New Tank!

[Shelby]

Ok, so far, I am getting an 80US gallon aquarium supposedly complete. Used to be salt water and was converted to tropical. Now, supposedly, everything or the majority anyway, is suposed to be there to put it back to saltwater. Except of course for live rock,sand, salt, and fish. I am SUPER excited!!!

Now, as soon as I get the information on what is there I will post it up and find out what else I need to get a marine tank started. I hope you guys are patient with me as I've never done a marine tank before and will need tons and tons of help!

In the meantime any starting advice would be awesome. Such as, what type of sand do I need, what type of salt, and if there is a decently priced place online to purchase these things.

 

[shelaghfishface]

congratulations x

if i were you i would start off by reading through the journals that others have built up.. theres a wealth of knowledge in those, smiles and tears, and of course ask questions
i`m sure you`ll really enjoy your journey and wish you every success

shelaghxxxx
ps, craigslist and ebay are the way to go im sure.. but of course find out what you have or dont and get information from other members before going spending... let the fun begin

 

[-Nemo-]

yay! The hubby finally caved? They always do
Pictures when you get it

 

[Shelby]

haha actually.. hubby didn't cave... the boss did I will be setting it up at his house. I do inhome care and am there every day anyway! Hubby is still howling even though the boss is putting up a salt water. He says it's just more work for you or whoever is there caring for him. My boss is 97% blind and wheelchair bound so all the work will fall to me. As will 99% of the enjoyment!

Personally.. I so excited I can hardly contain myself!

The tank will not arrive until Tuesday next which is a bummer cuz I totally want to get started ASAP! But I'm sure parts are missing and it will take some doing for me to figure out where to start. I'm pretty sure there is not a skimmer or powerheads. I read "So you want to start a marine tank" and the tank described in there is a 30gallon and it seems like tons of things I need to figure out.

I will start my shopping list with salt, sand, a large plastic garbage can (for mixing water),a large tub for the sump, and a test kit. Sound about right?

 

[-Nemo-]

Just gives you a week to plan and dream
And look at some journals!

Are you planning on adding in a sump it sounds like then? While I've seen normal plastic boxes used as sumps, you may consider a proper one with all the fixings otherwise you may end up with problems (such as bubbles!)

Don't forget the hydrometer (or refractometer if you possible!)
If doing corals you'll need to look at some lighting options too (depending upon what this set-up includes)

 

[Shelby]

Oh.. well then.. I have to figure out what a proper sump would be now! Will research.

Am I really going to need a skimmer? I totally love maintenance on my freshwater and don't see an issue with doing weekly water changes.

What is the simple difference between live rock and coral? Live rock will grow things too right?

I don't want to have to purchase expensive lighting so what would be my best option? Live rock will help with filtration. That much I understand. Coral what just looks pretty?

 

[sorgan]

Live rock is your main filteration, it's full of bugs, bacteria and wobbly things that convert ammonia and nitrites into nitrate.
Coral rock is just display rock, cheap but IMO a waste of tank space.

Corals are loosly put into 3 groups-
softies (easy care) these corals need the least light and are the hardiest corals, they bounce back from mistakes well. Leathers, zoa's, ricordia and xenia are a few available.

Lps -large polyp stony (easy - hard) these corals (bar a few) need higher light and better water conditions BUT vary greatly all are amazing to watch but need calcium, magnesium and another load of minerals to thrive. Torch, hammer, bubble and sun to name a few.

Sps - small polyp stony (wouldn't know as I don't keep them) these corals need higher light still and pristine water, ask around about them.

 

[Shelby]

So I'm better with just live rock which can be added over a period of time right? Does live rock grow plants too or is that what you meant by wobbly bits?

 

[-Nemo-]

I would start off with at least 40lbs of LR and then you can slowly add more as time goes on.

What do you mean does it grow plants as well? you mean coral? Coral are animals
Some LR might have coral on it but I wouldn't count on it being alive anymore. I would definitely consider doing a reef tank with coral, they really add something beautiful to the tank. Even if you just do some soft corals which require much less light than the rest.

 

[sorgan]

The only 'plants' in a marine tank are the various algae, most you don't want.

 

[Shelby]

Ok.. I was totally confused. I guess I meant corals. They require feeding? I couldn't wait for Tuesday next and went to pick up the tank myself... So, I'm going to start a journal thing on here...lol

 

[-Nemo-]

Many corals are photosynthetic and only need the light to make food, granted the light intensity needs to be sufficient, there are some that aren't and require food (most of these are in the "difficult to care for" category).

Even those that are photosynthetic do well with the occasional feeding.

 

[Shelby]

When it comes to that time I will definitely be on asking all kinds of questions. I figure it will take at leaset 2 months before fish or coral is in!

Feel free to hop over the the jouran section and see what I have so far for equipment. It's under Shelbys Diary.

 

[seffieuk]

Well, well I miss a few days due to Ofsted and who has appeared but Shelby

Looking forward to watching your progress and don't forget to start a journel

Seffie x

ps we like photos right from the start!!