I'm new and need some Help

[BillyD918]

Hey All,

My name is Billy currently residing in FL in the USAF. Just Bought a 30 gallon hexagon fish tank and need some advice. So far all i have bought is some crushed coral for the bottom of the tank, the saltwater mix, a C3 Fluval 5 Stage Filter, a water heater, and Odyssea 20" 72W (4x 18W) T5 HO Light Fixture. Othere than that I'm lost? I've mixed up about 20 gallons of saltwater currently just waiting for my tank stand to cure from staining it (girlfriend begged me to do it to match the furniture). Saltity is at 1.024. I want to have as many brightly colored corals and LR as possible so any information you can give me will be helpful. Also, have a question about the filter, would that kind of filter be suficient or would i need to get a protein skimmer also? Any other helpful tidbits would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Billy

 

[David S]

is it a reef only or with fish?
If with fish I would exchange the crushed coral for sand,CC is a nitrate haven.You need to cycle your tank(fishless)If your putting LR in the tank you could get away without a skimmer as long as you keep up with PWC,personally I would use a skimmer if you have fish.For reef tanks you'll need at least 10 x water flow(300gph,this includes powerheads,skimmer,filter)
The filter will need cleaning each week,which is why a lot of people use more LR in sumps and loose the filter.

 

[rush]

Well if you bought the filter new I would return it and replace it with a HOB skimmer. If you want to keep corals eventually you will need the skimmer. The filter is of no importance if you have a skimmer. You can run both by all means but I would just stick with a skimmer. Do you have LR in the tank yet?

If not the next step would be to get some cured LR. 30 lbs is what you want. Make sure your water temp is 78 and salinity is .0122-.0124. Once LR is in for a week or two you can start adding some hermits and snails.

I would get rid of the CC and replace it with sand(does not need to be live sand). The LR will seed the sand in no time.

 

[BillyD918]

Ok so I'll return the filter and get a HOB skimmer and use sand instead of CC. Is there a HOB skimmer that you would recommend? I have a limited budget but I'm open for all recommendations. And I would like to have a few fish not many as it is a small tank. Exactly what does it mean to cycle the tank?

 

[rush]

I would go with a reef octopus BH100 for a 30 gallon. Go to Aquarium Supplies, Aquarium Supply, Aquarium Equipment, AquaCave.com Offers, Discount Fish Tanks & Fish Tank Supplies for Saltwater, Marine, Coral Reef Guide, Freshwater Aquarium I think they are $119.95 if i recall.

 

[BillyD918]

Ok, so after i get a Protein Skimmer (already have saltwater mixed at 1.024 Saltity) what do i need to do? Would i need a Powerhead and any recommendations on which one?



Sorry for the newbie questions just want to get it right the first time.

 

[BillyD918]

I would go with a reef octopus BH100 for a 30 gallon. Go to Aquarium Supplies, Aquarium Supply, Aquarium Equipment, AquaCave.com Offers, Discount Fish Tanks & Fish Tank Supplies for Saltwater, Marine, Coral Reef Guide, Freshwater Aquarium I think they are $119.95 if i recall.

Ok so i bought the Octopus BH100 skimmer and a CoralVue High Seas 101B powerhead. Do I need to wait to get these in the mail before i put my water in the tank or could i go ahead and put the water and sand a a few lbs of LR in the tank to go ahead and get it cycling?

 

[BillyD918]

Got my stand finished and put where i want it, also got my new lights in the mail...

New lights all turned on

[/IMG]
Lights just came in the mail

Finally got my stand finished so I could put it where I want it.

Tell me what ya'll think so far. Still waiting on my powerhead and pro skimmer to come in the mail.