Complete newbie need help!!!

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Adamkelly

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Aug 18, 2014
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I am a newbie to marine/saltwater and haven't got any knowledge at all about it I have sucsesfully keept tropical all types of community and single species tank for 20+ years
I have a small 100 litre tank to set up for marine ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1408484264.460859.jpg


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Hi and welcome to the salty side (y). I am new to this too, only been at it for about four months now.

One thing that I can tell you is to do research! It really does pay off. I feel like that is all I do anymore, but I don't mind. The more you know in the beginning the more successful you will be in the end.

Just remember to get everything you need before you start adding to your tank! The cycle is one of the most important things. Mine is still cycling after 4 weeks, but I'm impatiently learning how to have patience. :whistle:

What kind of tank are you planning on doing? Just fish or interested in corals too?

I wish you the best of luck and don't be afraid to ask questions. Everyone on here is great at helping. Try to be specific in what you would like to know and you will get answers pretty quick!

-Becci
 
Hi and welcome to the salty side (y). I am new to this too, only been at it for about four months now.

One thing that I can tell you is to do research! It really does pay off. I feel like that is all I do anymore, but I don't mind. The more you know in the beginning the more successful you will be in the end.

Just remember to get everything you need before you start adding to your tank! The cycle is one of the most important things. Mine is still cycling after 4 weeks, but I'm impatiently learning how to have patience. :whistle:

What kind of tank are you planning on doing? Just fish or interested in corals too?

I wish you the best of luck and don't be afraid to ask questions. Everyone on here is great at helping. Try to be specific in what you would like to know and you will get answers pretty quick!

-Becci


Hi thanks I would be only setting up the small 100 litre for now until I can make some room from the fresh water tanks
I am interested in both fish and Corel but atm I need to know what equipment I haven't got nothing and how to use it and also what temp ph ect


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There is so much to learn to mention here but there are some great articles on how to set up and maintain salt tanks on here. My advice is do plenty of research before buying anything! Ask lots of questions here too ;)


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First off, Welcome to marine aquarium keeping! Doing the math, your tank is a little over 25 gallons. As far as marine aquariums go, thats a fairly small tank. Not micro, and not biocube, but definitely on the small side. Small isn't bad necessarily, but can require more work than a larger tank.
Second, I cannot agree more with bnr911. The more you know beforehand, the better off you are later on down the road. Always do your research before making a decision. Someone else's experiences can save your tank!
Now, to start off with equipment. You are going to need 3 basic, but crucial, pieces of equipment. One is a filter. Duh. Depending on how you set your tank up, it could be anywhere from a basic HOB, to a more complex sump. But that's for later. The second piece is a protein skimmer. It helps, especially in a tank with corals, to keep unwanted "stuff" out of your tank water. The last piece, or pieces, are powerheads. They help keep your tank flowing, and with corals, keep nutrients at hand. Now, to put this all together, you have a few options. I don't know how much space you have underneath your tank, but if you have a lot space, a sump or refugium it a great idea. A sump is basically a HOB, but bigger and better. It takes care of everything a HOB does, and gives you more gallonage, and space to hang other pieces of equipment, such as a protein skimmer. If perchance don't feel the appeal of this idea, then you could do a refugium. The idea is to put a smaller tank beneath your main tank, flow water into it, filter it, then pump it back up to the main tank. It hides all the equipment, adds gallonage, and you can put plants, such as mangrove shoots, in it to add filtration. They are both similar, but a sump is a working filter, whereas a refugium is an extra tank. If you don't/can't do either of these, you can just hang the equipment on the main tank. This takes away from the look of the display tank, though.
As a last note, stock. I understand you haven't decided what you want in your tank. You have to remember this ALWAYS when you stock: there's what you can do, and what you should do. Sure you could house a yellow tang, but should you? Not really. And lastly, corals are part of the stock as well. They eat, and thus produce waste. If you stock your tank, not planning for your coral's bioload, you're asking for trouble. A great website for planning fish stock is aqadvisor.com It is a great website for begginners to see what their stock actually looks like.
Have fun, and remember, the only bad question is a question not asked!
 
