General help on a new sw aquarium.

reef diver

reef diver

Active Member
I am still learning the ropes, but, can anyone tell me wether it is ok to have an airston in a marine aquarium, and if you can tell me a good amount of fish for a 50 gal aquarium with roughly 35-40 lbs of live rock, and the rate at which to add them?
 
S

sinner's girl

Guest
airstone aren't needed and generally, aren't used in sw. You'll use ph for water movement (plus your filter and skimmer if you have one). the more lr, the better, aids in filteration
as far as fish goes, it depends on what fish you want, you can keep more smaller ones than larger ones....consider adult size...
You want to add one fish or a pair at a time, with new tanks, wait 4-6 weeks before adding fish. test water before you add fish, if levels are off, don't add fish.
So what fish do you want? Do they get along? and can your tank support them? Research and waiting...
I kept 2-3 in my 55gl...with sw (I have 7 with freshwater). In my 75, I plan for about 5, maybe...might stick with 3 (but that's because I want a low bio-load).
 
granny

granny

Member
Yes, its fine to have an airstone in a saltwater tank. Some of the fish enjoy swimming through the bubbles!
If you have no fish in your tank now-FIRST
make a list of your favorite fish, most favorite at the top, then going down!
Then check to see if they are compatible with each other.
Then buy ONE, the least aggressive should be the first fish in-the most aggressive should be the last one added. In between additions, allow time for your tank to adjust to the increased bio-load, test for ammonia and nitrites. Wait about 10 days to 2 weeks before you add your second fish, making sure there is no ammo or NITrites.
If this is to be a fish only tank/no corals, then you can carry a larger fish load-again dependent upon your filtration and commitment to maintenance.
In a 50 gallon reef tank, I would only suggest 3 smaller fish.
In a fish only with live rock and good filtration, you could have 5 smaller fish, several shrimp, serpent and/or brittle star-the things that make a saltwater tank really interesting.
 
reef diver

reef diver

Active Member
Thanks, I think uit will be able to handle a large bioload when i build it this summer after school gets out, and most of the fish I chose are very small, ie. gobies, clowns, the only larger fish are a squirrelfish, and a small spotfin/antenna lionfish. is this too much or is that ok, i chose a lot of cleaners. and an anemone in as well. so no airstones? Are 2 ph's enough, along with a protien skimmer?
 
reef diver

reef diver

Active Member
i have based this off of weeks of research, and talking to aquarium experts where i live, the fish are very small, only about 2 inch max except for the lionfish at 5 lemme check on my full amount. So roughly this.
2 black percula clowns
2 highfin red gobies
1 antenna lionfish
lots of small detrius eaters, will these keep the bioload down by eating things such as uneaten food and junk like that?
 
granny

granny

Member
The air stone is up to you. If you like the look of it, use it. It does help move water from the bottom of the tank upward, which is a benefit to the circulation. I keep one if all my tanks on a batter powered pump which will turn on during power failures. On my 29 gal, I have an airstone that runs al the time. My Wrasse swims through it playing.
NOt familiar with the lion-but most lions will eat any fish small enough to fit in their mouths, so be careful what you put with it. Two powerheads, if they are large enough should be fine. What skimmer are you going to use? Are you using a sump?
Just go slowly. Make sure each fish that you put in is thriving before you add another one. It is so tempting to put a bunch of fish in at once, but generally ends in disaster-especially if you are trying to make this a summer project.
 
reef diver

reef diver

Active Member
well this type of lion is small, only 5 inch max, and from what i have heard only eats small crustaceans, and fish under 1" or so, he will be last
 
reef diver

reef diver

Active Member
have you seen problems with yourfish in the airstone, meaning like health problems? and that is really cool that ur wrasse plays in the bubbles, its interesting.
 
granny

granny

Member
OK, the Antennata Lionfish reaches about 7 inches in the aquarium and he eats live stuff-other fish and shrimp primarily. I think he would consume your clowns-and would definitely not let you put any shirmp, cleaners or others in your tank.
If you really want the lion, you need to rethink your tankmates, go with something larger like the coris wrasses or maybe a boxfish or foxface or eel, but no small, defenseless perculas or gobies which would be dinner.
 
S

sinner's girl

Guest
anemones and corals and such need an established tank, at min 6mns-a year, some will say longer. Also, they require certian lights.
add a pair at a time. will two gobies get along?
Nm, read the link. Never knew that.
lots of small detrius eaters, will these keep the bioload down by eating things such as uneaten food and junk like that?
clean up crew helps yes. don't over feed, and get more lr when you can (that will help with filtration)
 
granny

granny

Member
Fish Guy-micro bubbles all over your tank are harmful. but an airstone has a contained column of bubbles, usually fairly large that rise straight up to the top and dont diffuse around the tank unless you have it directly infront of a power head. This kind of airstone is beneificial in the tank.
Yes, my fairy wrasse plays in the bubbles-he is a sweet little fish-my favorite and he does not seem to be affected detrimentally at all by the bubbles which are in the back middle of the tank. There are no bubbles floating around in the water at all-anywhere.
I have tops on all my tanks so do not have the saltwater in the ballast problem. More salt gets on my walls at the overflow than anywhere else.
 
reef diver

reef diver

Active Member
thanks for the missive on the lion, i will try it out, and if he eats, he eats, ive just gone by what ive learned from fish vet websites, and people who care for lions, thanks tho, i heard that if you keep a supply of feedershrimp in the tank, thaty are les prone to eat cleaner shrimp, and small fish.
 
reef diver

reef diver

Active Member
anemones and corals and such need an established tank, at min 6mns-a year, some will say longer. Also, they require certian lights.
what does 6ms-year mean?, and i already ahve a n excelent lighting system set up to buy from a friend. um, do i need a power filter, or is a canister just fine, cause i think my powerfilter creates micro bubbles
 
granny

granny

Member
There are some great canister filters out there-they force the water through chemical filtration media with no bypass so are very effective in that respect, plus you have your pump, intake etc. all in one package. BUT, you need to make sure you have adequate aeration for sufficient oxygen exchange which is why so many folks run sumps rather than closed systems. If you direct your powerheads towards the surface of your tank, just enough to ripple the surface, you should be ok.
If your friends lights have been running for a while you may need new bulbs-but dont worry about it till you are ready to add those light loving inverts. The high intensity bulbs lose their punch afte about 6 months or so and it is reccomended you replace them periodically, not just when they burn out. What kind of lighting system are you getting?
(the 6ms-year means a tank that has been up and running for at least 6 months to a year)
 
reef diver

reef diver

Active Member
i may add another powerhead or two just for that purpose. Thank you for your help, i will try a lionfish,,and if he eats my fish, so be it, i will find him a new home, or move him to a separate area.
of course, the fact remains wether my grades will be sufficient to let me get this. I will post later this weekend
 
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