Please help me set up new saltwater tank.

thang45

thang45

Member
Hello everyone,
This is my first post and I know nothing about saltwater tank but would love to learn.
I have a front bow 45gal Discus tank and would like to convert it to saltwater tank with corals.
I currently have a Eheim 2217 filter and a heater. Please recommend if the equipments below are needed or recommend if I should get something else.
List of stuff to buy recommended by the sale associate at BigAls:
1. 50lbs live rock
2. Carib Sea Ocean Direct Live Sand - 50LB
3. Instant Ocean 160 Gallon Salt Mix Bucket
4. Three Hydors, Koralia Nano, Hydor Koralia 2, and Hydor Koralia 3
5. Seachem Reef Complete 500 ml
6. Kent Pro Buffer Dkh 8 OZ.
7. Seachem Reef Plus 500 ml
8. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Reef Master Kit
9. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Saltwater Master Test Kit
10. Kent Phytoplex Plankton 16 OZ.
11. Kent ZooPlex Marine Plankton 16 oz
12. Coralife Lunar Aqualight Deluxe Series-36" (2X96W) with 2- 3/4W Blue-Moon-Glow LED Lamps. Should I go with this light or other light?
13. I currently have the Living Sea Hydrometer Plus-Thermometer-(8") 20Cm, do I need to buy Instant Ocean Hydrometer?
14. Do I need to change my filter?
15. Do I need a skimmer? They recommend Coralife Super Skimmer-Needle Wheel-125 Gallon or Red Sea Prizm Pro Deluxe Protein Skimmer. Which one is better?
16. Do I need UV light?
17. Do I need a sump?
18. The keep a healthy saltwater tank with corals, what else do I need to buy?
Do I need the Kent Pro Buffer Dkh, Seachem Reef Plus, Kent Phytoplex Plankton or Kent ZooPlex Marine Plankton?
I know there are a lot of questions, but any help is greatly appreciated.
If anyone can recommend the corals and fish to keep that would be great too.
Thank you
 
dse

dse

Member
Originally Posted by thang45
http:///forum/post/2769000
Hello everyone,
This is my first post and I know nothing about saltwater tank but would love to learn.
I have a front bow 45gal Discus tank and would like to convert it to saltwater tank with corals.
I currently have a Eheim 2217 filter and a heater. Please recommend if the equipments below are needed or recommend if I should get something else.
List of stuff to buy recommended by the sale associate at BigAls:
1. 50lbs live rocki would buy about 60lb's-70lb's
2. Carib Sea Ocean Direct Live Sand - 50LBbuy 10lb live sand and buy 40lb non live this will save money.(make sure you spread the live sand on last and over the top of non live sand)(also fiji pink is the best imo)
3. Instant Ocean 160 Gallon Salt Mix Bucket (if you want a fowlr this is good but for reefs i would buy reef salts made buy IO but results are fantastic)
4. Three Hydors, Koralia Nano, Hydor Koralia 2, and Hydor Koralia 3(don't bother with the nano koralia buy 2x level 2 koralia and a maybe 2x 3koralia)
5. Seachem Reef Complete 500 ml
6. Kent Pro Buffer Dkh 8 OZ.
7. Seachem Reef Plus 500 ml
8. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Reef Master Kit
9. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Saltwater Master Test Kit
10. Kent Phytoplex Plankton 16 OZ.
11. Kent ZooPlex Marine Plankton 16 oz
12. Coralife Lunar Aqualight Deluxe Series-36" (2X96W) with 2- 3/4W Blue-Moon-Glow LED Lamps. Should I go with this light or other light? (i would buy a MH light system they are worth the money imo)also buying lights depends on what type of live stock you want inside too
13. I currently have the Living Sea Hydrometer Plus-Thermometer-(8") 20Cm, do I need to buy Instant Ocean Hydrometer?
14. Do I need to change my filter? (clean it out with white vinegar change the pads and buy new carbon remove the media)
15. Do I need a skimmer? They recommend Coralife Super Skimmer-Needle(yes you need a skimmer imo as they have good benifits but you won't need one for about 4 weeks) Wheel-125 Gallon or Red Sea Prizm Pro Deluxe Protein Skimmer. Which one is better?the red sea pro is one of the best for your sized tanks
16. Do I need UV light? (i would recomend one once your tank is a few months old)17. Do I need a sump? (i would recomend one) as they have high benifits
18. The keep a healthy saltwater tank with corals, what else do I need to buy?possibly buy a phosphate remover and a refrigium and a calcium reactor and a nitrate filter these arnt essential but can be very helpfull to keep the tank healthyer imo
Do I need the Kent Pro Buffer Dkh, Seachem Reef Plus, Kent Phytoplex Plankton or Kent ZooPlex Marine Plankton? (i would recomend buying this when established)
I know there are a lot of questions, but any help is greatly appreciated.
(thats what this site is for)
If anyone can recommend the corals and fish to keep that would be great too.
(this all depends on what you like let everyone knw and we can tell you what the compatabilty is)
Thank you
this is all just my opinion. hope i've been helpfull
 
