Hello I'm A Noob To Saltwater

[@ombomb]

just because your refractometer gives you the same reading each time does not mean the readings themselves are accurate

true but it's one thing being inaccurate, it's another being inaccurate AND inconsistent

 

[dilbert]

But with the inconsistency you are warned that something must be wrong. LOL

"A man with a watch knows the time. A man with two watches is never quite sure."

 

[SkiFletch]

Ok before we get off topic again on swing-arm hydros, floating hydros, and refractos, lets get back to the OP's questions and situation

I'd first suggest figuring out what you want to keep. There are 3 generic models of tank types we keep in saltwater. Fish Only (FO), Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR), and reef. FO tanks are just saltwater, and a powerfilter very similar to freshwater tanks. Decor can be whatever you want, and fish can do just fine provided appropriate sea salt mixes are used.

FOWLR tanks remove the powerfilter, and replace it with Live Rock and powerheads for water circulation. LR is the ocean's filter and is far better than a powerfilter. It comes equipped with bacteria like a powerfilter to process nitrogen and also other beneficial organisms.

Reef tanks are FOWLR tanks with significant flowrate (20+ times volume per hour), and higher-powered lighting. They are usually termed "Reefs" because they contain corals and invertebrates.


My suggestoin to you Jager is to look through some larger marine wholesalers like liveaquaria.com and saltwaterfish.com and decide what livestock you like. Then, hit the stickies atop this section to get a more detailed description of what's required to setup a tank to house what you would like to keep. Once you have questions and are confused, come back and ask more directed questions . As Andywg says, there's no one way to keep a "saltwater tank", but there are some good ways to keep sepcific organisms.

Hope that made sense

 

[Jager]

thanks skifletch for your reply.

i am going with a fowrl setup. today i am going to get everything else needed to start up the tank. i do not plan on having 75+ pounds of live rock in my tank as of now. i am looking at buying about 10 to 15 pounds of it today for the start up and my add more at a later date. i also plan on using live sand and plane sand for the buttom. i'm guessing that about 65 pounds should give me a little over 1 inch of sand. so i have a few question now.

1. being as i am not going with 75+ LR today, at about what amount of pounds of liverock would i be able to stop using the filter, and only use power heads and protein skimmer?

2. on the hood i have now, it has 1 48 inch long bulb, what type of lighting should i buy for that bulb. I will be adding another light if need next weekend. but for now what should i replace the bulb with. btw i will be using a timer for the lighting.

3. is 65 LBS about right for 1 inch of sand in a 75g tank. i'll have 80 LBS on hand b/c i'm buying 2 40 LBS bags of it.

 

[dilbert]

Question 1:

That depends on the species, size and number of the fish and their feeding habits. Messy eaters will produce more waste than others. Best thing is to be prepared for an additional mechanical filter but leave it out now or use its chambers later for addititives like carbon or so when needed.


Question 2:

Apart from the rare case that would some coral evolve from the live rock that you wanted keep, any light will do in FOWLR tank. If you would prefer maybe a blue light because it looks nicer you could go with this, otherwise I would leave it as it is.

 

[andywg]

i am going with a fowrl setup. today i am going to get everything else needed to start up the tank. i do not plan on having 75+ pounds of live rock in my tank as of now. i am looking at buying about 10 to 15 pounds of it today for the start up and my add more at a later date. i also plan on using live sand and plane sand for the buttom.

Seriously, don't waste your money on live sand. Live Rock will seed it very quickly, and the LR will be more beneficial in the long run. Save on the live sand and put the money into LR, it's the best way.

1. being as i am not going with 75+ LR today, at about what amount of pounds of liverock would i be able to stop using the filter, and only use power heads and protein skimmer?

That all depends on your stocking. Start off stocking very lightly and you won't need the filter from day one (as in, stock the tank as if it is a 15-20 gallon tank)

2. on the hood i have now, it has 1 48 inch long bulb, what type of lighting should i buy for that bulb. I will be adding another light if need next weekend. but for now what should i replace the bulb with. btw i will be using a timer for the lighting.

For a nice colour (which is all that really matters on a FOWLR) try a 50/50 bulb, it gives white light and some blue, preventing the tank being too dark with blue, or too yellow with other lights.

3. is 65 LBS about right for 1 inch of sand in a 75g tank. i'll have 80 LBS on hand b/c i'm buying 2 40 LBS bags of it.

I think it should be okish. I used about 3 10kg bags in my wide footprint 100 imp gallon.

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, a 75g tank doesn't have the biggest footprint out there. TBH, you can prolly get away with just a single 40lb bag. I also agree with Andywg that you should not be buying live sand, just buy regular aragonite and spend the saved money on LR