HELP!!!! I don't know who trust

[wbwoodworks]

Hi,
I'm getting different advice and most of it is hugely expensive. For reference fish store 1 will

My set up so far

60 gallon tank with a normal filter 140 gph
1250 marineland powerhead
30 lbs caribian sea white sand
20lbs petco brand black sand
20lbs plant substrate for the minerals
100lbs homedepot fine playsand
A heater
And 7 lbs live rock
I've treated for everything
My test results are as follows at 5am this morning
No3 20-40
No2 0-0.5
Ph 7.5--8
Kh----240
Gh---180

#1 says I'm golden except I need more lr (duh) and I may want to think about a skimmer just incase (I'm trying to get it completely self sufficient)

#2 says he won't help me unless I'm willing to do everything he tells me .....and I need a $250 wet/dry filter and a skimmer, take out all substrate and start out with just the water wet/dry filter, skimmer, and my lr.

I've been doing nonstop reading on forums but have yet to post anything till now

 

[wbwoodworks]

I'm not trying to sound like a butthead so please don't take it that way........I've had 50 views and no one has bothered to give me thier two cents worth.....that's kinda upsetting.....my problem may not be that important or earth shattering to yall but it is to me and my kids.......whom begged me to start a SW aquarium for them after a trip to Seaworld....with a total budget of about $30 a week......please any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[Thyra]

Welcome to the forum. I don't think anyone is ignoring you, it is just that the SW people aren't on right now. I have never had a SW tank so I can't help except there is a lot of advice already on the forum on how to start a SW tank. I am curious about why so many different kinds of substrate and different colors - isn't it just all going to mix together?? SW setups are expensive, probably more so than FW. I just took down a FW tank and would feel guilty about giving it to some kid without asking their parents first because of the expense of the start up even without the fish. Good Luck!

 

[FreshyFresh]

Yes, welcome wb!

Summertime is a bit slow around these parts.. Especially with you fancy marine folk. LOL!!

 

[OrangeCones]

Hello and welcome

I also am not sure about all of the different substrates. I don't currently run any marine tanks, but when I did, I'd only use crushed coral or marine sand.

A skimmer is not really needed, but nice to have. Wet/dry filters are very old school. I bet the store that says you need to have it sells them.

I would more agree with store #1, that you need more live rock.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I agree with store #1.

You don't need a wet/dry. A skimmer is a good investment but not a must - if you are more inclined towards having a "low maintenance" setup, the skimmer will be more important. But doing water changes will accomplish the same thing. In a 60g I would be inclined to have a skimmer, especially being that since you have kids, you're probably going to want to have a fair number of fish. More fish equal more waste, and more water changes or a skimmer to help remove the build up of waste. That being said, you can always add one later as funds allow. If you do add one, don't buy a crap brand, get a good quality one that you won't be replacing in frustration. (I literally threw my prizm skimmer in the trash).

170lbs of sand in a 60g sounds like a lot, unless you are doing a deep sand bed. In which case, really read up on deep sand beds as there are benefits and drawbacks to them. How deep is the sand? You want to aim around an inch and a half or less (shallow sand bed) or about 5-6" for a deep sand bed. But regardless, I am not sure why you chose to add play sand. It's kind of messy and who knows what kind of junk it may have in it. The petco sand and sea sand are fine.

I haven't heard of using plant substrate in a SW tank. I don't know whether it will hurt anything or not, but the minerals in it are certainly not necessary. The SW will have all the minerals necessary, replenished when you do water changes. If you have an established reef with certain types of corals, you may need to supplement certain things (calcium usually).

2 quick side notes (esp since you have kids):
1 - grab a GFCI plug in if the outlet isn't already GFCI protected (like outlets near sinks / bathrooms). Basically, it will prevent a nasty shock should the heater break and you stick a hand in the tank, light fall in the water, etc. Get one that automatically turns back on after a power outage. Pretty cheap - around $10-15 - and a good safety measure.
2 - Think strongly about a mesh lid - the kids (and you) aren't going to want to see a dried fish on the floor. Bulkreefsupply.com sells great DIY kits for any size tank. It's a window screen kit with slightly larger clear mesh. Or depending on the age of the kids and the temp of the room, a canopy or lid which prevents jumpers and "helpful" hands adding things to the tank. An enclosed tank is harder to keep cool though.

Aside from those 2 suggestions, you should be in a good spot to add some more LR and once the ammonia and nitrites are both zero, add some cleaners. Also make sure the LR is sturdy on the bottom glass if you intend to get any burrowing fish (or inverts) so you don't have a cave in later.

 

[OrangeCones]

Just curious, what is your salinity level?