New to the hobby need help

meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Hey I feel your pain...when I got my 225g...I had not yet found this site either...I threw alot of money out the window
I look at it this way....do not plan on a future tank, or buy livestock for it...until you actually have it
SORRY...But in my life...I have has too much fall through
You can set the 38g up nicely....and have some really nice fish in it
 
arvins

arvins

Member
Originally Posted by Skidemon95
http:///forum/post/3093712
i dont want to seem ignorant, but since i am getting a 210g probably sooner then i originally thought. probably by the end of the year. should i just leave it as is and wait to dump all this money into the 210?
sorry, just really pissed at all the money i lost and the guy at the lfs convincing my wife for me to go with a smaller tank than a bigger one like i wanted.

First question...no don't put everything off till you get the bigger tank. My advice on that is simply buy the stuff for the tank you have but buy it rated for the tank you hope to get. Make sense? For example, I have a 55 gallon tank but the skimmer I bought is rated for a 125 because I want to get a 90 in the future
That way I can use the same skimmer for awile after I get the bigger tank! As for the powerheads you can never really have to much flow so if you get the 2 #2's for this tank you can move them to the bigger tank along with more powerheads...so all the money you will be spending in equipment can be used on the bigger tank and is therefore not a waste.
Second statement...Don't get pissed! Those people are jerks, they did this just to make money off of you and sadly that lesson has to be learned
You and the fish suffered for it BUT you know better now and can help others in your area avoid that place. Hurt them where it counts, find another store and give those people no more of your money. This hobby is amazing, it can be frustrating but the rewards are worth it, don't get mad, don't give up, especially over some jerk at a fish store that only cares about money.
This website has some good deals on sand and stuff, even if you don't buy the sand here take a look at it that way you know what you need to be looking for when you go to the new fish store to buy it
 
mkroher

mkroher

Member
The person at the pet store said he doesn't need a skimmer, or a power head. So, I don't think the pet store was trying to rob him, I think the person at the pet store is uneducated, and just gave him bad advice.
1. IF you are going to use tap water, you NEED to dechlorinate it. Some of the posts on this thread would lead a beginner to the conclusion that tap water can't be used and they must used RO/DI water. This is false. Tap water CAN be used, it's just not desired. Using tap water is not the end of the world. If the hobbyist can afford an RO/DI unit, great.
2. Stating that he needs more live rock may also be false. He has one 5" eel in the tank. Is that really a huge bio-load? The only way to know if the amount of live rock he has is enough, is to monitor the water chemistry.
My advice is to keep this tank, and use it to learn. Go ahead and purchase that 210, but make all your mistakes in the smaller tank. When you are experienced and more educated, you will know what equipment, how much live rock, capable live stock, etc that you will need for that 210 to make it an enjoyable experience.
-Mike
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by mkroher
http:///forum/post/3093904
The person at the pet store said he doesn't need a skimmer, or a power head. So, I don't think the pet store was trying to rob him, I think the person at the pet store is uneducated, and just gave him bad advice.
1. IF you are going to use tap water, you NEED to dechlorinate it. Some of the posts on this thread would lead a beginner to the conclusion that tap water can't be used and they must used RO/DI water. This is false. Tap water CAN be used, it's just not desired. Using tap water is not the end of the world. If the hobbyist can afford an RO/DI unit, great.
2. Stating that he needs more live rock may also be false. He has one 5" eel in the tank. Is that really a huge bio-load? The only way to know if the amount of live rock he has is enough, is to monitor the water chemistry.
My advice is to keep this tank, and use it to learn. Go ahead and purchase that 210, but make all your mistakes in the smaller tank. When you are experienced and more educated, you will know what equipment, how much live rock, capable live stock, etc that you will need for that 210 to make it an enjoyable experience.
-Mike

There is more in the tap water than chlorine, there is even fluoride for teeth, and a slew of other chemicals to "clean" it from the water treatment plant. It is so nasty that people are buying their water so they don't drink tap, they attach purifiers to the spigot in hopes of cleaning some of it up. I have a water cooler in my home, I buy jugs of water so I don't drink from the tap for myself, and I can take allot more than my fishy friends can.
RO strips everything out so you put pure H2O into the tank. The only chemicals in there then are the ones you put in there. Giving you control of the tank. While it isn't the end of the world...hair algae and other problems are constant when using tap water.
 
mkroher

mkroher

Member
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3093913

There is more in the tap water than chlorine, there is even fluoride for teeth, and a slew of other chemicals to "clean" it from the water treatment plant. It is so nasty that people are buying their water so they don't drink tap, they attach purifiers to the spigot in hopes of cleaning some of it up. I have a water cooler in my home, I buy jugs of water so I don't drink from the tap for myself, and I can take allot more than my fishy friends can.
RO strips everything out so you put pure H2O into the tank. The only chemicals in there then are the ones you put in there. Giving you control of the tank. While it isn't the end of the world...hair algae and other problems are constant when using tap water.
I'm not talking about human consumption. I'm talking about aquariums. Please re-read my post for I DID say that using tap water is not desirable. The point I wanted to make is that if the hobbyist HAD to use tap water, it would be OK to do as long as a chemical to dechlorinate it is used.
 
