I need some HELP...............

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pyro71985

Small Fish
#1
Mar 6, 2003
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#1
OK i am looking into starting a saltwater aquarium, i just recieved a 50-60 gallon tank from a friend.

I want to put some live rock, and live sand in it.

These are the fish that i want, i know i cant put them all in, so help me choose what would be the right ones to mix together.

2-3 percula clown
1-2 maroon clown
some starfish
flame wrasse
flame hawkfish
red sea sailfin tang/desjardin tang
chevron tang
blue hippo tang
powder blue tang
pygme anglefish
lemon peel anglefish
green chromis


also i was wondering what are the advantages and disadvantage to having a reef aquarium, compared to a fish only aquarium?

which should i do since im just now starting a tank for the first time?

Also can you tell me everything i will need to get the tank up and running.......like skimmer, pumps, filter, etc.
please tell me which one are the best to get and how much they are, im limited on money right now so try to find the cheapest while keeping the best quality.


any help will be greatly appericated!!!!
 

catfishmike

catfishmike

Superstar Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
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Sin City, again...
#2
what you should do is get a good book no amount of advice can help you better than get a good book.that's a start.next is to find out as much as you can about your prospective tankmates.if this is your first attempt at fish keeping you may want to start out with freshwater fish first then work your way up to salt.salt is so pretty,but also more demanding when it comes to water quality.the cost to set up a salt water tank can be several hundred dollars or more. if you go fish only it will be less than live rock/reef set ups.once you add live rock or reef you need high intensity lighting to simulate the tropic sun of reefs.the first thing i think you would need is a hydometer so you can measure the specific gravity to reach the desired level of salts and whatnot inthe water.i'm sure someone else will jump in and explane more because i'm not the salt guy around here.but that is my advice;lots of books the more the better,lots of research.once you think you know everything there is to know then you might want to start saving up.good luck
 

catfishmike

catfishmike

Superstar Fish
#5
Oct 22, 2002
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#5
which is better?on what level?beuaty? astethics?enviromental impact?to decide what is better we need to know what YOU want out of the tank.do you just want to veiw pretty fish?because you don't seem to have an opinion already that would suggest that fish only is better.reef keeping isn't for rookie fishkeepers period.the thougt of wasting preicious coral and frags on someone who isn't sure about how to take care of one is bad.i'm not tring to blast you or make you feel bad etc... it's just that reef keeping is probably the pinnical of fishkeeping,being the most difficult i wont tell you to try anyways.i'm also not saying that you won't meet the that guy who will tell you "oh yea i've been keeping reefs for years no problem"so with all of that i say fish is better than reef.who much are lights for a reef set up?on a four foot tank anywhere from 400 to 700 us dollars.can be more if you want to make you tank more like the reefs in the wild by adding cycle timers to siumulate solar and lunar cycles.
 

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eseow

Large Fish
#6
Oct 22, 2002
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Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
#6
I would say to find some good books. Tetra Press has Marine aquarium problem solver, and Barron's has some cheaper priced books that are helpful to start with. Try some local book stores, you can sometimes read them there for info. Also try to find a trust worthy local Marine Fish Store. Talk to several stores first before purchasing. Usually info given that seem to follow along the same lines as all the stores is pretty trustworty. Reef tanks are usually the best environment for a marine tank. With corals, you have to make sure to maintain good water quality and circulation. I would recommend to start with live sand and live rock. After about a week or two add some hermits and snails. about 1 month start a slow intro of hardy fish or two and maybe some small amounts of macro algae. The fish you mentioned seem to be way too much for that tank. The tangs will need plenty of algae to eat, and lots of rockwork to hide in, the maroon clowns will probably be agressive towards the perculas, the hawkfish I think is non-compatible with the smaller fish such as perculas or chromis, the angelfish will pick at things, so be careful if you add an anemone for clowns and they love to hide in rocks too. If your trying to keep costs down, that won't be easy to do initially to say the least. You will need a skimmer, a good one at that. Plus the live rock will cost you a good chunk also. Try saving up the money to get most the stuff needed, because once you start the tank, and don't have any funds to purchase needed supplies or equipment, you just waste all your money that you've invested. Get a good estimate from your lfs as to what you want and waht you will need.
 

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pyro71985

Small Fish
#7
Mar 6, 2003
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ok here is what i have........

i have a 55 gallon tank, given to me by a friend, it came with.....

*Aqua Glow 40 watt light (is that enough for a fish only tank?)

*2 Whisper 60: triad power filters, it sucks up water and spills it back into the tank, (can i use these?)

*1 Regant power head (do i need another?)

*2 underground filters, one for each side of the tank.

OK DO I NEED ANYTHING ELSE BESIDES FAKE ROCK AND SALT WATER MIX????
 

catfishmike

catfishmike

Superstar Fish
#8
Oct 22, 2002
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#8
ok lighting is good.you could use the tetra filters but from what i have seen there not a popular choice for saltwater tanks.i would use a a high quality canister or a wet-dry sump personaly if we're staying cheap.use two powerheads to help give a more consistent current.ditch the undergravel filters that will just be a source of pollution eventualy.you allready fogot the hydometer,you need it to check spcific gravity(how much salt is in the water)you need a test kit to check the water to see if it's contaminated with ammonia,ph gh, ect...so far you seem real impatient.this will be your downfall.i wasn't kidding when i said it could cost several hundred dollars.i'm not tring to be a naysayer put to be succsesful with saltwater you needto be diligent on up keep and efficency of bio-filtration.perhaps you could tell us what you already know about keeping a saltwater tank.help us out to help you.
 

