Starting A Saltwater Tank. Any Pointers ?

[snowflake311]

So I have been reading up on how to start a salt water tank. I'm kind of scared to try. I have been wanting a 55 gal tank for awhile. I have a 36 gal fresh. The only way I could convince my husband to let me get a 55 gal was if I made it salt water. I'm excited and scared its outside my comfort zone and a whole new world kind of.

So I have a 55 gal long 48"L 15"W 23"D. I need to know what filter would be best test stuff I need what watt lights are best. Any bit will help. I'm doing fish only with live rocks with a cleaning crew. Should I do live sand too?

Some stocking idea for a first timer would be nice too.

I'm thinking
4 firefish
2 Ocellaris Clownfish
1 four stripe damsel
1or2 starefish
4or5 snails
1 banded coral shrimp
Could I put a yellow tang in there too?


I'm shopping for filters and stuff now. I want to do everything right so any tips would be helpful. links to good sites would be nice too.

Thanks

 

[TigerIssey]

Whether you need a filter or not ultimately depends on what you want from the tank, do you want FO (fish only), FOWLR (fish only with live rock) or do you want to be able to keep corals at a later date.

I am in your postion although a little ahead of you. I have got my nano reef cycling now with live rock, LR in my opinion is the most interesting and effective form of filtration and will be needed if you ultimately want a reef tank. As many people on here have told people in a start up situation, this part of the hobby is extremely addictive and if you go with LR as your filter you have the potential to expand at a later date.

I have gone with LR (I do want a reef) and have purchased a small HOB filter just for phosphate remover and carbon and it ultimately adds to the flow of the tank for turnover when it comes to corals.

I am sure someone with experience will come along and help you out more, I just did not want you to buy a filter then regret it later.

 

[Truck]

forget the damsels as they are aggressive and no you wont be able to have a yellow tang. and things could get hairy with 4 fire fish, so if it was me id think of more fish.

most starfish dont do well in aquariums do to in proper care, so i wouldnt get a starfish but you may get one as a hitch hiker on your live rock. dont buy live sand in a bag its a gimick and a waste of money, i am at the same stage as you with my second tank.

for fish only lights do not matter

 

[Nim]

Hello and Welcome to the SW side of the hobby (Hopefully you will bite the bullet)

It is actually easier said then done. I too have had 20+ yrs of experience in keeping FW, High tech planted tanks etc. so was a bit afraid to get into the SW however the science is slightly different. The key is "Patience" and not make hasty decisions and keeping impulse under check.

I think a tang may be a bit too big for your tank but you may get away with a Yellow tang.. though keep in mind that once it gets big enough, you may have to think about rehoming it but I personally think it is workable in a 4ft tank.

4 Firefish could also be a bit of a problem so I would go with a max 2 considering 4ft length but obviously safer to have only 1. Damsels are bloody aggressive. If you recall African cichlids then the Damsels are african cichlids of SW in a way. There are some more placid damsels like Azure Damsel but it is a hit & miss and Damsels should be the last fish to go in the tank.

Most important thing for your setup will be the Live rock. If you can get hold of some reefer already selling from their tank then nothing can be better but once you have the live rock then you need to cycle the tank. In many cases it does not cycle at all but a wait of 4 weeks to ensure safety is well worth it. Get as much live rock as you can accomodate without creating dead spots. You will not regret the quantity at a later stage.

After the LR you need some decent circulation pumps like Seio, Tunze, Sunsun, Koralia etc. They are much better than traditional powerheads and give a much better turnaround.

A Skimmer is a must and if you are having a sump that opens a lot of options to you like a DSB, Refugium etc.

Snails and hermit crabs are part of your CUC (clean up crew) so I would personally aim for atleast 10-15 of snails and 10-15 of hermit crabs (scarlet hermits)

Bottom line is, it is not as difficult as it sounds if you organize yourself well and dont try to fill up the tank in a hurry. Consider that it will take about a year to fully mature, clear of algae, develop coralline and will be fully stocked with fish and corals at the end of the year. Mine is 1yr 2 months old and still not fully stocked

Nim

 

[snowflake311]

Thanks guys. I like that it takes time that way I'm not spending my money all at once. Ok I had planed on getting live rock but what about live sand what should I use on the bottom. I read the firefish were socail so I thought that ment they like to have friends around. I have mixed feeling about the tang I read they get 6" that's not too big I wanted something larger as a centerpiece. But I have lots of time to figuar what fish I want.

