New to SW need advice on new tank

[otrovago]

Here is my setup:

20 Gal
Skilter 250 w/ Protein Skimmer (LFS Recommendation)
20 Lbs of Live Sand
3 Lbs of Live rock (working on getting more, 20 lbs too much?)
Fluorescent Light 1 18" Tube (is this enough, wich bulb is recommended?)
and I purchased the water at the LFS.

I plan to make a Fish and live rock only tank, thats what I gothered from reading is good for a begginner. I set it up on Sun, Jul 6 and I put in a Yellow Tail Damsel, so far no problems. I have foam on the top of the tank, is this normal? I opened the protein skimmer valve (thought it might help).

I have some questions, first what is a cycle and how long is it? what is a sump? (read about in lots of posts). Here is what I would like to put in the tank:

Dwarf lion fish
small eel
1 clown fish
1 yellow tang
1 to 2 other fish (not sure yet, is it too much?)
some starfish
some critters for the sand (which should i get?)

Sorry for all the questions, but this is my first time with sw had fw all my life and never had any major problems.

 

[spikekillifish]

Ah where to start.

SW requires much more research than FW. Don't expect your LFS to give you the right answers. Skilters are not very effective at skimming. You can search the net over and almost all experiences with them are negative. You will need to do frequent water changes with this type of skimmer.

If you are going for a fish with live rock only set-up, 20LBs will be nice. Your LR an LS are your tanks main source of biological filtration.

Many hobbyists who do FWLRO tanks have lighting at 2-3 watts per gallon. So I would do an upgrade there.

You are going to need access to RO/DI filtered water for evaporation topoffs, otherwise you my end up with a tank full of red and brown algae.

It was a real newb mistake putting that Damsel in there without cycling your tank first and researching its requirements and compatibility.

SW stocking rules are different than FW. You need 5 gallons of water for each inch of adult fish.

A yellow Tang is out of the question. I suggest you research each fish you desire thoroughly.

The foam at the top of your tank is not a good sign.

Below is a good SW resource, I suggest you start reading up, its all pretty interesting IMO.

WetWebMedia

Good luck and welcome to the "Tank"

 

[otrovago]

Damsel not my Idea!

Thanks for the advice.

The damsel was the lfs recommendation they told me it to setup come back in 24 hours and pick one up, they said it will help the cycle. I went to another LFS today and pickup a coralite 50/50 and 6lbs of fiji live rock. The LFS told me to put fluval media inside my filter behind the cartridge (is this a good idea?) also they had some rock with dead coral remains on it is this better or worse than other rocks?

 

[spikekillifish]

Good move on the LR and the coralite. How many watts did you get?

I hope the Damsel makes it through your cycle. Most will cycle their tanks with LR and some hardy inverts.

When looking for live rock I choose pieces with lots of purple, red, and pink coralline algae. I also only take pieces with lots of holes, nooks, and crannies. If it stinks at all I don't buy it.

The extra filter media they recommended sounds O.K.

How is your set-up doing today?

 

[otrovago]

the damsel looks good, I feed him once a day. After opening the valve on the protein skimmer and leaving it running all day the foam went away and into the top tray. The water is very oxigenated (lots of litttle bubbles) but the water is at a constant 76-78 degrees, so far I havent had a need for a water heater. So I'll pick up the fluval media and look for some more live rock.

When you mentioned the water for the topp offs, RO/DI filtered water? The LFS recommed a 5gal water change every 3 weeks and next week they want me to bring the water so they can test it. I'm also looking for some books, saw saltwater for dummies, do you have one you can recommend?

Thanks

 

[spikekillifish]

Sounds like things are going good. I did all my research on the web. Did you try the WetWebMedia site?

I do 5-10% water changes twice a week because they are real easy. I have a 5 gallon container I refill at my LFS weekly. Top-off water is needed to make up for the water that evaporates from your tank. This is filtered freshwater because when the water evaporates from your tank the salt is left behind. I add my top off water at night via. a drip method with an airline hose. I also add Kalkwasser to it to keep my calcium levels high.

 

[BrianH]

If you plan on keeping trying to keep the damsel alive(& comfortable as possible), do water changes every 1 or 2 days to reduce the ammonia and nitrite levels. This will increase your cycle time but it may also save the life of your damsel.
I would recommend reading "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by R. Fenner.
If you think you would rather return your damsel and fishlessly cycle your tank, see the link below for fishless cycling methods.

see post near bottom

Brian