D

dennis210

Guest
Since the tank housed Discus fish, and they are prone to many maladies. Was the tank ever coppered? I have been told I couldn't use my old tanks for that reason that copper gets into the silicone and will leech back out.
If starting a salt tank, let your pocket book be your guide. Bare bones basic set up would be -sabd bed and rock, salt for mixing water, heater, powerheads, a basic fish only type of light, and a caanister filter to tun carbon in, but on the intake end you would place a surface skimmer. This basic set up would let you add on as possible financially. The addatives aren't really needed until the light is upgraded to keep corals. In the begining regular water changes will keep you balanced. Hope this helps.
 
maryg

maryg

Member
Originally Posted by Dennis210
http:///forum/post/2769520
Since the tank housed Discus fish, and they are prone to many maladies. Was the tank ever coppered? I have been told I couldn't use my old tanks for that reason that copper gets into the silicone and will leech back out.
If starting a salt tank, let your pocket book be your guide. Bare bones basic set up would be -sabd bed and rock, salt for mixing water, heater, powerheads, a basic fish only type of light, and a caanister filter to tun carbon in, but on the intake end you would place a surface skimmer. This basic set up would let you add on as possible financially. The addatives aren't really needed until the light is upgraded to keep corals. In the begining regular water changes will keep you balanced. Hope this helps.
You can get some good second hand equipment. (sumps, canister filters, etc.. try craigslist or ----) You can do alot with some good t-5 lighting. This can be very expensive. Start with what you need for now. Good filtration and good movement (powerheads). Once you are ready to add corals then you can treat yourself with a good light. Not sure about a protein skimmer. My 55 only has a hang on power filter, a sump, and a great powerhead with a built in wavemaker. I have yet to have nitrates. My 29 gallon is another issue, I might look into a protein skimmer with that one it has less volume and I am at my load with fish and keep a small amount of nitrates always. As far as the sand it depends on how deep you want it. I always go with cheap base rock first. Place it directly on your glass and put your sand on top of that. It will help with critters that burrow and prevent them from being crushed. If your tank came with a light you can start with upgrading the bulbs and start with softies! You will learn as you go. But it can be overwhelming with all the advise. But the basics are a good start. Upgrades can come later
 
