Newbie questions

[rokcrawla]

Hi, I just started cycling my first saltwater tank and have a few questions.

-Can I use sand from the beach? (I have some crushed coral now but I kind of want sand because I think it looks better)

-What are some relatively easy corals to keep, and could I realistically expect to keep them alive as a novice, and what additional equipment would I need?

-Can someone please post a piture of a seaclone protein skimmer setup? I have one but dont know how to hook it up (came with the tank I got at a garage sale). Im pretty mechanically able but without an understanding of what it is supposed to do I cant make it do it.

-What testing equipment do I need vs. what would be fine to just take samples in to the pet store to have done?

-Are there any must have water treaments I should keep on hand?

-What exactly is liverock?

-Any tips to help with general setup/maintanance? Ive done freshwater with good luck but this seems a bit more complicated.

Thanks in advance,
Josh

 

[philly]

no you cant use sand from the beach. Button Polyp -



Easy corals
Colony Polyp - Yellow Colony Polyp - \
Hairy Mushroom Coral -
Bullseye Mushroom Coral -
Green Fluorescent Mushroom Coral -

 

[philly]

To awnser the rest of you questions i need to no the size of you aquarium.

 

[rokcrawla]

thanks

its a 55 gallon

 

[darb2]

I don't have a seaclone, but could you post a pic? There are past threads about how to tweek your seaclone skimmer. Skimmers basically pull water in a chamber and inject air in it. This creates a foam where Junk rises into a collection cup. hth
The basic test kit should include Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, and copper if you need to treat a sick fish.
There are many good articles in the Articles section about getting starte. The getting started forum has many good posts that may also answer your questions.

 

[philly]

how far away is your fish store because if its more than 20 minutes away the sample will defect

 

[rokcrawla]

unless its traffic time I can get there in 5-10 minutes

 

[philly]

then i would take samples to the fish store

 

[electrikat]

Seaclone has a website with faq and troublshooting tips. Also Drsfostersmith.com has a picture of the skimmer set up on a tank.