I'm new and have a question...or two

[MikeP]

Just starting a 30gal FOWLR, don't have fish yet and I still need a bit more rock but it's coming together. My questions are, I also have a fresh water 55gal tank do I need to keep things like nets, scrapers and my water change hoses separate? If I use one for the salt water can I then go ahead and use it in the fresh tank? Will the salt harm my other fish? I have used aquarium salt before but I think I remember something about it being different from marine salt. Also being new at this soes anyone have any advice to give other than research, research, research (which I am in the process of doing).

Thanks

[demon666]

i personally keep my equipment seperate....... and all i can say is research research research........ and expect to spend way more time with ur new salt tanks then with the fresh........ salt is way more captivating...... and addicting....... have fun

[Sushiman]

Welcome aboard! Congrats on the leap into the salty-side. If you rinse your tools & equipment well I can't foresee any problems; you will find the vast majority of critters won't notice a thing. Yes, the salt mix you will be using for your FOWLR is different than the salt you are referring to.
Best advice other than research your purchases would be purchase quality equipment capable of handling your system (I personally like to use things rated for twice the actual set-up or more; manufacturers tend to exaggerate the capability of what they sell), if you have to save up for that better skimmer, high end lighting, etc, do it. You will end up spending more in the end when you buy cheap. That being said; don't be afraid to DIY! The web is loaded with aquaria diy.
Have a plan of where you want this aquarium to be and stick with it! Impulse buying will always haunt you later!
Aim that the inhabitants of your system THRIVE, not just survive.
What is your plan for your 30gal? Anything in particular you want to keep? Please keep in mind that 30gal makes a great sump & will be pretty size-limited unless you stock with smaller critters or special cases such as Anglers, etc.
Would make a GREAT nano-type reef.

[Midknight]

Where are you located Mike?

[MikeP]

Midknight, I'm in Calgary.

Sushiman thanks for the detail in your response. As far as what fish I plan to get I have to get a nemo and a dori for the kids, I think a clown will do well in my tank and as for as a 'dori' fish anything blue will probably be fine (the kids won't know the differance and I don't know what type of fish that is anyway). I'm thinking a blue damsel? Any fish I buy to start out will be $25 bucks or less until I'm more confident but I will make sure that anything I buy will get along with the other tankmates and also not end up being to big. I gather the name nano tank means anything on the small side? And what do you mean by sump for the 30gal? I was thinking if things go well I will convert my 55gal to salt in the future and in that case try out a reef.

[Palster]

The blue fish named Dori in the movie Finding Nemo is a Regal or Hippo Tang. These fish do not do well in tanks as small as yours (they need at least a four foot long tank in the range of 90 gallons or more for long term sustainability). You are wise to stick with Clownfish and Damselfish as you learn about the hobby. Both of these species are fairly hardy and inexpensive.

[demon666]

ya a hypo tang would not be recamended in a 30 gallon "dori" yes you are correct in nano= small

the sump remark refers to a type of filtration system where water from the display tank runs down into another tank "sump" where it gets filtered by a protein skimmer and such..... or also a refugeium with lr and ls and micro algea..... (skimmer a must on larger systems)


your 30 gallon tank would be ideal for a sump for your 55 when you change that to a reef tank

so when you buy you equipment for this tank (30) and you plan to upgrade to the 55 i sudgest buying equipment that will handel the 55 too... that way you can just swap your equip over to the bigger tank

you will also need to have an idea of the type of coral you will want to keep as they all have different lighting requirements........ metal hylide is the way too go you can keep anything you want with those....

[MikeP]

I've read a few things about people having nitrate problems, how can I make sure I'm not one of them? I intend to do frequent water changes and I use 'prime' water conditioner which is supposed to remove chlorine, chloramine, and ammonia and detoxify nitrite and nitrate at every water change. Is that enough to keep things in check? Is there any filter media that I should use? Right now I've just got foam, carbon, and bio spheres. I'm foing to start with a couple of clowns and if all goes well I will get a blue damsel. How long should I wait to get some sort of 'cleaner' like a cool shrimp or something? Another thing I wanted to ask about was iodine? Some guy at petcetera told me I need iodine if I'm going to keep any sort of invertabrates. He didn't really seem like he knew exactly what he was talking about. But here I am research, research, research right?

Thanks for any help

[demon666]

i would get rid of the bio balls and foam they are huge nitrate factories......... as for iodine im not sure i know nothing about it..... i have inverts such as hermits but i dont dose iodine....

[MikeP]

So how about suggestions on filter media. I figured the foam would cause problems down the road but I thought bio balls were the best thing to have in your filter. The filter I'm running currently is a aquaclear 300.