thang45

thang45

Member
Originally Posted by dse
http:///forum/post/2769038
this is all just my opinion. hope i've been helpfull
Q1. Someone recommend buying base rock and then putting live on top to save money. Do you think it is a good idea?
Q2. Thanks for the info on fiji pink. I will buy that instead if it is better than the Carib Sea Ocean Direct Live Sand.
Q3. You mean Instant Ocean Reef Crystals 160 Gallon Salt Mix?
Q4. Total of 4 powerheads. Is that too much movement for 45gal tank?
Q12. What is MH light system?Can you tell me the model?
Thank you for your input.
Originally Posted by MaryG
http:///forum/post/2769575
You can get some good second hand equipment. (sumps, canister filters, etc.. try craigslist or ----) You can do alot with some good t-5 lighting. This can be very expensive. Start with what you need for now. Good filtration and good movement (powerheads). Once you are ready to add corals then you can treat yourself with a good light. Not sure about a protein skimmer. My 55 only has a hang on power filter, a sump, and a great powerhead with a built in wavemaker. I have yet to have nitrates. My 29 gallon is another issue, I might look into a protein skimmer with that one it has less volume and I am at my load with fish and keep a small amount of nitrates always. As far as the sand it depends on how deep you want it. I always go with cheap base rock first. Place it directly on your glass and put your sand on top of that. It will help with critters that burrow and prevent them from being crushed. If your tank came with a light you can start with upgrading the bulbs and start with softies! You will learn as you go. But it can be overwhelming with all the advise. But the basics are a good start. Upgrades can come later

I don’t mind second hand stuff, but if I’m going spend a lot of time and money, I rather go with new just in case of parasite outbreak. My concerns are that I buy the wrong equipments and then have to buy something else to replace it. I rather buy it right the first time.
Originally Posted by Dennis210
http:///forum/post/2769520
Since the tank housed Discus fish, and they are prone to many maladies. Was the tank ever coppered? I have been told I couldn't use my old tanks for that reason that copper gets into the silicone and will leech back out.
If starting a salt tank, let your pocket book be your guide. Bare bones basic set up would be -sabd bed and rock, salt for mixing water, heater, powerheads, a basic fish only type of light, and a caanister filter to tun carbon in, but on the intake end you would place a surface skimmer. This basic set up would let you add on as possible financially. The addatives aren't really needed until the light is upgraded to keep corals. In the begining regular water changes will keep you balanced. Hope this helps.
I don’t think the tank ever has copper before. So I think reusing the tank is ok for my case. I need to ask BigAls to drill my tank and built me a sump. I think I want a sump under the tank and have my skimmer and UV light run inside the sump. I think it will look better. What do you guys think?
 
dse

dse

Member
Originally Posted by thang45
http:///forum/post/2769712
Q1. Someone recommend buying base rock and then putting live on top to save money. Do you think it is a good idea?
Q2. Thanks for the info on fiji pink. I will buy that instead if it is better than the Carib Sea Ocean Direct Live Sand.i meen to me it looks better they both have same results
Q3. You mean Instant Ocean Reef Crystals 160 Gallon Salt Mix?if your going for a reef go with reef crystals or red sea pro salt they give best resaults
Q4. Total of 4 powerheads. Is that too much movement for 45gal tank?it depends on what coral/fish you want i have a high flow in my tank. as i'm wanting some high flow corals
Q12. What is MH light system?Can you tell me the model?MH meens metal halides theres lots of makes i think swf sells some een a while since i browsed as i'm from uk so i can get anything

Thank you for your input.
I don’t mind second hand stuff, but if I’m going spend a lot of time and money, I rather go with new just in case of parasite outbreak. My concerns are that I buy the wrong equipments and then have to buy something else to replace it. I rather buy it right the first time. nothing wrong in second hand i baught a v2 600 skim second hand on a trading website won't say the name
I don’t think the tank ever has copper before. So I think reusing the tank is ok for my case. I need to ask BigAls to drill my tank and built me a sump. I think I want a sump under the tank and have my skimmer and UV light run inside the sump. I think it will look better. What do you guys think?
yeah uv inside the sump is great and the skimmer too would be a bonus but remember for the first few weeks you won't need these
 
thang45

thang45

Member
Originally Posted by dse
http:///forum/post/2769802
yeah uv inside the sump is great and the skimmer too would be a bonus but remember for the first few weeks you won't need these
I know I won't need it yet, but might as well get everything now. Making the sump sounds interesting too. I saw people built it on youTube. Maybe I sould do the same with my 20GAL tank. Is that too small?
 
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