Researching before buying

[brandons]

Hello everyone... I've wanted a fish tank for years now and my mom always had one when I was little... all started when I won a goldfish at a carnival

.... Anyway I was into doing stuff for my car, but have lost interest and I am planning on selling off some performance parts to fund the starting of a saltwater aquarium. I've been doing research for a couple days now, but have a few questions.
First I was planning on starting with a 55 gallon tank and going fish only since it needs to cycle and also needs to mature before adding anemones and such. I am getting awfully confused on the filtering though. I'm thinking I would do OK with just a wet/dry system that had biomedia areas and chemicals ones and such. I want to go with a sump system (I think that's what is below the tank). And then with time save up and buy a protein skimmer since they aren't used during the cycling process anyway. Would this work or do I need both right away?
I don't like the looks of the CC so i don't want that.... can I buy sand from the pet store and use that as the substrate for the bottom and then put rocks on top? Also how many pounds of LR would I need? I don't want a huge mound of rocks as I want a rather uncluttered look to the tank.
Finally lighting.... as I stated just fish for now but I would like to eventually add an anemone or two and maybe a sponge or two.
Thanks for any help.... I just want to get some things clear before I go and buy stuff and it be unsuccesful.
OH YEA! Forgot I heard a bunch of people considered it a "mistake" to start out with damsels... I don't know why, but saw it mentioned on a "Funny things Newbies Do" thread. Could I start out with a pair of clown fish... the "nemo" looking kinda. I can't think of the name of them right now and I know you guys hear "nemo" all the time, but are they hardy enough?

 

[belothsurf]

Hey Brandon, Sounds like you've done your research. Welcome to the board btw. Anyway, go ahead and get a book on SW aquariums. Sounds like you don't need to make any monetary mistakes (who does?), and even though reading this board is an excellent source of info, a book will give you a better foundation. A good book is "The Concientious Marine Aquarist".
To answer a few of your questions, yes, a 55 is the smallest you should start with. Also, the tank will need to cycle, wether you want fish only or plan to have corals (a reef).
As far as your filter goes, most people say no on a wet/dry, although I was told by one of my local fish stores (lfs) that that was the way to go. Most of the time your lfs knows less than you, or is only trying to sell, sell, sell..........
Anyway, all you need to get your tank started is .....a tank... , preferably all your substrate, and some water. Of course, that's the bare minimum.
Do not cycle your tank with live fish. Either do it with some fish food, a dead shrimp, or live rock.
That's about all I can answer right now, but I'm sure there will be more..............

 

[belothsurf]

Oh yeah, I have 2 "Nemos", and I call them that all the time. They are Percula Clownfish, but there are other different kinds of Clownfish, a little different, but equally fascinating, so special, that they have their own forum on here.......

 

[debbie g]

Hi BrandonS, I also think that buying the book "the conscientious marine aquarist" would be a great idea as your first purchase.
There are a lot of opinions on filtering, so you might want to do some more research on what works for you. A wet/dry is fine. A sump is a great idea because you not only get more water volume (better for your creatures) but you also get to hide some equipment (better for the humans).
You don't need to have the protein skimmer up and running while you're cycling, but I would definitely invest in one.
If you have a Home Depot nearby, look for Southdown Sand. Its a play sand that is made of aragonite from the caribbean. It is a cheap, safe substrate for your tank. If you do a search for "sand" or "southdown sand" on this site, someone actually put a picture of the bag and the upc code so you are sure its the right sand.
And like belothsurf said, when your tank is set up and salt is in, use a frozen shrimp from your grocer to throw in the tank and start the cycle. When the cycle is over, then you can get your "nemos". They are a hardy fish. (aquacultured being even hardier, in my opinion) Or you can start with some chromises. (they are less expensive). The reason people say not to get the other damsels, is because they are aggressive fish and if you end up wanting a reef tank with peaceful fish, these little guys are gonna terrorize your peaceful fish and be really difficult to catch and bring back to the store.
Most people are of the opinion that you should get 1 to 1-1/2 pounds of live rock for each gallon of water you have, that would be between 55 to 80 pounds of rock, so maybe you'd want to "half" that for a less cluttered look? You could always buy a small amount and add later if you desire.
Lighting? Your fishies don't really care if their light is the "best" but your anemone surely will. Again, there are many opinions out there, but mine is that you will have to go with metal halide lamps to attempt to keep an anemone healthy. You really shouldn't attempt an anemone until your tank is stable for at least 6 months anyway. Read more about them...they are not the hardiest of creatures. Some people have great success with them, but more people do not
:nope:
Hope this helped. Good Luck!
Debbie G:happyfish

 

[brandons]

Ok... so looking at things I need a tank with an overflow, stand, plan on making my own canopy, heater, sump, powerheads, and a protein skimmer. What actually filters the dirt though? Should I get one of those hange on the back filters like on a freshwater setup to do that?
Also in response to dropping a frozen shrimp in my tank... if I don't have liverock and I go with the Southdown and just normal decoration rock would the shrimp jump start everything or is live rock necessary?

 

[blitt]

I have a 55 FOWLR tank. Cycled it with 75lbs of live rock and 60lbs of live sand. I'm new to the hobby also (since 10 June 2004). I stacked my rock in two equal piles on opposite sides of the tank so it's not cluttered. I bought the book "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael S. Paletta it is a step by step setup and stocking guide. I found it very informative. I also visit this site daily just to read posts and see how my research compares to other hobbiests opinions. My only mistake so far is I wish I bought a bigger tank. make sure you research each and every fish before you purchase. Many fish require a tank larger than 55gals. But there are a lot of fish that will work well in a 55. Good luck if yyou need any more help ask here and research other sites as well. HTH

 

[wayne_etc]

Just for clarification sake...you don't have to have a live fish (I know most folks use damsels) or cocktail shrimp if you cycle your tank with live rock/sand? What gets the ammonia going if you don't have the fish or shrimp and only use live rock?
w

 

[blitt]

you can't use completly cured rock. Chances are you can't fin any. When you get live rock it has die off on it and the die off on the rock cycles your tank. I'm still pretty new at this but I believe I'm correct. If not I accept correction.

 

[belothsurf]

You're right.... At least, that's what I was going to say.

 

[zap800]

i have 55 lbs of assorted rock in my tank and it doesnt look cluttered at all. i think it needs more.imo so dont be afraid of that. to cycle the tank like everyone else has said there are alot of stuff you can use. you can even just feed the tank like there are fish in it.
on thing you have forgot in your things to nuy is a good test kit. i live in pa also so you can always drop me a line at my email. im new to saltwater but i have alot of success in fresh. zap800@excite.com