What Would I Need To Start Up?

[Pippy]

I have a 180 ltr tank and I want to know how much live rock and all the other bits such as a protein skimmer, I'm interested in the marine side of things would be good to get in to it if I knew what I needed I could start putting money by to get what I need
Tyvm!

 

[HappyGeorge]

Hi there and welcome.

We have been working really hard to put together the answers to most of the early questions when thinking about starting a tank, if you go to the resource centre (2nd topic down on the Marine and Reef chat page) it should give you answers to most of your questions.

Of course you are also more than welcome to ask questions on here but running through the resource centre might give you a starting point.

 

[TheHolding]

You will need -

Salt
Skimmer
Approx 20-30kg of live rock
Powerhead
Possible additional filtration or another powerhead
A decent marine water test kit

Can't think of anything else at present

 

[Pippy]

Cheers mate, I should have looked instead of just asking, sorry.

You will need -

Salt
Skimmer
Approx 20-30kg of live rock
Powerhead
Possible additional filtration or another powerhead
A decent marine water test kit

Can't think of anything else at present

I got a filter/pump with the tank it's a Juwel 180. I'm guessing that's the "power head"?Any good/cheap sites to you know of to get Live rock from and the salt for it? I'll search google just wondered if you knew any you've bought from yourself?
TYVM for the advice

 

[TheHolding]

No that is not a powerhead, this is a powerhead -

http/www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk/powerheadssump-pumps/newave-circulation-pumps-new/newave-6500-circulation-pump-p-5016.html

Is the filter an internal one? If so bang it on eBay if it's brand new as you won't really need it the live rock acts as your filter.

I get my salt from seapets.co.uk - free postage (I buy by the bucket) so it makes a difference

In terms of equipment I use warehouse-aquatics great online store and very quick delivery!

In terms of Live Rock depends on your patience and needs, I got mine precured but you pay a premium (double).

I had no choice as my marine was a brackish conversion and I did not have the space to cure 25kg of LR!!

 

[HappyGeorge]

Don't apologise it just may be easier for you to plod through there and then ask questions once you understand it a little more. We don't mind answering questions.

 

[Pippy]

so about £200 on Live rock
£58 on a powerhead
£100 on a skimmer
£20 salt

so about £400 set up and then fish

TYVM for the help mate, great help!

I just hope my 180ltr tank is big enough to fit a decent amount of fish in otherwise I'll have to get one a bit bigger *hides from mum*

 

[dayzofspeed]

look around for a local reefer who is dismantling a tank as that way you can get LR for between £4 and £7 per kilo instead of about £12 a kilo from your LFS, this can be a major saving when first setting up. i got approx 35+ kilos for £95 that amount would have cost £420 from my LFS, its a no brainer in my opinion although unless you are lucky its not as instant as buying from a shop

 

[Pippy]

look around for a local reefer who is dismantling a tank as that way you can get LR for between £4 and £7 per kilo instead of about £12 a kilo from your LFS, this can be a major saving when first setting up

Right I'll look around for that now, cheers mate!

 

[woody88]

First you need to decide what system you want to setup
FO [fish only]
FOWLR [fish only with live rock]
REEF

Equiptment you need :
Tank
Plain RO water [reverse osmosis] Basically filtered water with a total dissolved solids [TDS] reading of zero.
Containers [for mixing salt water]
Heaters [best to have 2 in case one fails]
Reef salt [A good brand of Pro Reef salt contains all the goodness found in our oceans]
Refractometer [for measuring salt level. SG should be 1.025]
Test kits [Salifert or API are the most popular brands] you will need ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH for starters.
Live sand [won’t become live until Live rock has seeded it]
Live rock [Live rock is the most important thing in a marine tank as the critters/organisms on the rock will remove any toxins out the water system [ammonia/nitrite] hence why Live rock is your Biological filter] The heart and lungs of a marine tank.
You can buy live rock ‘cured’ or uncured’. Uncured live rock is cheaper simply because the rock is basically dying because it has been removed from water for a long period. Once back in salt water [to correct temp and salinity] the live rock will re cycle [new organisms growing on the rock and feeding off the dead ones] this will start the nitrogen cycle in a marine tank which can take anything from a few days to a few weeks depending on die off.
The presence of diatoms [green/brown algae on rock, substrate and glass] usually indicates that the cycle has finished.
To work out how much live rock is needed simply work out how many gallons your tank holds, halve that and thats how many kilo's of live rock is required to sucessfully filter your tank [depending on flow].

