How do I set this up? 30Gal

[texasgiraffe]

I purchased a "kit" from Marine Life that supposedly has everyting I need in it ...some sort of bio wheel filter, salt, and several other tools. I also purchased some coral (dead) replicated barnicles and some crushed coral for the bottom and some live sand. How do I go about setting this up?? I am completely clueless- this will be my first saltwater tank. If someone could walk me through how to set this up and suggest some colorful small and hardy fish I would really appreciate it. I am trying to learn all I can BEFORE I start on the tank!!
TG

 

[shnookums]

in my opinion, I would lose the crushed coral and get the really small coral aggregate. depending whether you are going to have corals, live rock, fish only etc. we need more information, to get a better idea of what you want out of this tank. Don't forget it takes 6-8 weeks to cycle your tank, so IMO getting fish in the next couple of days is not important. Read your instructions from marine life and call them if you have any trouble putting anything together. And read read read and ask ask ask questions, that is what this board is for. Its a great board and you will gain alot of knowledge. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[texasgiraffe]

I am more or less interested in the fish part of it- I want the tank to look natural, with rocks etc. but they don't have to be real- I am really open at this point, wanting whatever is easiest for a beginner like myself. Any suggestions??

 

[somethingfishy]

Texasgiraffe,
I tried to e-mail you to give you some info on my 30 gallon fish only setup, but your user profile states that you do not wish to receive e-mail through the board.If you would like more info, you can email me at jeepney1@msn.com

 

[striker]

Fake corals and barnacles may look pretty at first but given time if your tank doesn't have sufficent bio-filtration(lr and ls) it will end up looking pretty ugly. If this is your first time setting up the best way to do it is reading and research before you begin. Actual live rock and live sand will help keep your fish happier and healthier and will give your tank the natural look. I would definitely stay away from anything fake or any dead corals. Pet stores make a bundle off of people that don't have the right information or haven't done research.

 

[broomer5]

texasgiraffe
Welcome to the board !!
I keep a 30 gallon long.
Here's my suggestion - take it for what it's worth.
If your budget allows - I would strongly consider doing the following in a 30 gallon, no matter what you plan to keep in the tank.
Get some Southdown play sand if you can find it at Home Depot.
If not, buy some CaribSea Aragamax sugar sized oolite sand.
You can mix this with CaribSea Special Grade sand if you want.
75% oolite, 25% special grade.
For a 30 long - I'd get between at least 100-120 lbs.
Buy the 20 lbs of live sand from this site.
Buy the 20-25 lbs live rock from this site.
Mix up your salt with store bought RO Reverse Osmosis freshwater.
DO NOT USE TAP WATER !
Mix it all up in a new 30 gallon plastic rubbermaid container and let it aerate overnight with a powerhead ( you'll need one for the tank anyway, might as well get one now )
Maintain the water temperature at 78 F. Get a heater if you need one.
Set up your tank on stand.
Lay down the dry aragonite sandbed - 4 inches at least.
Make sure you aerated saltwater is to temperature, correct specific gravity, pH, etc.
Place a clean glass bowl on your sandbed.
Pour ( or pump ) the new saltwater into your tank - not all the way full, but just enough to fully wet the dry sandbed.
Pouring the saltwater into the bowl slowly will reduce the amount of sand that get's stirred up. The tankwater will still look cloudy - don't worry about it for now.
Take the live rock that you get from this site, and place it on the sandbed. Arrange it however you want for now - just get it in the tank, sort of stacking it up.
Open the live sand bag and pour it in over the dead ( now wet ) sandbed.
Once you get all the sand in the tank - slowly fill the tank with the rest of the saltwater.
Start up the filter you have, install a heater if necessary.
Maintain temperature at 78 F.
Place the powerhead in the tank, and plug it in.
That's pretty much all you must do for start up.
The tank will look all cloudy and may freak you out.
Don't worry about it - it will all clear up in a few days.
Sit back, let the tank cycle, don't be tempted to add any live animals to it, and be patient. I don't even light the tank much for the first few weeks, just when I want to look in and see what's happening. Act like you don't even have the tank, except for monitoring the tank for pH, ammonia, nitrite & nitrate.
You'll need a test kit. FasTest by Aquarium Systems work okay.
Salifert's even better.
Your tank will cycle with the live rock/live sand. This may take anywhere from a week or so to several weeks, depending on the quality of the live rock, amount of die off and so on.
This method is about the most sure fire, foolproof way to start up your saltwater tank. Other's may agree or disagree, but it's what I've done on several occasions - and it works like a charm.
If your budget does not allow for this - there are other ways.
In my opinion - this is the "best" way.

