Help me get started...

[ozorowsky]

Hi. I decided to delve into a saltwater tank. I'm building an addition to my house and I'm going to include a big area for a 135 gallon tank I'm about to buy. I'm going to build a counter around the tank and a pedestal of some sort for the tank. I'm then going to make it so my family and I can eat around the tank and enjoy ourselves.

Where do I get started? I have a 135 gallon tank and stand. It will be a few months before I build the stand/set the tank in place. Once I get tank in place what do I do? Serious question here. Do I fill the tank with the hose? I live in Seminole Florida. Can I go to the beach and get sand and put the sand in teh tank? Then order some liverock (seems to be cheap) and take the liverock and put it in there?

What kind of filters, sump, etc. do I need? Looking to make this beautiful for as cheap as poss.

Please point me in the right direction.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I'm just starting out too, so I can't offer you much except for this:

Try to read/research/learn as much as possible before buying a single thing. Especially your tank. How you eventually decide to do your sump and filtration will directly effect your tank choice. I surfed the web, picked up a couple books (Fenner's "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" and Paletta's "The New Marine Aquarium") and read read read for a couple months before buying a single thing.

But to answer your question... however you fill your tank, don't just use tap water (bad chlorine/heavy metals/nitrates/phosphates/etc). You're either going to want to get a RO/DI unit or some type of filtration unit, or buy your water at a fish store. In addition, when you do water changes after the tank is up and running, you'll want to premix the salt mix into your water and let it sit with a powerhead/heater in it for agitation for at least a day and let it come up to temperature while the salinity and pH settle down.

If you're doing 10-20% water changes, that's 13-26 gallons a change. It might be a good time while your in the "building" stage of that addition to plan for an easy way to store that water and get that water to your tank.

 

[Sparkie]

Wealcome to AA. The three big things:

1) (I'll say it before Roka dose) do not cycle with fish!!!!!
2) Do lots of research.
3) Ask lots of questions.

I would not use sand from the Ocean (or in your case the Gulf (I used to live in St. Pete)), unless you are willing and able to go WAY out, so you have no polutants in the sand. You can get some Aragonite sand really cheap and the seed it with a little livesand (cheeper and looks the same). Also, you can get base rock and seed it with some live rock (cheeper and looks the same and will become live). You can make your own sump (check out the DIY section) or you can buy one. Lighting and most everything else will depend on what you want to keep (fish only, corals, anenomes.....etc)

HTH

 

[melosu58]

I agree with sparkie dont use sand on beach as it is filled with pollutants. I would also say before you do anything I would figure out what type tank you want. Sit down and plan everything out and then start. We are here to help. When you figure out what you want let us know and we will help.

 

[roka64]

1) (I'll say it before Roka dose) do not cycle with fish!!!!!

LOL! Dag gone traffic!!!!
WELCOME TO AA!!!
I agree with the rest, the beach sand/water is probably full of pollutants.
I have a suggestion about the placement of the tank. Make sure you have easy, reachable access to all areas of the tank. I think, if you put it in the middle of a table, that might limit your ability to access the tank, but is sounds like a really cool idea!
As for tap water, get a TDS meter and test kit. Generally city water has all kinds of metals/containments. You might want to look into a RO/DI unit.
I would also say, SW is not the cheapest start up but the monthly costs are a lot less. You definitely don't want to buy cheap equipment. If you are looking to save some money, get some LR and mix it with base rock (it will become live and is a heck of a lot cheaper). I don't know how far you are from http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com, but you could possibly save money on shipping, buy visiting there and selecting some LR.

 

[ozorowsky]

What do you mean by "Choose your tank carefully"?? A tank is a tank is it not?

I'm trying to take this in baby steps. I'm not putting any fish in there until I have the tank living which will be a few months out.

So step 1) Get a fish tank I'm looking to get 100+ gallons

2) I need a sump and filter is that correct?

3) sand

4) Rocks

5) fish???


Also a bunch of my friends have boats. What if I go out on the boat like 1/2 hr, go scuba diving, and get some sand/rocks. Will that work?

How about fish? Can I catch them (netting) and then bring home or you HAVE TO buy them?

Thanks guys and girls

 

[roka64]

"Choose your tank carefully"?? A tank is a tank is it not?

I believe this can mean, pre drilled (for reef) or a regular tank. I would stay away from hex tanks or deep tanks (this could cause difficulties in keeping a stable pH).

Get a fish tank I'm looking to get 100+gallons

Bigger is generally better, for the new folks to SW. Bigger allows us to correct poor water qualities faster. In essence, with a smaller tank, there is less room for error.

2) I need a sump and filter is that correct?

A sump adds more water volume and is great if you have the money and room. You can also cultivate beneficial algea and "pods". The filter, if you can get about 1.5-2LBs of LR per Gallon, you could go filterless. When chosing LR look for lots of surface area, that will promote more nitrifiying bacteria.
3) Sand...not sure what you are asking. Aragonite sand is great and can be found (mostly along the East Coast) in HD or Lowes or Wal Mart, I would stay away from silicate sand. Some like CC, from my own personal experience, I had it and removed it.
4) Look for cool shapes. You can cut costs by mixing LR with base (dead" rock.
5) Fish.....That depends on what kind of tank you want.....reef, community, aggressive.....
I like to browse liveaquaria.com for ideas and then post my questions here, for compatability.

