16G Bow Front Build!

[CorallineAlgae]

In the next few days I'm going to go out and buy some equipment.. apparently at my LFS if you spend X amount of dollars you get free RO/DI

After I get the water, what else should I consider getting at this time??

A good book on saltwater aquariums would be the best thing. You'll also need sand and live rock after you get your saltwater mixed and the heater and filters running. try to be really picky about your rock. If only one or two pieces look good only get those. If you have a few places to get live rock look at each shop. Test kits are always good to have, especially nitrate, pH and alkalinity/KH.

 

[DanS180]

A good book on saltwater aquariums would be the best thing. You'll also need sand and live rock after you get your saltwater mixed and the heater and filters running. try to be really picky about your rock. If only one or two pieces look good only get those. If you have a few places to get live rock look at each shop. Test kits are always good to have, especially nitrate, pH and alkalinity/KH.

How can I tell if they look "good"? Lol sorry I've never done saltwater :/

 

[DanS180]

And what kind of test kit should I get? API?

 

[CorallineAlgae]

And what kind of test kit should I get? API?

I like Red Sea test kits for saltwater better than API. They cost more up front but the refills aren't expensive and they are MUCH easier to use and far more accurate. If you don't plan on having corals the API kits are fine. Actually, for pH and nitrate API tests are perfectly fine. It's the alkalinity/KH and calcium tests that I love from Red Sea and unless you plan on corals you don't need to test calcium.

For live rock, look for subtle signs of life like tiny fan worms and of course coralline algae. If you ask the store when they will be getting their next shipment of live rock you can try to get there when it comes in and be the first to pick out the best pieces.

An added advantage of using fresh live rock is the die off will cycle your tank. You won't need to add a piece of shrimp to the tank for an ammonia source (or which ever method you would otherwise use).

In certain stores other (in the know) reef keepers may be waiting on a new shipment of rock. It's not a big group of people who are picky enough to go through the trouble of doing this but since the cost will be the same for either lifeless live rock or thriving rock, it makes sense to try to get the best rock available. Also, go for the lightest BIG pieces you can find. Lighter rocks are more porous, have more internal surface area for filtration and micro-organisms, and will cost less for their size.

 

[DanS180]

Great information!! Yeah I plan on doing a Fowlr tank for now, don't wanna go out and buy an expensive light for corals just yet. I'll have to check with my LFS about live rock deliveries.. how can I tell which pieces are good?? I've never had to pick out live rock before

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Great information!! Yeah I plan on doing a Fowlr tank for now, don't wanna go out and buy an expensive light for corals just yet. I'll have to check with my LFS about live rock deliveries.. how can I tell which pieces are good?? I've never had to pick out live rock before

The best rock will be medium to large but feel light weight for it's size. It will also have more colors from different types of coralline algae on it. If it's already in a tank and you can see tiny fan worms on it that's always a good sign. If it's a fresh shipment of rock it will probably stink from tiny sponges that always die during shipping. They turn black and should be brushed off with a toothbrush or potato brush before adding it to your tank. The crazier shaped rocks often look much more natural than boulder shaped round rocks.

 

[Keithhjs]

A good source for live rock:
http://www.aquariumarts.com/liverock.html

 

[Keithhjs]

Also I definitely recommend thinking about a skimmer. IMO it's the most important part of your filtration. I actually run dual skimmers on my reef now and even on my old FOWLR tank I always had one going. Anytime you can pull organic waste out before it needs to be broken down & converted is win win in my book

 

[DanS180]

The best rock will be medium to large but feel light weight for it's size. It will also have more colors from different types of coralline algae on it. If it's already in a tank and you can see tiny fan worms on it that's always a good sign. If it's a fresh shipment of rock it will probably stink from tiny sponges that always die during shipping. They turn black and should be brushed off with a toothbrush or potato brush before adding it to your tank. The crazier shaped rocks often look much more natural than boulder shaped round rocks.