arvins

arvins

Member
The suggestion of more live rock was based on the fact that that ONE eel is not all he wants in his tank. He wants additional fish and he also wants to know how to set this tank up to accomodate the fish he will want in the future, that is the reason additional live rock was suggested.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by mkroher
http:///forum/post/3093920
I'm not talking about human consumption. I'm talking about aquariums. Please re-read my post for I DID say that using tap water is not desirable. The point I wanted to make is that if the hobbyist HAD to use tap water, it would be OK to do as long as a chemical to dechlorinate it is used.
Okay...I stand corrected.
What about boiling water? When we get warnings that the city water is bad..we boil our water before use...if a person must use tap...wouldn't boiling first work, as long as they make sure it cools completely before use?
 
skidemon95

skidemon95

Member
ok, i have decided to go ahead and pull the trigger on a 210. im gonna go and see what kinda deal i can get tomorrow. can you guy kinda guide me of what EXACTLY i need to buy. please only recommend the best also. i dont wanna buy anything cheap and have to upgrade it later. im also gonna purchase the r/o unit.
 
mkroher

mkroher

Member
I think for the time being you should get your advice from us and not the person at the pet store. Go there knowing what you want to buy. Don't go there with a bunch of questions.
 
arvins

arvins

Member
Yeah if you are going to the same guy that has sold you the other stuff (which I hope you aren't) don't ask him anything as it doesn't seem like he cares enough about what he sells to give you the right answers.
If it were me yes I would run a sump under a tank that size. Just asking so everyone knew what kind of equipment to advise for you, if your going to have a sump you wouldn't want a hob skimmer you would want a submersible one I think, and so on.
You'll need alot of water movement in a tank that size, you might find out what meowzer uses for flow in her tank as I'm not 100% sure how many powerheads you would need. I would guess 4 though.
So I'd think several powerheads, a skimmer (which one depends on the sump, money, availability etc but I like the octopus skimmers myself), heater, live sand and ALOT of live rocks. The thing is brand names depend on alot of different factors so its hard to tell you to go out and get one thing or another.
 
skidemon95

skidemon95

Member
Originally Posted by Arvins
http:///forum/post/3094635
Yeah if you are going to the same guy that has sold you the other stuff (which I hope you aren't) don't ask him anything as it doesn't seem like he cares enough about what he sells to give you the right answers.
If it were me yes I would run a sump under a tank that size. Just asking so everyone knew what kind of equipment to advise for you, if your going to have a sump you wouldn't want a hob skimmer you would want a submersible one I think, and so on.
You'll need alot of water movement in a tank that size, you might find out what meowzer uses for flow in her tank as I'm not 100% sure how many powerheads you would need. I would guess 4 though.
So I'd think several powerheads, a skimmer (which one depends on the sump, money, availability etc but I like the octopus skimmers myself), heater, live sand and ALOT of live rocks. The thing is brand names depend on alot of different factors so its hard to tell you to go out and get one thing or another.
no im not going back to the other store. i found a new store so im gonna try it out. i was there last week and the guy seemed knowledgeable.
ok, so im gonna get the tank, and stand. can you guys give me any links of specific stuff like what under tank sump i should get? and all the other stuff i should get?
i was in the store talking to the guy and was actually gonna put the whole thing on layaway. after thinking about it im just gonna go and get it right away.
with the purchase of the tank the guy drills the holes and runs pvc plumbing for it for free. the tank is $900. is that a good price?
 
skidemon95

skidemon95

Member
i doubt im gonna be bring it home today since hes gonna drill it. how much live sand do i need for a 210? and i know i need a bunch of live rock, but whats enough for me just to set up the tank and cycle it?
now i heard it takes 6-8 weeks for a tank to cycle.
so do i just set it up and leave it running for that amount of time without fish or anything else in it?
 
saltyjewell

saltyjewell

Member
Other people will know much more then me as I'm fairly new to this too.
My experience with the fresh water tanks has been let it cycle with nothing(in saltwater with the live rock/sand) for at least 2-3 weeks, then add just a couple hardy fish and let it cycle another 2-3 weeks before adding anything else. With saltwater I'm betting it'll take a little longer. Don't add to many fish at once ever.
 
arvins

arvins

Member
Yes the tank will need to run with the rock and sand and water in it until it fully cycles, which could take 4-6 weeks. Test your water every day or so so that you can see when the spikes start. After the ammonia, nitrates spike and return down to zero you can add a clean up crew, then a couple weeks after that you can add a fish or two. After that then just watch your levels with each new addition, and I wouldn't add more then one or two fish every couple of weeks that way your tank can adjust to the new load.
Good rule of thumb for rock is a pound per gallon, yeah I know that's expensive as all get out but if you can get it all at once then you don't have to worry about quarantining new rock, or die off in a established tank. Sand I think it depends on how deep you want, most people do a 2 inch deep sand bed, we started with 40lbs in a 55 but we just added another 20lbs to it because .... well just because

For the sump I'd just grab a regular tank, like a 90 or so, then get a return pump and overflow and build it yourself, there are several pictures on here of do it yourself sumps
.
 
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