BRAND NEW TO THIS!

[clk666]

needing some advice on a first saltwater fish. i just got the tank and am gong to be putting in some live rock and cycling it soon. any advice would be very helpfull!!! i was hoping to either get a nemo clown fish or some sea horses!!??? am i shooting for the stars or does that sound easy enough to start out on in a month or so. its a 30 gallon tank.

[WuHT]

yep its going to take a while to cycle so you can read up during the waiting period

[Sea Witch]

clk666, hello. Welcome.

I'm sure lots of more experienced people will weigh in here, but first I'd say, slow down. First, your live rock will have to be "cured". Is it pre-cured? If not you have to cure it. If it's pre-cured, you'll still have to wait a bit before you're ready for fish. At the bottom of this page (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/index.php), there's a Reference Library. Start clicking and reading.

People need to know more about you in order to answer your question. How big is your tank? Do you have a sump? How big is the sump? Have you ever kept fish before? Freshwater? So post, some more info, and it will be easier to help you.

And last, if it's a first saltwater tank, I'd forget about the seahorses. They require very good and very stable conditions, and usually need to be by themselves...............

I hope this helps,
:smile:

[Edmonton newbie]

wow sea witch for a newbie your very much on the right track good advise :wink:

[Sea Witch]

wow sea witch for a newbie your very much on the right track good advise :wink:

Thanks Edmonton newbie. I figure if I'm going to ask a lot of questions it's my duty to help others where I can. I want to have a good understanding of what I'm doing in the reefworld *before* I do it.....but that's just me. :redface:

[Jewel]

Think again if you think Seahorses, their enviroment is not really what you may think, slower flow not strong lighting,tank mates must be slow eaters just like themselves and there are a full host of problems that can arise. Are you prepered to feed them by hand. Clown fish or Nemos as you say are a lot easier to care for but before you stock your tank, make sure its ready Have fun

[clk666]

okay so the live rock that im getting has been in a tank with clowns and blue damsels for about 5 years now so im hoping it would be safe to put in my tank, and no sump and no power head yet unless i was planning n getting a fish that needed one its also a 30 gallon tank with one like hang on the side filter right now but if needed i could get a different one. but i was told by many people seahorses do not like/require a powerhead so i thought i may start with them. i also know i have to wait to get any fish or anything but was just hoping to get advice, and i do have time to feed the sea horses but still for a first time tank...... not a good iidea?

[Sea Witch]

clk666 it's possible. It could be done, but it would be difficult for you to start with seahorses. Seahorses need something to hang on to, so you're either going to have to have some kind of macro algae or plastic plants. Wouldn't you rather start with something easier? Where you have a lot higher chance of success?

[clk666]

alright well maybe i guess i should start with something a bit easier haha dont really wanna kill everything on my first try. so, what all would i need for equipment for a nemo clown?

[Sea Witch]

alright well ......what all would i need for equipment for a nemo clown?

Depends on who you ask. :mrgreen: here's a pretty good article (http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/articles/64) about it.

Have you ever kept freshwater fish before?

Did the tank come with anything?

You need:

1. reverse osmosis (RO) water. You can buy it or you can buy a unit that makes it out of tap water.
2. salt mix
3. some kind of filter, probably a little hang-on-the-back (HOB) skimmer.
4. some live rock (LR)
5. some substrate like aragonite sand (or some people keep a bare bottom tank)
6. lights (did the tank come with lights?)
7. thermometer, hydrometer, heater, test kits for testing various things.
8. fish food and some basic medicine.
9. a few new clean plastic buckets.
10. a sturdy stand to hold the tank. It will weigh 250-300 pounds.
11. maybe an extra pump or powerhead to move the water around in the tank.

Am I forgetting anything folks?

[clk666]

Have you ever kept freshwater fish before?

Did the tank come with anything?

You need:

1. reverse osmosis (RO) water. You can buy it or you can buy a unit that makes it out of tap water.
2. salt mix
3. some kind of filter, probably a little hang-on-the-back (HOB) skimmer.
4. some live rock (LR)
5. some substrate like aragonite sand (or some people keep a bare bottom tank)
6. lights (did the tank come with lights?)
7. thermometer, hydrometer, heater, test kits for testing various things.
8. fish food and some basic medicine.
9. a few new clean plastic buckets.
10. a sturdy stand to hold the tank. It will weigh 250-300 pounds.
11. maybe an extra pump or powerhead to move the water around in the tank.

Am I forgetting anything folks?

oh great! lol thats not much more that i need then. the tank cme with a stand, t5 lights and he threw in the sand that was in the tank when he had this tank set up a couple months ago. i went and bought some instant ocean because it was what he reccomended. i do have about 3 freshwater tanks going right now so i have a couple extra filters heaters and theremometers. I also asked a couple people about which water to use and they said that if i were to go buy those huge juggs of water that would work too, true or false?

[Oxymoron]

True. Most purified water shops sell RO and Mineral water.
Make sure you buy the RO.
In the near future you want to purchase a RODI system as they are much more cost effective and will be able to also deionize your water making it that last little bit purer.
We have many great vendors on this site that can hook you up.

[clk666]

great! so ive got all my tests got all my water additives and am getting this all started. i havent bought a protein skimmer but am using other things until i get one...i added A piece of live rock but my specific gravity is about 1.18 and im having some troubles making it rise some more! any suggestions?

