New 90 Gallon Marine tank.

[rncarterjm]

I initially had a 90 gallon freshwater tank. However, yesterday I converted it into a saltwater tank. Here is a list of all my current equipment:

• 90 gallon all glass tank
• Eheim 2217 canister filter
• SeaClone Protein Skimmer
• Aqueon heater
• Ocean Direct Caribbean Live Sand
• Hydrometer

I filled the tank with "treated" tap water yesterday using Tetra AquaSafe Water Conditioner. This morning when I check the tank the water is still a bit cloudy, but much clearer than last night. The salinity is currently at 1.024
Question, what is it that I can change/add to this setup before I add any fish to the tank.

 

[quaddity]

First change. Drain it and fill it with RO/DI water. Unless your tap water is exceptionally pure (unlikely) you'll have all kinds of nuisance algae problems using tap water.

 

[TRe]

I dont think id waste all that salt by draining the tank but just use r/o water from here on out.... Dont add any fish for a little while till the cycle is complete, ditch the canister and get a few powerheads (a few Koralia #3's should work) your going to want about 90 lbs of rock (live rock is the filtration in saltwater) you want a minimum of 1 lb per gallon wich is why I said 90 lbs but when starting you dont need to buy all "live" rock since that can get pretty expensive. Instead get about 75lbs of dry rock (less than 1/2 the price of "live" rock) and get a few little pieces of quality live rock and eventually all the rock will become live....to start the cycle throw in a raw shrimp and that will start it. the cycle usually takes about 2-4 weeks and isnt complete until your ammonia and nitrite are again @ zero and you have a nitrate reading higher than zero so get your self atleast those 3 test kits

 

[TRe]

Plan out the fish you want to keep in this tank now and start with the least aggresive fish and work your way on to the most aggressive so no one gets picked on... this can be a very expensive hobby but very rewarding at the same time so IMO its worth it!

 

[Lorna]

Make sure that if you go with Tre's advice and use 75lbs of dry rock that it is ocean rock which is aragonite or calcium carbonate based. Don't use rock that is not from the ocean ie reef as it may leach all kinds of unwanted minerals into your water such as copper. A good test of wether the rock is good is drop a few drops of vinegar on it and if it bubbles it is good. This rock will help buffer your water to the right ph and also over time disolve adding calcium to your water. Rock should not be underplayed as an important aspect of your set up. It can be one of the most costly expenses in the set up. Don't waste money on live sand as the sand will become live from the rock you add.

If using caribbean rock you will need more lbs per gallon as it is denser and heavier than south pacific rock which is porous and has more room and surface area for beneficial bacteria to populate.

Please read the stickies at the top especially the set up ones......take your time don't rush anything if you do it will no doubt cost you money down the road.....you may want to rethink the canister and sea clone skimmer. Both of these are somewhat ineffective in this set up.

 

[ryanm19]

i use a canister filter as well as a seaclone 150 on my 65 gallon. i have gone over 2 years without switching these units out of my system and my tank looks great, but.... take advice from Lorna. having a canister filter is a pain because i constantly have to change my media so it doesn't become a nitrate trap. also i have to have a very light bioload. the seaclones are not very good at what they are suppose to do. i have to do water changes quite often. using this kind of equipment wont make it impossible to set up a succesful tank, but it will take a lot more work to maintain your tank.

 

[Lorna]

my point exactly....they are inefficient for the money spent. You could actually get by without any protein skimmer if you are prepared to do water changes to reduce the disolved organics. Your choice.....Nitrates are an issue if you are wanting to keep corals and some inverts otherwise a canister isn't a bad option just know that you will have nitrate issues unless again, you are dilligent in both water changes and cleaning and replacing the filter media.