First saltwater tank. what do i need??

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HPballer76

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Nov 7, 2011
Messages
276
Location
West Valley City, Utah.
alright guys i am considering setting up my first salt water tank. i am planning to do a fish only tank with live rock in a 55gal. but i am considering going with a 75 instead of the 55. i will be moving to a new place in a couple weeks so when i am there is when i will get the tank but i would like to go ahead and start getting some of the other smaller things i will need.

so what all do i need?

what filter should i go with?
what powerheads?
protein skimmer?
heater?

basically what are the basic things i should start shopping for to get me up and cycling once i move?

thanks.
 
i really like the idea of that having everything i need come with it. but i'm wanting to do something a little bigger plus not really looking to do a reef setup right now.
 
HPballer76 said:
i really like the idea of that having everything i need come with it. but i'm wanting to do something a little bigger plus not really looking to do a reef setup right now.

Gotcha, sorry I can't help more. The whole SW thing is new to me and a friend is helping me out with setting it up. He owns a LFS so that's why I'm going with that one. He pretty much has everything and I like the fact that one cord gets plugged in, that's nice. A few mods and I'll be happy.
 
no problem man. that looks like a great option im just not sure its right for me.

the main thing i am confused on is how the best way to setup the filtration system would be? would i be able to use an external canister filter? or would i need to do a sump setup? if i need to do a sump how and what do i need for that?
 
Two of the most important things are a refractometer and a liquid test kit.

Since you aren't doing a reef tank now do you plan on a reef tank in the future? There is no sense of getting a light only to upgrade it 6 months from now because you decided to go reef. For a light check out the fishneedit lights you can get a 4 tube t5 reasonable and will be able to keep some corals later on if you desire.

A sump is great because it is all hidden away and you can have a skimmer without having to worry about the micro bubbles the HOB make and a place out of sight to put a heater. Second choice would be a pair of 110 aquaclears one turned into a fuge and the other for filtration.

For cost and reasonable quality I use koralia power heads.

A skimmer I like the reef octopus that I have.

The sand I try to stay away from crushed coral because it traps a lot of food and stuff.

You can get base rock and seed it with a small piece of live rock from someones established tank.

If you are trying to save money check the local forums and craigslist.
 
thank you for the info joy! i am not planning on switching to a reef anytime soon and if i ever decide to that it will be in a bigger tank years down the road.. this one i just want to get up and running with fish to learn about salt water and maybe add some live rock.

i've been trying to read up on sump setups but i'm still pretty confused on what is need to run one and how to make it all work. any suggestions? also what are some reasonable priced sump setups? i realize saltwater is expensive but i don't want to pay more than i have to.

would the pair of 110s do the job for what i am trying to do? they are pretty cheap so i could definitely go with a pair of those. and then the reef octopus skimmer.
 
You know, i started out with a fish only tank. But then I went to the store and saw a small coral I liked. So I started with one, but soon I liked another one and another little one. Before you know it your also into corals. I made the mistake going with not enough light in the beginning and I did spend more on lighting later on. (and in a rush because my corals needed light) Listen to previously mentioned advise and buy some good lighting from the start.
And I also agree, koralia powerheads are very reliable. Coralife makes a decent skimmer. T5. Lights will do for soft corals and heaters are just heaters in my eyes.
Get a digital thermometer, test kits, some prime and hydrometer or refractometer (they are more precise)
Also maybe a glass and gravel cleaner.
Oh yes and fish food.
Yes I am done now!
 
Go refractometer for their precision. (About 30 bucks on ebay)
I highly recommend the koralia as well
Before you really make any decisions on lighting, sump, filtration, you need to decide what kind of setup you want. (Fish only, fowlr, reef) this will determine what you need in terms of the equipment I mentioned (lights sump skimmer etc) also if possible, try planning for the future as well... for instance, if you truly know you'll never want corals, you don't have to buy high end lighting...
 
I don't know where you are located but check on local forums. There are a couple great forums in NC that I have gotten sweet deals off from.

You can go on youtube and find out how to make a sump if you want a diy project or even how to set one up. If you go with a sump get your tank drilled it is much much easier to plumb and a lot quieter. You can get by with a canister filter if you keep it very very clean.

About the coral thing my friend insisted he wasn't going to do coral in his tank in less than a month he was.
 
is there a certain kind of refractometer i should look for?

i am pretty set on doing a fowlr setup for my first salt water tank. not really interested in a reef setup. so i will probably go cheaper on the lights to save some cash. is there a certain light i should go with to keep algae growth down?

i've also been doing research on some sump setups and it seems like it would be easy enough to build a 20 gallon sump setup. what would you guys recommend if i went that route? i also still like the idea of running 2 aquaclear 110s and using one of them as a fuge. that just seems like it would be pretty simple to setup.

definitely going to go with the koralia powerheads.

which skimmer would work well without breaking the bank? and could i get one if i decide to do the 2 aquaclears for simplicity in the begging and then use the same one if i upgrade to a sump setup later down the road?

sorry for all the noob questions. just want to make sure i do it right the first time.
 
alright I may have found the tank i want to get. a local guy has it. its a 72 gallon bowfront with factory overflow and corner drilled for the return. comes with a stand, hood, pacific coast imports genx gx6000 return pump, koralia 4 powerhead, 4XT5HO w/Workhorse 7 Ballast lighting, and an extra 29 gallon tank to make a sump/fuge out of.

here are some pics. comes with everything you see.


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here is the explanation to the pics the seller sent me.

So explanation of some of the pics. You can see the rubbermaid I am running now. With the pump and plumbing. Then I wired it so there is one plug in and then a power center with switches all wired underneath. Took a side pic too so you could get a better idea of that also a close up of the back and the coraline and also a few mushrooms that are stuck to the back. The last is the empty 29 gallon I was going to put underneath there.

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he said it has been up and running for a couple years now. he also said he would let me have the fish that are in it now if i want them. it has a scopas tang, lawnmower blenny, green chromis and a nemerus chromis.

he wants $400 for all of the above. what do you guys think?
 
anyone care to give me there thoughts on the tank i posted?

also im thinking of going with a reef octopus 6" pinwheel in sump skimmer.

what ro/di system would you guys recommend? don't want to have to make trips to the fish store every time i need to do a water change.
 
alright worked it out with the seller and i will be getting the 72 gallon posted above but for a little better price than he originally wanted ;)

it is up and running with live rock, sand, and a few fish at his house now. im going to leave it there for a few weeks since i am going to be moving soon. once im moved in ill pick up the tank.

till then i am going to start building the sump for it. a 29 gallon tank comes with the 72 which is what i plan to use for the sump but wanted to ask here before i start if that is a good size? or should i pick up a 20 gallon to use?
 
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