Very New

[turkey]

I've had a few small fresh water tank and just decided to try a salt water tank what do I need to do.

Fist off I have a 55g with Tank with gravel a filter and heater two lamps and thats about it yester I filled the tank and dechlorinated water and yester day I put in two of the bigger boxes of instant Ocean and mixed it all together today I put in a 1/8 teaspoon of salt water enzymes.

what should I do know while it is cycling Maybe buy some live Rock I'm very new as anything you could tell me would be great.

thanks

 

[roka64]

WELCOME TO AA!!!

Please do not cycle with live animals.

I would remove the filter, in SW it can cause dead spots and huge problems later.
I like to premix my water for at least 24hours.
Did you add premixed, store bought water, or just the salt?
What type of tank are you thinking of having? FOWLR, Reef?
What kind of substrate? Sand, CC (I do not recommend this, but it is a personal preference), bare bottom?
If you buy already cured LR, this could help your cycle. Cured is the stuff the LFS generally has in their display tanks, along with fish.
If you are looking to cut some costs, you could go with base (dead, generally bleached looking and cheaper) mixed with some cure LR.
Are those FW lights? If so, remember the SW will rust metals and you will need to get SW lights. What kind of lights goes back to weather you want to do reef (some corals need more light and flow than others) or FOWLR.
It looks like you will need to get at least 2 phs, for water flow.
A saltwater test kit. Those are about the basics. Keep in mind you will want to shoot for 1.5-2LBs of rock per gallon, for proper filtration.
If I missed something, others will be along to help as well.
Keep us posted!

 

[turkey]

WOW you guys are great I bought this gravel from the LFS I'm assuming that means local fish store that they said was only for salt water

I really don't think I'm ready for a reef tank so just fish and live rock would be the best The LFS sells live rock for 8$ a pound is this a fair price?

and what do I need for more circulation the tank came with the over the side type filter that draws water in from the bottom then runs it back from the top

I'm not going to cycle with live fish so no worries there I have a hydrometeor and that reads fine the test kit says every thing is in a good rage except the ph is a little High

And how do I cycle with a raw shrimp just any raw shrimp form the store I've never heard of this

what else could I need anything is help I want to do this right

 

[roka64]

Yes, LFS is the local fish store. Generally anything that has the little dotted line under it, you can mouse over it and it will tell you the possibilities of what it means (unless you are using Safari, I believe).
$8 per Lbs, is high, but that sounds about the going rate at many LFS, mine included.

and what do I need for more circulation the tank came with the over the side type filter that draws water in from the bottom then runs it back from the top

Add phs for more circulation. This system you have, is there a tank under the tank those pipes flow into, or is it part of the UGF? I would still take back the UGF.

And how do I cycle with a raw shrimp just any raw shrimp form the store I've never heard of this

I would go to the local grocery store and buy a raw, unseasoned cocktail shrimp. The shrimp decays, releasing ammonia, the is needed in the 1st stage of the cycle. So you should see an ammonia spike, then a nitrIte spike, with the ammonia declining and next will be a spike in nitrAtes.

 

[turkey]

Well the thing that I'm talking about has a pipe with a basket at the end that goes in the tank sucks water into a box passes through 2 square filters then the water is spit back on top of the water in the tank there is a pretty strong current from what I can tell

How long does the shrimp need to stay in The guy at the LFS just told me to run my system like it is maybe buy some live rock mid week and buy the end put in one clown fish

then to add more every few weeks until I had 6 to 8 fish

is there anything else I could add to help out before the fish go into the tank snails shrimp?

I'm very New to salt water so I might be missing a big part of the picture

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

The guy at the LFS just told me to run my system like it is maybe buy some live rock mid week and buy the end put in one clown fish

then to add more every few weeks until I had 6 to 8 fish

No no no! Basically your LFS is telling you to cycle your tank with a clown. You need to cycle that tank before you add fish. Granted, a lot of people cycle their tank with fish, but they usually use damsels which are hardier fish than clowns. Cheaper too.

Put some live rock in there (1-2 lbs per gallon of tank) and throw the raw shrimp in. Just use one small one - not the jumbo ones. Break out your test kit for ammonia and start testing after a couple days. It's gonna stink. You'll see the ammonia levels rise. After a week or two, the ammonia levels should spike and start going back down. Take the shrimp out - what's left of it. (Best to scoop it out with a cup/glass as it's not as solid as it looks!) Break out your test kit for nitrites, and start testing. You should see the nitrite levels go up, and like the ammonia, they'll peak and start going back down. Ammonia levels should be near zero by this time.

