aquarium setup

[andy_b22]

Hey everyone, i have recently caught the saltwater aquariums bug, and have decided to take a plunge into it! I recently purchased a SeaClear System II aquarium, and as i have read more and more, i find out that most people say to stay away from this aquarium. Well lucky for me it was damage in shipping so now i have time to to see what the experts on this site suggest i do, got with the sys II aquarium or go with a different aquarium setup. If you think i should get a new setup including separate filters, suggest ones i should get(ones that are in pretty good quality) i have around 450$ and i already all the filtation media(active carbon, filter floss) and everything else you need(saltmixes, additives, conditioners, testkits, practically everything but an aquariums and filters to go with it, so if some of the experts would suggest a system, that would be great, going to be putting live rock in the aquarium. in the suggestion i want the components for for a 450 dollar budget. I want to do a saltwater aquarium right the first time so i wont waste too much money, thanks

 

[vTEC]

I don't know the brand names in NE, so but what I did when I got all my stuff was get the basics, but keep in mind I'm in Canada, so this is all Canadian!

- tank (over 30gallons) - in my case it was free, but 35 gallon tanks are $30.00 here, plus you have to buy a top
- stand 36"X12" black - $85.00
- crushed coral for bottom - $40.00 for top quality stuff
- fiji live rock (only have 15lbs, but getting more soon, depending on your tank size, you are to have that manly lbs of live rock. 33 gallon tank... 33lbs of rock) $79.98
- two power heads to keep current going - $65.00 for both
- penguin biowheel filtre (170) - $30.00
- salt - $40.00
- hydrometer (to test the salinity of the water **A MUST HAVE**) - $19.99 - salt should be at 1.022 - 1.023
- heater - 150watt submersible- $50.00

- don't really worry about lighting right away.. live rock actually does a bit better without a lot of light right away.

Since youre just starting, dont get any fish other than a damsel (any kind of damsel is okay). I am still cycling mine, and have a domino damsel in there to get some bacteria in the water.

Some people believe to just cycle the water with just the live rock in, but with a fish in there, it speeds the whole deal up a bit.


This is pretty much the steps I did with my tank, and so far everything is going good. I know I'm what people would call a "newbie" on here, but I've had more than enough experience with EVERYTHING saltwater can throw at someone, and that includes black tipped reef sharks, jumbo lionfish, trigger fish, brain coral, polyps, diseases, and a whole lot more...

I can give you some brand names if you want.... just let me know
Overall I spend around $400.00 give or take
Hope I helped you out in some way

Cheers
Lauren

 

[andy_b22]

thank man, were i live in NE i have to drive 2 hours to the nearest marine store, but thanks go ahead and give some brand names

 

[vTEC]

Hey no problem here they are:

Ebo- Jager 150 watt heater
Maxi-Jet 900 multi-use submersible powerhead X2
Carib Sea Aragonite reefsand
Deep Six Hydrometer
Penguin 170 bio-wheel filtre
33 gallon Hagen tank
Any stand will do, just remember to get the measurements of your tank

 

[mykpoz]

I'd skip the live fish cycle method and just dump your LR in there and a cocktail shrimp from the grocery store to let it cycle your tank...

 

[vTEC]

oh yeah... add your LR always.... that helps build everything up....

another thing you can do, and I've done it before at work when starting a new SW tank... is get some cheap feeder minnows (roseys) and once your saltwater tank is set up with the live rock, put maybe 5 of the freshwater minnows (or any other cheap FW fish) in the tank, they will die, but they will add the right bacteria into the tank

 

[mykpoz]

another thing you can do, and I've done it before at work when starting a new SW tank... is get some cheap feeder minnows (roseys) and once your saltwater tank is set up with the live rock, put maybe 5 of the freshwater minnows (or any other cheap FW fish) in the tank, they will die, but they will add the right bacteria into the tank

Just do the raw cocktail shrimp, nothing has to die to get your cycle started... its the popular fishless method...

 

[vTEC]

i thought about that.... i just didnt know if it would affect anything.. it being human food an all...

but.. it is shrimp.... bah do whatever works for you.... I'm doing the live fish method with a Domino Damsel.. and no problems :?

 

[mykpoz]

well the only real issue is IF the damsel lives. you'll have an aggressive fish on your hands

 

[vTEC]

heheh yeah i know.. however i have in line... a dwarf lionfish coming into the tank.. and a few other aggressive fish... dont worry....

 

[lando]

Hey Andy. First thing to do is to decide what type of tank you want. FO, FOWLR or eventually a reef? $450 to start is going to be tight. When you start looking at all of the little things you do not realize you need until you need them, well, it sure adds up. Do you have a certain size in mind? What are your thoughts on filtration for this tank, LR, HOB or canister? The above info is good. To get started you will need tank, lighting fixture, substrate (LS or CC, I prefer LS for many reasons), filtration (biological, chemical, mechanical), salt mix, a basic test kit for Ph, NH3, NO2, NO3 and SG. A heater and thermometer, a couple of powerheads to start. A skimmer is also very beneficial but you can get that down the road. This will save a bit of money. I would skip using damsels to cycle the tank. Use a coctail shrimp from the grocery store instead.

