Beginner Seeking Advice

[matalan]

ok, so i am i deciding to start a marine aquarium. ive had many years of expierience with tropicals and want the next step up.

i had a very large tropical aquarium which was quite easy to maintain, but after researching a bit, it seems large marine aquariums can be difficult and hugley expensive.

i decided to go for a small tank as a starter, possibly go large is all is successful.

after a bit of research i found a tank which i think could be ideal for me, being the size is not too big.

The tank is an Orca TL450 Nano Reef Aquarium with a stand
Dimensions: 403l x 460h x 484w
Image: HERE

its basic features are
comes complete with filter system incorporating Heater, Protein Skimmer, UV Steriliser, LED Lights, Cooling Fans, Water Pump and built in bio chemical filtration system, 2 x 18w T5 10000k Lighting.


so basically, what im wanting to do is start a tank with LR only to begin with, and later introduce a few fish, ill get to that part later.
after researching, i found alot of people began with their LR only and let it cycle.

im looking for advice for the above information, if its a good choice, and if so, if i where to take this option, how should i go about doing it.

as i said i am a beginner to marine tanks, looking for guidence, i have done my research, looked into the whole tpic and browsed the forums.

PS. if anyone has any other advice on tanks, which one to choose (taking into account i am wanting a relitivly small sized tank) please add

Also does anyone know of any good LFS near leeds/york

thanks


(for more info on the tank i mention check HERE)

 

[Matty P]

The smaller the tank the harder it is to keep all the water parameters stable. So the bigger tank is the easier it will be to run.

 

[zeo]

If your looking for good quality LR at a really good price I'd recommend Http/www.live-rock.co.uk
They were alot cheaper then my LFS, plus the cheapest I can find online. btw price includes free delivery.

The rock quality was excelent, althru maybe being unlucky I didnt get many hitchhikers (dont know if this is a good thing). Plus I didnt get any water spikes at all and the tank cycled pretty quickly too.

 

[BigIan]

As matty said the Larger the body of water the more stable it will be,
Our first tank was a 30g and i really wouldn`t suggest you go for anything much smaller. for many reasons not only water chemistry.
Your stocking is quite limited with a smaller thank as marine fish need more room.
with smaller tanks even small corals such as muchrooms can take over and need constant "trimming"


And although i havent seen your model of tank i`ve looked as some of these "all in one" systems and they don`t look like much cop to me. They seem very hard to access the equipment and the equipment looks very poor. your model may be diffrent i can`t say for sure but just beware. it could be a nightmare to add extra stuff onto one of those tanks such as extra light and extra skimming.
And with marine unlike trops you don`t need a filter as such you use your live rock as the filter,so any "chemical filtraton" is useless and will only pump out nitrate

so if i were you i`d get my self a 30 g tank 15 k of LR some PCT5 lighting, a skimmer that will skim a 60 g tank. and enough powerheads to 3000g per hour,

with that set up you can have some of the smaller dwarf angels, some of the smaller blennys and most soft corals. and gives you plenty of scope for upgrading at a later date

 

[Musho3210]

and enough powerheads to 3000g per hour,

100x turnover? Typo? lol

 

[BigIan]

Ooops

yea i ment 300gph that would be a bare minimum i personaly like to aim for 30+ time turn over

 

[matalan]

ok thanks for some of the advice, im really not wanting a large tank, due to several reasons...


and sry for being a 'nooblet' but what does 'G' mean

so if i were you i`d get my self a 30 g tank 15 k of LR some PCT5 lighting, a skimmer that will skim a 60 g tank. and enough powerheads to 3000g per hour,

 

[BigIan]

gallons....

well then al i`d advise is to get the biggest tank you can possibly fit into your budget/house

 

[matalan]

i wish i could get a large tank, but it is way to pricey,

i have discussed the limits i can goto, and this sort of tank size is mainly the size im goin for...



i have a question, if i where to purchase the Orca TL450, fill her up with the right amounts of Salt water mix, how long must i wait for it to cycle, before adding LR, no fish yet, but liverock, ive read you can do it a day after adding the water, because the rock itself is a filter and will aclimitise as the water goes along the cycle.

while during the cycle, are all the electronic parts eg:filter, heater, skimmer, lights ment to be turned on?

thanks

 

[matalan]

i found the tank i want to purchase, and have read alot of reviews about it on other forums, it sounds like a great starter tank to have

but what do you guys think?
http/www.cyberaquatics.com/catalog/produ...roducts_id=1378
http/www.petleaders.co.uk/viewproduct-Aq...AND%20STAND.htm

the tanks i think are exactly the same just different pricing...is this a good price for a tank, especially with this full set up?

what would your advice be on some of the features for example the lightning?
Built in T5 compact lightning
Bulit in Duel LED Moonlight. - is this for my personal likeness for viewing at night? it doesnt harm fish or anything in the aquarium?


if anyone has this tank or know of it, please feel free to post your comments


thanks


P.S what is the best type of substrate/gravel,sand etc that can be used in a tank, ive read up on live sand and coral gravel but im not sure.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i won't labour the point as you've said you want a small tank, but just to re-inforce other's comments. it may cost you a bit more initially to set up a larger tank but it will be well worth it, water chemistry in small marine tanks is very unstable and can be incredibly difficult to control, small 'nano' marine tanks are really not the best option for your first venture into saltwater. I would very strongly advise you to move away from the all in one systems, try and build something up yourself from component parts on a 30gal or more tank. It really will make your life so much easier.

There's a very good reason these cheap all in one systems are so cheap, because they are rubbish. The equipment isn't up to standard, build quality is generally shoddy and while they claim to do everything you need in reality they do everything badly leaving you with a right mess of a tank.

I don't mean to sound offputting but the simple realities of saltwater fishkeeping is that it is not cheap. Try to cut corners and do it cheap without knowing what you are doing and you'll heading straight for disaster. There are always ways and means of keeping the cost down but until you know what you're doing it's best to take advice on what these are rather than just going for the cheapest of everything.

Perhaps if you give us your maximum budget we can have a browse for component parts to get you a basic system going. I'd also recommend checking out aquarist classified as you quite regularly get someone wanting to sell their full set up and you can get some bargains, we got our 30gal set up with RO Unit, Metal Halide lighjting, fish and corals for 150quid. Now some of the equipment was old and needed upgrading but it certainly gave us a foot in the door to get started, we'd priced a similar system up brand new at about 700. It's easier to get an existing system and upgrade piece by piece, your wallet doesn't feel the pain so much.

Your best substrate would be aragonite, don't bother with live sand it's a waste of money, your live rock will seed it and make it live in no time.

Luckily for marine shops around leeds you're spoilt for choice, check out Interfish in Osset, Paws for Thought on York Rd in Leeds and The Reef Ranch. All have excellent stock, the coral display tank in interfish is the most impressive i've ever seen and perhaps most importantly the staff are friendly and helpful.

Sorry if that sounds a bit negative, just don't want you to waste your money on something that's not a good option in the long run, it really is best to save up and spend a bit of money getting it right in the first place.

 

[rictheredneck]

my father in law has that tank. hes not had any complaints from it. he keeps dwarf seahorses in it and has 15 years experiance. the only thing im worried about is its size only 12 gallons. thats super small for a first tank...

... id seriously be considering converting your large fw tank to marine...

 

[matalan]

what type of substrate do you guys use, and think is the best type to use

And what test kits would you reccommend, ones which work the best in your experience thanks

 

[rictheredneck]

aragonite sand for the substrate and everyone has there own preferences on test kits i use red sea...