Newbie......setting up tank

[rainums]

Hi!

I want to turn my freshwater tank into saltwater. My oscar has gotten too large and I have always wanted a saltwater tank. I had one when I was a child but my only job was feeding so I have no clue! I have done a lot of research but it has only confused me more. I would just like to know the basic setup for a fish only tank that is inexpensive and efficient.

I have a 16g aquarium- does this mean I can't even have four inches of fish??

How should I go about cleaning a used fishtank?

Thanks!

 

[jaiden]

16g is small for SW, but it's possible. Most people here do LR with lots of circulation and a skimmer.

clean it with lots of clean water and vinegar. nothing else.

 

[Brenden]

LR and a skimmer is your beast option. Do not want to scare you off but...
You said inexpensive and SW tank in the same sentence. Seriously though good luck and ask questions here first before you act.

 

[DeathWarp]

Have you considered possibly upgrading the tank size at all? Not implying 16gal. is too small or anything, everyone has their choice of sizes, but it may just be a tad easier. Also, the word "cheap" isnt really used when in the SW hobby lol But it's worth every penny!

 

[AndyH5512]

I agree. Its not the cheapest hobby, but it is certainly fun and very addictive. You can always start out on a tight budget and eventually get more stuff.

 

[Feron]

I'll ring in on the not cheap thing..
spent 250$ the past 4 weekends on this hobby <cough> addiction <cough>.
Of course, I'm playing highroller, it's certainly not needed to spend that much...
But don't think you'll get along on petco's prices in SW.
(the money has gone towards about 200lbs of live rock... you'd need about 20 or so...)

Money aside... I'd have never even begun to think of the majesty and wonder a rock can provide... I'm amazed daily as the whole thing becomes more and more alive...

It's fun playing the shaper of an ecosystem... very much worth every cent..

 

[rainums]

So live rock & a skimmer.....how should I start the cycle? I have read about a dead shrimp so as not to hurt any fish. What is going to do the circulation?

I don't mean cheap like I think it won't cost some money. I mean I'm not looking into the $300 lamps I've seen and I don't want to be taken advantage of by my LFS. I don't want to go in and ask "What do I need to start out?'' and come home with a bunch of expensive stuff that I don't even need. I thought you guys could give me some inside scoop on how to be money savvy and efficient with a small aquarium.

I can't upgrade the tank. It is the upgrade from the 10g freshwater tank I had. I only want a couple of small fish though. Maybe later if I catch the addiction...

So clean it out with vinegar & water, get some live rock and a skimmer.....I'm on it. Any other advice?

 

[rainums]

Oh.....that was 20lbs of LR for a 16g?

 

[coolchinchilla]

Hope you can find a good home for your oscar. A 16-gallon is small for him too. It will get to the point where he can't turn around in the tank.

 

[Feron]

heh one of my lfs has a placo with a hump in his back, cause someone raised the poor guy to be about a foot long in a 20g tank..
talk about misery...
lively healthy fish...just...hump backed..
anyways..
The 'rule of thumb' is anywhere from .75 - 2lbs of live rock per gallon, depending on who you talk to.
20lbs would be right in there.
The LR will add biological filtration, and if you get it first, will do your cycle for you (no need for the shrimp or pig-fish (aka damsels)).
I for one say cycle it how it best fits you. I know a couple people that did the old school method of using fish to 'start the cycle'.
One of em killed a bunch of fish by not reading and adhereing to best practices, the other had happy healthy fish because he did constant management.
That said, the most reliable (and from personal experience, reawrding) method is to go to the lfs (or order) and get some live rock.
Have your water up and going for a couple days before you get it.
Have your sg and all that right enough (get water from the lfs or make your own with ro/di (aka drinking water at the grocers).
Remember rock takes up space, so be ready to remove water (or best, take a gallon or two out before the first rock goes in - save it, might need to top back off).
Rinse your rock with tap water (that's what I did). If the rock smells...stanky... scrub it with an unused toothebrush (even if your LFS says it's cured, it's only barely so..prolly a good bit of dead stuff ont here..usually is white...)
I'd advocate against getting over zealous.. sometimes you can loose some nice items due to scrubbing..
Use common sense.. if it looks like dead crap, remove it.
If it looks like something especially interesting, leave it.
Give that rock a few days in the water with lights n heater n all going (that's what I did anyhow) and start your daily testing.
Keep a log.. it can be handy..

So, just to start it... whatever you had for fresh will work in the mean time.. corals and anenomes take the higher lighting, but it sounds like you got that part..
regular ole flourescene lights work fine for fish for a while. the rock won't care either.. might not get as much growth, but the stuff will be there to grow when you get to adding the proper conditions.

Ok..that's the long, here's the short.

Clean tank.
Substrate settled.
Water in and at the proper sg.
Tank running for a few days.
Add your rock.
Wait a while/test your water to ride out the cycle.


Prolly more to it then that heh, but I'm still a newb of sorts myself..
(but that's all I did, and my box-o-rocks looks awesome)

gl and keep askin questions!!

 

[bbb222]

One idea for after your tank cycles would be to start out simply (and cheaply). You could put in a couple of damsels and some macro algae. Then as you get used to checking your levels and salinity, you have some fish and some color. The damsels and macro algae are also very hardy. Then you could slowly shift toward a more sophisticated tank.

BB

 

[rainums]

OK- so I went to my LFS to see what he would say I needed. He said I should use a wet-dry filter?? What is the diff btwn that and a skimmer?

 

[rainums]

anyone?

 

[jaiden]

a wet/dry filter is basically a bucket of media (usually bioballs) with water pouring over it. this is good for denitrification, but in a reef tank, it is not sufficient for removing nitrATEs

A better solution is a sump with live rock (or live rock rubble. hirocks.com has good cheap rock that will work well) which is kept WET, not wet/dry. also this is a lot cheaper than a wet/dry setup.

A skimmer is a foam fractionator, which fills a column of water with tiny bubbles. these bubbles attract DOC's which then are released into a collection cup as they pop. This is IMO a requirement for a reef tank. Better to save money by not getting a wet/dry and get a good skimmer instead.

MY main advice is to read this site for a few weeks before buying anything, especially from an LFS. they will overcharge you for everything, and often give very bad advice. take your time. learn everything you can. look online for deals, especially on things like skimmers.

 

[rainums]

Ok - I'm not going to have any reef so I'm not sure which parts of the last post I should do. Earlier I have heard LR and a skimmer, so I guess I'll go with that??

Is there a particular type of skimmer I should get for a 16g ? Is it better to order one online?

Don't worry everyone, I'm not actually going to get anything going until I have the perfect set up and know exactly what to do with it, which will be a while!

Thanks everyone.

 

[jaiden]

16g is very tiny for SW. What are you planning to keep in it? Smaller tanks are harder to maintain and really limit your choices.