Completely New

[GageKahn2802]

The title says it all. I was thinking about when I had a very small freshwater tank, and thought about how I always wanted to progress into getting a saltwater. I'm thinking now is the time. Only one problem, I have NO idea what I'm doing.
I have no equipment as of yet, but was looking to start with a 20-30G tank.
Suggestions on equipment that I need to get in order to get the ball rolling, If you have trusted brands and models I'd love to here them.
Also if somebody could walk me through the cycling procedures it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot guys, Glad to be here.

[bbandu]

First let me say welcome to the forum, there are alot of members on here with a wealth of knowledge. Second let me say that the most important part of keeping a good saltwater system is knowledge.
There is a ton of information right here in the forum. If you cannot find something that you are looking just ask....

Here is some info about the cycling process..
http://kb.marinedepot.com/article.aspx?id=11186

[GageKahn2802]

Thank you, Made sure to bookmark that page! I've been browsing through the forum and have gotten a lot of helpful tips, thanks!

[rdamaro]

My first advice is.... Start with a bigger tank. I started with a 28 gallon tank exactly a year ago and am currently cycling a new 75 gallon. Your start up costs for a bigger tank will be some what higher but not excessively higher and you won't be looking to up-grade in a year.

Which ever way you go good luck and remember to have fun and enjoy. At times it seems like a lot of work but the fulfillment of creating a beautiful living eco-system is great.

Good Luck

[GageKahn2802]

Thanks rdamaro, I actually was just told that a few hours ago. My biggest concern was i dont know what equipment I need, I'm seeing all this stuff about having sumps for your tank and having your tank "Drilled" and I am just clueless on what all that means, and what it does for the tank. I'm going in blind for the most part haha
lets say I started at a 60 gallon,
What type of lighting should I get, because one site will say that i should get "so-and so model" but then i start to think its somebody promoting their own product because i'll see reviews on it and they are all crappy.
and filters, what kind should i get for a 60 gallon tank,
I dont even know everything i need haha so thats where I'm drawing a blank,
so if i could get a checklist, that would be awesome.

[50 cube]

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[bbandu]

ok here is a basic list of the things that you are going to need...

1. Decide what size tank you want (the bigger you go the easier it will be to maintain water stability)
2. Lighting - T5's, LED's, Metal Halide - They all have there pros and cons but it really boils down to is preference and what you are going to have in the tank. If you are going to do a fish only
pretty much any type of lighting will work.
3. Sump - If the tank you buy is drilled then you will need a sump. The benefits of haveing a sump include: · increasing total water volume, providing a place for equipment and filtration,
keeping the surface of the water free of contaminates, aerating the water, simplifying water changes, and keeping the water level stable in the display tank.
4. Skimmer - with smaller tank you can use a hang on the back skimmer but with larger tank people usually use an in sump skimmer...... again this is a preference thing but needs to be rated for
the size aquarium you set up.
5. Power heads - For circulation of the water in the tank - these again need to be chosen for the size tank you are going to set up. All power heads are rated for the amount of gallons per hour
they will push.
6. Reutrn pump - Used to push the water from the sump back to the tank - These pumps are rated by gallons per hour and needs to be chosen based on the the amount of head height and tank
turnover. ( A good rule of thumb is a 10 time turn over rate ).
7. Heater - Based on the size of the tank

These are the basic things you need. Pretty much all of these things can be purchased used off the board with will greatly reduce the cost of setting up a new tank. Once you have all the
equipment you need then you can worry about sand and liverock and the cycling process.

Hope this helps and again I strongly encourage doing alot of research before starting this process and have some Patience as this is not a quick thing.

[keepswimming]

Thanks rdamaro, I actually was just told that a few hours ago. My biggest concern was i dont know what equipment I need, I'm seeing all this stuff about having sumps for your tank and having your tank "Drilled" and I am just clueless on what all that means, and what it does for the tank. I'm going in blind for the most part haha
lets say I started at a 60 gallon,
What type of lighting should I get, because one site will say that i should get "so-and so model" but then i start to think its somebody promoting their own product because i'll see reviews on it and they are all crappy.
and filters, what kind should i get for a 60 gallon tank,
I dont even know everything i need haha so thats where I'm drawing a blank,
so if i could get a checklist, that would be awesome.

