Live Rock

[andrew1986]

how much live rock do i add to my 120 litre tank is it optional or will i need enough to filter the whole tank i have a sump which will be doing some of the filtering when i get it set up

and also what else do i need for my tank to start a marine
do i need a specific sort of water what testing tools and any special lighting etc

 

[Trod]

Hi andrew1986,

What tank do you have and what equipement do you have already?

I think you are looking at around 1kg of LR per 4 litres of water but I'm sure someone else will be along soon to confirm or correct me

Its best to start with RO water (reverse osmosis) and add salt. Most tanks run an SG of around 1.024

Most people on here tend to favour the Salifert test kits they are very reliable.

Lighting really depends on what you want in your tank and your budget.

What are you thinking of having???

 

[seffieuk]

Welcome to the salty side

Your tank works out at about 26 gallons the same as mine, so here is a shopping list

You will need:

Extra power head or two (for the tank) - I went for the KORALIA as recomended by the guys on here, I got the Koralia 2 but you could buy a couple of K1 or nanos (check out ebay)

Refractometer, don't bother with a hydrometer - again ebay

Bucket of marine salt - don't bother getting packets, it's a false economy

Sand, you will need approx 20 1bs - don't bother with live sand - it will seed from the Live rock

Testing kits for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and PH - just to start with you will need more a little later - Salifert tests are generally considered the best - prepare yourself for a shock on price!

Water container - food safe, Camping and General do them for a good price (that's if you are in the Uk)

Container to mix your water - empty salt container is ideal I find - see if lfs will give you one or sell for a couple of £s

Cheap power head for mixing water

Cheap heater to heat water when mixing

Syphon

Good quality tank scrubber and algae magnet - you get what you pay for here, don't go cheap! Ebay again

Ro unit from RO man - you can get one for about £65, a sound investment in the long run

Live Rock - you will need between 12 / 15 k - look to get it from a reefer breaking down a tank - if in the Uk check out the classifeds on ultimatereef.com (there is a lot on there at the moment) or ebay, or aquarists classified - you will get a better deal, less die off if it is local ( I transported mine for an hour in water and had little die off) and better rock with lovely coraline growth and more hitchhikers - a win, win situation

Good book about invertibrates

Good book about fish

Good book about corals (have a read of my thread for 'the book')

My suggestion to you would be go slowly, plan and do your research - ask us loads of questions, we have all been in your situation and done the same You could go out and buy all this stuff from your lfs, BUT it will COST you a little time and planning can save you an awful lot of money and boy, you will need money because this is an adictive, expensive hobby

I'm sure there will be something I have forgotten but someone is bound to pop by and tell you - anyway have fun planning and share the fun with us

Seffie x



ps
what are your plans for the tank?
pps
don't believe everything your lfs tells you!

 

[andrew1986]

prob cheaper to buy sea life centre then


the lo down is i have

1 120 litre tank
1 100w heater
1 basic light which i found on ebay when my ballast packed in
a sump which is not fully plumbed in yet just waiting for my return pump to arive then will be ready
i have a nutrafin mini master test kit ph nitrate nitite and ammonia
small protein skimmer but will prob replace cos prob too small
a 5 gallon food container for mixing salt with water

what the hell is ro water i dont have a clue is it like distilled

 

[seffieuk]

Reverse osmosis water = has all the inpurities taken out, like heavy metals, nitrates, phosphates - it's amazing and not a bit scary what's in our tap water

If you are going to have corals you really do need to use RO water if not then tap water with conditioner in should be fine It really is cost effective to buy an ro unit though - if in the uk you can get one for £65 from RO man or look on fleabay

My skimmer is only small but works a treat

Seffie x



ps probably would be cheaper in the long run to buy Sea Life Centre maybe we should all club together

 

[Trod]

Depends how interested you are but have a look at this explains a lot http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osmosis

As seffie says if possible invest in a RO unit again have a look here http/www.ro-man.com/

You can buy RO water from most LFS, avarage 15p per litre.

What are you having in tank Fish only with LR (FOWLR) or corals too ?

You will need a powerhead too this will give you water movement, I have a koralia 2


Count me in as a partner for the sealife centre

 

[xxBarneyxx]

All good advice above already. Only thing I would add is that if you are keeping inverts I would have the SG nearer the 1.025 mark (mines between 1.025 and 1.026).