saltwater newbie

[MatthewM]

Ok so for Christmas I'm wanting to set up my first saltwater tank but i know very little about it! I intend to get a 55 that comes with a cascade 300 filter but I know nothing about cycling a salt tank or what's required for filtration! Is rock a requiremeant or would standard filters do the job?

 

[Sniperhank]

It depends what kind of tank you want to have. If you want a fish only, you will probably have a sump or canister filter. If you want FOWLF, which I would suggest, the lr does most of your filtering even though i still think it is a good idea to have a sump and protein skimmer. Until my sump is up and running, I continue to run a simple carbon filter due to paranoia.

 

[MatthewM]

Well fish only is more what I'm looking at right now! I can always go to reef later if I decide to! Would some live rock and a hob skimmer with hob filters work for filtration? I don't really intend to do a sump on this tank seeing as its my first and its only a 55

 

[Sniperhank]

I'm sumping my 36...lol.

But whatever filtration you deside on, I would add some LR in there personally. It does a good job at filtering.

 

[MatthewM]

Lol I understand that the sump is better but Ii am very inexperienced with the whole plumbing thing and I'd rather buy filters for he first one! Would hob filters do ok?

 

[iadubber]

I'm planning my first FOWLR tank now. I plan to build a 20 gallon sump with a skimmer.

 

[MatthewM]

Is it a requirement to do a sump? Or is it ok to use standard filters? I don't want to sump unless its neccasary so is it possible to do it another way?

 

[iadubber]

Is it a requirement to do a sump? Or is it ok to use standard filters? I don't want to sump unless its neccasary so is it possible to do it another way?

Not required but recommended. Yes you can do HOB filters but a sump gives you more flexibility and you can hide most of the equipment (heaters, pumps, skimmers etc, in the tank stand). And they can be cheaper if you DIY.

Another plus is increased water volume.

 

[MatthewM]

So the sump can be cheaper than say 2 cascade 300's? If so I'm starting to see more benefits of it! The biggest thing I'm worried about is the plumbing involved I have no idea hoe to do that kind of thing!

 

[Sniperhank]

There are lots of directions/youtube diy stuff. All it really is is say a smaller tank with some dividers held in place by caulking. That is really simplified, but the videos/directions will explain it better than me. I didn't want to go through the hassel so I bought one.

 

[carey]

I would say the two hang on back filters would be a good start.

You can always go to a sump later if you want. makign the sump can be kinda cheap but you will need an overflow to get the water from the tank to the sump or you need to drill the tank and you will need a return pump to bring the water back from the sump into your tank.

I'd say youre looking at about $150 to make a sump vs whatever you can get the hob filters for. A sump is also a good place to put your skimmer if you have one, but then youre adding another $200 or so to the total.

 

[MatthewM]

So Carey you think that some live rock the 2 hob filters and later a hob skimmer would be ok! I might go to a sump later but for now I was hoping to avoid it!

 

[carey]

My first few tanks I skipped the sump as well. I was new, I didn't quite get it and I was scared. lol

I have a 55g now that I am running a fluval canister on with no ill effects. For a 55g I would suggest having at least 60-70lbs of rock (you can get mostly base or dead rock and the rest can be "live") and running a hang on back filter. The rock is about 80% of your biological filtration and the hang on filter is just for mechanical filtration pretty much.

If you are starting fish only with live rock then I think you can wait on a skimmer, you'll just have to be religious with your weekly water changes and not overstock and overfeed. The skimmer removes organic material from your tank so the less you have the better.

 

[MatthewM]

Ok I appreciate the info! I'm still eying to get it together and fresh is all I've ever done! I've been told that you don't have to o as large water changes as you have to do with fresh! I was told 20% biweekly is good for salt is this sufficient or what would you recomend? I do 50 a week on my fresh but I keep stocking at around 80 % according to aq advisor

 

[carey]

I do about 20% a week depending on my mood. sometimes I do a bit more if I'm feeling ambitious. LOL I usually do about 12-16g a week on my 55g.

 

[MatthewM]

Ok I was thinking that was probably not enough to keep everythingat the right levels!