Setting Up A Marine Tank....

[cuticom]

So my 2 foot 21g tanks just been sitting there while I try to decide what to turn it into. We were at a really really good petstore today with the most amazing marine creatures, and I think I'd really like to do a marine tank. I ahve researched before but always given up in the end LOL.

So the type of tank I would like to do would be inverts only, no coral, no fish. Just some live rock and invertebrates like crabs, shrimp and snail. They are what fascinate me most.

One problem I always come across is the expense of liverock, but I was wondering if I kept a small bioload, then I wouldn't need much live rock would I? as the liverock need only support the bioload....

Anyways any hints or tips would be welcome, I'm sure it'll be months of researching and slowly collecting materials, but I'm sure I'll ahve great fun with it LOL.

 

[cuticom]

Oky dokes, so I've been researching, and ahve a few more questions.

Would I need a proetin skimmer? if I do would one run by an airpump be enough? the pump controlled skimmers are for huge 80g+ tanks....
Would 6-7 pounds of live rock be enough? if it's just snails, shrimp and small crabs?
What sort of stocking could I have with just snails, shrimp and smalls crabs?
How much turn over do I need in the tank, and how many powerheads should be used?

 

[cuticom]

Just been going through prices etc of what I need, and on my list of stuff so far I have
API saltwater master test kit- $37.95
Red Sea Salt 4kg- $24.40
Living Sea Hydrometer 20 cm- $5.70
TFH Oceanlife Aquarium Heater 100w- $13.50
Powerheads-? not sure what LPH I need
3 kg (just over 6 pounds) of liverock- $45

and possibly
Red Sea Berlin Airlift 60- $55.45

So what am I missing?
If I just have inevrts is 10 x per hour enough for the powerheads? or should I aim for 20?

 

[rhysiboy]

ok so if your just doing an invert tank then you shouldnt need much more than 10x flow but that would be if you just had a tank full of inverts and NOTHING else. With live rock id aim to get about 20x flow (make it so flow comes from 2 powerheds in opposite corners, believe me when you have an algae outbreak youll be so glad you have two) Aesthetically i would suggest going the whole hog with live rock because i think your just selling a tank short otherwise but beccause of inverts low bio impact on the 'filter' you could get away with less than the recomended. You shouldnt really need a skimmer because mobile inverts (CUC) have such a low bioload that your not gonna get massive ammonia/nitrite/nitrate... fingers crossed. Just do weekly water changes with RO water. Dont use tap ever. If i was you id go for sexy shrimp, scarlet shrimp, emerald crabs, porcelin crabs, maybe a conch or two, scarlet hermit crabs (very important otherwise youll end up wiht not many snails) various different snails and i think you could do some feather dusters.

 

[cuticom]

I can only get what's available in aus...

Personally I don't much like the look of the huge piles of liverock people use, I would prefer to just have a few pieces scattered across the base, and if I keep it at a low bioload, that's all that would be needed to support the inverts...

If I did get a skimmer, would that mean less water changes? I can easily pay for one, and from what I've read about people who have reef tanks with fish, and they've said since they have a skimmer they need only change the water every few months.... It sounds like a skimmer would be a good back up in case something dies to give ammonia levels stable...

They did have poercelain crabs for sale at the store, they were being kept in a critter keeper inside the main tank, is there any reason they'd be kept separate? Other critters I liked were hermit crabs, some species of shrimp (need to check on names) and I really liked turbo snails...


Oh and just curious, but I've been reading about uhh I think it's spelled aiptasia? anyway it's that anemone looking thing that reefers seem to always be trying to get rid of, in an invert only tank could I have that and let it grow? it sounds pretty impossible to kill LOL, or does it need special lighting?

 

[cuticom]

Okay so for powerheads
2 x AquarWorld Power Head 400- $22.40 + $6.50 postage

What else do I need? the list currently being...
API saltwater master test kit- $37.95
Red Sea Salt 4kg- $24.40
Living Sea Hydrometer 20 cm- $5.70
TFH Oceanlife Aquarium Heater 100w- $13.50
2 x AquarWorld Power Head 400- $22.40 + $6.50 postage
3 kg (just over 6 pounds) of liverock- $45
Red Sea Berlin Airlift 60- $55.45

$218.80 so far... I already have sand at home, so I can just use that for a substrate, Ummm I "think" that's everything I would need... Am I missing anything?

 

[Musho3210]

yes you can afford a skimmer... is it good? I wouldnt go with a berlin, deltec and tunze are pretty good, not sure if Aus has them though.

