Newcomer, advice appreciated

[FloridaNewbie]

Hello guys, i am 100% new to salt water coming from a small fresh water... Well i have a 29gal tank, this is what i got:

Bio-Wheel big enough for a 50gal
Power Head 200gph
9W Internal UV Sterilizer with Power Head
Tetra Whisper Air Pump to run some airstones

Do i need a protein skimmer right away ????

I also wanted to get 20lbs of live rock, i also have alot of dead Coral heads...Plus i wanted about 20lbs of live sand...

My local pet store sells saltwater for about $.50 a gallon, i was thinking about doing that instead of my own.

Regarding Fish, i don't care for that right now, i want to make sure the Tank cycles good first.

Thanks
Leo

PS. Will be a fish only tank!

[Sadielynn]

Originally Posted by FloridaNewbie

Hello guys, i am 100% new to salt water coming from a small fresh water... Well i have a 29gal tank, this is what i got:

Bio-Wheel big enough for a 50gal
Power Head 200gph
9W Internal UV Sterilizer with Power Head
Tetra Whisper Air Pump to run some airstones

Do i need a protein skimmer right away ????

I also wanted to get 20lbs of live rock, i also have alot of dead Coral heads...Plus i wanted about 20lbs of live sand...

My local pet store sells saltwater for about $.50 a gallon, i was thinking about doing that instead of my own.

Regarding Fish, i don't care for that right now, i want to make sure the Tank cycles good first.

Thanks
Leo

PS. Will be a fish only tank!

Keep the HOB filter loose the bio wheel nitrAte factory . Power head you may wish to up that to 2 minijets 606 or 404 for circulation . Make sure that the PH you have is rated for salt water use ..
UV not real well versed on them but I think you can use it for salt .
Loose the air stones they cause alot of salt creep and some fish it can cause their swim bladder problems , and can get under the skin , this is primairly for seahorses tho ..
Skimmers are of help but you do not need one right away most of that can be taken care of in small systems with low bio load with weekly PWC .
As for the salt water that is up to you whether you mix your own or buy... As for the LR and LS you may wish to get a bit more closer to 30 LBS as this will also act as a biological filter . You can throw in a piece of table shrimp to kick start the cycle . It should look sort of like this
Ammonia rise fall 0
NitrIte rise fall 0
NitrAte rise fall you want to keep under 20
Ph 8.0 - 8.4
SPG 1.024 -1.026
HTH

[roka64]

WELCOME TO AA!!!

Please do not cycle with live animals.

Sadielynn gave some great advice. I would toss the airstone, the UV can be used with SW. I think you will find premixing your own SW is better, you will be able to regulate the salinity, temp and pH. I mix mine for at least 24 hours. I paid $31.00 for 160Lbs of salt. I believe it is a good idea to premix my own, in case of a problem and the LFS is closed.
As for the LR, you should shoot for 1.5-2Lbs per gallon for proper filtration. I would suggest mixing base rock (dead, will become live) with some LR. I have hear good things about this place for base rocks and am planning on ordering 150Lbs from him, in the next few weeks.
http://marcorocks.com/
As for the sand, I would buy the dry stuff. I like to order from:
drsfosterandsmith.com
They don't charge by weight and have just about everything you will need.

[melosu58]

So much good advice. I have nothing new to add. I definitely agree with getting rid of the airstones.

[FloridaNewbie]

Thanks for the Advice guys, what is the best type of filtration recommended for a sw tank ?? because i got all the stuff, but i haven't open the filter yet, so i can return it! Also the 9w Uv comes witha powerhead 130ghp, plus my aditional powerhead..do i need more ?


I was looking at skimmers, and come across this, what do you guys think ?? is it a little cheap?

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.as...familyID=7731&

Thanks for the Welcome, and don't worry, i read enought to know about not using live animals.... raw shrimp will be my Lab rat!!

Thanks
Leo

[Sadielynn]

you can certianly use the HOB filter just be sure to maintain it weekly so you dont have any build ups of organic wastes. I use the penguin on mine http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products.../Itemdy00.aspx
I love it but it does need weekly care... just lose the biowheels ...I would shoot for 10-20x turn over of water as this helps prevent dead spots and algea issues in the long run . I have no experience on the skimmer but have heard good things of the berlin...But as I said no personal experience of it ....

[roka64]

I also have no experience with skimmers, but have read good stuff on the Berlins.

[melosu58]

I have no experience with that type skimmer but if you can get 1 1/2 - 2 lbs per gallon of LR and a skimmer that would be enough biological filtration. That`s all I had for the first several yrs before I got this 125 and all I added to that was a refugium. And by the way. Where are my manners. Welcome to AA

[FloridaNewbie]

thank you so much guys, i was reading a couple of books, and i got the Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies book...i also have a Penguim Sadielynn, but its the 200 model because i have a smaller tank... i looked around and that skimmer sounds good, so i will by it just to be safe. i also forgot to add that i have a Heater too, LOL. Anyways i am going to start my cycling next week...

The guy at my lfs told me that the saltwater they sell is actually fresh from the ocean( i live by the beach in FLorida) he says a boat brings it from about 5 miles off the coast everyday, so if i used that saltwater with the cured rocks they have($1.99lb) my cycling should be quick! so i may do that and save the actual salt for my weekly water changes.

whats better, crush coral or just regular sand? maybe a mix ?? the guy said it was up to me, but he recommends sand.


thanks again guys, and i'll put up pics as soon as my set up is done
Leo

[melosu58]

Originally Posted by FloridaNewbie

whats better, crush coral or just regular sand? maybe a mix ?? the guy said it was up to me, but he recommends sand.

I would do all sand. You dont want to mix because the sand will make it`s way to the botton and just CC will be on top. CC is not as good because it will trap fish waste and other stuff and will have alot of nitrates in your tank IMO