New to site and Saltwater... Questions

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thestand

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
5
Location
Indiana
Hi there, My name is Tim and I have had freshwater fish for 30+ years. I have at times had 1 55G, 1 30G and over 10 10-15G tanks going at once. I had my standard show tanks and also used the small tanks for specialty tanks for breeds like Killiefish.

After 30 years of being affraid I am now starting a FOWLR tank. And after reading, watching and studying for the last 2 weeks I feel a little better about saltwater but still have a few questions and would really appreciate some help.

I have got my 75G cleaned of all freshwater stuff and wiped down and rinsed out. It is placed where it will not get sun and I THINK??? I'm ready to get started.

First what I hope to have:
1. Cleanup crew including a few crabs (small), Snails and a few shrimp.
2. My wife wants a Blue Hippo Tang (was almost a requirement to release the funds to convert to saltwater)
3. A couple of Clowns
And the rest is up in the air for now.

OK, The questions:
1. is it better to go with only live rock Plus a Skimmer? (I also have a Filstar XP3 canister that could be used as a foam/carbon filter)

Or could I use a combination of say 40 to 50Lbs of live rock, A wet/dry drip system( with Bio-Balls) with a skimmer?

2. If I used a wet/dry what size (20 or 30G) should I use? And what flowrate would I want to get out of it?

3. Is there any benefit to adding 10 or 20Lbs of Live Sand to my tank or should I just use standard sand?

I would really appreciate any advice. I want to do this right the first time.

I am really excited to get started But know that it will be about 4 to 5 weeks before adding a cleanup crew and another 2 to 4 weeks before my first Renter is added.

Thanks for your HELP....
Tim
 
Well... I hate to be the first to tell you this but if your whole idea for this tank is for a blue hippo tang then I wouldn't do it. Those need tanks at least 125+ gallons, over 6' long. You will not do it justice in a 75g tank. Some tangs need even larger tanks. The reason is they are swimmers and need the long tanks.

Other than that:

1) I would say do live rock plus a sump with skimmer

2) At least a 20g, but bigger is better!

3) I would either just use regular sand or better yet, small sized argonite. The argonite will help keep the PH stable.

Good luck!

EDIT: If you are still wanting a tang look for something like a Kole Yellow Eye Tang. They could work in a 75g.
 
Thanks for the quick answers.....

Yes I read about the tangs. Some sites say 75 is the min and others say a 6' tank.

I was leaning towards the live rock but when you say sump are you talking about a wet dry setup or a live bed type? If it is the wet/dry can I decrease the 2Lbs of rock per gallon with the addition of Bio-balls? If so I was planning on about 50Lbs of rock in the tank and the Bio material in the wet/dry along with the skimmer.

Well... I hate to be the first to tell you this but if your whole idea for this tank is for a blue hippo tang then I wouldn't do it. Those need tanks at least 125+ gallons, over 6' long. You will not do it justice in a 75g tank. Some tangs need even larger tanks. The reason is they are swimmers and need the long tanks.

Other than that:

1) I would say do live rock plus a sump with skimmer

2) At least a 20g, but bigger is better!

3) I would either just use regular sand or better yet, small sized argonite. The argonite will help keep the PH stable.

Good luck!

EDIT: If you are still wanting a tang look for something like a Kole Yellow Eye Tang. They could work in a 75g.
 
I've never had a tang so can't say with authority or with personal experience but many of the reputable breeders recommend a tank with more swimming room and if that is what a lot of people recommend then that is what I would go with. Plus, just because people do it (I'm sure someone out there has a tang in a 20g tank) doesn't mean it is the right thing to do.

By sump I mean another tank or something under the main display that has multiple sections. A basic setup would be something like: Intake section with skimmer/heater; another section for live rock rubble or a fuge with macro alga; then return section with pump.

Many people on this site and others no longer use bio balls because they can be a place where food and detris gets trapped producing higher nitrates. I'm not saying don't do it because many still do, you just have to stay on top of it and make sure the system stays in balance.

To be perfectly honest, with 2lbs/gallon in the tank you really don't even need a sump or wet/dry. The "filtration" comes through the live rock and power heads moving the water around. The big purpose of a sump is to add more water volume as the higher the better. Same idea with a wet/dry. Also to get some mechanical filtration in the water as well.
 
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