New to saltwater aquariums. Questions

somethingsfishy

somethingsfishy

New Member
Hello all!
I'm new to the saltwater game. I've had freshwater tanks for about 15 years now. Over that time I've had a breeding pair of Red Belly Pirahna's, black ghost knives and freshwater eels along with your standard angels, tetras, freshwater "sharks" but I think it's time for something new. I've always been interested in saltwater but cost and knowing I'd be moving kept me from getting into the hobby but I'm in a house now that I don't think I'll be leaving for a while so I'm ready to start
For this build I will be using a 55gal tank (48x12x20). My ultimate goal is to have a reef tank. So far I have my tank, heater and filter so I have a long way to go before I'm up and running! But I'll take my time and have what I need to get started before I start building.
My first question is, does anyone know of supply stores that will ship to Canada for live rock and live sand? Or are there any Canadians that have a good supplier in Canada? There's only one LFS in my town for saltwater. Their asking $12 for LR and $50/ 20LB bag of crushed coral. I've done some research on the net and have found much better prices for LR but haven't found one that ships to Canada. Also, from my research, most people say to stay away from the crushed coral for tank bottom. Any help there would be appreciated
Second question is lighting. One I'm sure you've seen many times before. I'm not looking to break the bank at this point so I've been looking on ebay. There's 2 I have been mulling over

Marineland Double Bright 48-60" LED Aquarium Light Fixture w/ Lunar Blue Lights
It doesn't show overall wattage so I'm not sure. I've read 200watts is sufficient for corals but I could be misinterpreting that.
48'' METAL HALIDE 2x 250 COMPACT AQUARIUM LIGHT 760 WATT MARINE REEF NEW 2012

Or something like that.
Any input on those or suggestions would be appreciated!
Third question is for the protien skimmer. I would like a hang on the tank style skimmer.
Vertex Pinwheel Protein Skimmer 100 Gen. 3 w/pump
Would that be sufficient?
I think I have all that stuff along with salt, refractor and master test kit, I should have enough to get the tank up and running and cycling.
Any critism of my master plan is appreciated
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
well first welcome to SWF......2nd I had to edit your post since SWF is a store also, they do not allow links to competitors....SORRY
we have a few people on here from Canada.....I bet they could point you in a good direction :)
 
somethingsfishy

somethingsfishy

New Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/391313/new-to-saltwater-aquariums-questions#post_3469727
well first welcome to SWF......2nd I had to edit your post since SWF is a store also, they do not allow links to competitors....SORRY
we have a few people on here from Canada.....I bet they could point you in a good direction :)
Sorry. That's my fault. Didn't mean to break the rules.
And hopefully they chime in! Any help regarding stuff available within Canada would be great!
 
xcali1985

xcali1985

Active Member
That light fixture I have seen in person and measured with a par meter, it will barely grow macro algae. Don't waste your money on it.
I know you are on a budget, however your lighting in a reef is the most important part after good water. This is an item you cannot skimp on or you will be wasting it down the road.
If im not mistaken that skimmer model is a in-sump skimmer. Reef Octopus makes a good hang-on-the-back (HOB) skimmer.
 
somethingsfishy

somethingsfishy

New Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xcali1985 http:///t/391313/new-to-saltwater-aquariums-questions#post_3469730
That light fixture I have seen in person and measured with a par meter, it will barely grow macro algae. Don't waste your money on it.
I know you are on a budget, however your lighting in a reef is the most important part after good water. This is an item you cannot skimp on or you will be wasting it down the road.
If im not mistaken that skimmer model is a in-sump skimmer. Reef Octopus makes a good hang-on-the-back (HOB) skimmer.
What is the general consensus on a Coralife Aqualight Pro Metal Halide Led? I've seen the price online for $750-800 and I can get one for $400. Good deal?
And thank you. I will talk a look at the Reef Octopus skimmers
 
rickross23

rickross23

Active Member
What about the ghost knives? I have a ghost knive, and 2 clown loaches in my 75. I also have a 120g Saltwater.
 
somethingsfishy

somethingsfishy

New Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickross23 http:///t/391313/new-to-saltwater-aquariums-questions#post_3469812
What about the ghost knives? I have a ghost knive, and 2 clown loaches in my 75. I also have a 120g Saltwater.
They weren't in the tank at the same time as the RBP's if that's what your asking? I had the breeding pair for about 6 years I think. I bought them full grown and the LFS that I bought them from wasn't sure how old they were. After they died, I bought a Ghost Knife. I really liked it, it was definitely a cool fish to have in the tank.
 
somethingsfishy

somethingsfishy

New Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickross23 http:///t/391313/new-to-saltwater-aquariums-questions#post_3469827
In Freshwater?! How did he live?!
I bought it under the name "snowflake eel" so that's what I always called it. But it is a Freshwater Moray Eel
Quote:
The by far most common moray eel sold as a freshwater fish is Gymnothorax tile, it is often simply referred to as 'freshwater moray eel'. Sometimes it is labelled 'Indian mud moray', 'snowflake eel' (not to be confused with the other 'snowflake eel' Echidna nebulosa) or 'gold dust moray'. It is grey and has numerous yellow to golden spots spread on the dorsal and lateral part of the body. With age the yellow spots become smaller giving the adults a more or less uniform grey appearance. They are common in the Sundaban mangrove swamps in East India, but they are also distributed in Indonesia, the Philippines and the Adaman Islands. The species reaches a maximum length of 60 cm (24').
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmorayart.htm
 
somethingsfishy

somethingsfishy

New Member
So since my last post I met up with a local Saltwater enthusiast and got some direction for my build. I am now going with a 70G tank, since my 55G was tempered but not marked as such and when we went to drill an overflow it went off like a gunshot. Oh well, lesson learned. I managed to get a good deal on my 70 and it's at a local glass shop getting the overflow drilled out. I converted a 25G tank I had sitting in my basement into a sump tank as well.
So far I have compiled the following:
200G IO reef crystals
80Lbs Caribsea Select (not sure if all will be used)
100lbs Live rock (not sure if all will be used until I start aquascaping)
SWC Xtreme 160 Cone in-sump skimmer
Tunze 6055 powerhead with controller
Ehiem 1262 return pump
48` Coralife Light Fixture 2 x 150MH 2 x 96 Actinics
Vertex refractometer
2x ViaAqua titanium 200W heater w/ digital display
Now I just have to wait for the tank to be drilled so I can start setting it up
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xcali1985 http:///t/391313/new-to-saltwater-aquariums-questions#post_3469730
That light fixture I have seen in person and measured with a par meter, it will barely grow macro algae. Don't waste your money on it.
+1 to not wasting your money!
I bought the same light (actually a knock off of it) and when I tried to add coral this last week it wasn't cutting the mustard. I had to run out and by some T5 Lighting. For a couple hundred more I could have gotten the proper lighting from the start.
Good luck with your build. this is the place to be when starting out.
 
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