Newbie to saltwater tanks

psharifi89 · Oct 12, 2011

Hey guys, I'm new to the saltwater aquariums. I have a 55g tank that was mostly fancies. Unfortunately Hurrican Irene came around and due to power loss, the fish died. I want to do a salt water tank. I have been researching for a few weeks now but am still clueless as to where to start. I know i have to get sand and live rock but after that I'm still confused. I also have an idea of what fish I want so that could possibly help with your guys suggestions. For the fish, a squirrlfish, hawkfish, clown fish, some invertebrates. So please guide me :bigsmile:

Rockadile · Oct 12, 2011

first thing you need to decide are you going to keep the 55 or go with a reef ready tank? you are going to need a skimmer, if your going with the 55 you can get a hang on back one pretty reasonably. you are also going to need some flow in this tank so i would suggest at the very least 2, korellia 3 should do the trick. then you need to decide if you are going to do a reef, if so you will need to invest in some lights if not then any light will do.

Now my first tank was a 55gal reef and even though i had the tank and stand it still cost me around 2 thousand to get going so be prepared to spend money. as far as fish go, you will need to research them heavily and look for fish that are fit for the habitat you are providing. In a 55gal I really would not suggest any more then 5-6 fish and would not get anything that goes over 5 inchs.

psharifi89 · Oct 12, 2011

I'm going to keep the 55, but it isn't a reef tank, so would that mean I would need to purchase a reef tank? Or can the 55 be converted into a reef tank?

_Alex_ · Oct 12, 2011

first off a reef ready tank is simply a tank with wholes drilled in it for water to run into plumbing down into a sump where all your filtration and heaters are. you then use a pump to pump the water back up to the tank. and no most 55gal tanks now days are tempered glass and can not be drilled. but if non tempered then yes it sure could be turned into one! :wink:

my first tank was a 55. had it set up for about 18months... i hated it for the last 12months lol. it was so narrow it was difficult to set up the rock work and have room for your inhabitants to be in the front of the tank. thats why i went with a 75gal. same size but 6" more front to back.

you need to try and decide now if someday you are goign to want to have coral in your tank or not. this way make a big difference on the type of equipment you purchase. is your going to stay with a FOWLR (fish only w/ live rock) then you wont need the high dollar lights. just get a good skimmer and whatevre light will show the tank. but if you plan to make the jump at some point into coral, i would suggest only making the purchase on what you can once... equipment for this tank can be bought to fit bigger tanks, thats what makes upgrading nice.

also to get started i would get quality RODI water, some salt (if fish only anything will about work lol) , and your sand i use and really like Marine Aquarium Substrate: Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand dont have to order from them as many places carry it lol. but thats wht i use for sand.

also there should be a post somewhere for beginners that has a lot of good info on this site, use the search bar and just browse the forums in the salt section tons of good info there!!

redemer123 · Oct 12, 2011

you dont necessarily have to start with live rock, what I would do is get a bag of live sand and a bag of dry sand from your local fish store. Then get around 50 pounds of dry rock and then design your rock scape. then if you want to keep corals (im sure you will its addicting) your going to need lights. Most people use either T5 lighting or metal halides, however, many of of have or will soon convert to LED lighting but thats a whole new topic. so you have you have you stand, rocks,sand,lights and tank "what do I do now?" you may ask. Well this is the part thats going to make or break your tank, filtration. I would suggest finding out if you could drill your tank to make a drain to a sump for a protein skimmer. first call your manufacturer, or email, and ask for the specs of the tank to check and see if its tempered or not because drilling tempered glass is pretty much impossible and the whole glass pane will crack. ok so now you have all this stuff set up, the tanks wet and running has all the rock and sand in it. now its a waiting game you have to let your tank go through the nitrogen cycle, basically this is when beneficial bacteria are established into your tank and three main components involved here are ammonia,nitrates, an nitrites...the bacteria essentially takes these compounds and turn them into less harmful substances so waiting for them to establish is VERY important. I would recommend buying test kits to see where you are at in the process maybe every couple of days. It should take a month or so for this process to undergo but there is really no set time its just a rule of thumb. Ok so now your tank is cycled and your ready to start stocking. Do the right thing here and quarantine your fish. Not enough people do this because they think "ooh my fish wont get sick" but it can and will happen. if you quarantined you'd be one step ahead of a lot of hobbyists (we can talk more about quarantining when you get there) now about fish selection, I think a lot of people start with a pair of clownfish so why not just start there

, wouldnt do any tangs, some types of wrasses would be ok, gobies would be good, blennys are good, I had a red flame hawk he was awesome currently have another one in quarantine. so you have quite a bit of good options. there is soooooo much to cover but I hope this gives you a general idea of how to start things out.

Andrew

revsgirl · Oct 12, 2011

Welcome to the hobby and R2R! Hope you find all the help you need right here!

Rockadile · Oct 12, 2011

if it is a 55gal it is a tempered bottom. going sumpless is not the end of the world. I did it for well over a yr and it was a great tank yet very simple.

mikezalewski · Oct 12, 2011

Yes you do not need a sump even though many people will say "nothing is going to do good and you will have to go to it in the end" but that is not true. Also get a bout 20lbs of live rock and about 5 damsels. And do water changes each week starting with the second week. THis will keep the damsels alive in the tank and then after about 5 weeks you can remove the damsels and put whatever you want in the tank.

Tonynlo · Oct 13, 2011

Starting equipment checklist:

RO/Di filter, or a source of RO water.
Lots of buckets!
Test Kits
Aquarium Salt (i prefer reef crystals)
Refractometer
A couple of powerheads
Live or Dry Rock - for a simple FOWLR I would put about 40-60lbs in a 55 gallon tank. Grab a few cool pieces, because you'll need something to attach coral to once you become addicted.
Protein Skimmer

psharifi89 · Oct 18, 2011

ok well I finally established my tank, I used live salt water and live sand sunday night. I added live rock and hermit crabs today. The salinity is at 1.02-1.021 and the pH is 8.3-8.4. Also the ammonia is almost 0, I probably haven't hit my ammonia spike. How long you guys think I should wait to add fish? Also I have a 70 gallon aquaclear filter on it right now, should I add another one and if so how much should it be?

CJO · Oct 18, 2011

If you plan to add corals in the future, you will want to bring up your specific gravity to 1.025-1.026. Where did you get the live rock (from the store or from online)? If from the store, you probably only need to wait 2-3 weeks before adding fish. If from online, you may need to wait longer as there will likely be some die-off. The aquaclear filter is alright for a freshwater tank, but is not really suitable for a saltwater tank. You really need to invest in a skimmer instead.

CJ

psharifi89 · Oct 18, 2011

I got the live rock from the store, and any suggestions on filters?

CJO · Oct 19, 2011

Here are two threads that will give you a great start:

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...what-protien-skimmer-what-types-commonly.html
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...re-diy-discussion/25416-skimmer-q-thread.html

CJ

fishguy86 · Oct 19, 2011

I would recomend a good protein skimmer reef octopus makes a nice hang on the tank skimmer .. and more flow the korallia 3 would do good .. with live water and sand you should have very little cycle you should be ready for your first fish now.. also add some live bacteria when you add the fish .. do you have a heater temp needs to be stable round 78 degrees

psharifi89 · Oct 22, 2011

The temp is stable. I actually went out and bought a pair of clowns. I got two power heads and they're on either side of the tank but i feel the current is too strong. Is that possible? Also, while all of you are going to yell at me, I did get an anemone. It isn't a bubble, I know it needs to anchor in sand not rock. I Have sufficent lighting for it but I'm worried that my current may be a little strong.