Hello ... I am new to the hobby and just starting ...

[jen-213]

I have read up on saltwater (Marine) aquariums for the past couple months and decided I'd like to try one. I have made a list of all the things I should be needing for my tank and have begun purchasing things as I raise the money for them. I am planning to have sand as a substrate (live sand) and a bit of live rock (which I relize may not last once fish are added but who knows) with fake decor like corals. I want to keep fish and a couple little crabby guys and maybe a star fish or 2.

I have a 40 g long tank with stand and lighting, a mechanical power filter for use with 40-60 g tanks, and an oscelating powerhead for water movement and aeration.

I think the next step is to buy the heater, thermometer, hydrometer, salt and sand and get the water started. Is this correct?

Then, would I be correct in assuming that (so long as the above is right) I would then need to buy my test kits and begin getting the ph, ammonia and nitrite levels where they need to be?

This is all so new to me that I'm worried I might do something wrong. Any advice would sure be helpful as I'm anxious to get things going so I can add some fish and decor.

 

[Hara]

HI!
Welcome to Aquarium advice.

and a bit of live rock (which I relize may not last once fish are added but who knows)

hmm, you may be under some misconceptions about live rock...what
do you mean by may not last? The rock will be populated with bacteria
that make it good for filtration and by little tiny creatures such as copepods and such...only some fish eat those, but the rock will be fine and the fish will not hurt it any.

 

[loganj]

To take Hara's post a step further, if you can add about 60 lbs or so of LR to the tank, you will not need the power filter. You could run it without media for circulation if you wished. The LR will handle your biological filtration. What powerhead do you have? If it's the Zoomed Powersweep, then the oscillating action won't work for long. Been there, done that . You'll need at least 400 gph flow in the tank and more would be better. MaxiJet powerheads have pretty much passed the test here and are considered to be the best by many of us. Also, were you planning to have a DSB? If so, great. If not, it's something you might want to look into. It will help you tremendously in controlling nitrates in the tank. One last thing that I didn't see mentioned...a skimmer. Many tanks are run without skimmers so you don't HAVE to have one. Since you are just starting out, I'd strongly suggest getting a skimmer though. It will help you a lot with keeping your water quality good and it gives you a buffer when you make a mistake. Since you didn't mention whether a sump was planned, I'll assume you aren't going to set one up at first. I like the Aqua C Remora skimmers. SeaClone, Prizm, and Berlin are other good HOB skimmers. What kind of fish were you thinking about keeping and what kind of lighting system do you have?
Welcome to Aquarium Advice .

 

[jen-213]

Thanks for replying so quickly ...



What I meant about the live rock was that I've heard that sometimes the fish will eat the rocks clean ... leaving just rock ... no big deal but I figured I'd just get a couple small/medium sized rocks to help with cycling and cleaning and see how badly the fish mangle it before deciding on any makjor live rock addition. Being new to this hobby there's so much to learn about!

As far as the power filter it's a Whisper and I think I'd rather stick with that to start with just until I see how things go and if I feel brave enough to go with out then I'll try that once I see how the rock thing works out.

The powerhead is a Penguin, don't know it those are good or not but it looked like a good brand (as I've never had any problem with my other Penguin products) and it was in the mid-range for cost ... not cheap but not the most expensive either. I believe the flow rate said it was like 500 or 600.

Sorry for the stupid question here but ... "DSB"?????? What's that? I'm not too familiar with the hobby yet and haven't picked up on the abrevs.

As far as the skimmer goes, I wasn't planning to use one unless I find it absolutely necessary as I have limited space as it is now with the tank up and I was not very impressed with the way the "in the tank" ones look if they can't be hidden well. I will have to see how things progress before going that route.

As for the light ... it's whatever came with the tank hood. I know you need special lights for live corals and certain invertibrates but I think I read that just a fish tank was ok to keep the regular light on. Please let me know if I should change a bulb or something.

The sand thing really has thrown me for a loop for the past week or so as the live sand can be so expensive. I was thinking of getting either a child's playsand or a beach type sand from Home Depot or Lowes (the kind you use for decoration or sand play around your house) to layer on the bottom and then add a 30lb bag of live sand to the top of that to help get the water cycling. I also don't know ... should I fill the tank and mix the salt water before adding the sand or put the sand in and then add the water and salt mix? This is a lot more owrk then I'm used to ... I've only ever had freshwater tanks before ... but I think it'll all be worth it in the end!

