new setup, need comments on making it better :)

[Dan_Forbz]

hello there, i just today set up a saltwater aquarium ( there are no fish)

so far this tank is a 20g, that used to have freshwater fish in it, so firstly i took everything out and cleaned the whole tank down with a cloth ( no chemicals)

after the tank was spotless, i decided to wash some shell grit in a bucket and have placed that in, plus all the happy little ornaments

for saltwater, i have decided, living so close to the beach, i will use that as my source of water. i have after placing everything filled the tank up with salt water from the ocean, so far i havent tested it, due to not having a test kit, which will be coming within a week.

i am planning on getting a breeding pair of clownfish for this tank, firstly is this size tank big enough for the two? (dont worry, the fish wont be going in until the tank is absolutely perfect. ive read that the salinity needs to be 1.026 for clownfish, is this right??

so , back to the tank, it is at the moment running the pump, with air flowing through, and the light on ( i have placed a piece of glass inbetween the water and the light, to prevent rusting of the light attachment.

so after i have obtained the test kit and a hydrometer, i plan on getting the water results right, for two clownfish can anyone tell me what water parameters they prefer? also temperature.

current look of tank: at this present time the tank is reasonably cloudy, i presume from the salt stirred and the shell grit having to settle. i presume this will settle in a few days.

can anyone tell me what im doing wrong, last this i want is a heap of dead fish, and me having to go back to freshwater due to utter embarrassment.

please feel free to reply, i assume im making a lot of mistakes

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I'll just comment about the tank - while I have a single clownfish, keeping a breeding pair is a completely different story so I'll let those that have done it comment about that.

2 clowns in a 20g... you should be OK, but don't expect to put much of anything else in there. Maybe a little tiny goby, but not much else.

Saltwater from the ocean... wouldn't be my choice (and I'm near saltwater), but it's just a personal thing. For me, I want to make sure my water is as good as I can get, and consistent from water change to water change. If I get it from a "natural" source, I don't have the foggiest idea what might be in it, as far as parasite, pathogens, pollution, etc. If I have a problem with the tank, I'd never know if it was my water doing it. I'd rather start with pure water (DI or RO/DI), add a commercial salt mix, and have the same water every single time - no doubts.

Yes... salinity of 1.026 is fine. You'll find recommended temps anywhere between 76 and 80. If you're going to add coral at some point, you might want to shoot for the higher range of the two - again, just my opinion.

No need to run the air through the powerhead. Saltwater tanks normally don't get much aeration that way - you aeration will come from surface ripple at the top of the tank, or a skimmer if you go that route.

If you haven't already purchase the hydrometer, I'd skip it and go right to a refractometer. Hydrometers are not the most accurate way to measure salinity and can be off by quite a bit. A refractometer is pricier, but definitely a "must have" in my book. You're going to buy one eventually if you stay in the hobby more than 6 months, so why not just start out with one!

You didn't mention cycling, and I don't want to assume, so... don't forget to cycle your tank! Cycle your salt tank

 

[Dan_Forbz]

okay, ill look into the pure water, i am cycling the tank at this present time, as for the aeration, would just an air pump, going through a bubble curtain and the pump be sufficient, or would it be best to look into a skimmer?.

as for refractometers, would ebay be a good place to purchase these, haha the pet shop didnt even have a hydrometer.

as for fish going in the tank, i was only planning on getting the breeding pair of clowns, and maybe a cleaning shrimp.

for the ornaments i have a piece of dead coral bought at the pet store, would that be considered as a live rock ?? or would it be considered that once some critters start living on it??

thanks for the info also, i need quite a bit for saltwater aquariums i can see

 

[Dan_Forbz]

haha also how do you use a refractometer, im looking at one and it seems you look in the end of it ?? any ideas ?? lol

 

[mr_X]

actually, store bought salt mixes are not the same every time. they settle a lot during shipping and more times than not you'll get different levels of this or that.
i would think the water taken directly from the ocean would be more consistent. the trouble with pulling SW from the shore line is that this is where the ocean expels it's waste. taking the water from miles off shore would be a better option if at all possible.

you just put a few drops of water on the end of the refractometer and look through the lense and read the result. easy.
yes, ebay is a good source for those.

live rock is labeled such when it's covered with bacteria. dead coral will become live eventually. the critters that live in the rock are bonuses, or problems, depending on the creature. it's not what makes the rock "live".

