first saltwater attempt

[huntin4stiles]

hello i am about to start up a saltwater aquarium my parent are helping me to buy a 150 gallon aquarium to put in our front entry way. i have no clue what a saltwater tank of this size needs i only have freshwater. i dont know what fish i want besides a pair of clowns. i do want it to be a reef tank. any help at all will be kindly accepted. if you have any question just ask and ill answer to the best of my abilities

 

[rlablan]

1st thing you will need is live rock and live sand. You don't want any fish for about a month, because you have to cycle your tank. Get your tank situated and set up the way you like, and go online to CL and get your LR and LS there. It is much cheaper. Get your sand and rock setup, and then fill you tank with RO (it doesn't have silicates) and then place a few raw shrimp in your tank to start your cycle off. LEAVE THEM iN FOR THE WhOLE CYCLE!!!

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by huntin4stiles
http:///forum/post/3078080
hello i am about to start up a saltwater aquarium my parent are helping me to buy a 150 gallon aquarium to put in our front entry way. i have no clue what a saltwater tank of this size needs i only have freshwater. i dont know what fish i want besides a pair of clowns. i do want it to be a reef tank. any help at all will be kindly accepted. if you have any question just ask and ill answer to the best of my abilities

Welcome to the forum!
First what you need is a good book to help you get an idea of what is going on, the freshwater knowledge will at best just help you understand the lingo... I came from having a freshwater setup as well, I love, love, love saltwater much more!
The first book I got was saltwater aquariums for dummies, it helped me set up and what to expect. It even gave me some pointers on fish. So I recommend that thats where you start as well. Read, read, read and then read some more.
You will find this forum very helpful...there are things the books don't tell you, and folks on this site have been around the block on what to do when such things arise.
Happy reefing!

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by rlablan
http:///forum/post/3078085
1st thing you will need is live rock and live sand. You don't want any fish for about a month, because you have to cycle your tank. Get your tank situated and set up the way you like, and go online to CL and get your LR and LS there. It is much cheaper. Get your sand and rock setup, and then fill you tank with RO (it doesn't have silicates) and then place a few raw shrimp in your tank to start your cycle off. LEAVE THEM iN FOR THE WhOLE CYCLE!!!
UMMM...RO water has to have the salt mix in it....we are talking to a total new person to the hobby here.

 

[rlablan]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3078091
UMMM...RO water has to have the salt mix in it....we are talking to a total new person to the hobby here.
My bad, I assumed that since this person was switching from freshwater, to SALT water, they would know about putting salt in. lol
Go to your local fish store, and pick a brand that is good for you... buying in bulk saves $$$. I use instant ocean. I like it, that price is right too. Never had an issue with this brand.
*** I am looking for an archives thread titles "101 tips" part 1 and 2. Does anybody know how to find the link for this thread?? I can't find it, and I don't remember the user who posted it. This one really taught me alot... Could you post it PLEASE?****

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by rlablan
http:///forum/post/3078100
My bad, I assumed that since this person was switching from freshwater, to SALT water, they would know about putting salt in. lol
Go to your local fish store, and pick a brand that is good for you... buying in bulk saves $$$. I use instant ocean. I like it, that price is right too. Never had an issue with this brand.
*** I am looking for an archives thread titles "101 tips" part 1 and 2. Does anybody know how to find the link for this thread?? I can't find it, and I don't remember the user who posted it. This one really taught me alot... Could you post it PLEASE?****
LOL I didn't even know what RO (reverse osmoses water you an get at wal-mart by filling 5g jugs), was when I first started...that's why I recommended the saltwater aquariums for dummies book...it explains so much.

 

[huntin4stiles]

what is CL? and i have a RO system for my sink but it only does 3 gal. at a time so how should i get 150 gal. of RO? and my neighbor works at a saltwater fish specialty company so he can get me LR and LS for cheap cheap cheap.

 

[ibew41]

take your neighbor to diner it will be a great investment with this hobby

 

[rlablan]

YAY I found it!!! READ THIS POST!!! LION is a great source of info...
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/301033/101-tips-to-beginning-and-maintaining-a-saltwater-aquarium
^^ This thread taught me so much, and answered soo many q's...
Go to his profile and read any of his posts that look like they will pertain to you...
CL is craigslist.org. (hope I don't get in trouble for that reference).
That is good that he can get you stuff for cheap... go over and bleed your neighbor for info.. that's the best info you can get! better than books and forums, as long as he knows what he's doing.

 

[huntin4stiles]

well he is probably 65 and im 14 so.. yah haha. but we are good friends. when im gone he takes care of my 10 and 55 gal. freshwater tanks and when hes gone i take care of his 250 gal. salt water (all i do is feed) but he does water changes for me depending on how long im gone

 

[pete159]

as was already posted... buy a book on saltwater tanks, it won't take long to read it and get an understanding on what the basics are. After that you will be able to ask more questions here.