Now break out the nitrate test kit and start testing. You should see the nitrate levels going up. Eventually - after 3 to 6 weeks from when you started - your ammonia and nitrite levels should be zero. Your nitrate levels will be high. At this point, do enough 50% water changes every couple days until you get your nitrates down to just a trace - less than 5ppm just as an example.

Now go back and get that clown. It'll be much happier.

I think adding maybe one fish every 4-6 weeks would be a better goal. That's what I'm shooting for as I'm starting out. That will give your bacterial system time to ramp up to the increased biological load and not cause wild swings in your water parameters.

 

[melosu58]

I think adding maybe one fish every 4-6 weeks would be a better goal.

This is a more realistic goal. It almost sounds like your LFS wants you to hurry up and buy from him. You`ll be better off listening to these guys then listening to your LFS.

 

[turkey]

OK recap so don't just drop in a fish after my system has been running a week or two get shrimp

2 do i need a powerhead

3 when I do start to get the tank running what should the cleaning be like if i do a partial water change do i need to add more salt mix or just fresh water

 

[melosu58]

You will need to do PWC`s every week or two IMO with Sw that is mixed seperately and allowed to age 24-36 hrs. You will need to top off your tank probably everyday with FW to replace the water that evaporated from your tank.

 

[roka64]

OK recap so don't just drop in a fish after my system has been running a week or two get shrimp

There is a two part answer to this:
1. You should drip acclimate your new fish. This will allow them to adjust to your specific tank's water chemistry, like temp/salinity. Very important, IMO.
2. Use the raw, jumbo shrimp (good catch Kurt, I don't know why I always say cocktail shrimp), not a live shrimp from your LFS.

2 do i need a powerhead

Another two parter here.
1. It sounds like you may have a HOB filter, are there any wheels that spin?
2. Yes, you should get two phs. I would set them at opposite ends of the tank, facing eachother. This will help to keep a stable pH, alleviate dead spots and give the fish some exercise.

when I do start to get the tank running what should the cleaning be like if i do a partial water change do i need to add more salt mix or just fresh water

1. Remember, water evaporates, salt only a little bit. You will want to do top offs with FW.
2. I recommend premixing water for at least 24 hours. I wouldn't suggest putting salt straight into your main tank.
3. I like to do PWCs of about 20-25% every three weeks. This helps to replenish and depleted trace elements.

 

[turkey]

So how hard is a saltwater tank? I have had mine running for a weak now and the ph and salt go up and down like crazy it's really hard getting the water to the correct level and making the salt water.

I'm really not worried about the work just don't want to see lots of good fish die when they could be thriving in someone else's tank

I have almost convinced my self to just take out all the sand and and give away the live rock thats on the way to my house and use all the equipment for a fresh water setup with some colorful fresh water fish

I know that freshwater fish are alot more tolerant to stupid owners

what do yall think

 

[melosu58]

Just be patient and you`ll be OK.

 

[EJS4]

At this point you should need to make more salt water, you should only be adding fw to the tank as the level drops. Salinity will rise as water evaporates,to lower salinity you need to add fw.

Simple trick: mark the side of the tank at full water level then remove one gallon (may need to mark smaller increments) and mark that level. Now add the sw back into the tank. Keep a bottle of fw near by and every day or so add the fw to bring it back to appropriate level. the closer you keep the water level to full the less salinity will vary.

pH is a related but separate issue. Related in that the water you add has ions in it which affect the pH. Best solution is to use deionized water usually made or bought as ro/di water. using deionized water will make the pH will more stable. You may be able to get ro/di water from supermarket or walmart, i get mine from whole food. Second choice is to add buffer to water like seachem marine buffer or reef buffer.
There is still some equipment that you need before you add livestock. Your going to need a protein skimmer.

 

[roka64]

I wouldn't worry about pH during your cycle, it will be out of whack, until the cycle completes. As for how hard is SW. I think it is relatively easy, if I keep up with my PWCs and enjoy the tank.

 

[EJS4]

I agree its not hard you just cant do things last minute.

 

[roka64]

I have also learned to ask a ton of questions here! More importantly, to listen. I have lost a few critters in the past when I dicided to do things my way, or try to skimp.