 

[cuticom]

Umm theres the Queen Turbo Skimmer TS-2000 which pumps 2000l/ph the berlin had the smallest output, 2000l/ph seems like it would turn a little 80l tank into a whirlpool... if it came from multiple powerhaeds it would be okay, but not from the one skimmer...

Or theres the Orca Protein Skimmer 30 which is another air driven one, air driven seems mildly safer for a small tank...Or theres the Jebo 180 Hang On Skimmer With Pump which does 1500l/ph....

Theres another Jebo skimmer Jebo Protein Skimmer Unit 2011/1821 Quadplex but I can't get info on whether or not it comes with a pump and if so =how many l/ph it does, it just says to increase performance you can also buy this powerhead ....

 

[Musho3210]

ever been to the open reef, more specifically, ever been diving? That is very little flow compared to a reef, and protein skimmer create very little flow since the pump pumps that much, but take into consideration head pressure, diffusion, venturi (if the skimmer has one) the flow that comes out of the skimmer is not going to be as high as the pump says.

 

[cuticom]

Yah we go out to the reef all the time, I understand how much flow is out there, but generally the flow isn't a fats strong stream all originating from a single place...

So a 1500l/ph or 2000l/ph would be fine? if I go with one with that much flow, can I get away with just one 400l/ph powerhead? or should I still get the two?

 

[cuticom]

Just found this on ebay, is it any good? or is just one of those you-get-what-you-pay-for products?
http/cgi.ebay.com.au/Protein-Skimmer-Mar...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[dawhits]

two words. craigslist and ebay. If you are patient, you can probably get almost all that at much lower prices than you would have paid in store. Especially liverock. I got my first 30 lbs of liverock from a guy who was taking down his tank for $2.50 a lbs much cheaper than at a store, and as you are having inverts, the cycle period is not as big of a deal, still a big concern, however the cuc is usually more hardy and tolerant of different levels than fish. I had a big old hermit that I got the second day I had my tank, three years ago and it lasted up until i had to take it out as it was eating the other inverts a couple months ago. That was through massive nitrates when the container of fishfood got knocked into the tank while I was gone, and the entire cycle process. I also, don't really see the need for a protein skimmer in this small of a tank with such a small bioload, I have never had one, and my tank has near perfect specs. The only thing I would stress really, would be in such a small tank making sure you do frequent water changes on a steady schedule.

 

[cuticom]

Living in rural Australia the chance of finding live rock is about nil... otherwise I would go that route I've never even seen liverock on ebay, and it would be pick up only for sure. I was hoping there were some marine aquarists round here, but it seems that it's the cichlids that rule the day, I can get virtually any cichlid cheaply, but marine supplies? nope, am still looking though

Wouldn't a protein skimmer cut down on the amount of water changes? my worry is if I'm away for a couple of weeks or something, that the tank isn't going to crash because I missed a water change, from what I've read a protein skimmer adds stability... and I do have the money to pay for one, so may as well... Plus then if later on I do decide I want a fish or too, I just have to buy the fish...

 

[cuticom]

Oky dokes, I've been doing more research and am looking at changing my plans slightly.
So I'll skip the protein skimmer, and use the money on some more liverock, maybe 4 more kg? Would the tank be fine with 7kg (15.5 lb) of liverock and 10 x turn over? I can always add more liverock later on, but would that be enough for a start, so I could cycle it and begin adding inverts? Then maybe add more later? The only live rock available is cured so apart from the occasional hitchhiking hermit crab/aiptasia I should be fine.

The stocking I'm considering, though I'm sure it will change is something like
1 x shrimp (peppermint or coral banded)
5-6 x hermit crabs (not sure what type)
2-3 x turbo snails
4-5 x nerite snails

So the list of things to buy would be
API saltwater master test kit- $37.95
Red Sea Salt 4kg- $24.40
Living Sea Hydrometer 20 cm- $5.70
TFH Oceanlife Aquarium Heater 100w- $13.50
2 x AquarWorld Power Head 400- $22.40 + $6.50 postage
7 kg (15.5 lb) of liverock- $105

How does that sound?

 

[rhysiboy]

Umm theres the Queen Turbo Skimmer TS-2000 which pumps 2000l/ph the berlin had the smallest output, 2000l/ph seems like it would turn a little 80l tank into a whirlpool... if it came from multiple powerhaeds it would be okay, but not from the one skimmer...

I have a 2400lph skimmer on a 90 litre tank, a 700 lph filter and a 2400 lph powerhead. Its not at all a whirpool and its not a specialist SPS tank or watever need you to have 1 million x per hour flow rate