new to saltwater HELP ME!!

drewby9

drewby9

Small Fish
#1
Jan 11, 2008
49
0
0
#1
ok guys so heres the deal ive had a fresh water tank forever...and on a recent trip to the bahamas i went scuba diving ... and i just loved the reefs and fish so much i would like to be able to have some of them in my own home...i have no clue how to set up a salt water tank and am looking for some help...im probably going to get a 55 gallon tank maybe a 75...wich is better?....ive looked around for some tips on starting a new tank and have found a few things but nothing thats really helpful...so what do i need to start out?
hope to here from everyone soon,
drewby9
 

Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#2
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#2
Welcome to the site :)

A 75 would be better. It's important to get a wider, lower tank for saltwater, as it helps with both aquascaping and lighting. Something like a 40g breeder shape or a 60g long tank would work, too. If at all possible, get a "reef ready" tank so you can easily add a sump below the tank.

One of the first things you should know is that it gets really expensive! If you want corals and fish, you're probably looking at close to $1,500 just to get the tank set up (before corals or fish, not including the cost of the tank itself).

I would highly recommend a couple of books to help you with research. While there's a lot of info on the Internet, it's not always organized in a way that helps you understand the whole setup from start to finish.

"The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael Paletta
"The Concientious Marine Aquarium" by Robert Fenner

Getting one or both of those books will save you a ton of money by giving you good advice. A lot of fish stores either don't really know how to run a good saltwater tank, or sell you unnecessary or inferior products. It's best to know what you want before you go shopping. :)
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#3
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#3
I second everything Lotus has said. It can be an extremely rewarding or extremely frustrating hobby depending on how much prep work you do before hand. I would advise those two books, they helped me immensely. Then draw up an equipment list, then a livestock list starting with your cleanup crew and ending with the last fish you want to add. This pre-planning will save you a ton of money and will allow you to buy exactly what you need upfront the first time rather than waste money on equipment that will not support what you wish to have in the end. Once you have drawn up an equipment list and a "wish list of occupants" come back here and we will help you fine tune your list as we have the benefit of past experience with equipment and set ups. We have all made some mistakes and by combining our experience we can help you not to make those same mistakes.......welcome to the site, we don't bite and we really want you to succeed and become a contributing member of the forum. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
 

drewby9

drewby9

Small Fish
#7
Jan 11, 2008
49
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0
#7
i just wanted to tell everyone thanks for pointing me in the right direction...i really appreicate it...ill let ya know once i have a little more stuff and get ready to setup my tank...thanks again
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#8
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#8
Please do not disregard our advice to read those two books. You can get used copies through Amazon. They contain not only in formation but also contain equipment lists etc that you need to get going.
 

spllouder

spllouder

Large Fish
#10
Aug 19, 2007
223
0
0
Springfield MO
#10
Spent the mony on Live rock get at least 1 pound per gallon of aquarium . buy dry aronite based sand . like carbi-sea . do noy buy live sand in a bag its worthless imo . the LR will seed the sand just fine . and that saves some money there . and get some hydor koornlina maybe a #3 and # 4 and put them on oppside sides . and get a good skimmer spent the money there .
 

drewby9

drewby9

Small Fish
#13
Jan 11, 2008
49
0
0
#13
thanks for the sites....whats the best kind of live rock to get...fiji...marshall island...carribean...or some other....also is it better to get it all ready cured or uncured?
 

Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#15
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#15
I think Fiji is the most commonly available. Different regions come with different hitchhikers and possibly different colors of coraline.

I understand the "ideal" is to have rock from a variety of locations, to maximize biodiversity.

Cured rock from your LFS is usually the most expensive, but you can also usually pick out the pieces you like, which can be nice when you're building an aquascape.
 

drewby9

drewby9

Small Fish
#16
Jan 11, 2008
49
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0
#16
alright so i just went went and picked up my 55 gallon tank and stand this evening...i was just wondering what you guys recomend for it...i know what i need...i just dont know who makes good stuff and what sizes i need?
i also tryed to include a pic of the tank, not sure if it worked thou...i didnt it says my file exceeds the size and im not sure how to make it smaller?
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#17
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#17
pictures are best uploaded from a picture site such as photobucket.com it converts them to a url that is easily cut and pasted into your message.

Are you planning on drilling your tank? It would be much easier to do this now rather than not do it and wish you had.

I have marshall island rock in my 75g and fiji and marshall in my 29g. I personally like the marshall island as it is lighter and more porous than some. The downfall on the marshall island is that it sometimes has less hitchikers and other such life though due to it's porous lite nature it is loaded with beneficial bacterial as there is more surface area for it to populate. This helps in that as it is less dense you can get away with less lbs/gallon that you can with say.....aquacultured caribbean rock etc which is dense and heavy.
 

drewby9

drewby9

Small Fish
#19
Jan 11, 2008
49
0
0
#19
also who makes good power heads, heaters, filter, skimmers...etc and what sizes would i need for my tank....i order some live rock today so hopefully it will be here soon.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#20
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#20
you will need to have your tank set up and filled when you get the rock....either that or have large buckets with saltwater ready to receive it. The rock even if cured will still need to be cured into your tank on receipt......so you need to be prepared for it.

Hydor Korallia makes a reasonably priced powerhead that pushes a lot of water for it's price. A lot of us on this site now use these power heads and I haven't read anything bad about them to this point. I use 2 of the #4s on my 75g. You will want to aim for about 25x tank volume turnover.

The Stealth heaters seem to be very reliable and reasonably priced. Aim for about 4 watts/g and think about 2 heaters that way if one malfunctions you will not be stuck....... not a space problem if you have a sump.

Filters per se are not needed as your live rock acts as your filter, what you will need is a protein skimmer if you have the 75g. I have an Aqua Remora C and hands down I find it one of the best skimmers and easiest to set up and use.....get the pro version with the mag 3 upgrade. They can be bought on ebay reasonably or plan to spend about $200 on it.

You haven't mentioned lighting and after the live rock will be one of the most expensive pieces of equipment ...... have you given much thought to this? Normal lighting that comes with most aquarium hoods is sufficient for freshwater and a fowlr type set up but if you are wanting corals you will need to upgrade to better lighting. This is a subject that warrants a lot of research......

BTW, drilling your tank for a sump should really have been thought out prior to your buying rock.........you really should consider it now rather than later as once you have the tank full it is virtually impossible to back up and do it.

have you done any reading on the subject?
 

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