Also a bunch of my friends have boats. What if I go out on the boat like 1/2 hr, go scuba diving, and get some sand/rocks. Will that work?

How about fish? Can I catch them (netting) and then bring home or you HAVE TO buy them?

Um, this probably can be done. Of course you would want to check on the local laws. Plus you will probably have to acclimate you new critters longer, depending on the difference between the ocean and your tank...I would be careful of this......

 

[ozorowsky]

Could you list out for me what I need?

1) Tank

2) Fish

3) Water from a hose, but have to buy some kind of de ionizer or something?

4) Sump, in order to make maintenance easier

5) Lights (I still need lights even if the tank will be near a window correct?

Anything else I need?

Also what is (In idiot terms) diff. between Reef tank, community, semi aggressive???

I like clownfish, I like the blue fish like dory in finding nemo, I like little crabs, starfish, seahorses. I like the coral that grows along the rocks, and looks like a living colony. Maybe some little sharks, and bright colored fish.

 

[roka64]

To start, you will need:
tank
LR or combo of base rock (dead, usually white) and LR
Aragonite sand
heater
probably about 2 phs...depending on size of tank
Hydrometer (a refractometer is better and more accurate)
test kit
salt
you don't have to have a sump, but it would be nice to have
as for water, are you on city water or well?
you will probably need some lights (the kind depends on what you want in your tank)
reef tank is generally a combo of reef safe fish and corals
aggressive tank, is fish that are aggressive and will attack passive fish, community is they all get along, generally a mixture of peaceful to semi aggressive fish...
I like to browse liveaquaria.com for ideas....

 

[stevefromga2000]

dory from finding nemo is a blue tang, you will need to get lots of crabs and also snails, but they will be your clean up crew. starfish are awesome, but be careful which ones you get because i know that i can't do reef because of my chocolate chip star fish. i've read, and also been told that sea horses are extremley difficult to keep, especially for somebody new to the hobby, and also you should really think about if you want corals or not. they need high lighting and it would be pointless to buy lights now and then have to upgrade to better lighting later. another cool thing that requires high lighting is an anemone. it's really neat to see them with the clownfish as well. good luck either way, and keep asking questions. you also have to do a little research on your own so you know which questions to ask. the website that roka talks about is an excellent one just to look at fish. i get bored and look sometimes even though i can't get any fish from them. (they won't ship to me, lol)

 

[ozorowsky]

ok so I bought the tank. It has a protein skimmer with it. The tank is 135 gallons.

Now, looking at buying these. Thoughts?

http://cgi.ebay.com/150-Gallon-Aqua...ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

Besides, sand, rock and fish what else besides this kit would I need?

I think I want to get an R.O??? Only thing is someone told me the filters for those are expensive. Please help.

 

[roka64]

Power heads, heater/s, refractometer, lights, salt. I can't answer for that product, I don't use a skimmer.
I believe you van find a decent RO/DI off of ebay.

 

[ozorowsky]

I have a heater from my freshwater aquarium. I can always buy another if need be. Thats not an issue.

Also the bubble maker that goes in the sand and shoots bubbles up. What is that called?

http://cgi.ebay.com/150-Gallon-Aqua...ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

In that link, would you buy it? Is there anything wrong with it? I am thinking of buying that, seems like a good price, then looking for an R/O Filter.

I also heard you can go to the store and buy salt to put into the tank??? Any thoughts? I want to be able to use my hose, fill up the sump, have it auto filtered and then go into tank. Trying to make this as maintenance free as possible. Please help asap.

 

[roka64]

Also the bubble maker that goes in the sand and shoots bubbles up. What is that called?

Not needed! If you are referring to an UGF. Actually, the one that shoots bubbles up is not a good idea in SW or needed.

I also heard you can go to the store and buy salt to put into the tank??? Any thoughts? I want to be able to use my hose, fill up the sump, have it auto filtered and then go into tank. Trying to make this as maintenance free as possible. Please help asap.

I premix my water for at least 24 hours. I just add a ph, water, salt and a heater, test and adjust accordingly. I wouldn't suggest putting the salt mix directly in the tank. Remember, water evaporates, not the salt. So do your top offs with FW.

 

[ozorowsky]

I'm so sorry to be so dumb. Just have read and read and read but I'm new to this. Did you check that ebay link I sent you? I am trying to figure out how to make this is low maintenance as poss. ONLY thing I have right now is a skimmer, tank and stand.

If I bought a kit like the one in the link I provided, would that work for me? I am sure I need a sump, bio balls, and return. That all seems to be included in that kit. Again please idiot proof what I need to buy for now. I'm buying everything then mounting the tank around what I need then goes the filling up part.

