Possible Marine Keeper Newbie..(orca 450tl)

[PaulChilds]

Hi,
As you can probably tell i am very new to this forum but having spent a few hours reading all about everyones problems, enjoyment and dedication with their marine set ups and having considered for many years about having one i think i am now finally ready to take the plunge....

I am on a budget (two children under the age of two) and will almost certainly be going for the Orca 450tl. I have read many of the comments on this tank and it seems to have its good bits and bad bits (as every set up probably has) however what i am really interested in is when i get it home and unpack it from the box will the instructions enclosed really help me set it up immediatley or am i going to need alot of nursing along with it. I have kept goldfish in the past and having read alot of this forum am a bit worried i am biting off more than i can chew. I see everyone chatting about changing skimmers and powerheads and lights and noodles etc and i am worried that all is going to be a disaster from the start unless i totally modify the stock kit.

Please can someone put my mind at ease that everything is going to be ok and that it isnt as hard as it all sounds...

Thank you for taking the time to read this and responding.....

Paul

 

[ben1987]

marines are really wuite simple when you get into it.
Research before you buy, take your time and ask questions.

Fist things to do it research what you want to keep on here
http/www.liveaquaria.com/
then we can suggest what equipment you may wish to add to your tank. The main reasons people modify their tanks is that they want between 20-30x the tanks volume in flow so they can leep a reef. Want to add a skimmer to keep the water quality up or the corals they want to keep require more light.

read peoples tank threads and the stickys in all the marine sections on here. Do a bit of research on tank cycle aswel.
basicaly you will do something like this:
*set up tank
*add ro water and salt and heat it up. mines at 26 degrees and 1.026SG
* add live rock
*test water till cyle finnishes - ammonia and nitirte read 0
*water change to lower nitrates
*add cuc
*slowly add fish and coral

 

[CageUK]

Hi Paul and welcome

I tried to reply to this earlier but the forum crashed after I'd typed it all

So this is a summarised version.

The Orca is ok to use out of the box depending on what sort of tank you are setting up.

For fish only you can use the tank 'as is'. Any tweaks you make to the tank are only to change it to your liking (the skimmer may be one of these).

If you are putting live rock in the tank then you should put another powerhead in the left hand chamber to improve flow. You can remove the bioballs as they are surplus to requirements. If you choose to keep them then you need to clean them on a very regular basis.

If you are having corals in the tank (reef setup) then the same applies. I would also suggest removing the foam OR regular cleaning of it.

I would suggest getting the cupboard stand with the tank if you can afford it so you can hide the electrics, otherwise you tend to end up with masses of cables.

The problem with the skimmer is that the seal between the cup and the body is not very good and results in masses of microbubbles throughout the tank. I have heard people say that this sometimes settles down after a period of time (couple of weeks or so).

The lights are fine for fish, softies and one or two of the hardier hard corals.

As Ben says Marine is not as difficult as it's reputation suggests but to do it well you need to do your research. It sounds like you've got off to a good start already

 

[ben1987]

i had also written out a massive reply and got server 502 error. i nearly kicked the computer through the window.

 

[CageUK]

Yes it's not a very well server at the moment is it?

Someone should call the doctor!

 

[PaulChilds]

marines are really wuite simple when you get into it.
Research before you buy, take your time and ask questions.

Fist things to do it research what you want to keep on here
[URL="http/www.liveaquaria.com/"]http/www.liveaquaria.com/[/URL]
then we can suggest what equipment you may wish to add to your tank. The main reasons people modify their tanks is that they want between 20-30x the tanks volume in flow so they can leep a reef. Want to add a skimmer to keep the water quality up or the corals they want to keep require more light.

read peoples tank threads and the stickys in all the marine sections on here. Do a bit of research on tank cycle aswel.
basicaly you will do something like this:
*set up tank
*add ro water and salt and heat it up. mines at 26 degrees and 1.026SG
* add live rock
*test water till cyle finnishes - ammonia and nitirte read 0
*water change to lower nitrates
*add cuc
*slowly add fish and coral

Hi Ben and CageUK

Thanks for the info... certainly sems not to be as scary as i first thought and i am less nervous about going ahead...

How often and what quantity of water do you have to change to keep things in tip top condition ?

Thanks again

Paul

 

[ben1987]

i try and do 10% per week. Out of 180l its only 18l so its a managable amount. Sometimes it gets left for a fortnight but it doesnt really harm it too much. The nitrates go up a little but thats all. I try to top up to compensate evaporation more regular though as i dont like my water level changing or my water to get too salty. Doesnt matter so much if it creeps up a little it just takes longer to top up as any change in SG must be done slowly.

do you have any ideas what you want in this tank then?

 

[PaulChilds]

i try and do 10% per week. Out of 180l its only 18l so its a managable amount. Sometimes it gets left for a fortnight but it doesnt really harm it too much. The nitrates go up a little but thats all. I try to top up to compensate evaporation more regular though as i dont like my water level changing or my water to get too salty. Doesnt matter so much if it creeps up a little it just takes longer to top up as any change in SG must be done slowly.

do you have any ideas what you want in this tank then?

Thanks for the advice,

I am looking to keep initially LR and just a couple of clowns, a clean up crew consisting of 2 or three shrimps and some turbo snails and hermit crabs...

do you think that lot will be difficult to look after... having followed all the advice so far ?

When you do the 10% water change is the water just normal RO or is it RO with salt already mixed in it. I.E do you have premade salt water ready to go and if so how long does it last..

Thanks

Paul

 

[CageUK]

Water changes are a salt mix using RO to mix the salt is desirable. Plain RO water is used for topping up the tank in the case of evaporation.

I try to change my water every week but normally only succeed every 10 days or so. I normally change around 20ltrs at a time which is more than the 10% needed.

Mixed salt water should last a long time as long as it's protected from light and dust. A black bin liner over the container does the job.

What shrimps are you looking at? I would suggest only 1 or possibly 2 at the very most in that size tank if you are talking about the cleaner or fire shrimps.

 

[ben1987]

generally speaking once clowns get established they are really hardy. Beware of adding new tank mates once they have gone in though. If i were you i would maybe look at a goby/blenny or something first. As once the clowns go in then they may see the whole tank as theirs. They can be ratehr terratorial
My pair of clowns eat like fat kids on cake. All sorts of different foods. They can be picky at the start though. Live bin shrimp got mine going now they take flake, frozen and pellets.