Aside from all this great information about tanks i want to inform you that this is a very expensive hobby! I am sure you already know but i wouldn't even start a nano if you are thinking about if it is too expensive or not, fish alone are anywhere from 5 to a couple thousand dollars. With that being said, i can pm you my number and answer any questions you have or come over and help you set it up. I have a huge passion for this hobby and take interest in teaching others so fish and corals don't have to die with the learning curve( even though we have all killed something). If you are interested let me know... Good luck and welcome!

[keepswimming]

Tank size does matter. Even though you may have found a small fish, it needs room to grow and to roam about. A clownfish can be happy in a 10 gallon tank, but a 20 or 29 gallon tank will allow you to add more creatures in the future, giving you a beautiful piece of the ocean in your home. Tangs are herbivores, and need a lot of room to swim. Bare minimum for this fish, when a juvenile, is a 55 gallon aquarium. Some need a 75 gallon, or even a 125 gallon! Tangs love to swim long distances quickly, and to put them in a smaller environment will cause them stress and they can die from stress-related illnesses (such as “Ich”).


Type of Water. To avoid nuisance algaes growing in your tank, it is recommended to get Reverse Osmosis De-Ionized water. You can often times buy this kind of water at the fish store where you found your saltwater pet. What you don’t want to use is tap water from the sink. It contains elements that are detrimental to your saltwater tank. Chlorine, Phosphate, Nitrate, Fluoride and more are readily detectable in tap water, but your saltwater tank needs pure water to keep your fish healthy.


Salt. Marine salt is readily available at most pet supplies. When you are setting up your tank, or when you do water changes, you always mix the salt in your water before you add it to your tank. You'll need a refractometer, which gives you a “salinity reading” to mix the salt to the correct level. To gauge your mixing, use ½ cup of salt per gallon of water. You want your salt level arouond 1.024 sg (specific gravity), and your water’s temperature at that reading should be 78 degrees. As water evaporates from your tank, you only need to add new RO water, because only water is evaporating from your tank. The salt is still there. Adding saltwater would only increase the salinity of your tank and cause problems for your fish.


Heater. Your tank needs to have a Stable temperature that doesn't fluctuate too much. 77° F to 82° F is your allowable tolerance. Keeping it between 78-82° F is the ideal. A small reliable heater will keep the tank from cooling too much at night (especially this winter). A chiller will cool the tank during those hot summer months.


Food. Many marine fish will eat Flake food, which you’ll be able to find at the fish store. Spectra pellets with garlic is popular. You can also purchase frozen foods at the fish store to feed your fish. Remember, Tangs are herbivores, they like algae based foods. Frozen Spirulina Enriched Brine Shrimp, Frozen Mysis, are all good meaty choices, and you can rotate through these over the period of a week or two, mixing their diet nicely while adding garlic. These foods come in trays, frozen in cubes. One half thawed cube is sufficient for a few fish, so avoid overfeeding. You should see all the food consumed in 5 minutes. If you see food after that, you’ve fed too much. Feeding once a day is USUALLY enough, unless you have a Tang or other fish that demand multiple feedings like anthias. Then feeding twice a day is better, as these fish graze all day long in the wild. A good choice for feeding tangs is “Nori,” which are sheets of dried seaweed that you can clip to your tank and the Tang will rip off pieces and eat them.


Lighting. Most tanks come with a single “Normal Output” fluorescent bulb, which is sufficient for fish. If you desire greater variety of items, such as corals or anemones, you’ll need far more lighting to allow them to thrive, let alone survive. When you get to that point, then your options will be VHO (Very High Output), PC (Power Compacts), or MH (Metal Halide). These will be very costly, but your inhabitants will respond with healthy growth. These lights are not necessary for tanks with a few fish, however. Buy a simple 24 hour timer to plug in your lights, so they run about 10-12 hours a day.


Water Tests. Most important of all, saltwater tanks must be tested weekly to make sure your water is healthy so your fish will remain healthy. For a simple fish only tank, you’ll want to test pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. Your pH should test around 8.0 to 8.3. Ammonia should read 0 before adding any fish, and so should your Nitrite. Nitrate should be 20 ppm or less, and the best way to keep these down is regular water changes. Other important test for reef tanks are Alkalinity, which tests your water hardness, Calcium which could be around 420, and magnesium around 1440 ppm. This should be between 8 and 11 dKH. Also, be sure to double check your salinity weekly to make sure it has remained stable at 1.026ppm.


