Help Please!!!

[bubbleskik]

:help: PLEASE I NEED HELP :help: !!! I Have A Lot Of Questions!!! I have A 55 Gallon Tank, I'm New To Saltwater Tanks, Is That To big To Start With??? What Else Besides The Salinity Level Do I Need To Watch/Measure??? What Is A Good Start Up Cleaning Crew For A 55 Gallon Tank??? What Are Some Good Hardy Fish To Start With??? How Many Fish Can I Keep In My Tank??? Is Live Sand A Good Filtration Helper Thing??? Is Live Sand Better Then That Fake Sand Stuff You Can Buy To Put In Your Tank??? Ha Yeah Soo I Told You I Had A Lot Of Questions!!! PLEASE IT WOULD HELP A LOT PLEASE ANSWER AS MANY AS YOU CAN!!! Any other Advice You May Have Would Be Greatly Apreciated!!!

 

[colorteck]

soo many questions. You better start reading here and most likely all your questions will be answered.

 

[fedukeford]

Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
:help: PLEASE I NEED HELP :help: !!! I Have A Lot Of Questions!!! I have A 55 Gallon Tank, I'm New To Saltwater Tanks, Is That To big To Start With??? What Else Besides The Salinity Level Do I Need To Watch/Measure??? What Is A Good Start Up Cleaning Crew For A 55 Gallon Tank??? What Are Some Good Hardy Fish To Start With??? How Many Fish Can I Keep In My Tank??? Is Live Sand A Good Filtration Helper Thing??? Is Live Sand Better Then That Fake Sand Stuff You Can Buy To Put In Your Tank??? Ha Yeah Soo I Told You I Had A Lot Of Questions!!! PLEASE IT WOULD HELP A LOT PLEASE ANSWER AS MANY AS YOU CAN!!! Any other Advice You May Have Would Be Greatly Apreciated!!!
1. 55 gallon is a great size to start with, its what i started with
2.you need to measure salt, nitrate,nitrite,ammonia,phosphates, calcium, and a couple other things
3.good fish to start with are clowns , nice and hardy (put them in AFTER the cycle)
4. the # of fish depends of what size they are, and weather you want a reef , or fish only
live sand is better than the fake stuff, more bacteria and the sort
you are also going to want to put in some live rock to help with filtration, what kind of filters do you have right now?

 

[zoie2]

I am new to salt water too. I have only had my tank for a month. With all those questions I would suggest a book. I bought one on the mini reef (I have a 12 gal. tank and want a reef tank) and it answered all those questions and more. Also read a lot of the threads in here, there are some really good ones. Anywy, gook luck with your tank.

 

[bubbleskik]

Maxi-Jet PH Power Heads, That's What Came With My Tank. Can I Just Put Live Rock In My Tank And Leave It Be Or Do I Have To Do Othr Stuff With It??? I KNow You Measure Salt With A Hydrometer, What Do I Measure The Nitrates And Stuff With??? Do I Ever Have To Add Anything But Salt???

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
Is That To big To Start With???
Not usually a big enough tank for most fish. Tangs, angels, butterflies, puffers, groupers, and most large fish are out of the question.
Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
What Else Besides The Salinity Level Do I Need To Watch/Measure???
pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, kH,temperature
Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
What Is A Good Start Up Cleaning Crew For A 55 Gallon Tank???
hermit crabs and snails, 10-15 of each.
Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
What Are Some Good Hardy Fish To Start With???
clownfish, gobies, firefish, chromis, basslets
Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
How Many Fish Can I Keep In My Tank???
depends on what you choose, but plan for about 5, maybe 6.
Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
Is Live Sand A Good Filtration Helper Thing??? Is Live Sand Better Then That Fake Sand Stuff You Can Buy To Put In Your Tank???
Yes, it is good filtration, but I would not recommend it to a beginner. I would recommend aragonite. It is easy to maintain and clean even if you do overfeed and do not have a good clean-up crew.
My best piece of advice is to buy The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner. Fantastic book that goes through everything from water, to equipment, to fish, corals, inverts, etc.

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
Maxi-Jet PH Power Heads, That's What Came With My Tank.
They are excellent powerheads.
Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
Can I Just Put Live Rock In My Tank And Leave It Be Or Do I Have To Do Othr Stuff With It???
Just put it in and let it cycle your tank. DO NOT BUY DAMSELS NO MATTER WHAT YOUR LFS TELLS YOU!
Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
I KNow You Measure Salt With A Hydrometer, What Do I Measure The Nitrates And Stuff With???
Well, actually a refractometer measures the salinity much more accurate. For everything else, just get test kits.
Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
Do I Ever Have To Add Anything But Salt???
Depends on what you keep...

 

[bubbleskik]

Thanks I Will Buy That Book As Soon As I Can!!!

 

[lion_crazz]

it is an excellent book, you will not regret it.

 

[bubbleskik]

well i want to have some clowns, and maybe a yellow tang they are really pretty, are they easyish to keep??? How Often Do I Have To Do The Tests??? And How Like Do I Do that???

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by Bubbleskik
well i want to have some clowns, and maybe a yellow tang they are really pretty, are they easyish to keep??? How Often Do I Have To Do The Tests??? And How Like Do I Do that???
You have no problem doing clowns. A yellow tang can go in a 55 for a little bit of time, but will not last very long in a 55 before you need to move him. I would avoid the yellow tang.
You have to do the tests very often when your tank is new, but once it is cycled and gets going, once a week is normally acceptable.
Water tests are very simple. The kit explains it very easily.

 

[azocean709]

i wouldn't even think about any kind of fish untill you properly cycle your tank. There is plenty of time to think of fish and what ever else you are interested in later. concentrate on looking on here. or a book to find out all the steps necessary to start your tank. get your self a note book and keep track of everything you do, take notes of what you read on the steps of everything. this will help you in the long run instead of spending alot of money and watching your fish and other creatures die, and will ensure a succesful tank.
Welcome to the hobby...remember....Patience!

 

[bubbleskik]

Thanks, Well Right Now I've Been Reading As Much As I Can On Everything, So I Hope To Have My Tank Running (No Fish Yet Just Balancing It) Soon!!! Thanks A Lot Guys!!!