Help with my 1st Saltwater Setup

[matai]

Hey all, i'm new to firstwater and i'd like some help with my first setup. I want it to be a 29/30 gallon. I'd rather not mess with live rock unless you guys think i definately need to. I was thinking about running a Seaclear 30 Gallon, fluval 405, Marineland Visi-Therm 250watt. Would I need a protein skimmer? if so which one?

Also, would the 30 gallon eclipse hood work well for saltwater?

Any help would be great.

Thanks!

 

[chase33]

Do you plan on a reef tank, fish only...

Since this post is in the reef forum I will assume you are setting up a reef tank. If so then you should get Live Rock and a skimmer. Though I have no experience with it, a lot of people recommend the AquaC Remora skimmer for a tank of that size. As far as the heater is concerned, you may want to use 2 heaters in case one goes bad. Also I don't believe you need a 250w heater for your size tank (it depends on the difference between you room temperature, the temp you want in your tank and the size of your tank), but I'll let others chime in on the size. Maybe 2 150w or 2 200w heaters.

In the articles section of this site you may find information that may help. It is located here
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_cat.php?fldAuto=2/

 

[Agnate80700]

100% definetly need live rock. 1.5-2lb per gallon. There really isnt much to mess with as far as live rock goes either, pretty much just buy it and put it in the tank (remember to let the tank cycle the live rock 1st before adding anything else live)

99% need a protien skimmer. i dont think any of the regulars here would even consider running a reef tank without one.

I use the coralife 65 skimmer on my 29gal. It isnt terribly expensive and works pretty good. Alot of people will highly recomend the Aqua-C remora but its a little more pricey. If you have the spare cash I'd prolly go with that.

You wont need that Fluval thing with the live rock and a protein skimmer. Consider setting up a sump/refuge for perfect water quality.

 

[melosu58]

LR and a skimmer is all that I`ve ever used except the last two yrs which I added a refugium. Is this going to be a FO tank. I would consider a Fish only with live rock tank because of the added biological filtration. This is an excellent article by one of our members.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=76139

 

[roka64]

WELCOME TO AA!!

Please do not cycle your tank with live animals.

All of the above is great advice. I agree, LR is pretty important in more ways than one. They provide a place for the beneficial bacteria to live (this converts ammonia to nitrAtes), it gives your fish a nice place to hide/sleep, it is a hiding place for beneficial pods, you'll see all kinds of other life growing on it after it matures. Before you know it, you'll be posying in the ID section saying, "Cool, what is this?"

 

[Innovator]

You can be very simplistic and just go with live rock and an HOB (AquaClear) filter or stick with the canister. Two 50w heaters would probably be just fine. A skimmer is not a necessary expense and is always subject to debate.

 

[KurtsReef]

I am not too sure why the skimmer if your not going with any corals. If your going to go with fish only and some live rock, and of course clean up crew of crabs and snails the skimmer may be overkill.

 

[roka64]

Also, would the 30 gallon eclipse hood work well for saltwater?

I would not suggest a hood. It prevents O2 exchange and can trap heat.

 

[melosu58]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/fm/feature/index.php