Filtration. This can vary quite a bit, but many use under tank sump filters. Just make sure the filter you buy will match the tank size you’ve chosen. You don’t want a tiny filter on a 55 gallon aquarium. Many people in the saltwater hobby prefer natural methods of filtration, which involves the use of “live sand” and “live rock.” aragonite sand in your aquarium will create a great natural way of DE-nitrifying your tank, which keeps the nitrates down. Buying cured live rock is also extremely valuable, but costs are high. 1 to 1.5 lbs per gallon is recommended, and cured live rock if you dont want to wait. However, the live rock will be filled with tiny creatures, featherdusters, worms and more that all help eat the waste that occurs in your tank, keeping your system clean and healthy.


Protein Skimming. This is a fail-safe way of keeping your water clean and pure. There are many types of protein skimmers on the market, and some are great and some are worthless. What the skimmer does is inject air into a column of water in the unit, which creates tiny micro bubbles that carry Disolved Organic Compounds (DOCS) out of your tank and into a collection cup that you can pour out and rinse quite easily. An added benefit of this device is it adds oxygen to your tank. Unlike a freshwater tank, saltwater tanks don’t need an airstone pumping bubbles into your tank. A good skimmer will cost you between $200-1000 depending on the size.


Circulation. Using a few power heads in your tank will move water throughout the tank. If you can avoid “dead” zones in your tank, nuisance algae will be less likely to grow. Cyanobacteria, for example, grows in areas that are stagnant. Pointing the output of a powerhead toward the surface of your tank to cause the water to ripple will help with gas exchange. This means oxygen will get into the water, and carbon dioxide will get out. This also keeps your surface nice and clean, and avoids stagnant or oil-like scum from accumulating on the surface of your water.


Cycling the tank. Unlike a freshwater tank, it takes time for a saltwater tank to be ready for a new fish or other creature. Once your tank has been set up, you’ve added your sand, filled it with saltwater, turned on the heater, started the filters, now you can add your live rock. What your tank needs is bacteria, and you need to breed it before your new pets are added. A very easy way to do this is to buy dr tims one and only live nitrifying bacteria for reef aquariums. Ammonia levels will rise in the tank over the period of a couple days, then it will suddenly drop (you’ll observe this with your Ammonia test kit), and Nitrites will rise quickly over a period of another few days. Finally, the Nitrites will drop off completely (reading 0 with your Nitrites test), and Nitrates will begin to register on your Nitrates test kit. As soon as your Ammonia and Nitrites tests both read 0 on the matching test kits, it is safe to add the new fish as long as your nitrate is below the target amount in ppm. Read on nitrogen cycle and recommended reef parameters.

Patience. As you add fish to your tank, you increase the biological load in your tank. It can only accept so much at one time, so it is far better to add new things very slowly to your tank, rather than all at once. That way the beneficial bacteria in your tank can increase to handle the new load and not create a sudden Ammonia spike in your tank. By adding things slowly, the tank, the water, and the natural filtration will adjust for the new load. Remember, a new pet will require you to feed a little more, and that fish will add waste for your tank to absorb, so you need your natural filtration to keep up.


Janitors. Adding a few snails and small hermit crabs will help keep your tank clean. The snails will eat algae that grows on the glass or rocks, as well as the hermits. They also will consume excess food and waste the accumulates in your tank, helping keep things clean. You can not add these janitors until your tank has fully cycled.


Caution when handling. Make sure your hands and your equipment are clean. Never put your hands in your tank if they have soap or hand lotion on them. Never clean any equipment with soap. Buy a new sponge that does not have “anti-mildew” additives, and keep it with your saltwater stuff, where it never will be used with soap accidentally. You can often times clean things with a mixture of common white vinegar and hot water, to remove calcium deposits.

ATTN: I HAVE COPIED AND ALTERED THIS INFORMATION FROM ITS ORIGINAL SITE, http://www.melevsreef.com/overview.htm, ALL OF THIS SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT BECAUSE THERE ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENCES FROM PERSON TO PERSON ON CERTAIN TOPICS.

I WOULD RECOMMED READING EVERYTHING ON THIS SITE http://reefkeeping.com/issues/subject/chemistry.php TO SAVE YOU MONEY AND LIVESTOCK LIVES IN THE LONG RUN.

ENJOY!

[ReEfErAdDiCt]

Great info!^^^ that should get you started! There are so many different options. You will learn as you progress in the hobby and after a few months you might even want to change things up a bit from your original plans. Heck, you'll probably always be looking for that next upgrade lol it's just like anything else, you buy something and then not too long after the next big thing comes out that you HAVE to have. In my experience, patience is key! Welcome to the wonderful world of saltwater! Have fun doc!

[50 cube]

Wow, lots of great info, also there is a lot of info in the stickies.


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