So the live rock is the filter you just have to make sure your water is moving around it? What about wet dry filters when or why would they be used? Do you have to drill a hole in your tank to rig a sump. And is a sump a lot like a wet dry filter? I'm not sure I would want reef that sounds scary too..

Is saltwater more adictive then fresh. My husband never got into my fresh water he liked to look at them . But since the saltwater is his idea I said he has to help me and read up on it hes all for it. So do you think he might get hooked. Because that is my plan.

One more thing it's a bad idea to put the tank right next to a glass sliding door. The door rarely gets used. There is no direct sun in that area. Put I'm thinking being close to a window will mess with the tanks temp. But the tank would look sick there. Could I some how insulate that corner of the tank that is next to the door/window?

 

[snowflake311]

Thanks guys. I like that it takes time that way I'm not spending my money all at once. Ok I had planed on getting live rock but what about live sand what should I use on the bottom. I read the firefish were socail so I thought that ment they like to have friends around. I have mixed feeling about the tang I read they get 6" that's not too big I wanted something larger as a centerpiece. But I have lots of time to figuar what fish I want.

So the live rock is the filter you just have to make sure your water is moving around it? What about wet dry filters when or why would they be used? Do you have to drill a hole in your tank to rig a sump. And is a sump a lot like a wet dry filter? I'm not sure I would want reef that sounds scary too..

Is saltwater more adictive then fresh. My husband never got into my fresh water he liked to look at them . But since the saltwater is his idea I said he has to help me and read up on it hes all for it. So do you think he might get hooked. Because that is my plan.

One more thing it's a bad idea to put the tank right next to a glass sliding door. The door rarely gets used. There is no direct sun in that area. Put I'm thinking being close to a window will mess with the tanks temp. But the tank would look sick there. Could I some how insulate that corner of the tank that is next to the door/window?

 

[Nim]

Snowflake, thats what I did. Spent the money over a period of 6-8 months on fish and corals and not getting more than a fish (or a pair) a month and a piece of coral.

a 6" tang is BIG. You cannot compare a 6" slender barb to a round tang. Besids, tangs are very active fish and constantly on the move along the length of your tank and with a lot of live rock going in it wont have enough space to move around. Initially it can do. It is a very active fish.

Live rock IMO is the most importnt thing for your system so invest wisely on it. You dont need a Wet dry filter as that will create a lot of nitrates whereas Live rock helps reduce nitrates as well. Wet dry will partially work against Live rock.

A Sump is just an extension of your tank. You can work around drilling your tank by having an overflow box and the sump (smaller tank ) sits at the bottom. You can house a lot of stuff in there and it is not scary

Live sand..... I am an advocate that all sand will eventually becme live sand when introduced in the system. It contains critters and bacteria beneficial to the system and can help reduce nitrates.

Saltwater is certainly more addictive than FW. Once you go into SW it is very difficult to come out of it my better half who was not much interested in my FW setups except taking pictures is now involved and actually spends more money than me on it

Nim

Thanks guys. I like that it takes time that way I'm not spending my money all at once. Ok I had planed on getting live rock but what about live sand what should I use on the bottom. I read the firefish were socail so I thought that ment they like to have friends around. I have mixed feeling about the tang I read they get 6" that's not too big I wanted something larger as a centerpiece. But I have lots of time to figuar what fish I want.

So the live rock is the filter you just have to make sure your water is moving around it? What about wet dry filters when or why would they be used? Do you have to drill a hole in your tank to rig a sump. And is a sump a lot like a wet dry filter? I'm not sure I would want reef that sounds scary too..

