New to the form and just trying to start up my tank

[J19Reynolds]

Hello my name is Jordan. I have always loved fish... I bought a 10 gallon tank back in 2009 and had 2 goldfish in it and they just died in December 2011 :-( they were the longest I keep a fish lol... I just tried to put a Lil tank in my daughters room and got cichlids the yellow labs as the call them. I didn't realize how big they would get and put them in a 2.5 gallon. So in in the process of putting them in my 10 gallon. I am wanting to have a saltwater tank ) super excited about it. I just got a 55 gallon tank from a lady who gave me ALL of her stuff for fresh water and saltwater tank. She has the rocks sand many heaters & filters.... I just don't know where to start with putting it all together. I want it to be perfect. Ill post pictures later of what i have right now... Any suggestions on what to do now that I have my tank and rocks?

 

[AquaRick]

Hi and welcome to AA!!

First off is to do a lot of research on SW fish and tanks. A good start is the articles section here on AA:

Aquarium Advice

I'd start off by figuring out which fish you want to keep in your tank. Liveaquaria.com has a decent site as to the tank size fish will need. With SW, you will need to take your time as you cycle your tank and add fish etc.

Do you know if you'll want a fish only tank (FOWLR) or a mixed reef? If going the coral route, make sure to get reef-safe fish.

Good luck and feel free to ask questions!

 

[redsea]

Welcome to AA! Thanks for joining!

 

[Fishie]

Welcome great place!! I love it!

 

[J19Reynolds]

I have a list of fish I want lol an yes I want the coral too so guess a reef tank? I have done some research on the fish I want. I was told its a Lil difficult at first to start up a SW tank but after its right it's pretty easy. Any thought about that?

 

[AquaRick]

I have a list of fish I want lol an yes I want the coral too so guess a reef tank? I have done some research on the fish I want. I was told its a Lil difficult at first to start up a SW tank but after its right it's pretty easy. Any thought about that?

Yeah, reef tank sounds like what you're looking for. I would say you're spot on with your comment on the difficulty of the tank set up.

Really, once you're cycled and can start adding fish slowly, it's not too bad a hobby to keep up. You just have to be methodical about your scheduled PWCs & testing, and make changes accordingly. It's really not as tough as it seems at first.

Have you read up on doing a fishless cycle? I recommend dosing with pure ammonia as your source instead of a raw shrimp etc. Goes alot faster etc.

 

[J19Reynolds]

I believe I was gonna do a fish less cycle bc I don't wanna harm a fish from the start.... I was recommended to do a cycling for the live rock I have... It's not live now tht are dried out and covered in crystals :-/ I got them from the lady I bought the tank from... Whys your thoughts about doing w them?

 

[AquaRick]

By Crystals,do you mean salt? Either way, I'd clean the rocks off with water. you may want to scrub the rocks to get any gunk off.

Since you need to cycle your tank, you can add the rocks in at the start so that your rocks will cure at the same time. The base rock will eventually become live as you cycle. (Be prepared for some foul smells for a couple days).

 

[J19Reynolds]

Yea I believe it is salt... So instead of putting them in a bucket jut put them in the tank with water and do the whole cycle then?

 

[AquaRick]

Yeah, cycle your tank with your rock. Make sure to clean the rock before adding it in. If not, all the gunk and buildup will end up in your tank

 

[J19Reynolds]

Ok thanks one more question when cyclin do u put chemicals in there or just plain water? Do I put the sand in too?

 

[AquaRick]

When you start to cycle, you should add everything in for your tank except lights. Sand, Rock, Filters, Skimmer. Once everything's in, you can add your ammonia source.

This is a very good guide on fishless cycling. It was written for freshwater, but can be used for saltwater just as well:
The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling

 

[J19Reynolds]

Ok thank you so much for all the help