Thanks

[EmilyB]

Mike, you'd be wise to visit some Calgary reefers to save you some grief. I for one would welcome you to my home, PM me if you'd like.

[Sushiman]

I've read a few things about people having nitrate problems, how can I make sure I'm not one of them? I intend to do frequent water changes and I use 'prime' water conditioner which is supposed to remove chlorine, chloramine, and ammonia and detoxify nitrite and nitrate at every water change. Is that enough to keep things in check? Is there any filter media that I should use? Right now I've just got foam, carbon, and bio spheres. I'm foing to start with a couple of clowns and if all goes well I will get a blue damsel. How long should I wait to get some sort of 'cleaner' like a cool shrimp or something? Another thing I wanted to ask about was iodine? Some guy at petcetera told me I need iodine if I'm going to keep any sort of invertabrates. He didn't really seem like he knew exactly what he was talking about. But here I am research, research, research right?

Thanks for any help

Let me help; what the oh-so-helpful clerk at your local fishstore was vaguely talking about refers to soft corals (the respond positivly to iodine supplimentation) your cleaner shrimp will benifit as well. Don't worry about that for now. That is the last time I want you to get advice from a LFS clerk. By & by, your typical (not all) Petcetera or whatever is not where you want to get advice from. Come here, or Reef Central, etc. Now stay the heck away from suppliments or any miriacle-in-a-bottle for now. Most of it is crap. I want you to invest in the best quality live rock you can find /afford (this is your backbone of you system both physically & bio-filtration-wise), nice sugar-sized arragonite substrate for a deep sand bed (another key part of your bio-filter), lab-grade carbon for your chemical filtration (you'll need to swap this out every other month or more depending on the tanks bio-load). You can continue to use tapwater conditioner if you like however the best route is to utilize RO or RO/DI water in your tank. There are all sorts of things in tapwater that don't belong in your aquarium, such as phosphates & silicates, heavy metals, etc. Consider investing in a good quality protien skimmer. There are many hang-on-tank models that will do a good job on a system of your size. Skimming is one of the best ways to strip desolved organic wastes out of your system.
Consider small, hardy fish & invertibrates & add the well after you set up your live rock and soon to be live sand bed. Nothing good happens fast, but if you take your time, you could have a very nice looking tank that is stable & ready for the long haul. Stick with the basics: don't overstock, don't over-feed, make regular H2O changes using a quality salt mix & RO or RO/DI if you can, do regular tank maintenance & treat the tank as a system! It's not a "fish tank", think of it as a garden or ecosystem. The fish are only a small part of it and that is one of the reasons reeftanks are sooooo captivating /addicting.

[TheReefGeek]

Excellend advice so far for you.

If you are going to use a 55 with 30g sump eventually, buy your protein skimmer according to that water volume. And you cant use the published gallon ratings, come here to find out some models you should use.

I would go skimmerless for now, then get an in-sump ASM G3 skimmer.

For lighting, buy metal halide or T5 from the start, don't mess with PC lighting fixtures you will replace it eventually.

I like to over-buy so I dont have to upgrade as much (I learned the very hard way, I am on my 5th skimmer, and have used VHO, PC, and metal halides for example)

Just keep posting questions, you will get good answers here, they might vary depending on people's experiences but take it all in and decide for yourself from there.

[MikeP]

Thanks for the tips, I had the same thoughts about whatever purchases I make being suitable for my 55gal. I'm sure thats where things are headed in the long run. I still need to know what to use as filter media. There is a posibility I could get a fluval 304 from my dad that he doesn't need anymore. I will post my questions about filters in the equiptment forum as well.

Thanks again.

[TheReefGeek]

Your filter media is your live rock.

Some people will "baste" their rocks with a turkey baster to kick up all the junk, then run mechanical filtration for a day or so, then wash out the sponges.

Many people dont run any mechanical filtration at all.

Some run carbon on and off too

[Sushiman]

I've liked a "layered" method to filter my aquariums; where several methods are used; overlapping for success. aggressive skimming, live rock & DSB, refugia, water changes, carbon & phosphate resins; I love using SeaChem's Purigen as it can be recharged easily many times before it becomes exhausted. I also run a 40W UV, & I'm a believer. I also include a good clean-up crew as part of the filtration equation; many folks focus on algae control with a clean -up crew, but I'm more concerned with left-overs from feeding time (look at what's in my tank! Pigs!), if everything is consumed, it doesn't have an opportunity to rot & foul everything & oh yes, become all that bloody nuisance algaes.

[TheReefGeek]

I very much agree with your system Sushiman

I too rely on agressive skimming, DSB, lots of rock, macro fuge, uv sterilizer, and cleaner crew.

I don't run carbon or phosphate remover, but that would probably be even better.