Newbie here with a 55 gal empty canvas.

[CaptainNewbie]

First off hello all, I recently moved out on my own and have always wanted to start a saltwater tank and I figured what time would be better then the present. I was given a 55 gallon tank from a friend with some salt and sand and a top fin filter, I went to my local store and got a heater a PH test kit and a salinity tester. My first question to start off with the many I guess is what equipment do I need to get a tank started. I have spent some time reading through the many forums here and from what I can gather a good filter is important which I am guessing mine is no good and lighting is very important. I know the light that was given to me is a flouresent bulb that spans the lenght of the tank. Any tips or advice is greatley appreciated.

 

[RWaltman]

well....first off...figure out what kind of fish you want...then work around that...most fish require different things...plus do you want live corals and anemones in the tank? you should look into buying a book on saltwater tanks and decide on your fish then go at it...patience is a virtue! Saltwater tanks get a bad rap for being "complex" and "hard to maintain" they just take a little more time and a little patience and some daily maintenance, but personally I like coming home from work, seein' the fish excited and doing my chores with them...kinda our personal time..........and now I sound like a wierdo! (BLAH! ) I like this book:

Amazon.com: The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide: Michael S. Paletta, Edward Kadunc, Scott W. Michael, John Goodman: Books

great for begginers and don't go all "budgety" with it...get the best stuff you can get, don't try and do it all at once....in about two months you'll have a great looking aquarium!

 

[jparcell]

that's great advice. Don't rush it! I would also recommend cycling your tank with dead shrimp and not damsels too. The damsels are nearly impossible to catch later on when you want other fish. I really like the wet/dry filter that goes under your tank also. It adds more water to your system and works great. I made my wet/dry sump to save money and made it as big as possible. Good luck with what ever you go with!!

 

[Ziggy953]

Welcome to AA!

For good filtration in a SW tank you are going to want 1.5-2lbs of live rock per gallon. Many of us do not use "filters" on our systems. Go to the article section of this site and read about cycling your tank.

Lighting is something you will have to think about. If you are going to do just fish and rock then lighting isn't that important but if you want corals and anemones then you are going to need some very strong lighting.

As was mentioned take your time. Don't rush things and research everything before you buy it. Ask lots of questions.

 

[CaptainNewbie]

Ok guys i've done some more reaserching and I have decided to do a tank with some basic clown fish with some live rock and etc to start off with. I would like som anenimes and what not later so id like to get the ank ready for that now rather then go back to do it all over is this a good start am i headed in the right direction.

 

[Justin1989]

Good to see your asking first I would suggest double checking with anyone here about any advice given by a LFS.

You wanting sand or bare bottom? If you want sand I would highly suggest aragonite. Second, LR does get expensive if bought at a LFS. Best best is to find it online. You can usually find around 50lbs fairly cheap compared to a LFS. Since its a new tank, the LR can go right in. Beware there will be die off on the LR so you of course can not put anything live in until the cycle is complete. Others will give you good advice on to where to order LR.

Sumps are also a nice addition to any saltwater tank, look them up. I am in the stages of building my own lol.

 

[CaptainNewbie]

Some I am planning on filling my tank this week with water and begin the process do I need to do a cycle before putting in live rock

 

[jparcell]

glad to hear your taking your time and reserching first. Make sure you get the right lights and skimmer etc. right from the begining cause you'll save yourself a lot in the long run. Your rock will help your tank cycle. Are you doing a fishless cycle?

 

[jparcell]

I waited a couple weeks before I added my rock just to help the little critters that come on it survive. I don't know if thats necessary though

 

[CaptainNewbie]

Yes I do plan on doing a fishless cycle, I have a fluvall canister filter do I still need a skimmer also heres my last question now I've been very hesitant to ask. at my Local store I seen lights that were over 1,000.oo and I about had a heart attack I really need some help in deciding what lights I need please help

 

[Justin1989]

Fist, most canister pumped become nitrate factories. It is highly recommended when having a reef aquarium that you make a sump. However again not necessary. The mechanical filtration will have to be washed out quite a bit, considering it will get pretty dirty really easily. My lights costed me almost $400. Order them online, much cheaper. I have a Nova Extreme with 6 54watt bulbs. 3 actinics and 3 10k's. which supply plenty of light for corals. Skimmers are much better than canister filters. I also recommend looking online for those. Most LFS won't have good skimmers and if they do they are way over priced.

 

[CaptainNewbie]

thank ya justin

 

[melosu58]

My first question to start off with the many I guess is what equipment do I need to get a tank started.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f14/stock-list-and-tips-for-maintaining-your-sw-tank-73477.html

 

[CaptainNewbie]

Ok I have read through the article posted several times and here is what I got from it.

I need roughly 110 pounds of live rock.

I need two powerheads to provide flow

I need a high output lighting, What do ya'll recommend.

What I dont understand is if I need a skimmer along with my filter and live rock if so what exactly does a skimmer do and also any recommendations here also.

 

[Ziggy953]

I would suggest a skimmer. A skimmer mixes air and water and pulls DOCs (dissolved organic compounds) out of the water column. Check out the Octopus line of skimmers (google it) they are very good and at reasonable prices.

Powerheads: If your target is to have corals then you want to go for 20-30x turn over or 1100-1650gph flow in the tank. The key to flow in the tank is that you want it to be as random as possible. Think how the ocean is.

 

[CaptainNewbie]

Ok so I will start doing some saving for power heads and a skimmer, how about lighting I am still completely unclear on lighting from purchasing to use of the lighting.

 

[Ziggy953]

The lighting depends on what exactly you want to end up with in the tank. I am a fan of DIY so I get retro kits and wire them up myself. You have more flexibility by doing that. If you aren't into diy then you can look at complete lighting systems. They are going to cost you a bit more though.

For a reef tank with SPS, LPS Clams and Anemones you are going to need strong to very strong lighting. You will need to look at a combination of Metal Halide and VHO or Metal Halide and T5 lighting. If you don't want to keep high light demanding corals and inverts then T5 or VHO only will work for you.

Do some looking on the net to see what kind of animals you want and see what their lighting requirements are. From there you can determine what kind of lighting you are going to need.

 

[CaptainNewbie]

So if I understand correctly I am going to need Metal Halide and and VHO or T5 again i am definatly a newbie are there places to buy combos of both or do i have to build one

 

[CaptainNewbie]

For example heres what I don't understand Justin says "I have a Nova Extreme with 6 54watt bulbs. 3 actinics and 3 10k's." does this mean he has three different fixture or did he buy them and they are all housed in one fixture also how do you know how long to run the lights for?? I'm very confused

 

[jparcell]

The lighting can get you all kinds of opinions though. I am trying to stay away from the mh because of the heat they put off. I think if your not getting into the corals the require vary strong lighting I would suggest vho t5s. You can get them with moon lights built in also. I have seen some nice lights online for $400 too so they are much cheaper. Again though you are going to get a lot of responses to this subject. There is a good chart on line that tells you which lights will work for different corals. I just try not to add to much heat to the tank because your water will already evaporate fast enough without a hot light and fan on top of your tank. You'll also save electricty. The nova should be a good choice. It is one fixture that has 3 white day lights and 3 blue lights in it. You can control the start up and shut down for a natural environment. The corals don't like a blast of light all at once