or sand for my suface, what are the best occupants for a 10 gallon tank?, etc. So if anyone could give me any info, that would be great and very helpful.
Opious
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great questions! I am still waiting on the aswers LOL!
People, this guy needs answers, lets move on from the heaters to how to set up, why live rock, how to mix salt etc. I want to know to. I got that the heater needs to be powerful enough to do the job, lets move on to the rest of the questions I am dying to know how to set a tank up to!! :p:
 
live rock is full of bacteria and other micro fauna that will aid in the filtration of the tank and can provide a natural food source and provides a natural habitat for the fish. the salt should be one of excellent quality like Reef crystals. its best to mix it for as long as possible in a tub before adding it and make sure the temp, ph and salinity is about the same as ur tank. once its mixed u can pump it in.
any other specific Q's?
 
I would love to start one to, but I worry about where to get the live rock, my home town does not do salt at the LFS and there for not sure where to get suplies, and how to even begin.
you have tank.... you add live rock, and salt water.....how do I know how much salt to add to the water? do I use a back filter? can I jump start this tank with an old filter from my fresh water tank?
so I need a power head, do I put in the corner under the water ( this is used to move the water around? )
Skimmer. what is this? do I need a lot of light for a salt tank, if so do I need CO2 also? can I just have regular rock in a salt tank? do I have to have live rock? do I just add water to the tank since the salt is already in there, or do I take out and add every week like my fresh water tank?
to some setting up salt is an easy thing, to some of us, it seems over whelming. my tank is doing awsome, my fish are growing well, I would like a salt tank, and have clwn fish, do I need all the fancy live rock to have 2 of these in a 10 gallon tank?
 
hakunamakarla said:
I would love to start one to, but I worry about where to get the live rock, my home town does not do salt at the LFS and there for not sure where to get suplies, and how to even begin.
you have tank.... you add live rock, and salt water.....how do I know how much salt to add to the water? do I use a back filter? can I jump start this tank with an old filter from my fresh water tank?
so I need a power head, do I put in the corner under the water ( this is used to move the water around? )
Skimmer. what is this? do I need a lot of light for a salt tank, if so do I need CO2 also? can I just have regular rock in a salt tank? do I have to have live rock? do I just add water to the tank since the salt is already in there, or do I take out and add every week like my fresh water tank?
to some setting up salt is an easy thing, to some of us, it seems over whelming. my tank is doing awsome, my fish are growing well, I would like a salt tank, and have clwn fish, do I need all the fancy live rock to have 2 of these in a 10 gallon tank?
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I will try to answer some questions.

Since you have a 10G you can buy the small marine salt packages that are set to be the exact amounts for certain gallons, for example, there is a 3G pack, 5G pack, 10G pack.. But I would add a little less than the bag at first and use the hydrometer to measure salinaty and slowly add the rest of the salt to your desired amount.

Yes, I would strongely recommend liverock.

As for adding saltwater. Yes, you will need to add saltwater, not just water. But only add the amount of saltwater that you took out. For example, you manually took out 2G, only add 2G of saltwater. You will notice water evaporates, you just replace that with regular water (slowly). Once you get the hang of the hydrometer its easy.

If you have enough liverock you won't really need a filter for a tank that size. I just use a aquaclear filter for most movement. They arn't that expensive. Its up to you if you want to use your old one. It will be a pain to clean though. People also use power head for movement. Placement is up to you. Each power head does have its own placement regulations though. But that you read on the directions.

You don't have to use liverock, you could use dead rock. But that depends, how do you plan to cycle your tank? Liverock speeds that up.

Ah and I have a clownfish right now too. One is pushing it so I don't think two would work. He won't need fancy rock. But as a word of advice. Since you will be limited to fish in a 10G you will probably turn your attention towards corals and inverts as time goes on (thats what I started to do). Those definitely need healthy liverock.
 