Filtration – filters are not required in a marine tank as your live rock and skimmer will take care of the filtering side of things however an external cannistor filter will come in handy for running chemical media such as phosphate remover and activated carbon.
Phosphate in your tank will encourage algae growth and damage any coral you decide to keep.
Activated carbon removes any impurities out of the water and helps keep it crystal clear.
Protien skimmers are required in heavily stocked marine tanks as they remove waste/detritus/nutrients out the water by locking them in tiny air bubbles which gets collected in the skimmer cup which needs emptying weekly depending on bioload.
Skimmers are not required however in lightly stocked tanks that receive good weekly water changes but personally I would always run a skimmer as you would be amazed at how much crap they pull out the water.

Lighting – T8’s are no good if you decide to keep corals imo. But any light is ok for FO/FOWLR setups as the light would only benefit viewing pleasure.
T5 HO tubes will support most softies and some LPS coral and is a popular choice amongst reef owners.
Metal Halides – these are the best lights to get for a full on reef setup and will provide the intensity needed for all light loving coral but they get extremely hot and are expensive to run.
Powerheads – these under water fans provide the flow which allows for the live rock to filter the water properly by circulating the water around the tank. They also simulate natural ocean current. You need to aim for 20 x Turn over. Ie: A 100L tank would require a 2000lph powerhead to achieve 20 x turnover. Best to have 2 or more powerheads for random flow.

Hope this helps and welcome!

 

[HappyGeorge]

I have never paid more than £4 a kilo for Live Rock in fact I have about 150kg of LR and I think I only paid about £250 for the whole lot (2 seperate breakdowns with some sold on at a profit) all from tank breakdowns, all with nice free corals and fully mature so no cycle.

I would look at 2nd hand skimmers I have a Deltec TSE1250 which is about £500 new and I paid £90 abd thats for a 600 litre tank. £100 new will limit your choices where as £100 2nd hand will get you a lot of skimmer for your money.

At this point what fish have you got your heart set on as there are limits to what a 200l can have in it.

So you've saved your stock answer to the early set up questions then Woody? I shan't bother answering any in future then, just say hello and wait for you to turn up.

 

[Pippy]

Great help woody88 TYVM!!
That's some great advice I'll bookmark it so I can always refer back to it!
Also, I have t5 lighting, it came with the tank.

I was looking and I wanted just marine fish, obviously with the set up but didnt really want live rock taking up so much room in the tank that they could be swimming in, but if it saves me having to clean it out every other day and keeps the fish happy i'm happy to spend a bit more money on keeping it going.
I want as low maintenance as possible.

HappyGeorge
I planned on getting a few clown fish I wanted seahorses too but my LFS said they're slow and would never eat if u have other fish in there with them so I guess not anymore.

 

[woody88]

Great help woody88 TYVM!!
That's some great advice I'll bookmark it so I can always refer back to it!
Also, I have t5 lighting, it came with the tank.


I was looking and I wanted just marine fish, obviously with the set up but didnt really want live rock taking up so much room in the tank that they could be swimming in, but if it saves me having to clean it out every other day and keeps the fish happy i'm happy to spend a bit more money on keeping it going.
I want as low maintenance as possible.

Glad you appreciate it as my fingers are killing me!

Make sure you check ot the journels and resource threads as they're packed full of all the vital info needed!

 

[dayzofspeed]

HappyGeorge
I planned on getting a few clown fish I wanted seahorses too but my LFS said they're slow and would never eat if u have other fish in there with them so I guess not anymore.
[/quote]
you have a good LFS there seahorses are a bit of a specialist thing and cant just go in any old tank

 

[Pippy]

HappyGeorge
I planned on getting a few clown fish I wanted seahorses too but my LFS said they're slow and would never eat if u have other fish in there with them so I guess not anymore.

you have a good LFS there seahorses are a bit of a specialist thing and cant just go in any old tank

Yeah, they seem to know what they're talking about and be cool, not just in it for the money

Hey I was wondering if i got a 400ltr tank(which i plan to do for my marine tank) would this powerhead be enough?
http/www.ebay.co.u...#ht_4619wt_1139

Why is it so cheap? lol