New Tank Owner

[candibug2]

Hey all! I was recently given a rather large tank. I'm estimating
that it is about 50-60 Gallons. It measures 48 inches long, about 12
1/2 wide, and 20 inches deep. It also has a stand to sit the tank
on. Anyway, I'm really interested in maintaining a saltwater tank,
but since I am completely new at this, I don't know where to start.
I read somewhere that it will take about a month or so to set the
tank up, which is fine. I just want to get started. The previous
owner of the tank had freshwater fish in the tank and it needs to be
cleaned. How do I go about properly cleaning this tank? I read
somewhere to use ONLY water. I just want to make sure I don't
contaminate the tank with chemicals. I 've been reading a lot and doing tons of research on saltwater fish. I am particularly interested in Clownfish. I purchased, upon recommendation, "Clownfishes" by Joyce Wilkerson, which has been a big help, and "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael Paletta. I haven't finished either book, but I'm working on it. I am eager to get the ball rolling here. Since this is my first tank ever, besides some goldfish when I was a kid, how do I go about getting started? Basically all I have is an empty tank here. I don't have a cover for this tank, is it possible to buy one? Also, what kinds of filters do I need? Can anyone recommend specifics here? I'm just so lost and I want to do this right. I would like to start as cheaply as possible and upgrade over the long haul. What should I use as substrate? Any help anyone can offer here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Candi

 

[birdy]

Welcome!!
Your tank is a 55 gal. There are so many different options it is hard to know where to begin. The new marine aquarium is a very good book to start with.
You need to decide what type of tank you want: FO, FOWLR (I recommend this) or a reef.
You said you want clownfish that is fine unless you want an anemone to go with them, I would STRONGLY suggest you not get an anemone, you would need expesive lights and they are very very fragile and you would need to wait at least 6 months to put it in the tank.
If you are going FOWLR these are my recomendations:
1. Start out with a sand substrate, Do some searches on DSB and decide if you want a DSB or just a couple of inches.
2. Get LR, for cost effectivness you can buy a significant amount of baserock (dry dead rock) and then you can seed it with some LR, eventually the baserock will become LR. The sand and the LR will be your primary biological filtration.
3. Buy an overflow and build a sump to house your skimmer and heaters. Basically this is a device which takes the water from the top of the tank to a tank below the tank, this houses a protien skimmer and your heaters, and can house a refugium with macro algae(I highly recommend this).
4. As far as misc stuff you will want test kits for the water and you will need several powerheads in the tank for water circulation.
Good Luck and ask as many questions as you need to.

 

[jp0379]

Yep, I think your tank is a 55 gallon, too. And a book that you ought to read is "Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies", another in the long line of ".......for Dummies' books. It has a funny title, but the book is GREAT for information that you will find EXTREMELY beneficial, and it speaks in "regular" terms. Its a fun read, too.
My suggestion is get about 40 lbs of base sand (playsand from Home Depot works fine), and about 30 pounds of livesand. Then get liverock, including base rock as Birdy said. Make sure its cured liverock, and find a LFS that has knowledgable people who are patient and willing to answer any questions. Make sure its not a place that want to sell fish even if they know its a fish that wont' make it in your aquarium. After the tank is up a few days you can get a few damsels to add some color, and most are okay to leave in there after you cycle is finished. A test kit, to me, is the MOST important part. You can test the water once a week, and check when the levels are where they are supposed to be so that you can start adding your occupants! A powerhead on each end of the tank is needed to circulate the water, too, as well as a biowheel filter and a protein skimmer.
And come here and ask questions, because theres nothing like personal experiences that are posted here to help you decide what fish to get!

 

[ross]

I would cycle your tank with a raw shrimp from the grocery store. It is cheaper than damsels and you won't be killing fish.

 

[the claw]

I just wanted to pause for a moment to welcome you to the board, and to the hobby for that matter. I also wanted to let you know you are off to a good start by doing research, reading, and by being patient. If you continue to do all three, you will most likely be successful. Good luck!

 

[spencka]

Birdy, could you please explain why you prefer FOWLR? Is that just a personal preference or a recommendation for a newbie, you see I are one!
In fact, my drutheres are to have a reef, with some fish. Number one on my list is a Nasos Tang, I think they're so neat looking!
Thanks,
Steve

 

[reefer44]

FOWLR are generally easier to keep than reefs...and IMO they are a lot prettier than FO systems
I started with a reef though and am very happy i did i find it a lot more interesting.....i wouldn't get a tang in my first tank i would go with soft corals and easier fish like green chromis and clownfish
good luck

 

[birdy]

What I would recommend is starting with a FOWLR but set it up with the idea that you will convert it to a reef when you are ready. Basically the only difference between a FOWLR and a Reef is lighting maybe more LR and the type of fish and inverts you can keep, and you have to keep the water quality up to par in a reef. If I were you I would start the tank up FOWLR really research into reef tanks and then you can upgrade as you go and then when your tank is mature (6mo to a year) you can start adding corals knowing that you and your tank are ready for them.

 

[spencka]

Birdy, I've been waiting 48 years to get into this hobby, I guess I can postpone the reef six months to a year.
Sounds like a plan, thanks for the advice! I guess another advantage might be I can save some pennies until I take the plunge for the reef!
Reefer, my whole motivation for getting into the SW Aquaria is to get that Naso Tang. I've already decided I'd go from a 75 gal. tank to a 90 or 100, just to accomodate it! If I can't have that, I'm not sure I could be as motivated!
I tour a small LFS in town, and they have some variety, but there is nothing in my mind that compares to that Tang. Why would you discourage my getting that fish? Are they difficult to keep?

 

[reefer44]

Well first of all i completely agree with Birdy about changing to a reef after u have set up a FOWLR tank...i never thought of that but it is a great idea
Also I think u can get a Naso Tang....I just wouldn't get it as ur first fish...i went with the green chromis at first and they sort of taught me a lot on how to keep saltwater fish (even though there is great info on this site IMO there is no greater way to learn than making errors...just make sure the error isn't losing the fish!)
also i would suggest a 125 gallon for that tang...they are pretty large (can get up to 1'6") and need even more space to swim than other tangs

 

[spencka]

Well, I guess I'll just have to dig a little deeper in the pockets!
Thanks for the advice!

 

[jp0379]

Spek, welcome to the "no matter what size tank you have most are going to say you need a bigger one" board! Good luck with that tang.........we had one for years in a 90 gallon and it was by far my favorite.