Snake's Tips and Tricks for New Hobbyists

[snakeblitz33]

This is meant to be a guide for a new hobbyist who is willing to learn and listen to those who have done it before them. Please do not copy and paste this information and use it as your own or use it in any published works without my written consent. Some of the information presented is my own personal opinions, please take this guide with a grain of salt and diversify your knowledge with other articles and hobbyists opinions. It is up to you, the hobbyist, to learn as much as you can to make sure your livestock as the absolute best environment as possible. Please keep in mind the conditions of the worlds oceans and reefs as we enjoy this wonderful and exciting hobby.
Getting Started
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Research
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Find a forum
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Find a mentor
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Good books
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Find a few good live fish stores
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What information can I trust?
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Know what defines a good live fish store
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Ask the live fish store questions
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Know retailers and online retailers return policies
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Get to know the people at your live fish store
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Make a list of the livestock you want to keep
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Research the fish you want to keep
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Research the corals you want to keep
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Take your livestock list and design the aquarium around it
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Know your tank personality
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Test kits are essential to success
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Should I buy a glass or an acrylic aquarium?
The Biologicals!
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What is the Nitrogen Cycle? How do I reduce the cycling time?
What is biological filtration?
What is Live Rock?
Do I need Live Rock?
What is Live Sand?
Do I need Live Sand?
What is Base Rock?
Do I need Base Rock?
What is dry sand?
Can I use crushed coral as a substrate?
What does it mean to go Barebottom?
Should I use a shallow, standard, or deep sand bed?
How many pounds of Live Rock do I need?
How many pounds of Live Sand do I need?
How much base rock can I use?
Do I need to treat the base rock before using it?
What does “Curing” live rock mean?
Do I need to pre-cure my live rock?
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Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.
Can I use tap water?
Can I use distilled water?
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What is RO water?
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Why do I need to use purified water?
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Should I buy my own RO Unit?
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What is a Kati/Ani unit?
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How often should I replace my units filters?
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What type of salt should I use?
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What is salinity and specific gravity?
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What salinity should I keep my fish only tank?
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What salinity should I keep my reef tank?
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How do I measure salinity?
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How often or when should I do water changes?
Something's Fishy
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When should I add fish?
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What order should I add fish in?
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How many fish should I add?
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How do I acclimate my livestock?
Do clownfish need anemones?
What does it take to keep an anemone alive?
What does it take to keep a clam alive?
Do corals add to the bioload?
Do all corals require the same light?
Life is a Balancing Act
How much flow should my aquarium have?
What is my ideal internal flow rate?
What temperature should my aquarium maintain?
What should my ideal water parameters be in a fish only aquarium?
What should my ideal water parameters be in a reef tank?
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Let There be Light!
What type of lighting should I use for a fish only tank?
What type of lighting should I use for a soft coral only tank?
What type of lighting should I use for a LPS and soft coral tank?
What type of lighting should I use for a SPS coral tank?
What type of ish.com/t/390122/snakes-method-of-lighting#post_3452980">lighting should I use for a mixed reef tank?
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What is a retrofit kit?
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What does PAR mean?
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What does Lumens mean?
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What does Kelvin mean?
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What does lighting spectrum mean?
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How long should my lights stay on?
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How long should my refugium lights stay on?
Equipment
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What does HOB mean?
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What does a protein skimmer do?
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Do I need a protein skimmer?
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Can I buy a skimmer rated for more than my tank size?
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What does a mechanical filter do?
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Do I need a mechanical filter?
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What is a UV sterilizer and do I need one?
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What is an algae scrubber and do I need one?
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What is an external overflow?
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What is an internal overflow?
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What is a sump?
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What is a refugium?
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What is a baffle?
Can I use plastic totes as a sump?
What do I need to look for in a heater?
How many heaters do I need?
What is an Auto Top off?
How big should my sump pump be?
How big should my sump be?
What is a TDS meter and what should it read?
Frags - not just grenades
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What is a frag tank?
Should I buy frags or colonies?
Should I buy aquacultured or wild caught?
