Beginner start-up info

[saltyfish]

Hi there I'm a fresh water hobest wanting to go into salt water. I need some info on what special equipment that I need to get that a fresh water tank set-up needs to go saltwater. I'm kinda looking for a list of stuff that I need to go out and buy to add to the stuff I already have. So if anyone can help it would be much apreated.
Aaron

 

[stacy]

Are talking about converting a freshwater to salt? If so what size is the tank? What current filtration system to you have? To convert to salt you'll need a skimmer to add to the filtration. Also you'll need live rock, and preferably live sand. Also do you plan on keeping any corals? If so you'll need to upgrade the lighting. Do you have any particular fish in mind? There are a lot of variables to what your going to need depending on if you just want fish, or if you want corals as well. Also do you want aggressive, or community fish?

 

[saltyfish]

ok well right now I only have a 10 gal but i was to get a bigger one. I was just going to start with fish only but eventually I do want to have quarel. What is live rock and live sand? I'm wanting to start out with clown fish, aqngle and damsals. I do want a comuity tank not agressive ect ect. Please email me at noraa777@surfbest.net so i can talk to you directly
Aaron

 

[stacy]

No offense, but I don't really like to give out my email address. Live Rock LR is rock that comes from the ocean. It helps with water filtration. Also alot of times it will
have other life that will grow on the rock such as algae. Live Sand LS is sand that comes from the ocean. It contains bacteria from the ocean that breaks down waste from your fish. Damsels you may want to reconsider these can become aggressive. Also if you eventually want corals than you should avoid the angels. The main think to consider is the size of the tank. The bigger the better. LR and LS can be expensive and the bigger the tank the more you'll need. Some other good community fish are bengaii cardinal, royal gramma, and fairy wrasses. All of these are reef safe as well.

 

[saltyfish]

no ofence taken I just have lots of question about this and it would be good to have one person that I could reach for help. What is a Invert tank or a Invert in general I've come across this term and I can't figer out what it means. Also what is wrong with an angel fish why are they not Courl conpatable? what other equipment do I need based on the info that I have told you ?
Aaron

 

[stacy]

Inverts are species such as shrimp, clams, and starfish. Some people set these up with no fish. Angel fish are prone to nip at and eat certain corals. Not all angels do this, but its best not to take the chance. The equipment that you will need for a salt tank are filter, skimmer, powerhead (for water movement), and good lighting for corals. The skimmer is probably the most important peice. A good brand for a tank less than 55 gallon would be seaclone or prizm. For larger tanks a berlin would be a good choice. Most people use anywhere from 2-4 powerheads to get good water movement. A good brand to look at is maxijet. When you are ready for corals you will want good lighting. As a genreal rule you want about 4 watts per gallon. There are several types that are good for corals. Power Compacts or PC's are the 1st and least inexpensive. VHO or very high output is another type, and I think most have this type. The last is MH or metal halide. These are the most expensive, but reproduce natural sunlight better than the other types. They also produce alot of heat.

 

[saltyfish]

OK so what kind of filter can I use I have the kind that hang off the back and run water though a charcol filter that you replace every so often. Is that good enough for a Fish-Only tank? What is a skimmer for and what does it do ?
Aaron

 

[saltyfish]

If you use LR do you need other filtration system?
I have read that LR bacisly eats the waste in the water and thus filters it and if I get un-cured LR can I cure it in a bucket for two weeks or does it have to be in the tank that i'm going to use?

 

[stacy]

The filter that you have on a 10 gallon probably isn't big enough to use on a saltwater tank. A skimmer removes alot of the waste from the water before it has time to break down into ammonia. There are those here that do not use any other means of filtration other than LR, and a skimmer. I think its best that when you are starting out to use LR, skimmer, and filter. Especially if you plan on keeping alot of corals, and fish. With saltwater the water really needs to be maintained at a high quality. If you get uncured LR than you can place it in a bucket with a powerhead for circulation to cure the rock. If you setup a new tank though you can cure the LR in the tank. This gets the cycle process going to build up you filtration system. You shouldn't add any fish until after the cycle has completed.

 

[saltyfish]

Does wattage matter in a tank? If i want to go with a high wattage in a heater so i can get a biger tank in the future will it hurt any thing?
Also Are wet/dry filters exsencive compared to a canester filter? Is there different types of wet/dry filters? If so what is the diferance?
Aaron

 

[kuyales]

Hey Professor,
I don't mean to be a bad guy or a mean guy, but its like this. I'll just tell you what everyone told me. Research, Research, and more Research. Try to read all that you can before you do anything. Pick up a couple of books and just read them, some you will find very very interesting, i myself started with the Fenner book, The consciencious marine aquarist. Read then whatever questions you have that the book cant answer then ask. Its a waste of your time and the people reply to your questions when all you really have to do is read the literature. Sorry i just had to tell you that because that was what i was told and i picked up some books and read them all.
Les