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pyro71985

Small Fish
#9
Mar 6, 2003
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#9
ok so ditch the undergound filteration, can i keep the 2 Whisper 60: triad power filters? or can you give me a site that sells the ones you reccomend?

how much are high quality canisters, and wet/dry sumps?

also can you recomend another good power head, are the penquins any good?

BTW.........im building a fish only tank, but i want to put the rock sculptures up, to make it look like a reef tank, are there any type of rocks i should specifically look for? Also what type of live plants can i put in? Also i was wondering if by next weekend would i be able to put in a fish or two, i was thinking about the percula clowns?

im not being impatient, i just have alot of questions that need answering, that i cant find in the books or on the net, and plus IM TOTALLY EXCITED!!!!!
 

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BrianH

Medium Fish
#11
Oct 22, 2002
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Oakland, NJ
#11
Pyro,

Any saltwater book worth it's salt:) would have covered the topics your asking questions about. I would purchase sand(enough for 4 - 6 " depth in your tank) and Live Rock(rock from the ocean). I recommend Gulf View. You will need between 1 to 1.5lbs per gallon of live rock. Add salt mix to the water to a specific gravity between 1.021 and 1.025. Buy test kits for pH, Ammonia, and Nitrites. While your tank is cycling with the live rock, read the book I listed above, "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner. The Gulf View rock cures very quickly (approx. 1 week). During that time you can read the book and possibly even make some decisions on fish that will suit your set up.

Brian
 

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eseow

Large Fish
#12
Oct 22, 2002
218
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Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
#12
I agree with BrianH. I wouls use live sand or aragonite sugar sand and some live rock. I would use only 2-3 inches though. This will be your biological filter. The 2 Whisper 60 can be used, mainly for mechanical and chemical filtration. This will help your tank cycle and sustain balance better than just ornaments. If yop were to go with no live rock and sand, then you will need to change water every 1-2 weeks with just whisper filters, being that you won't have much if any biological filtration. Placing a HOB skimmer would help out in removing the wastes from the water. In a fish only, the phosphates are not that harmful, but in a reef tank, this plus others must be kept down to near undetectable levels. You can run your salinity at 1.020-1.024. With reef or live rock, go to about 1.023-1.026. Your Ph should be around 8.1-8.4. Your heater would be fine in a fish only, with reef, I would go with a titanium type due to chance of breakage with rocks. Also some plastic float type hydrometers recommend to season the needle, which just means to soak it in fresh clean water for about 24 hours before use. Remember, be patient, this takes time. I would get the tank with saltwater and equipment up and running and monitor the water. Ck the temp, PH and SG BEFORE adding anything to it. Then if you do add something like sand or liverock, ck the water for any changes. Alot of times phosphates can be introduced into a take by water added or used, love rock or sand used from LFS, etc. But remember, your going to have to get some books and READ about what you want and what you will be able to keep. Later.
 

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pyro71985

Small Fish
#13
Mar 6, 2003
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#13
ok today i set up the tank, i put in dead coral for the bottom, and filled it with saltwater, and i was thinking i would put in live rock, can i do this?, i thought i read you had to have a special type of lighting for it, what kind of lighting would i need?

also i think i read you have to have a night and a day light, but the problem is i only have a single light canopy, can i get a
 

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pyro71985

Small Fish
#15
Mar 6, 2003
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also when i went to the LFS they told me i will have to get a wet/dry pump, i found one for pretty cheap, but i need to know if it is the right size for my tank, its 19.5 in L, 8 in W, 15 in H?

and a protien skimmer later on is this all true??
 

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dattack

Large Fish
#17
Oct 22, 2002
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#17
Skip the wetdry. You can run a fish only system or reef with only live rock, sand, and a good skimmer.

Buy all your major equipment online. It will save you $$$$$$$$.
 

sinasster

sinasster

Large Fish
#18
Nov 21, 2002
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#18
i would get the protein skimmer first. with fish only you need a wet/dry, and with a reef i would recommend a sump. cause the live rock will take care of the biological filtration.

The best advice i can give is to be prepared to spend ALOT of money. get the best equipment. If you cant afford it than wait till you can. look into the prices of used systems on ebay, than be prepared to spend double on a new set-up.... or get the used set-up.

You dont wanna skimp on this or you will be sorry in the end. cause the reef equarium is gonna cost you over a $1000 for the rock/fish/invertibretes. so you dont want a little oversight to ruin your investment.

as for the lights.... you can get a full wood canopy. than you just add your own lights. they are usually called retrofit kits
 

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pyro71985

Small Fish
#19
Mar 6, 2003
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ok well today i added about 20 pounds of dead rock, when should i add some live rock?

everything in my tank is dead the botom coral and the rocks i just added.

also the filter system im using is 2 whisper 60: triad power filters, when will i have to get a new filter?

everyone ive talked to says i should get the wet/dry, why do you guys disagree, they also said i wouldnt need a protien skimmer right away.

also what fish should i start out with, dammesels??

also you guys suggest i should order online, any good websites you could reccomend??
 

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