New Aqua Medic Chromis

[emsvaughan]

Hi, im a newbie to Marines, been keeping tropical for over 20 years. I have always wanted marines, but been to nervous.

Anyway on Saturday I bought a chromis in an stock clearance auction brand new for £75. Bargain or what!! I just couldnt let it go for that price. The only thing missing was the light, but Im hoping that T5's will be ok?

Now I know absloutely nothing about Marines, and was hoping someone could guide me on what levels I should be looking for. I have some coral sand that came with it, and all the filters/skimmers/heaters etc.

Now for the questions:

How do i read the salinity meter?

What temps should I be setting this upto? I have read 26-28C

Should I cycle like a tropical tank for 6 weeks, or is it longer?

how much live rock should I get, and is it cheaper to buy online, and what quality will I get?

Dumb question- is all live rock the same?

Stocking question- What is the maximum stocking level. the tank is 50x50x50cm? the fish we are looking at are Clown fish (I promised my 7 year old she could have some Nemo's) I also promised her a Dory, but have been told they grow to large.) and a couple of Blue Damsels. My GF also wants some shrimps.

Can I have corals seperate from my fish stocking levels?


Sorry for all the questions, but Im finding this all a bit daunting really.. But i want to do it right before I go adding anything that is living.

thanks in advance

 

[leecara]

i cant b bothered to say it all as i cant b bothered lol but if you read thriugh all the stickies they will give you the knowledge then read throught the topics on the marine section and they shall answer your qs then when your ready you can ask us more techinal qs

also what size tank and what dimensions ?and what you going for reef,fish only .....

and in my experince i had a fw for 6 months i found it was hard so i gave it up i went to marine done 3 months research and started up a marine tank and personnally i find it much easier
also read through my journal or skis journal as they will be big help

 

[SkiFletch]

What kind of salinity meter do you have? Hydrometer? Refractometer?

Try and kep it no higher than 28, prefferably more like 25 although that's not always possible in the summer.

Cycling is performed by LR and can take days, or a week or two depending on the LR.

1lb/gal or 1kg/2gal is the general rule of thumb for LR. Ordering online is cheaper but of course cycle times are longer.

Almoast all LR is the same in function, although its appearance can vary greatly.

In a 30ish gallon tank, I'd reccomend staying away from regal tangs (Dory). Clowns, damsels, and gobies are common inhabitants for this size tank. Deocrative shrimp are just fine in there.

Yes, you can have corals in addition to fish stocking limits. More and more challenging corals means somewhat fewer fish, but you can have the two. Generally if corals are introduced we start referring to the tank as a "reef".

 

[emsvaughan]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

leecara, I have found the stickies and I am currently ploughing through them...lol.. Its strange how some people find FW hard and others find SW the same..

Skifletch. I ahve a Hydrometer
1kg to 2 gallon wow thats a lot of rock... But if thats whats needed then thats what I gotta get.

I'll read through the stickies and once I have, if I have anymore questions I will ask...

 

[SkiFletch]

Do you have the "swing arm" or the "thermometer" type?

 

[emsvaughan]

Do you have the "swing arm" or the "thermometer" type?

Its the Thermometer type.

 

[SkiFletch]

Then just dip it into the water and read the scale

 

[leecara]

you can have as much or as little lr you want but like ski said that rule will just apply for the biological filter