Help the newb!

msrain

msrain

New Member
OK! I just got my xmas present YAY! My bf just bought me a 75gallon tank. I am so excited about it. I told him that if I ever got a tank I would just get a 55 gallon. I was surprised. Ok, ok.... I will get to the point(sorry I'm just really pumped), I was wanting to know what you all would recommend me getting to set everything up. I've done a little research but am still confused. What kind of lighting, skimmers, filters, yada yada yada. I'm going with a FOWLR. I would appreciate ANY info you all could give me. I'm still unsure how much live rock I actually want. And I'm wondering about live sand?? My bf bought me 60lbs of sand already but I was just curious about the live kind. Any tips or recommendations on that?
I'm ready to get this baby up and running so I can get everything right so I can get some fishies!!!! So PLEASE help me. I want to do this right and I know some of you are really experienced on this. I posted this in a different part of the forum and got some good info but I need MORE LOL!:D
Thanks- Misty:help: :notsure: :needhelp: :happy:
 
moray345

moray345

Active Member
hey and welcome
to start out you dont need live sand unless you want it to be a reef about the lighting for it i would go with a double strip bulb flourescent maybe a little more than that.about live rock 1-1 1/2
per gallon buy it cured its a pain in the butt to cure it youself i would probably skimmer wise maybe get a Remora H.O.B(ask someone else about this im not to sure)filtration-2 penguin emperor 400 filters or invest in a wet/dry or canister filter
HTH,
Moray345
 
dacia

dacia

Active Member
The AquaC Remora is comparable to the CPR Bak Pak 2. I asked about switching to the Remora from my Bak Pak, and was told that it would be a lateral move...so I would recommend the CPR for you instead of the Remora because it is CHEAPER. :D
 
viper_930

viper_930

Active Member
You don't need live sand, not even for a reef. You should think about making a DSB (deep sand bed) to keep down the nitrates. In a DSB the sand on the bottom is about 3-4 inches thick, sometimes more. You may need more than 60 lbs of sand, maybe around 80-90 lbs for DSB.
You can get uncured live rock, because it is way cheaper. You'll need to cycle the tank anyways so you can just cure the LR yourself in the tank while it cycles.
The cycle takes about month to get the bacteria growing well in the tank before adding livestock. The ammonia and nitrite levels would raise then go down to 0, and the nitrates would raise a bit. Towards the end of the cycle the other parameters would need to be adjusted like the pH, calcium, and alkalinity.
For the water, you can use tap water, but there are some problems with the phosphates and algea. I'd recommend investing in a RO/DI (reverse osmosis/deionization) unit to filter your own water then add salt to, or you can buy RO/DI premixed saltwater from your LFS. Less hassle to buy from the LFS, but in the long run it may cost more. My LFS sells the premixed saltwater for $1 per gallon, but the RO/DI unit would cost $100+.
 
R

rsaylor78

Guest
Of course I am a newbie to this as well, but I will give you the same advise my best friend gave me. He has been running FOWLR and reef tanks for about 5 years now. He recommended to me to start with about 1 lbs/gallon of live sand, and about 1 - 1 1/2 lbs/gallon of live rock to start. As far as filtering you only need an overhanging filter that will accomidate your tank. Of course in all my research you will want a protein skimmer so be prepared for that. As far as lights go you don't need anything special like MH or VHO unless you plan on having corals. Other than that you just need patients because it will take about 1-2 months for your tank to "cycle". Basically that means you get to stare at nothing but rocks for that time. In about a month take a water sample to your LFS or test it yourself for Amonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates. When your Amonia, and Nitrites have reached zero, and you Nitrates have reached less than 40 ppm (I may be wrong on that number) you are good to go to add a fish. Just remember that patients is the most important thing to have. Good luck and keep us posted.
 
msrain

msrain

New Member

Originally posted by rsaylor78
Basically that means you get to stare at nothing but rocks for that time.
LOL! Yeah that part is gonna suck. But thanks for the advise everyone. I've been searching for different things trying to find the best and know how much $$ I need to save up. I was thinking about getting 40lbs of live rock. I have 60lbs. of sand right now as well. My main concern was the skimmer, filter, and getting it all set up. I was all about which fish I wanted but I need to get this tank up and running first LOL! But that reminds me.... when I'm letting my tank run w/o anything do I need to quarintine my fish first before they go in??? I've heard SO many different things about this. I'm gonna go ahead and set up a smaller tank for the little hospital incase they get sick. If there is anything else you all suggest or recommend, PLEASE feel free to let me know :joy:
 
R

rsaylor78

Guest
I've heard that a Qt is a really good idea. of course it won't hurt to have one. :)
 
snipe

snipe

Active Member
For live rock you need anywere from 75 to 150 lbs for your tank. For sand Live or not you need a 2" bed would need somewhere around 110lbs. A 3" bed would need 165 lbs. And a 4" bed would need 220lbs. 2 inch is minimume for most tanks and 4 to 6 is max "4 is plenty".
 
fishman77

fishman77

Member
i just have one thing to say....make sure you want a FOWLR because if you later on decide to go for a reef it would probly be better to have a sump/fuge but ithink you could even put it on your FOWLR.if you say one day"oh i want a reef" then youll want a refugium because its brst but even if you get a wetdry/sump you could still have a reef just a lil more work.IMO
 
ty_05_f

ty_05_f

Active Member
You don't necissarily need a HOB filter, but it can be useful to run carbon every once in a while. You will need good water flow so you might want to look into a closed loop system; just do a search for it. The more live rock the better in my opinion as it is the main filtration for a saltwater tank. Also you might want to look into a refugium and a sump they are great to have.
 
claire_r

claire_r

Member
Hi msrain! It's good to hear from another Hoosier. What part of the state are you in? I'm near Louisville.

I'm brand new too - my tank's still dry. Not for long, though! The advice on this board is great. I also got my tank for Christmas, but no surprise, I picked it out. My husband is just now figuring out that there are so many little things to buy in addition to the tank, stand, filters, rock, etc. Every time we go to the store we pick up something else - a fish net, a gravel vacuum, and so on! I didn't mention this to him ahead of time. hehe

I do know that you can use your aragonite sand and top it off with live sand. That's what I'm doing. Good luck!
 
dacia

dacia

Active Member
Hi msrain! It's good to hear from another Hoosier. What part of the state are you in? I'm near Louisville.
Where in Kentuckiana are you? I lived in Floyds Knobs before I relocated to North Carolina.
 
msrain

msrain

New Member
I'm from Salem, Indiana but I live in New Albany now. Cool to know some of you are from this area.
BTW, looked at some skimmers and filters today. I'm gonna do some research on them to see how good they are first before I make a decision. Thanks for all the help!:D
 
claire_r

claire_r

Member
Wow! Small world! I'm in Jeffersonville.
msrain, we're practically neighbors! And of course, Dacia we used to be practically neighbors! Too cool! Do either of you - or anyone else- know of any sort of local club or association for saltwater "nuts" like us?
 
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