What does a protein skimmer look like and how big
My cabinet is very very small I wouldn't be able to fit anything over half a foot as there's to sides but is quiet tall
And don't you need a heater and what temp


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You don't really need a protein skimmer, but if you choose to use one you can get hang on the back ones or internal ones. Weekly water changes will be all you need tho on that size tank. Plenty of live rock and flow will be your main source of filtration. Maybe check out some of the threads in the nano section to see how other people have set up similar size tanks. It's good to decide whether you want to do fish only or ref as that may determine what equipment you will need. Particularly lighting...


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I'm interested in getting reef and only a few fish like a breading pair of clowns and a few shrimp ect
What does a protein skimmer do and would it be better if I had one


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I'm interested in getting reef and only a few fish like a breading pair of clowns and a few shrimp ect
What does a protein skimmer do and would it be better if I had one


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Protein skimmers remove gunk straight from the water column before it can decompose into ammonia and start down the nitrate cycle.
On small tanks, under 30 gallons, one can simply do water changes to address the nitrates as it is easier to do a 50% water change on a 30 gallon than it is a 100 gallon...as an example.

Also, clowns are great fish. In terms of breeders, this is difficult to do. Even my clowns are paired up but don't breed. To even successfully raise the fry you need an empty tank specifically for that purpose and a setup for raising live food for them. A huge pain and tons of work. Not for the inexperienced or those who don't have a ton of free time.

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So all in all without a protein skimmer I will need a heater and filter what else


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Power heads to move water and exchange co2 for oxygen.
Porous rock for bacteria to grow on and fish to hide in along with sand.
If you want coral you will need to research lighting as they are mostly photosynthetic. The cheapest is usually the taotronics led panel we talk about a lot.


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Thank you for the info
What temp is good?
How much salt?
How to read salt?
How long to cycle my tank before I can add fish
Do I need to add tap safe like fresh water?


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Thank you for the info
What temp is good?
How much salt?
How to read salt?
How long to cycle my tank before I can add fish
Do I need to add tap safe like fresh water?


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A good temp IMO should be between 72-78*F. I usually try to keep mine right about 78.

When you buy salt there will be directions on the bag/bucket and that is normally a good starting point.

You test you salt ( specific gravity) with a hydrometer/refractometer. Refractometers are more accurate and more fool proof. At least in my case :ermm:

When it comes to cycling it varies from tank to tank. My husband's tank cycled in 3 weeks where as mine is still cycling and it's been running for over a month. The best way to cycle is a fishless cycle IMO. You can either buy some pure ammonia and add it to your tank to start the cycle or you can use a raw deli shrimp ( which is the method that I used). I just wrapped mine up in some cheesecloth and threw it in and let it rot away. It will cause an ammonia spike which is what you need to start your cycle. Just remember to be patient during this process. It is the most important! If you don't let your tank cycle you will be in store for some disappointments and hardships.

As for your water the best water to use is RO/DI water. You can normally get it from you LFS or even a supermarket. It is a lot better and it will save you many headaches fighting with algae blooms.

BTW if you are worried that you will not make the salt correctly you can ask you LFS if they sell saltwater or seawater. I know mine does and they charge about $0.40/gallon. It's not a bad choice considering the size of your tank.

Good luck!
 
Thanks!
Is there any corals that don't need light the cheapest light I seen was £100


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The only coral I know of that just needs LED lighting is Green Star Polyp. It looks cool, and literally needs nutrients from your water, and light. The downside is it loves to grow. EVERYWHERE> If you went with GST, you'd have to isolate it on a single rock, or only keep it with no other coral. Else it will suffocate everything.
What is the temp of your tank now? Personally, I don't use a heater, as my tank stays constantly at 78*F. And I agree, a protein isn't necessary if you practice good tank cleaning.
 
The only coral I know of that just needs LED lighting is Green Star Polyp. It looks cool, and literally needs nutrients from your water, and light. The downside is it loves to grow. EVERYWHERE> If you went with GST, you'd have to isolate it on a single rock, or only keep it with no other coral. Else it will suffocate everything.
What is the temp of your tank now? Personally, I don't use a heater, as my tank stays constantly at 78*F. And I agree, a protein isn't necessary if you practice good tank cleaning.


Every coral can be grown with a quality led unit, and all corals need nutrients from the water column, nitrates and phosphates are required for coral growth.
 
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