 

[texasgiraffe]

Thanks for all the helpful insight!! I have one more question: It has been mentioned before, but will I need a power head in addition to the filtration that came with the tank (some sort of bio wheel)? Please advise.
Thanks- all of your help is appreciated!!!!

 

[broomer5]

In most every case - having powerheads or some form of water circulation is a good thing.
You can have too much - and it may blow everything around like a whirlpool effect. Not all that common though, but does happen.
Normally it's having too little water circulation that's more of a problem with most of us.
You want enough water movement within the tank, so insure good gas exchange at the water surface ( oxygen and carbon dioxide primarily ) and also enough to reduce/eliminate any "dead spots" in the tank - where crud, crap and detritus can accumulate.
Having this stuff piling up on the sandbed/substrate can lead to excessive nutrients that the imfamous nuisance algae and cynobacteria just love to have available. They live off this stuff.
If you're keeping corals someday, then the water circulation helps to get food to the corals, and helps to move their wastes away for the biofiltration take care of. Matter of fact, good water circulation helps to move all the wastes in the tank around, and insures that the bacteria and any mechanical/chemical filtration have access to these wastes.
Once again, powerheads are just another thing to have to buy - but they are pretty cheap, and you would only need 1 or 2 for a 30 gallon tank. I'd suggest looking at the Maxijets or Minijets - they seem to work the best all around. Pretty reliable and not too expensive. They work.
HTH - good luck

 

[texasgiraffe]

Everyone has been so helpful- one last and final question...for now- what (after tank has cycled) are some good SMALL fish for my tank- I have no prefrence- I just want a clown or two and some other smaller fish- to make the tank interesting- keep in mind I probably won't have live rock- yet anyway. I want the most colorful little critters possible!!

 

[striker]

I'll post a few of my favorites and you can check out the pictures or see them in person and decide later for yourself. My absolute favorite is the percula clownfish. You can get a pair or just one. They are extremely active and beautiful(orange, white). Royal gramma is purple/yellow and community. Jawfish are great because of their personality but you will need a deep substrate(4-6 inch) for them(bluespot or yellowhead). There is also the sixline wrasse. A very active fish that constantly swims in and out of the rocks. Another gorgeous fish is the dwarf flame angel. Need to wait 6 months for the tank to mature before adding one and a little more research to see if it will do alright in a 30 gallon.
Don't get tempted to buy a mandarin. Their staple diet consists of pods and in many cases starve to death. I have one in my 29gallon but I have over 70lbs of lr and I'm lucky because he also eats live and frozen brine shrimp. I have 5 small fish and that's pushing it. I recommend 3-4 small fish for a 29 gallon reef and 3-5 fish for a fowlr. The amount of fish depends on the type of fish(community or aggresive) and how your system is set-up(lr, ls, equipment). The main thing to remember is patience. Add only one fish at a time and wait and see how your tank reacts.
Check out the websites online for fish pics and info before buying any. The last thing I recommend is a cleaner shrimp. They are great to have and add personality to the tank. They are out in the open often and will eat directly out of your hands. If you won't have lr then I recommend you to wait until you buy it before adding anything to your tank. IMO you definitely need lr in order to help with you're success. If not there is a very good chance of your pets dying, having disease or algae outbreaks and wasting money. Good luck and have fun.