As far as the bubble things, I just like the look of them. But if not feasable we will not get them.

 

[roka64]

Sorry, I can't help you on sump/fuge stuff, I don't use them....
It looks like a nice little set up. I didn't find a brand name so, I can't tell you if it is good or not. Hopefully some one else might be able to assist.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Again please idiot proof what I need to buy for now.

Hope this doesn't come out sounding wrong, but that really isn't possible! What I mean is that YOU need to figure out what type of system you NEED, depending on what you want in your tank. Although I'm very new to this, one thing I learned quick is that if you ask three different people how to do something, you're going to get five different answers. Everyone will have their opinion. You have to decide WHY they do what they do, then decide if you agree or want to try a different way.

Yeah... I know - you want a list of what exactly to buy. A local fish store will probably be more than happy to sell you whatever they have on their shelves. But in reading over these posts, I just feel like you want a cookbook answer to having a marine aquarium, and from what I can tell so far, that's just a recipe for disaster. So many people just go off and do whatever their fish store or internet forum (oops!) tells them to do without really understanding the "whys" of what it is they're doing.

But regarding your sump question... it sure looks like that sump is made of glass. Maybe I'm missing something in the description, but I didn't see where it said what it was made from. Shipping something that big - made of glass - for only $25??? From CA to FL??? Hmmmm. I'd definitely ask some questions there before buying. And as noted by roka, I don't see any brand names anywhere so I'd be asking questions there too.

[Edited to add some more...]

You mentioned that you already have a skimmer? That sump kit has a skimmer also. You don't need two. Also... if you put enough live rock in your tank, you don't need the bio-balls either. Normal suggestion for live rock is 1-2 lbs per gallon. Again - know where you're going with your tank before you buy equipment or you'll probably end up either really frustrated or having to buy different stuff down the road in a few months.

 

[Sparkie]

The link pretty much appears to be a DIY sump system, where the seller gathered all the equipment and is selling it as a package. You do not necessarily need a sump (I like them as they hide all of the equipment (heater, skimmer).

I would stay away from the bubble wand.

If you could tell us what you would like in your tank, we can give you better answers (or are you still going with the clown, blue hippo tang, crabs etc...) and do you want corals?

if you ask three different people how to do something, you're going to get five different answers

.

Too true !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are going to have to do some research yourself

You may wish to get a couple of books and read up on setting up SW tanks. One that I like covers Reef, FOWLR, and FO systems. It is:
"The Simple Guide to Mini-Reef Aquariums" by Jeffery Kurtz, TFH Publications (c)2005

 

[ozorowsky]

I know for sure I want colorful fish, like clowns, etc. I would like some anemones, coral. I want some starfish, would LOVE to have seahorses if feasable.


I'm a lazy person. Just being honest. I grew up going to this restaurant that had a huge saltwater aquarium and you could sit by it and eat. I want to build something like this in my home. This is why I was thinking of a sump, to make the tank maintenance free.

So lets say I have the tank and protein skimmer now. I run the tubing for protein skimmer, fill the tank with water from a hose, and put liverock and sand in there.

How do I make the water salty? What do I need to sustain life in this aquarium?


For my freshwater tank I had a heater, 2 filters, and every month or so did a gravel scoop, changed the filters, and that was it. When I did a water change I put aquasafe in teh tank it was really easy. Looking for something similar with my saltwater tank where I just invest in what I need to keep the fish alive and then enjoy the fish.

I like the sump idea cuz the water level in teh tank will never go down. You just add water to the sump, is cycled through the R/O and fed cleanly into the tnk. That was my thought anyways.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I'm a lazy person. Just being honest. I grew up going to this restaurant that had a huge saltwater aquarium and you could sit by it and eat. I want to build something like this in my home. This is why I was thinking of a sump, to make the tank maintenance free.

At least your honest! And while a well-thought out marine aquarium can be EASY to maintain, it will not be maintenance free. Laziness and marine aquariums, from what I can tell, is a recipe for disaster. Freshwater aquariums and fish seem to have a larger margin for error and more tolerance to poor housekeeping. Marine aquariums don't.

Regarding making the water salty, you will need a place to mix and store saltwater. That's pretty much a given. You do NOT want to mix salt mix directly in your tank or sump. But as I mentioned before, I'm sure we can find someone that says it's OK and they've been doing it for years! But you better start thinking about how you're going to store and transfer about 25-30 gallons per month that will be required for water changes every couple weeks. You can buy a variety of different saltwater mixes, each with it's own different parameters and plus and minuses. Personally, I'm using "Reef Crystals" - because it dissolves quick, gives me extra calcium/etc, and gives me the salinity and pH that I want with no extra additives required.

I don't have a sump as I don't have the room available right now where my tank is. But if I did, I would. Sumps allow you to keep the heaters/skimmer/filters out of the tank and make a nicer looking tank in my opinion. They're also easier to get to for water changes, etc. If you want easy maintenance (not NO maintenance!) I'd look at incorporating a sump.