 

[Dan_Forbz]

thanks alot, this is very helpful, so it would be better to obtain water from out far in the sea ill make sure to pack some plastic jerry cans in the boat next time , supposedly i heard that if the water is placed in a cool spot for about 10 days, this should guarantee that the water would be reasonable clean from parasites, ( not from oil, etc.)

out of curiousity, when i pulled up the water from the ocean today, there seemed to be alot of brown algae in it, this is a common problem for our area, could this affect the water in anyway if i filtered it all out?

also how exactly does a protein skimmer work? and is it worth having one, if so, i would need to set it up into a sump, due to the tank being a full topped aquarium.

also would i need to use a wave maker etc, to create more air, when i firstly have the pump, putting air into the water, and also a bubble curtain??

thanks for helping

 

[Dan_Forbz]

how exactly could i connect up a sump to a top load biochemical filter with the whole top covered ??

 

[mr_X]

a protein skimmer works by mixing tiny bubbles with water. as the air bubbles and water mix, dissolved organic compounds, waste, and particulate matter attach to the surface of the bubbles and rise to the top of the reaction chamber, and fall over the lip into the collection cup.

i would never say anything bad about the use of a protein skimmer. it removes waste. it's so necessary to do so in a closed system. however, for a small tank such as a 20 gallon, i would probably rely on weekly water changes. probably 20% a week, and watch my feeding/bio load, and the tank would be fine.

you are not going to want to keep the tank covered. you are better off keeping the top open to allow for gas exchange. you would use power heads inside the tank to keep water moving.
i don't know if i would implement a sump for a 20 either. you'll need a HOB overflow box or better yet, drill the tank in order to accomplish this.


salt water tanks are managed differently than fresh water, in that you don't want visible bubbles in the display. you would not want to use a bubble curtain, or air stones in the display itself.
as stated above, you'll get your oxygen in the water at the surface, with agitation, and with an optional protein skimmer.

i don't know where you heard about leaving water in a cool place for 10 days to kill parasites, but it was not accurate. depending on the parasite, it might take a lot longer than 10 days. it's not the temperature so much, but lack of food sources/hosts that will kill them off.

it would not effect the water negatively if you filtered out the algae, but i'm not convinced that you're local water is ok to use. just as a protein skimmer uses bubbles to remove waste from the tank, so does the ocean. i'm sure you've seen that frothy, filthy gunk at the shores from time to time. this is the ocean's way of expelling waste. that water you are considering might be loaded with nutrients.
is this water clear besides the algae? what does the algae look like? is it tiny pieces, or larger strands? do you see a lot of fish at the shore lines?

 

[Dan_Forbz]

the water around this area has a few fish near the shorelines, , especially near the rocks and at the river mouth( where i obtained the water) dont worry its a saltwater river.

the brown algae is tiny little bits of hair like substance that eventually builds up and forms large clumps.

so using an airstone ( bubble wall etc) is bad in saltwater aquaria ?

the tank as shown in the pictures attached is fully enclosed so i dont really have the option to place any hang on equipment. as for the water moving at the surface, there is still plenty of movement due to the pump pushing the water into the chambers as shown in pics, and going through filters , then pushing back down into the tank like a waterfall. will this way be a way of obtaining enough air through the slight agitation.

this makes quite a problem with this top, but its the way the tank is designed.

as for testing , i have conducted a ph test and got a 8.0. is this okay for clownfish?? i know of course there are plenty of other things to be tested,

also would the ammonia test, nitrite test and nitrate test from the freshwater master test kit by api work with saltwater ?? haha

please feel free to leave any comments

 

[mr_X]

a ph of 8 is ok. i don't know about using fresh water test kits. i recommend using salt water test kits. they make both types for a reason.

you know about cycling a tank, correct?

 

[Dan_Forbz]

yes i do know about cycling tanks. dont worry, no fish is going in there until the first nitrogen cycle has passed

 

[Dan_Forbz]

also had a look at the api test kits , they are the same for salt and freshwater tanks, by looking at the individual bottles saying for use with saltwater / freshwater might help some people save a bit of cash with that ive tested this theory, the nitrite one is for both, and the high range ph is for both supposedly from my looking. still gonna get the saltwater testers ,just for assurance