Completely new hobbyist needs HELP!!

T

tiffini

Guest
I've had a bomb dropped on me and I need ANY and all help I can get. My boss came back from the holiday with a tank for the office and I have the joy of setting it up, maintaining it and put fish in it. Cool huh..all the fun without the bill. WRONG!
I'm a freshwater hobbyist, and a begining one at that. I've concluded the tank to be a 55 gallon and taken an inventory of what's come with it. I just don't know how to set it up or what comes next. Here's what I got so far....any links you can provided for reading, etc. are extremely appreciated.
Beside the bacis extension cords, light fixtures, cleaning equipment I've got:
1 Krypton 600 air pump
2 Nutra Matic (timed feeders?)
1 Salinity monitor
2 PH monitors
1 100watt heater
1 75 watt heater
1 Rio 50, 90, one unlabeled and an 800
2 Emperor 400B's
Desperately seeking help
~ Tiffini
 
a_fender69

a_fender69

Member
First, what kind of setup would you like, reef or fish only?
I can already tell the filtration is lacking and overkill on the heaters
 
T

tiffini

Guest
I want to go as simple as simple can get, though it's cool I don't have to pay for anything I surely don't want my boss to shell out more than neccessary. From what I gather it'll be fish only until I learn more; LOTS more.
I really don't know what kind of filtration this tank will need, that's just a list of what I dug out of bags & boxes, not to mention all the little stuff (filter pads, lights, etc.)
 
a_fender69

a_fender69

Member
For fish only a good biological filtration is essential. I would recommend a wet/dry appropiate for the size tank you have. You can put a larger setup and will not have any problems but, it costs more.
A protein skimmer will help remove the waste from the tank. Also, it will help reduce the amount of algea because there is less to feed. I have had sucess without one but even greater sucess wilth it.
UV steralizer would be a good idea for a fish only setup as it will kill off disease. Not an essential item but a good addition
I Dont recommend the bio-wheel for saltwater, it works but is better for fresh.
Also, consider Live Rock. The intial cost is expensive, around $5-7 a pound, but it is natural for the fish, provides a lot of life, speeds up the cycle, provides food for fish. You will probally need 1 pound per gallon and up to 1.75lbs per gallon.
More questions?
 
buzz

buzz

Active Member
I think 175w of heating for a 55g is fine. You can get away with about 150w, but the extra 25w is only going to help the tank get to a desired temp quicker.
Also, why wouldn't 2 - Emporer 400 filters be enough filtration? That is an 800gph churn on water. One is rated for an 80g tank, and there are 2 of them. That sounds like more than enough to me.
Any way you cut it, saltwater aquarium keeping is not a cheap hobby. However, it looks like you have enough of a set up to get started. You won't need the air pump though. Just the powerheads. You don't want to aerate a saltwater tank with bubbles. It will get salt spray all over the place. Nothing wrong with going Fish Only.
 
melbournefl

melbournefl

Member
I agree with Buzz on all counts LOL not that it matters really but I thought I'd throw it in anyway. I'd go with live rock and a DSB (deep sand bed ... do a search on the forums and you'll find TON'S of information) that would negate the need for a wet/dry filter (pain in the butt anyway). The only other expensive piece of equipment then would be the protein skimmer and several good books! Do lot's of research before you begin your project and just explain to your boss that "Nothing good happens quickly in the Saltwater hobby!"
Good luck and welcome to the boards!
Later,
Paul
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
2 emperor 400s are much better than 1! And without any other biofilter, the wheels will work. A deep sand bed and live rock is better, but...
At some point you may not use them (if you add a lot of LR), but for now, they are good, especially if you don't have the money for a wet/dry or sump/refugium system.
They key to understand is that it is very different from freshwater, and you will have far fewer fish, and it will take longer to get them. Make sure the boss knows this. It is a hobby that requires patience, however, it is self correcting. If you are not patient, you will lose a lot of fish (money) and you will learn or leave. It requires money. Simple as that. But you can have a lot of money and fail miserably without patience. On the other hand, you can succeed with patience and time even without a tremendous amount of money. You simply have to respet the limits.
I think the best immediate investment is a good book.
A protein skimmer is good but not an immediate need.
Live Rock and sand (you may be able to find a local reef club member who will give you a cup of "seed sand" so that you don't have to blow a lot on bags of live sand) are the next important thing. They are a good filter and a more natural environment for the fish.
What sort of lights are on the tank? A fish only would be better if you only have basic lights...again you can invest and upgrade later.
Also keep in mind that many saltwater fish do not get along, especially in smaller tanks. Again, this is very different from freshwater where you typically keep fish in pairs, if not schools.
You may be looking at smaller fish. Larger, showy fish, like tangs, will not do well long term and certainly not in pairs. Often, the boss wants a school of yellow tangs, so let it be known that this is not going to happen.
In general, a rough guide is 1" of fish per 5 g of water in salt water. And depending on the fish, that may be altered. Large predatory fish tend to produce a lot more waste, and so we keep fewer. A rough estimation is that you have 11" of fish to work with. BUT, anything that displaced water (eg your rocks) means fewer gallons, and fewer inches of fish. Keep this in mind.
Regardless, 55g is a popular size tank and many people do beautiful things. You can too, but it will take time.
Try to get an idea of what the budget will be.
 
