So Its Begins! The Tank Is Empty And Ready To Go

[SkiFletch]

so in conclusion for the moment,if i empty my tank,clean it well (with what?) add substrate,powerheads,skimmer and then water and salt.then plonk 30kg ish of a type of live rock and just wait and test ?

yes thats it

You can use white vinegar. Ski uses a stronger acid but I am not sure where you would get it from. Most people have or can get hold of white vinegar very easily.

Yes, I use Muriatic acid (diluted by half) for cleaning my tank/parts which can be found at any pool supply store. Take care if you use it, cause it's a POWERFUL acid. But man does it make short work of anything that used to be alive

To the OP; you've been getting a lot of great answers on here so far about what/how to do to get started here and that's great. However you're missing one big step here in tihe process, deciding what kind of livestock you want. It's a different philosophy over here in the marine section, your livestock choices dictate your hardware choices, NOT the other way around Whereas with most basic freshwater applications, tank size dictates hardware choices, here it's livestock. So have a look through major retailers like liveaquaria.com or saltwaterfish.com to see what's out there and maybe decide what you like then we can help you tailor hardware.

A properly setup marine tank is pretty hands-off from a maintenance standpoint. I barely do anything to mine aside from feeding, topup and spooning a few additives

 

[mark1979]

hey ski,that is a very good point.

i like my tanks to have nice scaping,and little fish,i dont like hectic amounts of fish swimming around.

i definatly would like a couple of tangs, are they ok in pairs? i think by what i have read that my tank is big enough!!

i also like the spotted cardinal fish and the kaudern cardinal

clownfish perhaps

firefish - purple

butterfly fish

gobys

and a clean up crew (im realy clueless on them) any reccomendations? scarlet skunk shrimps maybe?

would that be to much to ask of a 5ft 400L tank?

 

[mark1979]

does the rock go in and sit on the tank base then gravel get added,or the other way around?

or are both wrong and i need to raise the rock up off the gravel? and won the live rock at the bottom die?

ive see that eggs crate on legs method,but doesnt that allow rubbish to go underneath and defeat the object!!

im totaly confused again,lol.



anyone want to tell me regarding the fish i would like to keep above? its a very rough idea,but defo tangs

 

[TigerIssey]

You have about 88 Imperial or UK gallons so I would say some tangs are OK. Avoid the Powder Blue and Regal Tang. You need an absolutely huge tank to keep them whitespot free. Also avoid the sohal tang, that needs a monster tank too.

I think your stocking is very light for a 400 litre tank. I would put more in, don't forget Marine fish can often hide and swim in and out alot. You won't always see all the fish all at the same time. In addition, it is MO that the more fish you have (within your tanks stocking capabilities), the more the fish you have are relaxed and the more you see them, it resembles the natural environment more. Have you seen a reef with fishes swimming everywhere.

 

[jtnova13]

hey ski,that is a very good point.

i like my tanks to have nice scaping,and little fish,i dont like hectic amounts of fish swimming around.

i definatly would like a couple of tangs, are they ok in pairs? i think by what i have read that my tank is big enough!!
i think the most common tangs I've seen together are the hippo tang and yellow tang. There are quite a few tangs that will be too big for your tank though.

i also like the spotted cardinal fish and the kaudern cardinal

clownfish perhaps

firefish - purple

butterfly fish

gobys

and a clean up crew (im realy clueless on them) any reccomendations? scarlet skunk shrimps maybe?

would that be to much to ask of a 5ft 400L tank?

I also think you could put more fish in there, but like you said, you don't like to a have alot of fish. Your stocking plan seems compatible and since you are keeping no corals, the butterfly fish fits in as well. If you decide to go reef later on, the butterfly fish may nip at soft corals.

As for CUC, you have a bunch of options. You will probably get some of these for free with your live rock as bristle worms/stars/snails/crabs/shrimp may hitchhike on the live rock.

There are a bunch of cool ornamental shrimp like the peppermint shrimp that you could buy.

As for the rock stacking, I would put the rock directly on the glass at the bottom, or put egg crate first then rock. If you put the rock on top of the sand, it may shift and tumble, maybe even break your glass tank.

 

[mark1979]

You have about 88 Imperial or UK gallons so I would say some tangs are OK. Avoid the Powder Blue and Regal Tang. You need an absolutely huge tank to keep them whitespot free. Also avoid the sohal tang, that needs a monster tank too.