How do I frag corals?
How quickly will my coral frags grow?
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Gloom, Despair, and Agony
What is a quarantine (QT) tank?
How big should my quarantine tank be?
What is a hospital tank (HT)?
How big should my hospital tank be?
What is chelated copper?
How can I rid my display tank of chelated copper?
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How do I get rid of hair algae?
How do I get rid of pest macroalgae?
How do I get rid of nobacteria-treatment">cyanobacteria?
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How do I get rid of diatoms?
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How do I get rid of dinoflagellates?
How do I get rid of a pesky fish?
How do I make a simple fish trap?
Once again, please do not copy and paste this information as your own or use it in any published works without my written consent.
All of the links in this section are to some of my other articles where you will find more information on the specific subject that you are looking for. You can find more specific information about certain topics in this thread.
Snake’s Biography
My name is Seth and I live in Monroe, Louisiana with my wife, Heather and my daughter, Emma. I am a professional taxidermist full time. I have had freshwater aquariums for about fifteen years, and saltwater aquariums for almost seven years. I enjoy all the aspects of reef keeping and love to talk about it and help new hobbyists whenever I can. I am a really easygoing person and would love to talk to you and get to know your tank. If you would like, contact me at SnakeBlitz33@gmail.com.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Getting Started.
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Research – This is the absolute most important aspect of this hobby. You simply will not have a successful aquarium if you listen to the opinion and views of a small handful of people. You have to expand your research into many different venues. For example, you are reading this tips and tricks guide, and this is one form of research. Log on to forums, talk to different people, find a mentor and ask questions at your local fish store. There are many people out there that are willing and able to help. Research is the defining line between livestock and deadstock.
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Find a forum – Forums are great for community interaction and a great knowledge base. Everyone gives their opinions on a subject. Not everyone is correct, and not everyone agrees with certain practices. It is up to you to distinguish between the absurd and the common. It’s your responsibility to give your livestock the absolute best environment and quality of life possible.
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Find a mentor – mentors are great for learning specific information and being friends with someone. Some mentors might live close to home and can help you learn different tasks for your aquarium or even help you set up your new aquarium properly. Good mentors are worth their weight in gold.
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Good books – A good assortment of books will help you fill in some gaps in the information you are given elsewhere. Before you go on an online forum, read a few good books before you get started in the hobby. Here is a short list of books that will get you started: “The Conscientious Marine Aquarist” by Bob Fenner, “The Marine Reef Aquarium” by Hunt, “Aquarium Corals” by Eric H. Borneman, “The Reef Aquarium, Vol 1, 2, 3” by Julian Sprung, “Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Fishes” and “Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Invertebrates.”
Find a few good live fish stores - Finding a good live fish store can be a difficult task. A good live fish store will have a variety of quality and healthy livestock, decent prices and very knowledgeable people. If you are the type of person that wants to see their livestock before purchasing it, a live fish store is a great avenue to take. For those of you who do not have live fish stores in your area, online retailers with good return policies are a great option.
What information can I trust? – Because there is so much information out there, and views and opinions, you should question everything that is given. Because human beings write with bias opinions, it is necessary to sort through information that seems the most logical to you. Try to read a variety of information sources to get a more balanced view of saltwater aquarium keeping.
Know what defines a good live fish store – As stated earlier, a good live fish store has healthy fish, a knowledgeable staff, helpful people, and great return policies. Stay away from fish stores who’s main goal is to sell, sell, sell. Even though fish stores need to stay in business with sales, a good live fish store will not try to push equipment and livestock on to you.
Ask the live fish store questions – Research a few basic questions online such as what is the nitrogen cycle, what temp should I keep my tank at, how quickly can I add fish, etc. before going to a live fish store. When you get there, ask those simple questions. If they conflict with what you have already read, or if the staff tries to force potion bottles on you or to buy a piece of equipment or don’t fully answer your questions then that store might be only good for livestock and clearance sales instead of a good source of information.