T

tiffini

Guest
This is the inventory list I took this morning of everything that came with the tank. I spent my lunch hour at the LFS (local fish store) talking to a guy I trust immensely. So far I'm looking at a few hundred to get things rolling (sand, LR, skimmer) give or take.
I'd much rather start smaller, like 10 gal. and work my way up.
You can jump in feet first with freshwater but this is way different. Frugal perfectionist that I am, I want to get it right the first time and with little needless spending.
1Krypton 600 air pump
1Whisper 10-30 gal. Air pump
1Pen Plaxx 440 air pump
2NutraMatic auto feeder
1Salinity monitor
2PH monitors
1100 watt heater
175 watt heater
1Rio 50 powerhead
1Rio 90 powerhead
1Rio 180 powerhead
1Rio 800 powerhead
2Emperor 400B's
148" Coralife 50/50 6000K
148" Coralife Super daylight 20,000K
117" Coralife Super daylight 10,000K
117" Coralife Spectramax, freshwater
113lb. Tropic Marine sea salt
114oz. Active filter charcoal
Thanks you all for your assistence, I really appreciate it.
~ Tiffini
 
buzz

buzz

Active Member
Forget the air pumps. You don't need them. All they will do is make a mess spraying sea salt all over everything.
The powerheads are fine. I would use all of them. The largest for tank circulation, the others perhaps for surface agitation.
Your lighting sounds fine, except the freshwater bulb. I am not familiar with it, but the spectrum may promote algae. Just look into it first. Especially doing FOWLR, that lighting should be fine.
Heaters - I'd use them both.
IMO, your Penguin filters will get you started. Many people keep tanks with no skimmers.
Live Sand and LR is a good addition and will help filtration. You may need more salt than 13lbs, but read the directions on the bag/box for mixing proportions. Also, if you make your own saltwater, use Reverse Osmosis water. I would stay away from tap water.
Get a good test kit, and don't add any fish until the tank cycles. Also, FYI, it seems starting with a bigger tank is easier than a small tank. They are less affected if something goes wrong.
Sounds like you have the makings of a nice tank there! :cool:
 
jumpfrog

jumpfrog

Active Member
Welcome to the board and Kudos on the questions.
I'm a big fan of Robert Fenner and his book "The Concientious Aquarist."
It really does a good job of explaining the basic and help you understand salt water based on what you already know from fresh.
You have everything you need to get started. Add sand, a little LR, get your filters and heaters running and just let it go for awhile. Would hurt to throw a piece of shrimp in there just to get things going.
Then sit back and read everything you can get your hands on. It won't take long for it to come together in your mind.
Good Luck!
 
T

tiffini

Guest

Originally posted by New@this
Tiffini
Just wondering where about in TX are you???
I'm in San Antonio
 
fshhub

fshhub

Active Member
welcome aboard, and so far you have gotten alot of good acvice, listen to it.
One thing I woul dlike to tell you though, is that:
Although, fw is easier with small tanks and you can work into larger. SW is much the opposite. It is much easier to go with larger tanks, and the more square footage(base x height) the better. However, the cost is often offset there greatly, so it is much beter to get the biggest that you can afford with SW, at least for your first tank.
My opinion on emporere filters is as buzz's, they work fine with FO tanks, but are not the best. 2 would definitely be adequate and could easily be used to get started with.
Enjoy, and ask away.
 
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