[whatcaneyedo]

Consider buying a good book on the subject. While they may not be up to the minute with new products and methods, a good book will give you a solid foundation to start with. Thus saving you from making some costly beginner mistakes and asking a lot of unnecessary questions. Not that questions aren't good...

Here are some great recommendations: Building a Proper Marine Aquarium Library by Steven Pro. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/tips/index.php I've personally read 7 out of 9 of these.

[clk666]

soo i went and bought some live rock today and i lookes at it ... it came with some tiny little anenomes on it.. he said hes had lots in the tank before and has lots of growth on the rock ... then i was looking at it as i put it in the tank .... i saw these little things crawling out of the rock looked just like this! but they are very little! not sure if this is what they are .. if i can get a picture of one and figure out how to post it ill get on it! most of them are maybe the size of a quarter! anything else it may be
?

http://www.getahugetank.com/brittle-starfish-p-1683.html?osCsid=me1fb7msqnstqrrbvadq6olp31

[whatcaneyedo]

This web page is great for identifying invertebrates and algae that hitchhike their way into our tanks. http://www.xtalworld.com/Aquarium/hitchfaq.htm

[clk666]

fantastic! lol got some feather dusters, little shrimpy guys and loads of mini bristle stars. thx for the link!

[DAVE]

Those mini anenomes are pests and you do not want them in your tank. They are more then likely Aiptaisa (do a search on these)

[Doug]

I think this should be in the general reefing forum now that its diversified. Should get lots of help there.

[Aquaria]

I only skimmed through but u said u didn't have a powerhead? Go get one right now u NEED flow even without fish water that doesent move goes stagnant

[clk666]

well what i have in there now is two filters and a air pump from one of my other little tanks so there is lots of movement in there.. still need a powerhead?

[Aquaria]

Sry I missed that u had filters as long as there's water movement you will be fine but u will want to ditch the filters ASAP they just end up being nitrate factories but good thing is sometimes you can convert then to reactors of sorts holding carbon and such but they will still need weekly cleaning

[Sea Witch]

yes. maybe more than 1. the water needs to be moving everywhere.

[Aquaria]

I guess I should have asked what kind/brand of filters are they? HOB type or canister? Do they create movement everywhere? I had a canister filter on my fw that worked like a sump return so no PH was needed

[Doug]

well what i have in there now is two filters and a air pump from one of my other little tanks so there is lots of movement in there.. still need a powerhead?


In my 20g sps nano that houses my mandarin & 10yr. old percs has a 500gph power filter, Vortech MP 20, and I have also played with a 1400gph Koralia in there but it may a little bit to large, so may sell it and get a smaller Koralia

[e46er]

You will need an extra heater and powerhead for mixing up water for water changes

[asylumdown]

Just want to chime in as a recent newbie myself and say that if this is your first entry to the hobby and all you're keeping is fish to start out with, you don't *need* to spend lots of money on R/O water or an R/O system. It's better, obviously, but if you're looking for a way to contain costs and workload as you start out, conditioned tap water is fine to use until you can get an R/O system running.

I used tap water on an SPS dominated reef tank with no major ill effects (save for seasonal fluctuations in algae types), and there are plenty of people on here who have incredible reef tanks using only tap water.

When you get to the bare bones of it, if all you're keeping is fish or basic soft corals, all you really "need" is a water tight box, some salt water, a way to process nitrogenous waste (be that a canister filter or live rock), a way to keep the water moving, a heater, a container to mix new saltwater in (and the hydrometer to test), the basic three water tests (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate), and a light. Everything else is a "should" or a "want" to have. Unless you're one of the lucky few for whom cost really is no object, the seasoned reefers list of "needs" can be a prohibitive barrier to entry if you think that you can't start until you've crossed them all off your shopping list. Most stuff can be added as you go, or when you decide to get in to an element of the hobby that requires more serious equipment. Your tank will be a very different looking piece of equipment one year from now. I wish I had taken as many pictures of my sump cabinet over the 1.5 years my 90 was running as I had of my display. When It started it was a simple sump with a skimmer, when I took it down it looked like it could probably have done my taxes if I had asked it to.

The key is to future proof your purchases as best you can by making sure you're buying things that can be added to later, or are useful in more applications than what you currently need it for.

For example: If you're thinking about buying another powerhead for flow, think about whether or not you one day want a bigger tank, or whether you think you might ever want a controller, or if you ever want the option to keep higher flow corals. There are brands like the Vortech that have a hard-to-swallow initial cost, but they have an adjustable max speed, can be linked wirelessly down the road to more pumps as well as to the Apex brand controller. Also, if you're buying one extra pump now but think one day you might want two on a wave maker (the most common of which switches power between two pumps at a set interval), you might want to buy something other than the numbered Koralia line right now, as they make a horrible noise every time they start up and aren't appropriate for wave-makers. Even if you never use the extra potential, you have the option if you need it and the added initial cost pays for itself when you can 'upgrade' as opposed to re-purchase everything later. I've never met a reefer who didn't have a closet full of old Koralia's collecting dust at some point.

Is your tank drilled? If not, is it drill-able? If I had one piece of advice for my 2 year ago self, it would have been to have started with a tank that could have had a sump added to it. On a 30 gallon tank you don't "need" one, but not having one means that any equipment you have will need to hang on the back of your display tank. Having the option to add a sump later to keep larger and less attractive equipment tucked away is gold.