Reef Tank

[Noahs ark6]

Hello.

I am very interested in starting up a reef aquarium, i know the basics but was hoping someone could tell me how to set up a marine tank properly. thanks

 

[fishguy2727]

Three main stages (and costs):

Stage 1: basic setup. Stand, tank, pumps, sand, sump, equipment, salt, etc. Get it all up and running, salinity and temp where they need to be etc.

Stage 2: Live rock. You want 1.5-3 pounds per gallon. Good news is you can use up to 80% dry rock which will become live rock eventually. However, you need to invest in good live rock to introduce a lot of biodiversity. This stage includes the time for the rock to cure and the tank to cycle.

Stage 3: Add lighting, skimmer and start stocking. The skimmer can go on sooner, but will be very unpredictable with all the waste form the rock curing. Stocking can stop or slow down if you need it to (life happens and costs pop up). From here out you want to do 10% weekly water changes and the same size water changes more frequently if any problems show up (algae, strssed anything, etc.)

Always use RO/DI water. If the tank is small enough you can just buy distilled water.

A good water change schedule will prevent most of the problems out there, and likely fix most of the ones that do arise.

Feed high quality foods. I only feed and recommend New Life Spectrum. Have other foods too though, depending on what species you have and if they are wild caught.

What size tank are you thinking?
What fish do you want?
What corals do you want?

 

[dayzofspeed]

hi & welcome. the best place to start is by reading through some of the journals, best bet is to check out the ones of a similar size tank to what you are planning and take it from there.....Kevin

 

[woody88]

You will need:

Tank
Sump or external canister filter (neither of these are actually required but help with housing media)
Skimmer
Powerheads (need to aim for 20x turnover per hour ie a 100G tank would require a 2000lph powerhead)
Reef salt
Plain RO water (not tap)
Refractometer for measuring salt level (1.025)
Thermometer
Heater ( 24 degrees )
T5 10000k and actinic lighting for the coral min.
Live sand (although not actually live when you buy it)
Live rock preferably cured to reduce cycle time (1kg LR for every 8L of water)
Phosphate remover (for reducing possibility of green algae growth) phosphates retard coral growth.
Activated Carbon purifies water and keeps it crystal clear.
Calcium reactor for when you have hard coral (lps/sps)
Test kits (preferably salifert or api) ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph to start with.
Lots of patience and perseverance!!!!!!

Like previously suggested you can cure dead rock yourself but it takes MONTHS & MONTHS! best to source LR from a local reefer breaking down their tanks. LR is around £10-15 in lfs pet kilo. £5 from people breaking down tanks on average.

Best to read the journals and resource threads for more detailed info on setting up and maintaining marine tanks.
Remember the smaller the tank the more unstable the water conditions will be hence more regular maintenance and water changes are required.

1-fill tank with plain RO water.
2-turn on heater And powerhead/s
3-add required amount of salt to achieve correct sg level (1.023-1.026)
4- once at correct temp and salt level then you can add your LR.
5-test daily for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph.
(you may not get a cycle if you use cured LR that has not been out of water for more than 15min).
6- After 24-48 hrs of 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite then perform a large water change (40-50%) to bring any nitrAte levels down and then you can add you janitors (hermit crabs and snails to keep algae and detritus to a minimum and generally keep the tank clean).
7- give the tank a week or so ans then you can SLOWLY introduce your fish 1-2 per week to start off with, allowing for your LR to handle the increased bioload).
8- perform weekly maintenance tasks (cleaning/replacing filters and WC etc).

As easy as that really! Lol

Hope this helps and Good luck my friend. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[seffieuk]

to the salty side of the forum

Seffie x