What Do I Need For My Marine Setup?

[fishkeeper2]

I have never kept marine fish before, only freshwater fish so I've been browsing through several websites and have just found this wonderful forum and would like to find out as much information as possible before purchasing livestock.

The tank I have is just over 30 litres, not huge I know but as this is my first marine system and I don't have much space in the room to work with, this will have to do.
I would like to know what are the vital requirements for my tank, my budget isn't huge but I am willing to spend extra for other additions if they help with maintenance.

So far I have;

Tank
Heater
Thermometer
Lighting
Coral rock
Ornaments
Filter
Carbon for the filter

All I need to know now is about the Marine Salt and preparing the water, I've been recommended some called Instant Ocean but I would like some more information on this and also have been told I should buy some live rock to go in. Also I could do on some information on test kits and is it ok to use tap water to start your water off with before putting the marine salt in?
I really am a complete beginner on and want to make sure the conditions are perfect before adding my fish which should be one yellow tailed damsel and maybe an orange percula.
Many thanks for the advice!

 

[Straydum]

welcome to the salty side. if your tank is only 30 litres i'd be REALLY small and would be categorized into the nano section which wouldn't be left to beginners. a good start would be a bigger tank which gives you more water to even out any problems. try reading up marine journals, they are really helpful

yes you need to prepare your own water or buy them from the shop (which for me is cheaper). there are plenty of salt mix brands out there. i personally use the one by Red Sea which hasn't given me any problems though there have been complains about the salt from others.

you need live rock in there as your main filtration (if there isn't a sump tank)

 

[seffieuk]

that's about 6 or so gallons, which is classified as a pico tank. You will need to be prepared to do a lot of water changes and maintance to keep a system this small healthy.

There are a couple of threads running in the nano section at the moment which would give you all the set up requirements, But quickly they are:

Live Rock
Sand
small heater 25 watt is fine
testing kits - most salties use saliferts - start with ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH
Lighting suitable for your live stock
salt
some thing to mix the salt water in
power head to mix the salt water
heater for the salt water mixing
refractometer - for checking SG
water container
NO ornaments!
small power head for tank

lots of research and planning.................slowly, slowy catchy monkey!

and of course to the salty side

Seffie x

 

[fishkeeper2]

Thanks for the advice you have given me, I had a good discussion with the man at the pet shop and have found some more helpful information.

I now have the tank, 50w heater, lighter, filter (which came with my tank), large water container for mixing up the water before putting it in the tank, water treatment to treat tap water before mixing the marine salt into it, crushed aragonite sand, Instant Ocean marine salt and an Air Pump with Stones.

The questions I have now are about what I can and cannot use in my tank!

1.) I have a small air pump with air stones, is this ok to add to the back of the tank for decoration?
2.) Does anybody who has marine fish use ornaments? What is the harm in using them?
3.) Do I really need the filter and are they used with marine systems? Also can I use the filter instead of live rock or is the live rock enough to maintain the tank without it?
4.) Also is the powerhead needed? I've already spent a lot of money on the setup and would rather leave this out if possible - maybe get it in a couple of months if I increase my tank.

I just need to get the hydrometer and a few water test kits, the man at the shop said a protein skimmer is not needed neither is a RO system if you are using treatment with tap water beforehand.
Is there anything that seems to be missing from my little list here or do things look ok?
(will be back with more questions later!)

 

[Truck]

wow your taking a plunge into the abyss with a 30 litre, it will be very hard to keep it stable.

 

[fishkeeper2]

wow your taking a plunge into the abyss with a 30 litre, it will be very hard to keep it stable.

I really am, I should have a much bigger tank but I will be able to check the water levels often so I'll be aware of the smallest changes and deal with them as soon as possible. Also I may be moving to a bigger aquarium in a few months, I'm going to make sure the levels are spot on over a few weeks before adding any livestock!

 

[fishkeeper2]

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[ben1987]

1.) I have a small air pump with air stones, is this ok to add to the back of the tank for decoration? Majority of people dont use airstones, they will ruin the look of the tank imo. Make it look cheapo. Use the flow to break the surface of the water which will oxygenate the water. Air stones are a PITA with salt creeps
2.) Does anybody who has marine fish use ornaments? What is the harm in using them? No harm in using them, they just look crap imo. A couple of fake corals may look ok. What ever you use you need to check they are ok in salt water as its far more corrosive than FW
3.) Do I really need the filter and are they used with marine systems? Also can I use the filter instead of live rock or is the live rock enough to maintain the tank without it? You can filter a marine tank without LR, LR is the most commonly used method though. There is a reason behind that too. Its the best way. You can use the filter and live rock. You will just have to clean the filter media alot as this will take the chunks out the water while the LR will home the bacteria.
4.) Also is the powerhead needed? I've already spent a lot of money on the setup and would rather leave this out if possible - maybe get it in a couple of months if I increase my tank. Yes its needed. Especially if you use LR which is a good idea. LR and the flow will form the filteration. marine fish also live in terbulant environments. You are trying to simulate their natural habitat afterall

Bigger tank than 30L is a very good idea. Cant keep much in 30L