 

[ReefRaff]

oscelating powerhead for water movement and aeration.

I would only use maxi jets from now on. at least two in a 40 Gallon

 

[d9hp]

DSB=Deep sand bed. Also, if you are looking into getting Live Sand (LS) dont buy it in the bags, it is a waste. Sand from HD is ok, but as long as it is not Silia based. I agree with logan about the LR. Throw a good 40-60 lbs in there. The fish will not eat the rocks clean, they will still serve a purpose. The light is fine as long as you dont plan on buying corals

 

[jen-213]

Do you mind if I ask why the Live sand in bags is a waste? I'm not saying it isn't I am just wondering why it would be a waste ... don't you want the live things in the sand too? Just trying to learn ... thanks.

 

[ReefRaff]

Basicly those bags are allot of money, like 20 something for 25 lbs or something rediculess. Hd sand is like 5.00 for 50 lbs. If you can find southdown play sand that would be perfect. you could get a small bag of LS to seed the other.

 

[sokhamik]

oh.. DSB.. deep sand base.. about the sand.. make sure you wash it clean before you add the play sand.. run the water till it turns clear.. i put my live sand first, then i mix the water.. someone told me once not to disturb the sand as much as i can.. but you have to watch out though.. because you're mixing the salt while the sand is in place, some salt will get stuck in the sand and your salinity will go up like a day after you set it up... well that is what happened to me.. oh yeah, make sure you don't mix the salt in the tank when there is livestock in there...

 

[michealprater]

jen-213 , here is a article I wrote a while back. It is clear cut and to the point , I think you will enjoy it.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=23

 

[Hookman]

hey, I'm also new to this. I was wondering how to wash the sand from home depot. I am setting up a 55, I want to use about 1 1/2 inches of live sand and maybe 10 or more pounds of LR. I would use a power filter, skimmer, and 2 PH's. I don't have enough loot for 75lbs of LR. I read in a lot of articles that between 1 and 3 inches of sand is good. I was wondering what you thought? I was mainly trying to figure out how to wash the sand, but any advice from an experienced person helps.
Hookman

 

[d9hp]

I have heard from many, and I believe that the silty stuff that clouds your tank up is good for it. I would not wash it. But if you do I think Logan has a trick. I would go with 2-5 inches on the DSB

 

[ReefRaff]

I have heard an easy way to wash it is to put some in a 5 gallon bucket, take a hose with a sprayer on the end, and push it down into the sand. MAKE SURE the water is not on full blast. the sand should tumble and fall to the bottom while the silt runs over the sides. Do this till you can see the bottom of the bucket. I really strongly sug that you use at least 100 lbs of sand, 10-14 dollars at most at home depot.

 

[fishfreek]

Hm, I have not washed my sand when I use it. Of course my tank is usually clowdy for a few days. But that gives you the maximum amount of particle size disparity.

 

[d9hp]

As Aaron said, it may be cloudy for a few days, but you cant have any fish the first few days anyways. Unless you want to kill them of course.

 

[Guest]

If you are going to use the regular silica play sand, try to move a few bags around to get to the middle of the pallete before putting them on the cart to purchase. I believe this will have helped the sand stay away from the harmful fertilizers that they seem to store it with...I washed mine because it was one of a few left, and right next to it 2 palletes down was scotts turf builder. So, I put it in a 5 gal bucket with the spray nozzle and ran until clear. dumped and did some more until I had enough...If you are going to use Southdown or Yardright play sand, it is from what I understand, packed in plastic bags. This will be ok to just add water and go. I do not suggest rinsing that sand.

 

[michealprater]

I would think that fertilizers would be the least of the problems. You have to remember one main risk when using silica sand. It is taken from the ground in bulk. Loaded by large tractors that could easily leak motor and hydraulic oil into it. Now by no means am I saying dont use it, because that is what I used in my FO tank. I am just pointing out one of the risks.

With that being said I would not rinse the sand. The smaller particles are benificial to the fauna in your DSB.