ok so I know im asking a lot of questions but lets say I wanted to set my tank up today, I have the 2 marineland penguin 350 filter systems, an 80 gal heater, and I have the 2 LED hoods (I know I will have to upgrade those to no hood), what equipment would I need to buy to finish setting it up? I appreciate all the help!
Live rock and sand, a master test kit, salt mix and reverse osmosis (RO) water to fill the tank (
don't use tap or well water). A refractometer, or hydrometer to make sure the SG (Water saltiness) is within safe range. 2 power heads to move the water and create the needed water current. Saltwater mixing tub ( I use a large plastic garbage can, marked FISH ONLY) A utility power head to
churn the salt in the container for 24 hours before you can use it. A method of introducing ammonia into the tank to kick start the cycle (please do not use a live fish).
Having your own RO unit is best, but you can buy RO water from any large grocery store with a refill station. Once you add the ammonia it's a waiting game. Test only for ammonia at first, doing other tests at this point is just wasting them. Once you see ammonia, and then it drops back to a 0 reading...THEN test for nitrites, once that drops to 0...test ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.
If you have nitrates, and 0 on the other two, the tank is cycled. If the nitrates are above 10, do a small water change. Your tank would then be ready for
ONE fish..
Some basic info you need to know:
Water evaporates, but salt does not. To maintain the SG,
you need to keep the water line the same. We add FRESH RO water each evening to the tank, filling it back to the original water line, this is called topping off.
Once a month do a 3% water change. Example: I have a 90g tank, so monthly I remove 30gs of water, and replace what I have removed with new mixed saltwater. If you do a daily or weekly water change, it doesn't need to be so much at one time. One lady does a gallon a day, and her tank is beautiful. She just keeps mixed saltwater in her container, and swaps out a gallon each morning before going to work.
Important to understand: The best thing to do is set up a quarantine tank at the same time you set up your display. A 10g or 20g tank,
no rock or sand...a HOB filter and an airline (no Stone). paint the bottom
outside of the tank a dark color, or place the tank on a dark surface or towel. A piece of PVC pipe or tank decoration (for the fish to hide and feel safe)...attach the airline via rubberband to the décor to hold it down...this is enough water flow to keep a new fish alive for 4 weeks while you watch it for signs of parasites or disease.
SW ich is not like freshwater ich... Gone are the days of a little fizzy tab dumped into the tank to cure them all. SW ich, is a parasite that will kill your fish, and SW fish are much more expensive then freshwater ones... if it gets into the display
the only way to be rid of it, is to leave the tank without any fish in it for 6 to 8 weeks. It's very hard to remove all of your fish to quarantine to clear your tank...an ounce of prevention is worth the pound of cure in this case. All fish are stressed when they first arrive to your house in a bag. Stressed fish are very susceptible to the parasite. If it is present in the fish stores water (the usual case), your new fish was infected when you brought it home, and it will show up within a few weeks... it needs to be cured of the parasite
before it goes into the display.
So putting all new fish into quarantine, is the smart thing to do. You can only add one fish at a time, then you must wait for the good bacteria to rebuild and handle the extra bio-load. A quarantine tank will ensure you go slow, and add weeks between adding new fish.
The most common mistake that leads to a crash for beginners, is adding too many fish too soon.
I hope I didn't over tax you with information, I tried to keep it very simple. This is an expensive hobby, you will save so much money if you quarantine all new fish. Also remember that while inverts such as snails and shrimp that make up your CUC (clean up crew) are immune to marine ich, the water they come in could be contaminated. I float the bag, then using a NEW turkey baster (mark it fish only)...I remove a little bag water to a drain, and replace it with some water from the display (repeat every 20 minutes), until only display water is in the bag. THEN I net the critter (shrimp) or grab it with my hand (snails) and dump it into the tank. some folks just quarantine EVERYTHING for 4 weeks.
Everyone has their own methods, I have only explained to you mine.