Okay so light weight = good, tiny worms = good, crazy shapes = good lol ill make sure to keep an eye out for these

 

[DanS180]

Also I definitely recommend thinking about a skimmer. IMO it's the most important part of your filtration. I actually run dual skimmers on my reef now and even on my old FOWLR tank I always had one going. Anytime you can pull organic waste out before it needs to be broken down & converted is win win in my book

Well I think I'm just gonna end up getting the filter with the skimmer inside, I know I'm going to be spending money for this tank but I'm not tryna go all out if ya know what I mean lol

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Well I think I'm just gonna end up getting the filter with the skimmer inside, I know I'm going to be spending money for this tank but I'm not tryna go all out if ya know what I mean lol

That filter will be a little bit bigger than you actually need. It may not be going all out like having a sump setup, but it isn't skimping at all. You'll have an excellent setup. Trust me. I've designed and built nearly every size reef and specialty saltwater fish systems up to a 600 gallon system with a 400 gallon refugium. That filter will be great!

 

[DanS180]

That filter will be a little bit bigger than you actually need. It may not be going all out like having a sump setup, but it isn't skimping at all. You'll have an excellent setup. Trust me. I've designed and built nearly every size reef and specialty saltwater fish systems up to a 600 gallon system with a 400 gallon refugium. That filter will be great!

Okay cool, I guess I'll go with that then in the next few days I'm gonna try to start setting everything up. Just gotta find the best spot for the tank lol

 

[DanS180]

Ok so I think I'm going to go out and get some things today, if I get the water(RO/DI) today, should I pick up salt as well? And what kind?

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Ok so I think I'm going to go out and get some things today, if I get the water(RO/DI) today, should I pick up salt as well? And what kind?

I read a lot about salt brands, even professional chemical analysis charts, and most comonly used salts seem to be fine for FOWLR and soft coral tanks. I like Coralife and Instant Ocean best myself. Lots of people use other brands and do just fine. Those are the only brands I have used for years, besides Tropic Marin which is over priced, so I can't speak for all the others.

 

[DanS180]

I read a lot about salt brands, even professional chemical analysis charts, and most comonly used salts seem to be fine for FOWLR and soft coral tanks. I like Coralife and Instant Ocean best myself. Lots of people use other brands and do just fine. Those are the only brands I have used for years, besides Tropic Marin which is over priced, so I can't speak for all the others.

Okay I'll look for coralife and ocean best.. as far as starting out, im going to get a refractometer, water and salt, should I need anything else for now??

 

[CorallineAlgae]

A book on saltwater tanks. Then, just the very basics like a new bucket to mix saltwater for water changes plus a tiny powerhead to get it to mix, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and alkalinity/KH test kits, sand, a fresh light bulb if yours is old, a heater if you don't have one.

 

[DanS180]

A book on saltwater tanks. Then, just the very basics like a new bucket to mix saltwater for water changes plus a tiny powerhead to get it to mix, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and alkalinity/KH test kits, sand, a fresh light bulb if yours is old, a heater if you don't have one.

I have a 5 gal bucket, a powerhead for the bucket alone?? I'll get a test kit, sand I'm gonna get today hopefully, light is brand new, and I have a 50w heater(good enough?)

Oh and what brand test kit should I get? I heard API for saltwater is no good??

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I have a 5 gal bucket, a powerhead for the bucket alone?? I'll get a test kit, sand I'm gonna get today hopefully, light is brand new, and I have a 50w heater(good enough?)

Oh and what brand test kit should I get? I heard API for saltwater is no good??

You can use a powerhead from your tank to mix salt water. Lots of people do that. 50W heater should be fine. You won't know for sure until winter but it's a small tank so should work unless your house gets really cold.

We went over test kits in an earlier post in either this thread or your first one. Good luck!

 

[DanS180]

Oh yeah haha you said Red Sea if I was using coral but API would be fine for just live rock. I think I'm going for live rock right now and I'll decide down the line if I wanna do coral

 

[DanS180]

Hop on my other thread I posted in the FOWLR section, sorry about all the different threads :/