I think your stocking is very light for a 400 litre tank. I would put more in, don't forget Marine fish can often hide and swim in and out alot. You won't always see all the fish all at the same time. In addition, it is MO that the more fish you have (within your tanks stocking capabilities), the more the fish you have are relaxed and the more you see them, it resembles the natural environment more. Have you seen a reef with fishes swimming everywhere.

thanks for that, i would like a few more fish,but im still looking around and researching what i like.

as the the rock,i will try and explain my concern better. how much live rock should i have in a 400L tank?

i hear 3 ways:

1: add live rock to tank,then ad the gravel after
2: add gravel 1st then the live rock
3: elivate the rock so that flow travel under.

each of them dont seem right in ways!!

1 and 2 will surely get " dead spots " on the rock as water flow will be nothing

3 will mean you see the egg crate/pvc legs? and wont the waste get trapped under the whole lot?

and also do you have to do this (adding the live rock) with water in the tank already.

everytime i think right im gonna go for it,i seem to hit a obstacle.

 

[superman1]

all depends on your preference to completely eliminate dead spots then yes you would have to raise the rock but to be honest i think by stacking rocks one on top of another your always going to have dead spots theres no way to really have the WHOLE rock in water flow..

putting rock in then putting gravel will mean theres les chance of fishes burrowing underneath and toppling the rock or moving it.. having it above the substrate will mean fishes may burrow and get squashed.. raising the rock on stilts will look ugly but help in flow..

its entirely upto you mark.

you can add substrate and then put egg crates on the gravel and then stack which will help with flow but not as good as stilts..

your never going to be able to get it all right so its your personal preference which will win...


regarding Clean up crew..

i have 14 turbo snails, a few other snails forgot the name. a mix of hermits totalling 11. 1 emerald mithrax crab and 4 scarlett cleaner shrimps in a 220 litre tank, and i reckon i may need some more... lol

 

[TigerIssey]

Definately add the rock to the tank then the substrate or use stilts. You can use rock so that the stilts will only be seen from the side or the back. Either way avoid rock on sand as this can be undermined byt fish and other inverts.

The rock will have some dead spots, you are never going to eliminate all of them.

Some butterfly's are reef safe, check on live aquaria, most are not. Depends if you want a full reef eventually.

 

[mark1979]

i just went to my lfs and had a good natter.

they said the korailia powerheads were rubbish is this true?

they also said like you have,fill the tank half full of salt water,heat it,add the live rock "base" only, and then add the sand/gravel and let that just sit there with the powerheads blowing over them.

then after a week or so,then i can build it up as i wish,filling the water as i go. does this sound alright?

also i need a skimmer that hangs over the tank,is there any slim models as i cant pull my tank any further out than what it is.

 

[TigerIssey]

Most of that is ok but Korallias are used by a hell of a lot of us. They are not rubbish at all.

Eventually if you get really serious you may want Tunze or the Holy grail of powerheads, the Vortech, but most start out with Korallias and use them for a long time.

 

[mark1979]

ok,i think i have all sorted.

im having problems choosing a skimmer.

i want a decent one but am clueless.

is an internal or external hangon better?

i like the look of the mce 600,but its alot of cash

any suggestions.

where is the best place to buy live rock also?

 

[seffieuk]

Mark apologies but i can't remember how big your tank is?

Imo, you can't go wrong with the mce 600 - mine is great you pays your money and take yoyr choice, but if you decise to get a cheaper skimmer I can more or less guarantee you will upgrade quickly, so it can end up saving you money in the long run.

You get get the deltec second hand, there are some bargains to be had

Seffie x

 

[mark1979]

Mark apologies but i can't remember how big your tank is?

Imo, you can't go wrong with the mce 600 - mine is great you pays your money and take yoyr choice, but if you decise to get a cheaper skimmer I can more or less guarantee you will upgrade quickly, so it can end up saving you money in the long run.

You get get the deltec second hand, there are some bargains to be had

Seffie x

sorry its a 400L juwel rio, 5ft long

i will have to buy new,as my 2nd hand buys have sometimes ended in disaster,lol

how much live rock do you think i will need in my tank,30kg?

ive started to remove my tropical tank fish,i feel so bad for doing so

so its begins!!

 

[ben1987]

The average rule for live rock is 1LB per gallon or 1 kilo per 2.2 gallons

400L = about 88 imp gallons.

88 / 2.2 = 40 KG

 

[mark1979]

is it worth running the juwel internal still,or losing that and just using the fx5?

i thought the internal would be an easy way to get carbon etc etc in with opening the fx5 each time i needed too!!