?'s from a newbe

[Fatdaddy82]

Ok so i finally have my tank up kinda tank has yet to bloom its been 2weeks what do i do and is it safe to drop fish also im kinda stuck as to how to choose what type of tank to go with whats the diff between saltwater & reef and saltwater & nano reef

 

[Peteostler43614]

If you are new at fishkeeping I would recommend starting with a tropical planted tank. After you get more experience, then I would recommend upgrading to a saltwater tank.

 

[TheTodd]

I'm kinda lost...you say you have a tank set up, but it has yet to "bloom"? Do you mean cycle? If so, then you need to wait until your ammonia and nitrites are at zero. Your nitrates will be high. Do a water change to lower those and then you add fish...slowly.

What size tank do you have? What filtration, lighting, etc? How much live rock? If you are going to do reef, you need to be sure you have proper lighting and filtration. The difference between the two reefs is one is generally small and the other can be as big as you want. Size will limit your fish selection. Nanos are extremely difficult to keep everything constant (temp, salinity, parameters, etc), which is what corals require. IMO, nano tanks for beginners are not the best idea.

 

[Ingy]

im kinda stuck as to how to choose what type of tank to go with whats the diff between saltwater & reef and saltwater & nano reef

Saltwater is the generic term for all different types of tanks. Typically they all run a salinity around 1.025 SG. Then you break them down into groups;

Reef-These tanks have corals. Lighting requirements are specific and can be the most costly part of these tanks, apart from the livestock. Certain fish cannot be housed in Reef tanks as they eat corals. Water maintenance is more critical in these tanks as most corals need better water quality.

FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock)-As stated, these tanks only have fish and a rockscape. Lighting is not important and almost any lighting system can be used, even the T8 lights from your old Freshwater system. Any type of fish should be suitable for these tanks. Most predator fish seem to be housed in FOWLR tanks. Good starter point for new hobbiests as these tanks can normally be upgraded into Reef tanks later once you get more experience. Water quality is not as important here, and again that makes it a good starter tank to learn how to control excess nutrients.

Nano tank-A generic term for a smaller tank. In the saltwater world, smaller typically means anything less than about 30 gals. Maintaining stable salinity can be an issue (due to evap) as well as water quality due to a lack of "inertia" in the water mass.

Pico Tank- really small tanks, about 10 gals or less. Not really suitable for any fish, but can make nice office reef tanks with corals and invertibrates only. Imagine a small 4-5 gal desk tank with just some pulsing xenia and maybe a zoa colony, along with a hermit or 2 and a shrimp. Unfortunately, when things go wrong in a small tank like that, they go wrong fast.

I think a nice starter (and where I started) is a larger nano FOWLR tank. I learned about nitrate management and continued my research before my big upgrade.

Good luck

 

[Fatdaddy82]

I've just made the move from fresh to salt i understand the basics of having and maintaining a tank just my first attempt at saltwater and want to make sure i do not cut corners and yes by bloom i do mean cycle i was told i should see at least 2-3 diff algae blooms before i drop fish in Im running a 56gal column tank with a t8 actinic blue single light for now a fuval For a 150 gal that pumps 300gps got heater tank temp range set at 76-78 f no simmer yet but will be on before i add fish i guess thats it for set up i have about 7lbs of live rock with live sand having a hard time reading salt lvs with the instant ocean hydrometer on my 2nd meter like to have salt read 1.023 but it seems like no matter how much salt i put in it keeps reading 1.020-1.021 i think theres more to this meter than just fill with water lol

 

[Ingy]

Hydrometer use - 1. Fill with water (for added weight).
2. Throw away as far as you can.
3. Buy a refractometer off ebay.

You should put more rocks in there. If money is an issue, get base rocks for around $1/lb. online is cheap, and most stores will ship 50lb boxes, which would be a good start. Maybe even more (75lbs).

Light, as I said, your T8 will work, but the actinic might make everything look a bit wonky. Right now I'm suffering an issue with one of my ballasts in my light and only the actinics are working. Yuk. Can't wait for my replacement ballast to arrive and get the whites back on.

 

[Fatdaddy82]

And thanx for the run down of the diff kinds of tanks i think i made my mind up from the info im going with a fowlr tank learn the ropes and go for a reef later

 

[TheTodd]

FOWLR is a good starting point. For cycling, it is about building up beneficial bacteria, which is a biological process, its not about algae. You may get diatom blooms in new tanks, but that is not a part of the cycle. Those usually clear up after a couple weeks.

Are you testing your water? That is what's going to tell you when you can add fish. Also...how are you cycling your tank? There needs to be an ammonia source for the bacteria to get started.

 

[Fatdaddy82]

I was not told i needed to do anything to start the cycle i know with my fresh water tanks i always added a feeder fish to the tank to kick start the cycle i was told with saltwater that the live sand and rocks would do that them selfs s*^%t lol is there a step im missing plz do tell

 

[Fatdaddy82]

And no have not tested water yet due to not knowing if salt lvs were correct or not was not sure if it would give a false reading or not like i said this hydrometer is wacky as all can be i just bought a refractometer off ebay for $45 like suggested in this thread

 

[TheTodd]

Livestock and/or sand will have some amount of beneficial bacteria, but they need an ammonia source to feed off of. That is generally done "fish-in", which is basically what you mentioned with freshwater. The bad side of that is you are exposing your fish to high level if ammonia and nitrites, which at best causes damage and at worst kills them. The more humane way is to either use ammonia or throw a shrimp in the tank (not live shrimp, the kind from your grocery store). The shrimp will decay and the bacteria feed off of that.

Google saltwater cycle and read a few articles, so you have a clear idea of how this process will unfold. They will explain way better than I can.

 

[TheTodd]

You will want to get a saltwater test kit too. Don't use the test strips, go with liquid. You will use this moving forward after you add fish to make sure your parameters stay in check. It's easy to do. Good purchase with the refractometer! Much better than hydrometers.

 

[Scelzin1]

If you don't know the difference between those types of tanks to keep you need to do a lot of research before you even think of buying anything because you don't know what you are talking about.

 

[Ingy]

I think you're asking the right questions, getting good answers and taking away the important information. Keep asking the questions and I think you'll be ready to stock your FOWLR tank once your cycle is complete.
You're right not to run a skimmer during the cycle as it removes those ammonias you want to build up in the cycle. I would add the cocktail shrimp Todd mentioned for the cycle vice ammonia as it is easier (no chance of getting the wrong ammonia or over dosing) albiet less controlled. With the Fluval filter, you will need to ensure you clean it regularly as they can cause a build up of nitrates if you don't. But they do provide a nice place to run other medias for control of nitrates, phosphates and silicates. Again, not during the cycle.

If you're going to add more rocks as well, do it during the cycle. That way you don't have to cycle them in a seperate container.