New to saltwater aquariums. Please help

[one800nak]

good afternoon everyone. im entering the world on saltwater aquarium as we speak. a friend of mine gave me a 65 gallon tank that i tested and theres no leaks. i ordered a 300w heater and a emperor bio wheel 400. i was told that wont be enough and soon i will need a proteim skimmer. im guessing my next step is to add salt and live rock and live sand. can i mix the live rock with dry rock to achieve around 60 pounds? it is very pricey. im just trying to talk to alot of different people about steps. im not even worried about fish yet. my goal is to have a fish only tank for now and work my way up from there. any assistance would be great. thanks

 

[sweatervest13]

Quote:
Originally Posted by one800nak http:///t/393986/new-to-saltwater-aquariums-please-help#post_3506354
good afternoon everyone. im entering the world on saltwater aquarium as we speak. a friend of mine gave me a 65 gallon tank that i tested and theres no leaks. i ordered a 300w heater and a emperor bio wheel 400. i was told that wont be enough and soon i will need a proteim skimmer. im guessing my next step is to add salt and live rock and live sand. can i mix the live rock with dry rock to achieve around 60 pounds? it is very pricey. im just trying to talk to alot of different people about steps. im not even worried about fish yet. my goal is to have a fish only tank for now and work my way up from there. any assistance would be great. thanks
Yup. That's what a lot of folks do. There are some great "sticky" threads on top of the new hobbyists section. Brush up on those and come back and ask any questions you have.

 

[beaslbob]

FWIW
I would add macro algaes before I would buy a skimmer, do water changes, add expensive live rock and live sand.
my .02

 

[one800nak]

What is your take on mixing the live rock with dry rock and also mixing the live sand with regular sand.

 

[elrodg]

I used a single seed rock to start my dry rock. But the more live the better. It will all cure together which is a good thing. As for the live sand I am sure it's pretty much the same. As long as you have a little live sand to seed it you could use mostly "dead sand" Also I bought oolitic live sand on eBay for around 25 bucks for thirty pounds

 

[one800nak]

I just order 50 pounds of dry rock from marcorock.com and plan up use maybe another 10-20 pounds live

 

[elrodg]

That will be plenty

 

[jstanfill]

Have 75 g tank want a saltwater tank do I need the trickle filter , don't want to pay that much bc have to fix hood also

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jstanfill http:///t/393986/new-to-saltwater-aquariums-please-help#post_3508796
Have 75 g tank want a saltwater tank do I need the trickle filter , don't want to pay that much bc have to fix hood also
It really depends on the tank. I don't recommend trickle filters anymore, personally. I feel like a well made sump system with room for a decent protein skimmer and a small refugium is plenty of room to accomplish filtration goals.
Sumps can be built out of almost any food grade, safe, non-reactive container. Food grade plastic totes (rubbermaid, etc.) can be a great starting sump if you can find one the right size to fit under your tank. 20g and 29g tanks are great sumps that you can DIY with baffles to create your own sump for nearly a fourth of the cost to buy a pre-made sump.
To the OP -
Sounds like you have a really nice start. I like the fact that you are taking the time to ask questions and get familiar with everything. I would personally try to use as much live rock as you can buy, initially. There are several sites on the internet that sell cheap live rock - as much as 40lbs for $140 with free shipping if you do a simple search on Google. Saltwaterfish.com has great live rock and competitive prices if you want to check them out as well.
You will like the Emperor filter. I have used them for years with both freshwater and saltwater aquariums. Great little filters.

 

[jstanfill]

The local fish store told me I could take out my biowheels and also need to do filter water ,my top is busted / split so might have to replace it . Want peaceful Fish , but have book on hold at work at library .