Questions about my first marine aquarium

[cpt flanders]

I am doing my researching and hopefully will begin keeping a marine tank in a few months. I am planning on a 55 gallon set up, and i would like to keep maybe two or four false percula clowns for a substantial time period as my learning period. If i buy only ten or fifteen pounds of live rock, and thirty pounds of base rock, how long will it take for the base rock to "come alive"?
After i cure the tank for the ammonia cycle, should i put in a "cleaner crew"? I like the idea of keeping animals to help me clean the cage, but i wasn't sure which to get, the amount of each, or if four f.p. clowns create enough waste for the cleaning crew to survive on.
I have a fluval fx5 canister filter that i used when i kept diamondback terrapins. I understand the importance of a good filter. Would this be a good choice to filter and create water flow in my tank, or should i purchase a wet dry or other type of filter. keep in mind this will be my initial entrance into the hobby, and i would of course upgrade to a sump and refugium set up if my involvement with this hobby continues.
I was also wondering what the drawbacks of using sea water rather then mixing salt and r.o. water. I have ample access to ocean water, and it would be much cheaper as well as more convenient to use, but i dont want to sacrifice this project by taking the cheap or easy way out.
This will be my very first marine aquarium and i will appreciate any insight from this forum.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cpt Flanders http:///forum/thread/386455/questions-about-my-first-marine-aquarium#post_3394664
I am doing my researching and hopefully will begin keeping a marine tank in a few months. I am planning on a 55 gallon set up, and i would like to keep maybe two or four false percula clowns for a substantial time period as my learning period.
In my experience the footprint of a 55 gallon is not a good choice for what you have in mind. The depth (front to back) is insufficient for the height of the tank. A 75 offers a significant improvement with very little additional cost. I recommend against more that 2 Clownfish in the same tank unless it's a very large tank. I helped maintain a tank at the local zoo that was 10 feet long and still the 2 pair of Clownfish had fights significant enough to damage fins. A couple Clownfish, a Royal Gramma, and a couple Clown Gobies would be entertaining for quite a while.
Quote:
If i buy only ten or fifteen pounds of live rock, and thirty pounds of base rock, how long will it take for the base rock to "come alive"?
Cycling & maturing the tank would be 6 - 8 weeks if you do it the safe way and the base rock would be live by the end of the cycle.
Quote:
After i cure the tank for the ammonia cycle, should i put in a "cleaner crew"? I like the idea of keeping animals to help me clean the cage, but i wasn't sure which to get, the amount of each, or if four f.p. clowns create enough waste for the cleaning crew to survive on.
I like snails as additional clean up crew. A lot of your cleanup crew will come with your live rock. A mix of Cerith, Nerite, Collombellid, and Stomatella Snails would be a good start. Say 5 - 10 of each.
Quote:
I have a fluval fx5 canister filter that i used when i kept diamondback terrapins. I understand the importance of a good filter. Would this be a good choice to filter and create water flow in my tank, or should i purchase a wet dry or other type of filter. keep in mind this will be my initial entrance into the hobby, and i would of course upgrade to a sump and refugium set up if my involvement with this hobby continues.
If you add 1/2" of fine sand at the start and 5 - 10 pouinds of live sand after the cycle then all you need is a lot of waterflow and you'll have all the filtration required. I recommend a Protein Skimmer in addition. The Fluval would be useful to hold GAC (Granualar Activated Charcoal) when needed.
Quote:
I was also wondering what the drawbacks of using sea water rather then mixing salt and r.o. water. I have ample access to ocean water, and it would be much cheaper as well as more convenient to use, but i dont want to sacrifice this project by taking the cheap or easy way out.
This will be my very first marine aquarium and i will appreciate any insight from this forum.
If the water is collected from a pristine location there isn't a significant drawback. There is a chance of capturing a parasite (very low) or having a dieoff of the life in the water (high). I would not collect the water from a populated beach.
Welcome to the forum!! I'm sure others will chime in.
This is the method I personally used for cycling tanks over the years ---> Bang Guy's Cycle Method
Take what you like and what works.

 

[cpt flanders]

thank you. I have a 75 gallon which i keep a bearded dragon in. I think i will take a serious consideration about moving him into something else and using that tank for this project.

 

[mproctor4]

Welcome to the site!! You can't get better advice than that of Bang Guy. Personally, I would use the sea water if there isn't significant pollution in the area. Bigger is always better IMO in this hobby. Mostly likely you will kick yourself sooner, rather than later if you don't just set up the 75 gallon and a QT tank at the same time. You are so lucky to live by the ocean! I'm sure you can find part of your clean up crew there and some really great algea as well. Just be careful with the crabs, they always grow bigger and more aggressive than you expect, I would just avoid them. I have always thought it would be fun to live by the ocean and have a tank that is critters from that region. It will be fun to tag along and see what you come up with.

 

[cpt flanders]

I was wondering about live sand and rock as i was reading your response. Can i grab some of those from the ocean as well? I live in Massachusetts so the enviorment is far from tropical, would that have an impact on the organisms in the sand and rock? I can't believe how expensive live rock is and i would much rather prefer to avoid paying that much for rocks if i can help it!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cpt Flanders http:///forum/thread/386455/questions-about-my-first-marine-aquarium#post_3394840
I was wondering about live sand and rock as i was reading your response. Can i grab some of those from the ocean as well? I live in Massachusetts so the enviorment is far from tropical, would that have an impact on the organisms in the sand and rock? I can't believe how expensive live rock is and i would much rather prefer to avoid paying that much for rocks if i can help it!
Hi, WELCOME to the site!
LOL...As long as you won't get arrested over taking rock. It won't matter if you go live rock from around you or from a fish store. There are going to be critters on them..some good, some not so good. I hate that breaking in period when you find out if you have a bobbit worm or some awesome cool critter or macroalgae on the rock. Besides your filter, you will need power heads, the wave is the life of the ocean, and water flow is the life of your SW fish tank.
JUST SO YOU KNOW...You can use 100% dry rock and avoid the guess what lives here stage. Nothing will be in the tank but what you put in there. Also RO (reverse osmoses) water is pure and only the elements you put in there are there..via, your saltwater mix...it gives you 100% control over your little man made ocean.
I went dry rock, and dry aragonite sand myself the second time around...it saved me lots of grief.
Since you are still in the planning stage.... I also went with a foam rock wall. It took about 2 hours to make, and it made room so not all the rock was on the bottom of the tank. It looks awesome as well, and I have ledges to put coral on all over the wall. It all becomes "live" when you cycle the tank. Just leave room open for your filters and power heads, paint the back blackor blue on the outside so the blank areas just blend in. (a paint step I wish I had done)
If you want to look into a rock wall just search for this thread...Foamback project 101
Glad to have you aboard!

 

[cpt flanders]

Apparently i need to do some more research on cycling. I was under the impression that i needed some amount of live rock to introduce the bacteria... organisms... into the ammonia cycle so that it can increase in amount to neutralize the ammonia, as a basic explanation. So can i skip live rock and place another type of rock, and cycle the tank, and then have the beneficial organisms grow on to the set up as the ammonia cycle ends?

 

[1guydude]

+1 u can but i prefer the LR LS method.....the LR starts the cycle from some die off that occurs. I have only cycled 2 1/2 tanks so take this with a grain of salt....but all i did was add the LS, LR, and maybe a couple hermits or something a week later......kept checking my water and when ur water levels 0 out. Ur in the clear to add a fish....give that a week or two, just to make sure ur levels dont flux to much. Than ur in the clear to stock adequately. Ur water will fluctuate in the 1st 80 days before things start to find an equilibrium!