Ok i just setup my tank...now i have 4000 questions lol

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kylebacc

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jan 5, 2006
Messages
55
Location
Naples, FL
Hey,

I have been reading this forum for a few hours and decided it is definatly worth while to register and ask questions :)

Yesterday, I went to my LFS with a friend and I ended up spending $123.43 on saltwater conversion supplies when all i was doing was trying to get some freshwater fish. Go figure. Anyway, that's not the problem, it's just that now that I got all this stuff and did what the dealer told me to do, I don't know where to go.

They told me to come back in on Friday (tomorrow) for some fish. But let me first tell you what I have:

29 gal Aquarium
30 gal and 70 gal HOB filters
20 lbs live sand...thinking I may want some more...its not very much
A hydrometer that is now reading 1.025
And i put in some of this ph balancing stuff that the LFS sold me

Anyway now I am reading these forums and it sounds like I shouldn't be going back for fish tomorrow? Also, the guy at the LFS told me that in order to have all the cool reefs and moving things in the tank I would have to spend a million or so dollars for lighting. Keeping in mind I am sixteen, I didn't want to spend all that. So he said I could do a FO tank and keep my same light. But then I was reading on this forum that there is FOWLR tanks. Do I need the expensive lights for LR? What is the difference in LR and reef or corals? Or for that matter anemones and urchins. I know a lot of this may seem a little...basic but I need to learn it sometime :D

Anyway, I just need some (or a lot) of advice on where to go from here. Should I go back and buy the $6.99 fish that he told me they would start me off with to cycle the tank? Can I do the LR thing? Is it pretty?

Thanks so much in advance,
Kyle
 
Welcome to AquariumAdvice.com!!! :D :D :D :D :D
I went to my LFS with a friend and I ended up spending $123.43 on saltwater conversion supplies
Oh, this is just the begining. You will soon see that this is not a cheap hobby.
They told me to come back in on Friday (tomorrow) for some fish
This is VERY bad advice. I would search out a new LFS.
And i put in some of this ph balancing stuff that the LFS sold me
Yup, time to find another LFS.
the guy at the LFS told me that in order to have all the cool reefs and moving things in the tank I would have to spend a million or so dollars for lighting
If you plan to keep corals you will need to have a lighting upgrade. IT will not cost your millions of dollars, but it will cost some. The types of corals you wish to keep will dictate just what type of lighting you will need to get. You do not need any special lighting for a FOWLR tank. I recommend using LR in the tank.
What is the difference in LR and reef or corals?
A tank with LR uses the LR as biological filtration for the tank. A reef tank takes it a step further by adding corals and other inverts as well as the LR.

I am glad you are excited to jump into SW. However, this is not something that should be done on a "whim". There is a lot of reasearch that should be done prior to setting up a tank. Fromt he sounds of it, you LFS is not a good place to start. Browse this site and check out the "Articles" section at the top of the page for great info on getting started and how to do a "fishless" cycle. Read, read,, read.
 
Hey,

Thanks for the input. I think that my LFS is basically the only one really in my area that does the whole saltwater thing. But I will look into it. I suppose what I will have to do is get all my info and advice here, and just go there to get what I need. So how much would the lighting cost for the reefs and whatnot (on average)? I typed in metal halide 30" on ebay and came up with something that looked nice but was $300. That's quite a bit for me. I think I'll just have to stick to the FOWLR.

Anyway, I suppose I'll do this shrimp thing for the cycling, becuase I'll only be able to get a few pounds of LR at a time until I have as much as I want.

Again, thanks for the input!
 
Sounds like you definitely need to get advise here instead from LFS. Since you are starting out and will need a considerable amount of supplies I would suggest ordering from fishsupply.com, liveaquaria.com, or marinedepot.com. Their prices will be cheaper than the LFS and they offer free shipping on larger orders.
 
Believe me, LFS are only out to sell you something, they usually do not care about what they sell. I work for one and it just ticks me off having to sell fish to someone that has never owned an aquairum let alone a betta fish one week after setting it up. I have watched them sell fish on day 1. It is bad advice.. I try so hard to tell them no. But I need the xtra $ and discounts. I have a boss who is out for the money and not conservation. None of the LFS here in Jax have even asked me how old or how stocked my tank is. Just point and they sell. I can't go with the idea just because they tried to sell you fish on the first day or a week after, to find another fish store, just read, have patience and learn about what you would like to acheive and enjoy taking the time to get there. Try not to ask advice from the LFS, and visit here more often and ask questions.. Believe me, it is a hurry up and wait hobby, but a highly enjoyable one. :mrgreen:
 
Welcome to AA :D

The ph buffer shouldn’t hurt anything as long as it’s buffered for around 8.2. Just check your ph and try to keep it around that mark. You sw mix should already give you a reading of about 8.0+ If you haven’t bought a sw test kit I’d get one soon so you know when your cycle is complete. A saltwater master test kit from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Red Sea, or Salifert are the more popular brands, I’d avoid any “test strips” though.

mh lighting isn’t necessary for most corals and since you’re just starting out it’s going to be 6+ months before your tank is ready for them. The 30” Coralife pc lights would be sufficient for most corals you might consider.

Also if you are using tap water you would be much better off with a small ro\di unit or you can buy your ro\di water from your lfs (not sure if I’d trust them to change the filters though) or ro water from your grocery store. Tap water has tons of contaminates other than just chlorine which will adversely effect the tank, especially if you plan on keeping corals down the road.
 
is it ok if i already put it in then lol ?
I would just leave it out. Ph is not important durning the cycling process, especially if you are using the fishless method. Once your tank cycles and you do a couple of water changes you will have a better hande on your Ph baseline. I would not interupt this with the buffer at this point.
 
