Help Setting Up First Saltwater Tank

Snowythesnowflakeeel · Aug 2, 2022

Hi, I am currently working on setting up my first Saltwater aqarium, and I have some questions, I do have some experience as I currently have a 20 Gallon long, 75 Gallon, and 135 Gallon Aqarium and they are all Freshwater. First question is can I use a fluval hang on the back filter or do I need a special type of filter? Next question is can I use the same type of heater that I have on my other tanks, or do I need a certain type? My next question is how do I turn my aqarium to salt after I fill up my tank with treated, and safe tap water. One more question about the basics is how do I add coral and what substrate does Coral require. My final question is, if my tank is a 140 gallon, 60x18x30 can I keep a snowflake eel and a yellow tang, which are the main fish that got me interested in salt water. Thank you for all the help.

fishski13 · Aug 2, 2022

So I posted in your other thread as well. With that size tank you definitely do not want to go with a hang on back filter. With your addition of bioload and coral you will want to have more equipment to keep good water parameters and a healthy tank. With this size tank it is heavily recommend to go with a sump just because of the ability to get certain equipment in. Trust me on this as I ran a 75 gallon with a canister filter and although it was good I was limited on what I can do.

Heaters can be the same as you use in freshwater, Ehiem glass heaters work or any titanium.

With a saltwater build especially with coral you cannot use regular tap water even after you use a conditioner. You need to get a RODI system to make water and only use this water.

You wiil either want to get aragonite sand or dead coral substrate. Depending on flow one can be recommended over the other.

FurrierTransform · Aug 2, 2022

Amplifying off @fishski13, you may be able to keep a fish only tank with a hang-on-the-back (HOB) filter (or perhaps several HOB filters). As you no doubt understand the nitrogen cycle, freshwater fish tolerate nitrates with regular water changes. Saltwater tanks tend to perform poorly with nitrates (algae growth, poor health) due to the higher intensity light such tanks often require. This is why you see on this site a lot of people talking about chemistry parameters. Now it used to be (and my tank is set up this way), a live sand substrate was considered a good way to hold down nitrates (the anaerobic bacteria layer converts nitrates to free nitrogen bubbles). I don't know what is the state of the art these days for reducing nitrogen. There is so much to learn!

Snowythesnowflakeeel · Aug 2, 2022

Could I use an Fx6 canister, and could you also please explain a sump to me thanks?

Snowythesnowflakeeel · Aug 2, 2022

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I'm doing it right, but what is a RODI system?

Jekyl · Aug 2, 2022

fishski13 said:
So I posted in your other thread as well. With that size tank you definitely do not want to go with a hang on back filter. With your addition of bioload and coral you will want to have more equipment to keep good water parameters and a healthy tank. With this size tank it is heavily recommend to go with a sump just because of the ability to get certain equipment in. Trust me on this as I ran a 75 gallon with a canister filter and although it was good I was limited on what I can do.

Heaters can be the same as you use in freshwater, Ehiem glass heaters work or any titanium.

With a saltwater build especially with coral you cannot use regular tap water even after you use a conditioner. You need to get a RODI system to make water and only use this water.

You wiil either want to get aragonite sand or dead coral substrate. Depending on flow one can be recommended over the other.

Agree on most but I have a very successful 90g using a HoB filter. Added a skimmer later, but started with just a HoB.

Bigred321 · Aug 2, 2022

A rodi system removes all the impurities from reg tap water. Your tds should be around zero after it is filtered. A rodi system is a must..

Jekyl · Aug 2, 2022

Snowythesnowflakeeel said:
Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I'm doing it right, but what is a RODI system?

It's a filtration system that removes impurities from the water. There's a lot in standard tap water that can really make things difficult

Jekyl · Aug 2, 2022

This is the one I use. Highly recommend it.

5 Stage Premium Plus 75 GPD RO/DI System

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www.bulkreefsupply.com

FurrierTransform · Aug 2, 2022

RODI = reverse osmosis de-ionized water. For a saltwater tank, do not use anything else, even seawater. However, I use only RO and have had good results. If someone here points me to why DI is an important addition, I'd appreciate it.

Jekyl · Aug 2, 2022

FurrierTransform said:
RODI = reverse osmosis de-ionized water. For a saltwater tank, do not use anything else, even seawater. However, I use only RO and have had good results. If someone here points me to why DI is an important addition, I'd appreciate it.

Lowest I get without the DI is around 5 or 6 TDS. DI takes it to 0

turtlewax2020 · Aug 2, 2022

Yes so with a sump! I’m glad I did and did not go any other way with it.

turtlewax2020 · Aug 2, 2022

Jekyl said:
Lowest I get without the DI is around 5 or 6 TDS. DI takes it to 0

I even use the r/o water for my freshwater tanks. So basically double win for topping off all my tanks.

Snowythesnowflakeeel · Aug 2, 2022

Jekyl said:
This is the one I use. Highly recommend it.

5 Stage Premium Plus 75 GPD RO/DI System

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www.bulkreefsupply.com

Thanks for giving me the example, I'll look into that.

Snowythesnowflakeeel · Aug 2, 2022

Can someone's explain to me how a sump works, and how do I add salt to the tank. I have heard a 1/2 cup of salt per gallon, is that right?

Jekyl · Aug 2, 2022

Snowythesnowflakeeel said:
Can someone's explain to me how a sump works, and how do I add salt to the tank. I have heard a 1/2 cup of salt per gallon, is that right?

Don't mix in the tank. Buy a brute garbage can and an extra cheap powerhead to mix it. Yes though, it's usually a 1/2c per gallon with most salts. Get yourself a refractometer with calibration fluid to measure salinity.

Jekyl · Aug 2, 2022

Sump is an additional tank under your main. Holes drilled in your display with an overflow and plumbing gravity feed water down. In the sump you can have different areas for a refugium, skimmer, heaters etc... then a return pump pushing the water back up to your display tank.

Snowythesnowflakeeel · Aug 2, 2022

So drilled holes bring the water down into the sump, which through a tube brings clean, heated water to the main tank? So do I run a filter on the sump or no? Do I put a heater on the sump? Would a 40 Gallon Sump work?

Jekyl · Aug 2, 2022

Snowythesnowflakeeel said:
So drilled holes bring the water down into the sump, which through a tube brings clean, heated water to the main tank? So do I run a filter on the sump or no? Do I put a heater on the sump? Would a 40 Gallon Sump work?

Bulkheads are installed over the drilled holes with plumbing leading to filter socks in the sump. Yes a 40g would would. Heaters, different media, chaeto and skimmers and a return pump are the popular items that go in the sump. Plenty of visual references if you google it.

Snowythesnowflakeeel · Aug 2, 2022

Thanks, I googled it and I'm getting a better understandment of a sump now. So I have to use the RODI system and then I have to use a power head to add salt, set up the sump and let it cycle?