 

[rlablan]

oh and you can go get water from an RO machine outside of a grocery store or a walmart. (make sure it is RO!!! and not just treated tap!).
My sink has a 5 gal and I just use that for top off... your three gal would be just fine for top off, once you get your tank full. Also, one thing you can do just fill up your tank slllooowwwllllyyyy. it's slow but then you wouldn't have the problem of carting home 150g's from walmart... lol

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by huntin4stiles
http:///forum/post/3078110
what is CL? and i have a RO system for my sink but it only does 3 gal. at a time so how should i get 150 gal. of RO? and my neighbor works at a saltwater fish specialty company so he can get me LR and LS for cheap cheap cheap.

CL %%
The RO in your sink is useful for top off...it would take forever to get enough for your tank. If you have a friend in saltwater, which is GREAT! Then borrow some jugs and go o wal-mart or the like and fill your tank with RO from there.
Use a heater to warm the water, that helps the salt dissolve, and a power head to help mix it...the 5g jugs are good because it helps to know exactly how much salt to mix...the salt package will tell you how much salt to mix per gallon.
Once you have your water...you need the rock...be picky, find some with some nice blue algae on it, as much as possible and lots of cool shapes and nooks and crannies too.
Place your rock so it "locks" together..you do that by twisting and pushing gently until it kind of well LOCKS (won't slide or move). That helps to prevent a rock slide that could break the tank or kill your critters later.
Make a cave or overhang, some corals like the shade...if you take my advice...you will be glad you did this. Once the rock is in, you are ready for your substrate, I like live sand best but there are choices.
Start your filter, let it all settle...now you wait. By adding bag of raw shrimp you can kick start the cycle...and wait, and wait...do some tests on ammonia and nitrites that will let you know by spiking then dropping to 0 that your cycle has completed and you will be ready for your first fish.
Be just a picky about your lighting. Get the best since you want coral...Go T5s or Metal Halides..it may be expensive to start, but cheaper in the long run, upgrades are hard on the wallet.

 

[huntin4stiles]

but ive heard its 50 cents to a dollor per gallon so thats like 150 dollars. also what equpiment shoul i get for a tank this size?

 

[pete159]

if your going to spend all the money for a 150g saltwater tank then you may as well invest in a ro/di unit.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by pete159
http:///forum/post/3078141
if your going to spend all the money for a 150g saltwater tank then you may as well invest in a ro/di unit.
OP said he/she did and gets 3g...I have the same 5 step unit, it works great but way too slow to fill a tank that size.

 

[rlablan]

yeah it is about 75cents here in AZ. But setting up a tank is very expensive... do it right and spend the money upfront... no one said this hobby was cheap!!!

 

[rlablan]

this is a total johny- cut- corners move right here, but you can fill it with a hose, like i did and declor it and mix the salt and all... but this will present a lot of problems down the road. (as I am now discovering and having to deal with.) I am solving my problems now by doing 10% water changes every 4 days with r/o and running a lot of chemicals and different filter media. I have probably spent $100 on correcting this problem, you should just spend the money on the water from the get go!

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by huntin4stiles
http:///forum/post/3078139
but ive heard its 50 cents to a dollor per gallon so thats like 150 dollars. also what equpiment shoul i get for a tank this size?

Wal-mart here has water 37 cents a gallon...$1.85 for a 5g jug
You will need fish net, salt mix, a hydrometer, thermometer, marine master test kit and the following…
Lights, for coral go Metal Halides (MH for short) or T5s, I like MH but it is expensive. T5s work just as good but not as pretty...MH makes ripples of light dance in the water, nothing else has that effect.
You need filtration, most use a sump, which I know nothing about...I use a 2 canister filter system for my 90g.
You need a skimmer, this is sort of like a fishy toilet...it pulls stuff out of the water that the tests can't even test for. That's the best simple example I can think of...
Also at least 2 heaters, you could use 1, but two smaller ones on each side of the tank is the best, if it goes out, you have at least 1 working.
If you have the money...an auto top off unit is a handy thing to have. A tiny splash of water hitting a MH bulb will cause it to burst...that was my lesson on why use an auto top off unit. I broke a 2 day new $70.00 MH bulb that way

Power heads...Koralia are the best, they have a magnet and stay where you want them. I would use 4 #4s or #3s 1 high and 1 low on each side of the tank flowing over the rocks and sand bed to create a current (the very life of a saltwater tank)
A big tub or plastic garbage can (about 32g) marked FISH ONLY to do water changes and a pump with plastic tubing that fits the pump... to pump the water for water changes. If you get an auto top off you will need 2 of these, one for the ATO and one for the water changes. You could use the same one for both, it's a hassle but you can save a few bucks that way.
fish food and coral food later. I think I covered everything..
Like all fish tanks, the start up is the most expensive...the expense of the hobby is they keep coming out with cool stuff that is great for the tank, and the critters, OMG the wonderful things that live in the ocean! Now in your own home!

 

[huntin4stiles]

ok so each water change would i need more RO water? and i dont even know how to a water change of this magnitude