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Know retailers and online retailers return policies – Knowing a return policy will save you some money in the long run. It might not be a dead fish that you are dealing with – but perhaps a fish that is overly aggressive or incompatible with the fish you already have and you need to take it back to the store. See what kind of return policy they have and/or if you can get store credit for your previous purchase.
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Get to know the people at your live fish store – Sometimes if you can find a good live fish store, it’s necessary to make friends. Having friends at a fish store can help you make better purchase decisions and will ultimately benefit your tank if the staff at the fish store know you, your tanks livestock and your tanks personality.
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Make a list of the livestock you want to keep – The first thing that you should do before you even purchase your aquarium or the first piece of equipment is go visit a live fish store and make a list of the names of all the pretty fish that you would like to keep. Then, go home and research each different fishes requirements. Just because a live fish store may have an angelfish in a 30g tank doesn’t mean that it belongs in a 30g tank for the rest of its life. You should research each individual fish for tank size, compatibility and care requirements before you decide how big your tank should be and how much filtration your tank will require.
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Research the fish you want to keep – This is an absolute necessity because some fish are not compatible with others. Also something to keep in mind is that some fish like to nip at or eat corals. If you want a reef tank, you will need to purchase only reef safe fish. If you want an aggressive tank, you need to learn which aggressive fish are compatible with each other, etc. etc.
Research the corals you want to keep – Different corals require different environments. Some corals require no light and frequent feedings (NPS), some require only low to moderate levels of light (Soft Corals) others require medium to high lighting conditions (LPS and SPS corals). Lighting isn’t the only thing to look for. Some corals need more flow than others, some corals need to eat meaty foods, other corals seem to require no food at all. Make sure you know what your corals requirements are before you purchase the first one.
Take your livestock list and design the aquarium around it – This is absolutely important and has already been alluded to. Design your aquarium around the livestock that you want to keep. Some fish like long swimming runs. Others are content to spend the entire day in a small hole. Some corals require high lighting conditions and prefer shallower tanks while others need no light at all. Take everything into consideration before purchasing your aquarium. Please do not try to make a fish work in a smaller tank that necessary. You will end up with an unhealthy and perhaps dead fish.
Know your tank personality – Over time you will get to know your tanks personality. Everything within the tank has to get along with everything else. Sometimes if you have tried a certain coral, fish or invert a few times and it doesn’t work out at all, do not keep trying to keep that certain life form. Your tanks personality also means that you will, over time, notice certain changes in your aquarium that will lead you to proper action. Knowing your tank and your tanks personality is a key to a successful saltwater aquarium.
Test kits are essential to success – Not all test kits are made with the same quality. Some are better than others. Please do a little research into the better ones and determine if it is right for you. Sometimes in fish only aquariums, it is best to buy a basic test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. In reef tanks it is very important to know your pH, Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium levels to determine subtle differences which need to be corrected. Knowing your water parameters will mean the difference between dead fish and inverts and live fish and inverts.
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Should I buy a glass or an acrylic aquarium? – Glass aquariums don’t scratch as easily as acrylic. They are more common and less expensive than acrylic aquariums. They come in many different sizes and clarities. Acrylic aquariums come in a wide variety of shapes and are better at insulating the water against temperature changes. Acrylic aquariums are usually custom aquariums, however they are quite common for smaller applications. Acrylic aquariums are clearer than standard glass aquariums, but they scratch more easily. Most new aquarists start with glass aquariums because it’s common and less cost prohibitive. Determine what will work for you and go from there.

 

[snakeblitz33]

The Biologicals!
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What is the Nitrogen Cycle? How do I reduce the cycling time? – The Nitrogen Cycle is simple. You start your aquarium with some live rock that has bacteria and dead organisms on it. The dead organisms plus a very small piece of shrimp will build up ammonia in the water column. Ammonia is then converted into Nitrite by one set of bacteria on the live rock and then from Nitrite in to Nitrate by another set of bacteria. This process can take anywhere from one week to 30 days. During cycling, run your lighting to keep algaes alive. If there is anything on your live rock or if a fish has hitched a ride, it will be necessary to do 50% water changes twice a week to keep ammonia down. Water changes are not necessary during a cycle, but will keep more live stuff alive. During cycling, your aquarium will undergo several biological stages. The first is the diatom stage which is a brown algae that will cover everything like a dust. The next is an algae stage. Algae will eat up the nitrate that is leftover for your initial cycle. If you do a water change at the end of your cycle to reduce nitrate and phosphates you will also reduce the amount of algae being grown. Another way to reduce the amount of algae growing is to add macroalgae to the tank. Adding macroalgaes to an aquarium during your cycle may reduce cycling time.