Thanks for all your advice. I believe I am going to try to start with a reef tank. I know this will be a long process and will take a lot of patience. I am going out tomorrow to buy sand, heater, and skimmer tomorrow. I will probably cycle my tank with the help of live rock.
 
hakunamakarla said:
I would love to start one to, but I worry about where to get the live rock, my home town does not do salt at the LFS and there for not sure where to get suplies, and how to even begin.
you have tank.... you add live rock, and salt water.....how do I know how much salt to add to the water? do I use a back filter? can I jump start this tank with an old filter from my fresh water tank?
so I need a power head, do I put in the corner under the water ( this is used to move the water around? )
Skimmer. what is this? do I need a lot of light for a salt tank, if so do I need CO2 also? can I just have regular rock in a salt tank? do I have to have live rock? do I just add water to the tank since the salt is already in there, or do I take out and add every week like my fresh water tank?
to some setting up salt is an easy thing, to some of us, it seems over whelming. my tank is doing awsome, my fish are growing well, I would like a salt tank, and have clwn fish, do I need all the fancy live rock to have 2 of these in a 10 gallon tank?
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I have been on this site for 2 weeks now and I've learned it's best to post threads like this. a) make your own thread (hijacked threads get hard to follow) b) ask one maybe two questions in a thread. (these people are extreamly helpful and have so much knowlege that by the time they've answered one question they don't have time to answer the second, third, fourth and fifth as they are on here multiple times a day for brief periods. and c) If you have a question chances are they've been asked and answered in previous threads so look back and check old threads for questions that have been answered and also follow ups that they've asked and you didn't think to ask yourself.... hope this helps. Also this is not meant to sound rude by any means.

btw if it wasn't for the extreamly nice people on this site like Germanman, Niko, JoJo, USCalvery and more than I can't begin to name ... I wouldn't be on here 5 times a day. I hope to gain the knowledge they have and help people just the same.
 
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NapoliNewJersey said:
I have been on this site for 2 weeks now and I've learned it's best to post threads like this. a) make your own thread (hijacked threads get hard to follow) b) ask one maybe two questions in a thread. (these people are extreamly helpful and have so much knowlege that by the time they've answered one question they don't have time to answer the second, third, fourth and fifth as they are on here multiple times a day for brief periods. and c) If you have a question chances are they've been asked and answered in previous threads so look back and check old threads for questions that have been answered and also follow ups that they've asked and you didn't think to ask yourself.... hope this helps.

btw if it wasn't for the extreamly nice people on this site like Germanman, Niko, JoJo, USCalvery and more than I can't begin to name ... I wouldn't be on here 5 times a day. I hope to gain the knowledge they have and help people just the same.
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lol thx:) is it wasnt for everyone on Ac i wouldnt be here lol. and good advice on the posting too!
 
NapoliNewJersey said:
I have been on this site for 2 weeks now and I've learned it's best to post threads like this. a) make your own thread (hijacked threads get hard to follow) b) ask one maybe two questions in a thread. (these people are extreamly helpful and have so much knowlege that by the time they've answered one question they don't have time to answer the second, third, fourth and fifth as they are on here multiple times a day for brief periods. and c) If you have a question chances are they've been asked and answered in previous threads so look back and check old threads for questions that have been answered and also follow ups that they've asked and you didn't think to ask yourself.... hope this helps.

btw if it wasn't for the extreamly nice people on this site like Germanman, Niko, JoJo, USCalvery and more than I can't begin to name ... I wouldn't be on here 5 times a day. I hope to gain the knowledge they have and help people just the same.
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OK, so I am forgetting my manners, been not on the web to long so I made a mistake, I thought I was adding along, sorry dude I will be more careful next time.. but I am a newby and would like to be treated with a bit more respect then called out. Pms are a good way to comunicate . and yeah, this guys helped me start my fresh water tank thats doing awsome, I have thanked them and weill continue to do so :)
 
hakunamakarla said:
OK, so I am forgetting my manners, been not on the web to long so I made a mistake, I thought I was adding along, sorry dude I will be more careful next time.. but I am a newby and would like to be treated with a bit more respect then called out. Pms are a good way to comunicate . and yeah, this guys helped me start my fresh water tank thats doing awsome, I have thanked them and weill continue to do so :)
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i dont think that was a call out. most people are very nice here.:)
 
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