stocking a 200 gallon tank....need some help...

[1212chris1]

it will be like this...


2 true occellaris clown fish
2 neon goby
1 yellow tang(after the tank is setup for a while)
1 blue tang(after tank is setup for a while)
1 flame dwarf angelfish
1 starry blenny
2 flame wrasse
bunch of sand sifting snails
maybe some shrimp

turns out im getting a 200 gallon tank

ill up the sump to 110 gallons
90 pounds live rock
140 pounds dry rock
SRO 3000 protien skimmer



anything else that i could add?

other fish i want to add...(not all of themm just a wish list!)

2 purple firefish
1 bicolor blenny
1 coral bueaty angelfish
1 kole tang
1 christmas wrasse
? banded coral shrimp
? turbo snails
1 sand sifting sea star


some questions.....

how do you acclimate saltwater fish?

what would be the weekly maintenance?

how to setup sump and protien skimmer?

good lighting choices?

how many powerheads would i need and what is a good brand and model?

how to make the saltwater?

how to do WC's?

What to feed the fish once there in?

how to cycle the tank?

how to test for salinity?

lol tons of questions

good luck answering them......

thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ronk]

That is a whole lot to answer at one time. There are stickies on the saltwater forums for getting started. It is good you are starting off with a bigger tank. It is more forgiving. But the larger the tank the longer and more expensive your water changes will be. I personaly use trash cans and a mixing pump for all my salt mixing and you can use a hydrometer to measure your specific gravity.

 

[ronk]

If you explore this site you will find a ton of articles that will answer all of your questions. Good luck with your start up

 

[melosu58]

How to cycle the tank is an easy one.

Cycle your salt tank

 

[pat8you]

I don't see any problems with the fish you have chosen. You could probably even add in a few of the ones from your want list as well.

how do you acclimate saltwater fish?

Start by floating the fish in tank water for about 15 min to get the temp. the same. Slowly add water by pouring a small amount in at a time ever 15 minutes or so. You can also put the fish in a bucket on the floor after matching the temperature and using a loose knot in some flexible airline to allow a few drops a minute into the bucket from the main tank. You can search the site or google for detailed directions.

what would be the weekly maintenance?

Just cleaning out skimmer, any sponges/filter pads, running a mag float over the glass. Skimmer may need to be cleaned less depending on the skimmer and the tank. Glass may need to be cleaned more often.

how to setup sump and protien skimmer?

Sumps Explained

Protein skimming - is it right for you?

Refugiums,fuges or refuge

Another really good site for sumps is melevsreef.com. Tons of good reading there.

good lighting choices?

This will depend on if you want coral or not. If it is just fish then a 2 bulb T-5 fixture will do the trick. If you want coral it could be anything from a 4 bulb T-5 to halides or LEDs depending on what you want to keep.

how many powerheads would i need and what is a good brand and model?

This is kind of a tricky question. Fish only tanks need less water flow. Somewhere in the range of 5 -10x turn of rate of the main display volume. Reefs require more flow and that is going to be a whole conversation. The short answer is it depends on what coral/tank set up you have. Tunze, Korallia make decent power heads and Vortech is expensive but they are super nice.

how to do WC's?

Start a siphon, suck water out, try to get loose debris/poop/left over food off the rocks and sand. Put water back in. Just make sure you try and match the temp and ph if you are doing larger then about a 15% water change. Still better to match even with small changes as well. Let your mixed water sit for 12-24 hours while the salt fully mixes and the PH has a chance to get stable.

What to feed the fish once there in?

A mix of frozen foods (mysis is a solid choice for a lot of fish) as well as some dry pellets/flakes if you want. Every other day is fine for most fish. Some will require a more specialized diet or more frequient feeding. Read up on fish carefully before you buy them. Don't let fish store employees talk you into something you don't know about. Half the time the don't know what the F they are talking about anyway.

how to test for salinity?

I highly suggest you get a refractometer. You can get a hydrometer for cheaper but they are not accurate and can cause more trouble then they are worth. You can get a refractometer for cheap on ebay. While your there pick up a go RO/DI unit for when you need fresh top off water and water to mix your salt with. Tap water is no good.

That should get you started. Use the search tool on this site for a lot of your basic questions as well as the articles section. Chances are many of your questions are already answered in more detail somewhere on the site. Good luck with the new tank.