Setting up Sw.

[chuckstrobeck]

I was recently thinking about converting either my 20 gallon, 29 gallon or 55 gallon fw tanks into Sw. In my school science room they have a 29 and a 55 sw tank set up, but all it is is a heater, sw, a hang on filter and about 10 punds of live rock. Could someone point me in the direction of a cheap efficient set up, as i am only 16, that would work well and i could slowly add stuff to it? Thanks for your time and effort, Chuck.

 

[zoalover34]

Any setup you decide to go with probably won't fall in the "cheap" catagory.. the bigger the tank the more its going to run you.. also size depends on what you plan to keep, corals, fish ( what kind of fish ).. you can always look for LR that someone is selling sometimes you can find a good deal.. don't really need a HOB filter, a protien skimmer would be a good buy, need to think about your lights also as some can reach 1,000+...

 

[chuckstrobeck]

Ive decided to do the 29 gallon, and im gonna at least at first, do FOWLR. So with that set up i wont need to upgrade right at the moment. I was thinking maybe a gobe and some a occelaris clown or any other idea as im open to suggestion. Also the time it will take to set up the tank it should be around christmas and i could ask for some gift certificates or something along the lines of that.

 

[OCCFan023]

29 would be a good starting point and the stocking list sounds fine.

Just make sure you have enough flow in the tank, about 20-30 lbs of nice quality live rock, possibly a protien skimmer if you have the funds (if you decide to go reef route it would be a neccisity,) and patience.

good luck on the dive into salt

 

[chuckstrobeck]

I was gonna put some powerheads in the tank rated to 295 gph, but im worrying that is too much. If i do that i could ask for some metal halide lights for christmas and then do a coral set up. I would also get a protein skimmer rated to 100-150 gallons which should be fine. I would also do around 40-50 lbs of live rock. Can someone give me some ideas on corals, as ive never researched them.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

10 Easy Corals For Your New Reef Tank - Saltwater Aquariums Guides' Extra

 

[wayne]

First read the sticky I have on setting up a tank.

Then I assume you've read one of the basic setup books like Mike Palettas New Marine aquarium. After that it's basically legwork on the internet , and differnet books like Eric Bornemans on Corals.A 29 is a really nice size to work with.