You need to slow down and take a breather. You will spend a lot less money that way, and you won't end up with dead fish and a bad experience.

Read this site for at least a couple of weeks before you buy anything else. Also, look around for another LFS. I have to drive 30 mins to find a good one. You will also get better deals for pretty much everything online.
 
Ok well thanks for all the input guys. Here's an update:

I went and bought 3.5 lbs of LR. Yeah, I know its not a lot but everything is expensive in naples so ill have to deal with it until i get my next check lol.

So I went to my same LFS and bought the LR, which looks like crap compared to the rock they have in their display tanks. but I do believe it has quite a bit of life in it. If I can find a digital camera, I will try to take a picture and show you all. I really like how the tank is looking, even though there is basically nothing in it lol. I can't wait to put more.

I told the LFS what you guys told me and he says yea well most people in naples cycle their tanks with fish but he was ok with me cycling mine with LR and maybe 1 fish. I told him I would just like the LR for now :) He told me to come back in a few days for a fish :roll:

Now what I'm wondering is, will the LR cycle my tank? Or do I still need to throw in a shrimp? And is it absolutely nessicary to purchase all the PH, nitrate, nitrite, etc test kit, or can i just wait for a good two months before I put any fish in to guarantee the cycle is complete? I'd like to spend as little as possible with this, but I also don't want to sacrifice quality. So if i have to, tell me. And if you know of a good place to get one for cheap, lemme know :D lol

Oh and some guy in the LFS was telling me that when he first started out, he had a 29 gal just like me and that he had a single florecent just like me and he said his LR gave him a couple of corals and mushroom thingys and stuff with just that lighting...is it possible to get a little something with just my light? Is that true?

Anyway, I just thought I would update you guys on the progress and see if you had any tips or suggestions.

Thanks so much!
 
Still sounds like your lfs is just out to make a buck. I’m surprised he didn’t try to sell you some high end lighting. If the lr was circulating in water than it’s probably not going to give you enough die off (or any) to cycle your tank. I’d still use the shrimp to cycle and yes you will have to buy a test kit. At the very least to test for nh3, no2, no3 & ph along with a hydrometer or refractor meter to measure the sg. A cheap floating hydrometer will be ok to start out with and for basic tests the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Saltwater Master Test Kit or the Red Sea Marine Lab are both good kits to start out with.

As far as lighting goes you could get some low light corals with your current setup but I’d wait 6+ months before adding any IMO.
 
yea i think the only reason he didnt try to sell me the high end lighting is because i told him straigt up un the beginning that i didnt have the money for it and wasnt interested in it at the moment. I have a hydtometer and right now it reads 1.025. and i suppose ill go get that test kit. And i'll throw in that shrimp. should i expect cloudiness during the cycle?

and yea, i didnt plan on adding any corals soon i was just wondering if it was possible to get a little something with my light. I think I may actually get the lighting later though, what do you think of this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Current-USA-30-...ryZ46314QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

is that worth $300? And the current cover/lighting i have for my aquarium is 30" so is tat right for this lighting? Would this mount onto my tank or would I have to hang it over it?
 
Use about one third of a dead shrimp to cycle, since this is a small tank. Try to get something fresh and unfrozen, but certainly uncooked. Toss it in right away. Keep an eye on your salinity and water level,and be sure you have some water movement. Then let the tank sit for a few weeks.

I agree that you HAVE to buy test kits, but I don't see any reason to buy one this week, if you put the shrimp in now. The cycle won't be complete until sometime after the shrimp disappears, so you have some time if you want to save money for the moment.

You can also take your water in to be tested somewhere, but I expect this will be as expensive soon.

I advise saving the money on lighting and not getting corals for at LEAST 6 months after you have a fish. You will have a lot better idea of where you want to spend money after that point

Also, I was thinking that you should have 16 to 24 lb of LR (in a 16g, right?) and you really need to get this soon. One thing you may not know is that as long as you have SOME "real" LR, you can get by with "Dry" rock, if you can find it. www.hirocks.com has some GREAT stuff that's not too expensive (but it will take a while to get to you). This is rock that WAS part of a reef, but dried up. You should wash it off well and then put it in. It will become "real" live rock in months/years, but will work for filtration almost right away. In a small tank, the $35 box of small pieces may work for you. Also you can call them and see if they can put something together for you custom. $52 for a 30 lb box of the "good" stuff is even better and worth a lot more than anything the LFS will sell you.
 
If money is tight right now the best thing to do is throw 1/2 shrimp in tank with pumps etc running and just keep it topped off for a couple weeks. In that couple weeks buy yourself a muti-test and if you have spare money buy more LR or better yet order a box of base rock like jaiden suggested. In 2-3 weeks check your NH3, NO2, NO3 levels. If NH3 and NO2 are undetectable but you do have NO3 do a WC to get the NO3 within a safe range and you will be able to add your first fish (also check your PH and ALK. Make sure it is stable). If you still have NH3 and NO2 wait a few more days and check it again. From what you described I would not even think of corals right now. It is going to be a few months before your tank is stable enough to try them. In that time save up for a new light fixture. I personally would stay away from aquatraders. They have a bad rep.
 
IMO aquatraders is hit or miss, some people are happy with them and others are not. I really think it comes down to "you get what you pay for" Seems like he was looking for cheap which is why I pointed him in that direction as well as the more quality lights from hellolights :)

Brenden, were those moon lights you got from aquatraders junk?
 
I have no complaints with the moon lights. Like you said hit and miss. The T5's I got were junk.
 
hi...

kylebacc said:
is it ok if i already put it in then lol ?

Yes, you are ok with it in there. Just don't need to use it anymore til your cycle is complete. By then, you should have a better handle on how the ph is and may not even need it anymore. I wouldn't change out all the water just to get it out. Just leave it as is and no need to add any more.
 
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