Friend started a saltwater tank w/o doing research...need some help.

[monkeyboy]

Hello all,

A friend of mine recently purchased a 60 gallon tank/hood/stand/lighting/sump/heater for about $200 from a LFS that was going out of business (lucky bastar...)

Anyway, he has gone ahead and set up the tank with 20 Lbs of live rock and some sort of saltwater-appropriate sand (not live sand). He also has a skimmer and I believe the lighting is sufficient (4 watts per gallon). I know very little about aquarium keeping, but I told him I'd look for info online.

He wishes to house a pair of clowns and whatever else he can find that will be compatable with them. At least he realizes that he isn't ready for anemones and other inverts...

Anyway, what does he need to do to keep this tank going? Does he have to treat the water with anything on a regular basis? Water changes? The tank is still cycling, and two of the four fish he had have already died... should he add more live rock or live sand? Should he add more fish? Just two small fish don't seem to be enough to cycle this tank... What about hermit crabs and other cleaners?

Thanks to anyone patient enough to help,
- mb

 

[dgodwin]

Depending on what's in the tank now, you may or may not want to do a water change during the cycling process. The live rock will provide some die-off during the cycling process. You'll want to hold off on other purchases until the cycling process is complete.

If your friend want's to do anenomes and SPS corals, he'll need more light eventually.

Partial water changes should be done every other week or so. Mix up the salt water in a separate at least 24 hrs in advance. Never add salt mix to an established aquarium.

Add freshwater to the tank as needed to replace water that has evaporated. Use freshwater, as salt does not evaporate, only the water. If you do not replace the evaporated water, the salinity of the water will increase and eventually become toxic to all life in the tank.

Another thing he'll want is a powerhead or two for increased circulation.

I would also have a good set of test kits to test ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, as well as pH. Alkalinity and calcium are also essential for reef tanks. An accurate hydrometer (oxy-moron?) or refractometer is also important to measure the salinity or specific gravity of the salt water.

I would not add anything else until a good test kit tells him that ammonia and nitrites are zero, and nitrates are as close to zero as possible. Then only add things in small quanities. Snails and hermits may be good cleaners to add. Some people report hermits to be opportunistic killers, although I've never seen that in my case. YMMV. As far as other fish in the tank, it will depend on whether or not he wants corals and other inverts. There are many beautiful fish that will eat corals, shrimp, and other inverts that you commonly find in reef tanks.

Hope this helps.

 

[wayne at home]

I agree with all of the above. 10% water change a week never hurt, though many do 10% every 2 weeks a do well. More live rock would be good, many people use at least 1 lb per gallon, but even so , some is better than nothing. Get all the test kits. Keep an eye on evaporation.
I really despise cycling with fish - it's unnecessarily cruel and inefficient too. Just give it time with the 2 fish still extant, and stock slowly in the future, keeping an eye out for ammonia spikes. With live rock tanks, the cycling process may not happen as you expect as you bring in all required bacteria, however if the live rock is covered with a lot of dying sponges, corals and so on (i.e. is uncured) you may get some mega ammonia spikes.
I guess my plan would be to cure a bunch more live rock, say another 20 pounds or so, then when that's in and been in for a month or so, put in the clowns, then a month after that, maybe a centropyge argi. Assuming your live rock is nice, and some of the hitchhikers start to develop, you would be on the way to a nice FOWLR tank (FishOnlyWithLiveRock)
You don't sound so far off the ballgame, so I'd get some reading and settle back and let things develop slowly. Read, read, read - I like the Conscientious Marine Aquarist my Robert Fenner and for beginners Mike Palettas New Marine Aquarist. Go to wetwebmedia.com (Fenner + others) and plough htorigh some of the stuff there (beware, there's a lot)
Good luck