New 28 Gallon.

[rasguedo]

Hey everyone, I was talking about getting a fish tank and my gf got me a kit one for Christmas (we already excahnged gifts). I have been researching many different articles and such for days and I realized that there is so much conflicting/ different responses that my head started spinning. I went to the fish store and the women said that a salt water tank is not that hard...(somehow I doubt this). She sold me a Filter that hangs on the back, it says that it has mechanical, biological and also has a built in protein skimmer, It does not look like a wet/dry. She told me a sump wasnt necesarry ( i cant afford any of the extra pumps and such anyway so I hope she is right) 28 Pounds of live rock, coral, hydrometer she was out of test strips have to get those soon. I need a good thermometer also. What I have done so far is mix the salt to a good salinity, started the filter, put in the coral and the rock, (does the rock need to be stacked, this looks like the preffered method). Salinity looks good I wont know the PH til tommorow. I know I need a different light. What kind of light do I need for coral? Will it fit into the same socket that the light that came with the tank? When should I add something to "help" removing ammonia to start the true cycling like I have read in some articles ( a invert?). I searched for a FAQ with these answers but found very little, maybe im searching wrong? If anyone could help, i know there are a lot of questions but I would be so appreciative. Thanks in advance!

 

[joncat24]

u r kidding right???
Please tell me you didn't add corals to your tank already. If so take them out and take them back to fish store and demand your money back.then come back and repost ???'s and someone will help you through the cycle.

 

[grumpygils]

Originally Posted by rasguedo
Hey everyone, I was talking about getting a fish tank and my gf got me a kit one for Christmas (we already excahnged gifts). I have been researching many different articles and such for days and I realized that there is so much conflicting/ different responses that my head started spinning. I went to the fish store and the women said that a salt water tank is not that hard...(somehow I doubt this). She sold me a Filter that hangs on the back, it says that it has mechanical, biological and also has a built in protein skimmer, It does not look like a wet/dry. She told me a sump wasnt necesarry ( i cant afford any of the extra pumps and such anyway so I hope she is right) 28 Pounds of live rock, coral, hydrometer she was out of test strips have to get those soon. I need a good thermometer also. What I have done so far is mix the salt to a good salinity, started the filter, put in the coral and the rock, (does the rock need to be stacked, this looks like the preffered method). Salinity looks good I wont know the PH til tommorow. I know I need a different light. What kind of light do I need for coral? Will it fit into the same socket that the light that came with the tank? When should I add something to "help" removing ammonia to start the true cycling like I have read in some articles ( a invert?). I searched for a FAQ with these answers but found very little, maybe im searching wrong? If anyone could help, i know there are a lot of questions but I would be so appreciative. Thanks in advance!
Since you are cycling with live rock, you do not have to do anything else. You need to sit back and test your ammonia in 10 days or so. You need test kits, not test strips. They are poor. Cycling will take atleast 3 weeks. This is the hardest time in the hobby! Do not be impatient like many of us were! I am the king! This is a good time to read all you can. This site will have all the info you need, you just need to search it out.
First the Ammonia will spike, then the nitrite and then the nitrate. When your nitrates level off, do a 10-20% water change to get the nitrates under 10 ppm. This whole process takes atleast 3 weeks. No need to worry about Ph and other parameters until it is almost cycled.
As for lights, I assume that any lights you got that have a socket are not coral quality unless they are Metal Halides(MH) and then you would have a separate ballast. If you could post PICs of what you have it would be easier to help. I think your skimmer might be a Skilter?
Mc

 

[mopar9012]

rasguedo when you say your got coral, are you talking about crushed coral? I really find it hard to believe a lady would sell u a coral when your just setting up your tank.

 

[garnet13aj]

Searching the entire forum instead of just the FAQ section would be more helpful. Almost all the info you are looking for can be found that way. If I were you I would pick up the book The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta or The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner. You'll have some time to read/research while your tank is cycling.
It's important to remember that not having enough money isn't a excuse. Sounds harsh (and I'm not exactly rolling in dough, I'm a college student) but this is an expensive hobby and if you want your fish/inverts to be happy you have to dish out a little more. For this reason, it's important to go slow and research every buy. I've already made mistakes because of rushing, you're definitely not the only one.

 

[rasguedo]

First of all thanks for all the replies already! I meant to say crushed coral for the bottom of the tank not live corals sorry for the confusion. Grumpy: Yes my skimmer is a skilter im surprised to see that it already has some foam, the directions said i may not see much in a new tank. Ill get the "kit" also instead of the strips. As far as the light its just a run of the mill light that comes with a fresh water tank, Its a eclipse 18" F15T8 "Natural Daylight" flourescent bulb at 15 watts, Im sure ill need a different one but unsure of where to start, thanks! Garnet, thanks for the info also, I definately want my animals to be happy, and I am willing to spend a good amount of cash to do it. What I meant was that if the system can work well w/o a sump that would be awesome, ive seen some on here that dont seem to have a sump and work well! Thanks for the book advice Im gonna look for it tomorrow I hope a store around me has it. Thanks again any other advice would be great!