Very New...

[Meggie :)]

Hey everyone!

So I have decided to use my four foot 50 gallon as saltwater instead of freswater...As I have absolutely no idea on stocking (except I want it to be a friendly, mellow community)...any suggestions?

Thanks!
Meg

 

[-Nemo-]

Yay! There's a lot you could do in that! I'd suggest just looking at some retail sites online and seeing what catches your interest. Are you looking at doing corals too or just fish?

 

[Meggie :)]

yes, i definately want corals...but I know those come a bit later, right?

 

[jeasko]

Meggie

Corals don't have to come later, when I started out I used to alternate what I bought so one month I'd introduce a new fish then the next a coral then the next a fish or invertletc, the only risk s that if your new to it you may not be confident in getting the tank stable or keeping up with maintenance or a prob might arise that you dont know howvto resolve and the more you put in the more you could loose!

Whichever way you do it take it easy and get the tank settled first after introducing first fish and CUC etc most mistakes are made from rushing what ever you do keep us updated

One last bit of advice think carefully before adding fish as once they in there the little monsters are hard to catch if you want them out!

 

[Meggie :)]

Thank you! What filter/power heads do you suggest?

 

[kj23502]

Coral can go in as soon as the parameters are stable. Heck I put a rose bubble tip anemone in a 2 month old tank when most site say to wait 6 mo. The difference you ask? I've been reefing 3 years. Yes I am a reefer and proud of it! lol

Now first I would get a Reef Ready tank and go the sump route. I had a regular tank with hang on back crap as my first tank and let me tell you I wouldn't do that crap again!

Here is another good place for basic reading. Also look at his sumps. It will give you an idea of how they work, if you don't know.

http/www.melevsreef.com/tanks.html

 

[jeasko]

Meggie

Personally I use 2 tunze nano streams in a 145ltr reef tank and so far they have been the best, had hydro and all 3 ended up with a rattle tried a seio was ok but the tunze just seems to work well, there are p,entry about but the cheap ones do seem to last less, as for filtration I would second kj3502's suggestion if you can fit one in

 

[Meggie :)]

Thanks everyone this is probably a very very very silly question, but as I said I have never owned a salt water before....only freshwater...I've been reading that I don't really need a filter because the live rocks act as a filter? Is this true? What would you suggest? And also I've been looking for a sump and can't seem to find one?

Thanks in advance!
Meg

 

[wildechild_01]

Thanks everyone this is probably a very very very silly question, but as I said I have never owned a salt water before....only freshwater...I've been reading that I don't really need a filter because the live rocks act as a filter? Is this true? What would you suggest? And also I've been looking for a sump and can't seem to find one?

Thanks in advance!
Meg

you are 100% correct, the live rock combined with sufficient water flow in your tank provides the bacterial filtration. Running something like a sump is a great idea as it allows for proper mechanical/physical filtration of the water. As far as sumps go, i would really recommend having one custom built or even buying a suitable tank to make your own. This allows for you to pick and choose your equipment a little more than a pre-built sump would. Nemo and I both used a 29g tank to make our sumps.. not sure if Nemo's is in her Journal but mine is. A sump is also a great way to keep your display tank clean, i personally keep as little equipment in my display as i possibly can, in fact all i have in my display equipment wise is powerheads for flow. Skimmer, filter socks, and heaters are all located in the sump. The sump also adds water volume to your system making maintaining water quality a little easier.. that said 50g is a good size to start with.

hope some of that was helpful

also... Welcome to the Salt, it was quite the learning curve for me, a lot more than the freshwater thats for sure, but its been a fun year and when i look at my tank its all worth it.

 

[Meggie :)]

Thank you so much! Where would I go to get one made? And is that expensive? Not sure I'd trust myself making my own sump

 

[kj23502]

I made my own. This is my 20 long.

I glued my baffles into place using silicone WITHOUT mold inhibitors and it's safe once it cures. My baffles are 1" apart from each other and the middle is about 1" off the bottom. This set of 3 baffles is the bubble trap. Some bubbles escape from the skimmer and having them go over the ledge to go down allows them to pop and the don't get returned back into the display tank.

The thing on the right is a refugium. Cheato, a couple cerith snails, lr and pods are all that's there.

 

[Meggie :)]

So the sump might be too expensive right now...if I get the sump it could be a while before I could get anything else in there....I do have 2 top fin filters (I think they are the ones for 60 gallons with the double side thing if you know what I'm talking about) is there any way I can do the tank initially with these two filters and upgrade down the line sometime or is it necessary to get better filters or a sump? And do I need power heads? My mom said she never had any and she just used one filter (internal but idk what kind) and she had a good tank...

Thanks,
Meg

Edit: I might be able to build my own sump (is it significantly cheaper?) if I can find something that will teach me exactly how to do it but that might be somewhere down the line, too...

 

[kj23502]

making your own is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper!! Yes in deed!!

http/www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

Read that! Seriously!!

 

[Meggie :)]

Thank you so much! So will those two top fin 60 (I think) filters be okay for a while until I can get/make a sump?

 

[kj23502]

I don't know anything about those filters.