Starting my first saltwater tank

[G1203]

Hi!

I'm starting my first saltwater tank and I need all the help I can get. As you can tell I'm new to the saltwater world, and I'm new to this forum. I have a 36 gallon bow front with a fluval 206 canister.
I'm really young so I don't have to much money. Any tips or tricks will help.

Thanks

 

[Bectan01]

Welcome! There is plenty to learn and asking questions here is a good start! I also bought a good reference book too and I still refer to it so worth the investment. There is probably too much info to list in one post so best to start step by step. Step one - read the stickies here on how to set up a saltwater tank and browse the threads of people who have similar sized tanks to you to get an idea of what equipment you will need (if it was me I would ditch the canister first up) Be warned, this can be an expensive hobby to get into. Plan early to avoid wasting money on the wrong equipment. You also can't rush it certainly in the first few months its a slow game. Patience and research will pay off in the long run. Good luck!

 

[G1203]

Thanks for the help! I have been reader hung for about 4 to 5 months and I think I'm going to get the test kit, power head, live rock/dry rock, water (I'm gonna buy per made water because I don't want to mess up the mixing), and live sand. I've got heater and thermometer already. Anything else I should invest in?

 

[G1203]

I don't know why it said reader hung. I meant to say have been researching.

 

[bigbanker]

I was nervous about the mixing too... While cycling you have plenty of time to practice.

Also you will be mixing water outside of the tank. Always check it before adding to the tank

 

[G1203]

Ok thanks! So your saying buy the mixed water at first then when I do a water change add my own mixed water

 

[bigbanker]

I would encourage you to mix your own water from the start. I keep a small bin and pump for mixing my water and just make sure to test it before it goes in

 

[reefermadness52]

Hello
Congrats on starting ur 1st salty. The comments about being expensive r all true. I've got 2 grand easy tied to a 60 gallon tank see pic



Mixing ur own is more economical 4 sure. I use Instant ocean and am very lucky where I live because I just use tap water that isn't chlorinated. I let it mellow by aerating a few days and test it before it goes in the tank for salinity, temperature, and nitrates

 

[G1203]

Ok thanks for all of the comments! I've sold my two bearded dragons and waited for my birthday because of hearing how expensive it was.

So my shopping list is

1 to 2 power heads

Salt

Live and dry rock (going to mix because it will eventually be live rock)

Test kit

Chemicals

And hydrometer

Already have heater

Already have thermometer

And I have a canister filter(witch will be upgraded to a sump eventually)

Any recommendation for lighting (I know the bulb it came with will be fine for live rock dry rock and live sand and fish) but I eventually want corals so... Remember I'm just a KID so I'm not a billionaire Thanks for all of the help!

 

[Gregcoyote]

Welcome!

As said before, don't be in any hurry. This is a project that will take a bit of time. Most all of us have a budget we try to stay in with our own tanks. So don't be embarrassed you don't have thousands to throw at it. I would suggest, when you are ready for corals, that you buy a Taotronics 120w LED or a Rapid LED 90 watt LED fixture. Both would be great for your tank and will grow any light loving coral. Looking at between $150 and $300 dollars. Great birthday or Christmas present! Otherwise, your list looks right on. Mixing your own saltwater is easy and I recommend you get comfortable with it, but you must start with perfectly clean water like RO/DI which you can get from the fish store.

Sorry you had to sell the dragons, they are very cool. You'll like the aquarium just fine, but be patient.

Until then, keep reading and asking questions.

 

[G1203]

Thanks for all of the info. Probably getting it set up on Saturday!!! So excited. Yah it is bad that I had to sell the dragons. But I really wanted this tank and I'm still going to have to use a lot of birthday money oh well part of the hobby haha! Anyways thanks for all the info

 

[G1203]

Thanks again for all of the info

 

[reefermadness52]

Well patience is the key alright. About the lighting though... What kind of lighting is "the bulb" you'll be using. I ask because low lighting can be problematic even with only live rock and sand, not to mention fish.

I had a system where the lighting was too low and it never cycled correctly and red and black nasty slime algae was killing the soft corals and leathers, which are the easiest to grow.

I retrofitted my latest tank, an Odyssea B60 Bowfront tank. That system had a canopy with compact flourescent lighting. Only one of the two bank lighting system worked (each bank had two 36 watt compacts) so that's why I replaced it with LEDs (a 120 watt EVO system 50/50s), but even with only the two 36 watt 50/50 actinic/blue bulbs I could still grow soft corals and leathers in that tank along with nice coralline algae on the live rock...

 

[G1203]

It is the aqueon full spectrum bulb. It came with the tank and stand. My fish store said it would be fine but if you think I can't then ill get a good light.

 

[Dav3]

I'm not sure how limited your budget is but id recommend skipping light upgrade and corals for now. Start fish only with live rock with the light you have then upgrade when you have the money to invest in better light.

 

[G1203]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Just get a good fowlr tank going then get a good light then slowly ad corals. Would an anemone be able to live under this light or should I wait to get the good light

 

[Bectan01]

Unfortunately anemones require very high lighting and ideally need to be put in established tanks. They are sensitive to swings in parameters so best to hold off getting one for a while...

 

[G1203]

Ok thanks for the info because I have been hearing mixed things about them so thanks for clearing it up!

 

[reefermadness52]

According to Aqueons own web page the Full Spectrum is for fresh water, "Full Spectrum" probably means it good for freshwater plants. Here's some screen shots from Aqueons web page...

 

[reefermadness52]

Also, may I inquire about the dimensions of your tank? The reason I am asking is that you can have my old Odyssea compact fluorescent hood complete with ballast and compact 50/50 lamps, I mentioned earlier if it would fit...
the lamps are brand new...

All you'd have to is either pick it up, or arrange for shipping...