VERY new here.

L

ladyfsu

Registered Member
Mar 15, 2006
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Hi,

I'm going to be teaching marine biology but am VERY new to aquariums. I have 2 55-gallon tanks and about 10 other tanks of various smaller sizes. None of these have hoods, filters, powerheads etc. For one of the 55's I spent my own money and bought an Emperor 400 bio-wheel, live sand and rock, thermometer, and a powerhead (I still don't have a light :( ) . The purpose of this tank is to display our local critters from the Gulf. I have a collector's permit to keep some things, but its been to chilly to go out...that's all getting ready to change.

So far I have many hermits from the beach, 5 quarter size starfish, 2 pipefish, an emerald crab, a small perch and some little minnow. Hopefully the sea grasses will fill up with cool things soon. Some of the other tanks I'll be setting up though will be a little fancier though. I want a reef tank, a nice salt tank, my local organism tank, a brackish water tank.

OK while we're getting our fundraising going...

PLEASE REMEMBER I'M DOING TANKS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES and aren't trying to make them pretty necessarily. These are some of my questions.

1. Does an HVO light need to have a florescent light with it?
2. Does live rock need an HVO light?
3. What are the BARE neccessities for a reef tank?
4. What eats sea cucumbers?


I've had millions of questions I'm asking the guy I bought my tank cleaners from but have forgotten some now. He's been great but I ask him too much. I'll be posting up alot as they come to me. I really appreciate any advice I can get.

P.S. - If you know any way for me to find cheap or used powerheads and all that other gear I need, please pm/email me! Nets, testers etc. I can use all the help I can get.

Thanks!
 
Welcome to AC!

You are doing the kind of thing I would love to do with a class. First, the specifics:

1. I'm not sure what you mean by HVO light. There's VHO, which is essentially overdriven fluorescent light. If I understand the question, then you would not need additional fluorescent lights. Although VHO lights provide relatively intense output, there are other options, such as compact fluorescent (aka power compact or PC) or high-output T5 fluorescent, which may fit your needs or budget better.
2. Live rock, or at least the bacteria that make it live, need no light at all. However, there may be things that grow on it that need light. Coralline algae will need light, but does not need high intensity. There may also be interesting macroalgae or corals that ride along with the rock that will want more light, but most will be fine with moderate PC or VHO light.

Speaking of live rock, it would seem a natural choice to go with aquacultured live rock from the Gulf. Either TBS or gulf view will ship it in water to you, and it will be full of hitchhiking organisms. If you have a look at the hitchhiker sticky in the newbie section, most of those came from aquacultured live rock.

3. For me, the absolute bare necessities are live rock and lots of circulation. I also strongly recommend a protein skimmer, in that it helps keep high water quality and does an excellent job of aeration without causing salt creep.

4. I'll claim ignorance on this one. Because the guts are full of toxins, many predators avoid them. They are considered a delicacy in Asia, but I guess that doesn't count.

To scrounge up equipment, you might check out your local reef clubs. Increasing numbers of educators in our area are using marine aquaria, and are making use of our local boards to find livestock and equipment. the lure of a tax deduction can be strong.

Good luck, and keep the questions coming.
 
mogurnda said:
They are considered a delicacy in Asia, but I guess that doesn't count.
Click to expand...

LOL funny!

VHO---HVO OK so my newbie-ness is shining through, lol thanks! High voltage output?

Thank you so much for that information! I went ahead and spent $$$ on this first tank and will probably spend some more (protein skimmer...eek)...but these next tanks will be a lot of trial and error. The live sand I bought is so pretty white and nice from a guy in the keys (http://liverockandmore.com/) and he's very helpful and inexpensive...but for all the tanks I have...still would be a lot of $$. I'm going to fill my 2 25-gallon tanks with some sand in Clearwater and see what happens. I'll try putting local critters in the tank, and if they survive and aren't poisoned by pollutants, I'll move them out and buy some fancier things.

I'll check out the guys you said about live rock. I saw that hitchhiker sticky and that was way cool!!!! Those are the things I want in my tank! I am a big fan of live rock now.

Thanks!
 
High voltage output?
Click to expand...
Very high output. It's called that because it drives the lamps at a higher output than "high output" systems. Really. I expect that VHO will become extinct as T5 systems take over.

One thing you might think of doing is use mostly playsand or fine, dry aragonite sand and innoculate it with live sand. Less expensive, and the "dead" sand will soon be filled with life.
 
Also try not to set up any buffets for other fish or inverts, unless you want to educate on preditory practices and methodes of marine life :)
 
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