Marine Newbie Questions

[angelmouse]

Wondering if i can use my 24x12x12(14gal) as a fish only marine tank. can i use external canister filter with this set up and what other equipment would i need. looking into keeping clown fish and goby.
Advice appreciated Angel

 

[enjoiskater158]

you could use the 14 gallon, you would need about 15 lbs of liverock for biological filtration. so that said you would need your canaster filter. you would also need a heater, a powerhead for flow, and a light. If you get a decient light you could put some soft corals in there.

 

[angelmouse]

would i need Lr, can i not just just use a canister for filteration?
Advice appreciated Angel

 

[andywg]

would i need Lr, can i not just just use a canister for filteration?
Advice appreciated Angel

You can, but it is likely that in order to maintain low nitrates you will have to do more frequent and larger water changes. At this point you will notice just how much salt you need (and how much it costs) to make up saltwater.

Also, with teh cannister you will have to perform dilligent maintenance frequently to prevent it becoming a nitrate factory.

 

[angelmouse]

so i need Lr, would 1 power head be ok for this. How often should water be changed in a Sw tank.
Thanks Angel

 

[Ter]

bah for fish only i'd just go with a powerful canister... but thats me, lighting u can go with the basic, if u want 2 add corals or live rock in a few months cause ur bored u can always do it at that point.

water changes i'd say 20% a week with a canister, and when u clean it out about once a month don't do 2 good of a job! wouldnt want 2 lose ur cycle... and forget about any inverts if u wanna go that way...
Ter

 

[dixaisy930]

Personally, up until a few weeks ago, all I had for water circulation/filtration was a HOT Magnum filter and LR, and I've no problems keeping things like peppermint shrimp, hermit crabs, anenome crabs (the crabs, not the anenome themselves), emerald crabs, pistol shrimp, snails, etc. I think other people have had luck with this type of set-up as well.

 

[Ter]

hum, infact what i mean... however it was the norm before... if he/she isnt going 2 be using live rock and just a filter NO3's will eventually go up fast without large weekly water changes and light stocking... and from what I understand inverts don't like there NO3's much hehe
Ter

 

[Betta5]

I have the same tank 24"x12x12 and am thinking of doing fish only too. I was going to use and bioball sponge and chemi-pure or someting like that in a fluval 3 plus filter pump. I was also going to do 10-20%water changes a week.

It would be intresting if we both did the same tank as FO, lol.

Do you know what fish you are going to put in it?

 

[Mr Miagi]

LR is only beneficial. You wouldn't have to stick with the 1lb/1g rule, although that is highly recommended. You could get away with 7lbs in a 14g tank, and add some as you go. No LR will also mean you'd need to cycle the tank the hard way, ie. months of waiting, using some media from another hobbyist, or using some hardy cycling fish.

The problem with such a small FO is your not going to have any good fish choices, stocking is extremely limited without LR filtration as your nitrates will soon rise, and adding anymore bioload will be hazardous. Your looking at 2-4 SMALL fish maximum, and that would be things like acro gobies, and a young clown (what happens when it grows?).

Flow, or total tank volume turnover per hour is very important, SW holds less oxygen than FW, and less at warmer temperatures. Surface agitation and turnover is important to make sure your fish have sufficient oxygen, not to mention water chemistry can be effected. Id look for 20x total tank volume turnover minimum.

Cannister filters (I use two on separate systems) would not create sufficient water surface agitation, or tank volume turnover alone, and would need supplementation with powerheads (one or two, depending on flow rate etc).

IMO, an FO tank would only be suitable for a larger tank, say minimum 30g. This is not to say it wouldn't be achievable in anything less, but think about what your going to be stocking the tank with. Is LR really that expensive, considering the role it plays in biological filtration, aesthetics, and sheer interest with different invertebrates, macro algae etc.? Can I afford to just have a cannister which will create nitrates? If its an initial cost consideration, consider the cost of RO water + Salt on continuous water changes.

Jsut some things to think about. BTW, I started one tank FOWLR, thinking it would do, but its now a Reef, so dont just think about what would suit now, but also what direction you might like to take the tank later.

 

[angelmouse]

I keep discus so i already have R/O unit, I wanted to start with fo and maybe go onto others at a later date. i want to stock wih clown and goby and maybe others, ilike royal dottybacks are they suitable?, not sure how many fish i can put in a 14gal. I might consider putting a small amount of liverock in to start, if i go that route what filter can you recomend. would i need a skimmer?
Betta5 please keep me updated on your tank, this is my first dabble with marine, i`m in process of setting up malawi tank at moment so the sw will be on the backburner for afew months, but i like to do reseach beforhand so i know what i`m getting into.
Advice appreciated Angel

 

[madbison]

IMO - i'd get the tank drilled for an overflow, then set up a sump where you can have a skimmer, heater and a DSB. Alot easier than having to clean out a canister filter.As far as water goes i use NSW 10% water change a week, the way i see it fish come fom the ocean so it can be to bad for them, and is no where near as expensive as salt mixes.

I've been running a 350L reef system this way for nearly 3 years, and i think for a FOWLR this is the only way to go.

And down the track if you want to upgrade and add some coral, you have the sump to hide kalk and or calcium dosing. And an auto topup for evaporation ( a good investment to help keep salinity levels).

Maybe add a few snails and a shrimp ( my favoriites are my blood and redline shrimps) to help keep the substrate clean.

Cheers

Dave.

 

[Mr Miagi]

I wanted to start with fo and maybe go onto others at a later date. i want to stock wih clown and goby and maybe others, ilike royal dottybacks are they suitable?, not sure how many fish i can put in a 14gal. I might consider putting a small amount of liverock in to start, if i go that route what filter can you recomend. would i need a skimmer?

No filter, same as a cannister. They create nitrate which is mentioned above. LR should be the main site of effective filtration, converting ammonia to nitrite, nitrite to nitrate, and nitrate to nitrogen, this process is different from FW tanks. If you wanted to use media, you will need to be diligent in their cleaning (id say once per week) and monitor your nitrates.

IMO for a 14g the small amount of LR needed isn't worth wasting money on filters/cannisters that you will eventually tear off when you head towards coral (and that wont be long, trust me). LR and power heads will stay in the tank regardless of whether it goes from FOWLR to reef, when your time comes to change over to reef, all you need to change is your lighting.

If you continue good water changes, with a decent salt brand and your RO unit (noice you already have one! ) you wont need a skimmer.

A Dotty back should be fine in a 14, but I definitely advocate under stocking in Nano's. As also mentioned above:

Your looking at 2-4 SMALL fish maximum

 

[angelmouse]

Thanks for advice, i`m starting to understand now, it all makes abit more sense. So a powerhead is the way to go with Lr ,how many and what type and size can you recommend. didn`t want a sump at moment ( maybe if i go bigger in future)
Thanks Angel