 

[andy_b22]

thanks lando, i was hoping someone out there like you, ok i have got everything, i guess it would be easier to tell you what i don't have. like i said i was getting a SeaClear System II aquarium, so if you have checked that out, i have everything but the aquarium, and the aquarium includes the tank, of course, filtration, and lighting. i had a 50 or 55 gallon aquarium in mind. i was going to start out with FOWLR, but once i get the hang of marine aquariums, i will get into some coral. I DO already have CaribSea Seaflor special grade reef sand, for the substrate, Instant Ocean salt mix, two heaters, digital thermometer, a basic test kit, R/O system water(in house already), stand, a bag of filter floss, some active carbon, QT tank and pretty much everything but the aquarium, lighting, and filters (what would you suggest for a filter?(considering it will eventually become a reef tank). so all in all we are looking to get the aquarium, lighting, and filtration on a 450$ budget.TIA

Andy

 

[mykpoz]

If I may, I have done some reading up on the ASM series of Protein skimmers.

They seem to be designed by the same folks that built the Euroreef line ( i may be wrong) The Euroreef is a very nice skimmer, and it comes very highly recommend in any size skimmer that you look for.

Personally I am using a ASM G1X that is rated up to 150gal for my 75g... one thing to always remember is to go a size or two larger then what you need. Atleast that is what I learned in my pursuit of information. The only other thing that I am using for Filtration, is LR and possibly a floss bag connected to my overflow pipes to catch some of the bigger particles.

HTH

 

[lando]

Okay, looks like you have most of what you need. Next, decide on tank size. The SeaClear tanks are not that bad, but they do sort of limit you as far as customizing your tank goes. And they do seem a bit exspensive. On a budget, I would look at getting a 29-55gal tank, hood and NO florescent light. They are inexspensive and you can upgrade lighting later. For filtration I would suggest using a Emperor 400 as a HOB filtration and start building up your LR in the tank for biological filtration. Get as much LR as you can afford for now. Later you can add more LR or dead base rock which will be seeded by your LR and eventually become live as well. You should consider a skimmer down the road as well.

 

[andy_b22]

ok i am set on a 55 gal tank. just got paid so i am willing to spend around 100$ on each both lighting and filtration, if this changes your mind. i will dish out the extra cash, if it will accually save me in the long run as in like buying a better filter and lighting now as uposed to buying one now and buying down the road.TIN

Andy

 

[StrongBad]

As far as doing it right is concerned, definitely go the aragonite sand route instead of crushed coral. It is a much better chemical buffer. It is usually about $1 a pound. The rule of thumb on how much you need in a tank is about 1 pound per gallon. Another great thing to do is add live sand to your tank to help in filtration and general tank health. Live sand (LS) is generally around $2 per pound. The cheap yet effective route is to "seed" your dollar per pound dry aragonite sand with $2 per pound wet Live Sand. This adds the good bacteria and other microscopic critters that come in the live sand and they eventually spread throughout all the rest of your sand.
As for the Fishless cycling method, it works great. Try a googly search for Dr. Chris Cow. He is the innovator of the more humane fishless cycle. It is actually a much faster cycling process. A quick summary of the technique is to use pure ammonia that you would find at the grocery store (it wont fizz up when you shake it) and add 4-5 drops per gallon into your fish tank every day until you see nitrites show up. Then cut the dose to half until you are ready to add fish. This gives you the ammonia spike right from the get go instead of having to wait for it to form natuarally and the bacteria have something to feed off of.

 

[StrongBad]

Oops, looks like I forgot to read the second page before I put in my two cents. Hopefully some of the info can help anyway.
Hey Lando, I am also looking into lighting. I would really like to get metal halide since I heard they add a nice shimmer effect to the water. The full hood kit is pretty expensive (i have a 24" by 12") around 400 bucks. Is it possible to buy a much less expensive hood and upgrade it to metal halide? Any good sites for lighting? Thanks.

 

[lando]

It is possible to build your own. You can save a good amount of money buying retro kits and doing a DIY hood. This will allow you to really customize to fit your lighting needs. Check out www.captivereefs.com for a starting place. There is also a DIY forum on this site.

 

[andy_b22]

so do you think you could give me some suggestions on a filter and lighting?TIA

Andy

 

[lando]

For filtration I would suggest using a Emperor 400 as a HOB filtration and start building up your LR in the tank for biological filtration. Get as much LR as you can afford for now. Later you can add more LR or dead base rock which will be seeded by your LR and eventually become live as well. You should consider a skimmer down the road as well.

This is a good starting point.
For lighting, look at a coralife 48in Aqualight lunar at www.captivereefs.com
I may have just blown the budget with that one