Is saltwater more adictive then fresh. My husband never got into my fresh water he liked to look at them . But since the saltwater is his idea I said he has to help me and read up on it hes all for it. So do you think he might get hooked. Because that is my plan.

One more thing it's a bad idea to put the tank right next to a glass sliding door. The door rarely gets used. There is no direct sun in that area. Put I'm thinking being close to a window will mess with the tanks temp. But the tank would look sick there. Could I some how insulate that corner of the tank that is next to the door/window?

 

[Trod]

Thanks guys. I like that it takes time that way I'm not spending my money all at once. Ok I had planed on getting live rock but what about live sand what should I use on the bottom.

Live sand is a gimmick, as nothing can stay alive that long in a bag, so just go with coral sand it will eventually become live

So the live rock is the filter you just have to make sure your water is moving around it? What about wet dry filters when or why would they be used?

The Live Rock is your filter, a good powerhead, like a koralia 2 or even a 2 and 1 is what you need to get good water movement, you don't need any other filter

Is saltwater more adictive then fresh. My husband never got into my fresh water he liked to look at them . But since the saltwater is his idea I said he has to help me and read up on it hes all for it. So do you think he might get hooked. Because that is my plan.

I've never done FW but SW is VERY addictive think he will get hooked very quickly

One more thing it's a bad idea to put the tank right next to a glass sliding door. The door rarely gets used. There is no direct sun in that area. Put I'm thinking being close to a window will mess with the tanks temp. But the tank would look sick there. Could I some how insulate that corner of the tank that is next to the door/window?

Mine is next to my french doors out to the garden, never had a issue with temp. thats in the uk though.

And hopefully, to the salty side

 

[snowflake311]

It's so funny I feel like Saltwater is a whole new team and I'm a trader for leaving my other team.

So What i need is

live rocks - would 30lb or 40lb be good?
sand-
power head for water circulation - Now could i put a filter attachment on the end to clear out stuff or do i need a skimmer for that?
Heater-
Salinity test kit
Salt mix
thermometer
Do i need a hydro meter?

So that's it to get started? Am i missing anything?
What about lighting. I'm only doing a fish tank so are my 2 17watt Fluorescent ok do will I need to upgrade?

You guys are so helpful.

 

[TigerIssey]

live rocks - would 30lb or 40lb be good?

Go to the top of the forum page and click on Aquarium calculator, there is a live rock calculator on there which will give you the required amount for filtration.

 

[Trod]

It's so funny I feel like Saltwater is a whole new team and I'm a trader for leaving my other team.

So What i need is

power head for water circulation -
Koralia's are good and very quiet
Now could i put a filter attachment on the end to clear out stuff or do i need a skimmer for that?
Yes protein Skimmer is the way to go
Heater-
Yes and a spare one for mixing water changes
Salinity test kit
Refractometer is recommended
Salt mix
25kg Tub of your chosen brand much cheaper
thermometer
one that sticks on side of tank is fine
Do i need a hydro meter?
No use refractometer
So that's it to get started? Am i missing anything?
What about lighting. I'm only doing a fish tank so are my 2 17watt Fluorescent ok do will I need to upgrade?
Fish don't mind about lighting, but you might want to up grade to T5 later

You guys are so helpful.

You also need test kits for
Ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
most of us use salifert, more expensive but are worth it

You have to think about your water too, if you are going FOWLR its possible to use treated tap water to fill tank but for water changes and top ups you will need RO water, so you can buy either a RO unit to make your own or buy from your LFS as and when you need to.

 

[snowflake311]

oh I have ammonia nitrite nitrate test kit for my fresh water it has a chart of salt water too. I have some water treatment fro
the fresh water that's why I left that out. RO what do you mean?

 

[Truck]

oh I have ammonia nitrite nitrate test kit for my fresh water it has a chart of salt water too. I have some water treatment fro
the fresh water that's why I left that out. RO what do you mean?

reverse osmosis, it takes all total dissolved solids out of water so that all nitrates, phosphates and heavy metals etc and it inhibits algae and if you go for corals then there wont be any copper in the water which will kill them