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What is biological filtration? – Biological filtration is the ability of the total amount of bacteria in your system to easily convert Ammonia in to Nitrite and then into Nitrate and into Nitrogen Gas in a continuous uninterrupted process.
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What is Live Rock? – Live rock is said to be live because of the organisms living on it. Bacteria is the main reason why aquarists buy live rock. Live rock also harbors a multitude of organisms such as copepods, amphipods, sponges, algaes, macroalgaes, foraminiferins, tube worms, fan worms, bristle worms, starfish, and many other forms of life. Live rock helps to stabilize your water parameters and helps to filter your water.
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Do I need Live Rock? – Technically, no. The only thing you are concerned with is introducing live bacteria into your aquarium to keep your tank cycling. Bacteria needs a surface area for biological filtration to take place. Therefore the use of dry base rock or a sufficient amount of mechanical filtration is needed. Does that mean that you shouldn’t have any live rock at all? No. Live rock contains a significant amount of beneficial filter feeders and algaes which will help filter the water and keep your tank stable. It will introduce a significant biological diversification that bacteria alone cannot replace.
What is Live Sand? – Live sand contains bacteria and bacterial cysts which help establish a sand bed. It may or may not contain excessive amounts of nitrates and phosphates.
Do I need Live Sand? – No. Live sand is generally sold to unsuspecting new hobbyists who don’t understand that sand can be cultured with bacteria from the live rock the aquarist can buy.
What is Base Rock? – Base rock is dead rock that has been mined from ancient reefs on dry land. Base rock is primarily used to establish the foundations of the aquascape. Base rock also cultures bacteria which can filter the water and stabilize your water parameters.
Do I need Base Rock? You don’t need base rock if you buy all live rock. You don’t need any base rock at all. It just depends on what you are trying to accomplish. An all base rock aquarium would run sterile and is perfect for some applications. Base rock is cheaper than live rock, but be aware that it may have to be treated before you can use it.
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What is dry sand? Dry sand comes in different colors and sizes. The main thing that the new hobbyist should know is that you can use all dry sand without any consequences.
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Can I use crushed coral as a substrate? – The simple answer is yes, you can. But crushed coral has to be maintained in order to be effective as a substrate. Regular gravel vacuuming needs to be part of your maintenance routine. Sandbeds recently have been discovered to be more efficient. You can use livestock to help turn over the sandbed and you can keep a wider array of critters.
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What does it mean to go Barebottom? – Going barebottom means that you have no substrate. Keep in mind that if you do not have a substrate, the bottom of the aquarium needs to be painted (on the outside) so that the fish will not be disoriented. Avoid getting critters that need a sandbed if you go barebottom. Barebottom tanks also need to be maintained by siphoning off fish waste and detritus off the bottom of the tank. Barebottom tanks have several advantages. The first is that you can use more flow around the tank to avoid dead spots, the second is that the system can run more sterile for reef tanks that require pristine water conditions.
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Should I use a shallow, standard, or deep sand bed? – If you choose to have a sand bed, research the kinds of critters you want to keep. If the critters you want to keep do not require a deep sand bed, do not maintain one. Deep sand beds build up anaerobic zones which can cause problems if not maintained. Shallow sandbeds have problems in high flow areas. A regular sand bed is between 1 1/2” to 2” in depth. Deep sand beds should be 6” or greater.
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How many pounds of Live Rock do I need? – Technically, you don’t need any as long as you can get some bacteria. However, I still argue that you need about a pound of live rock per gallon of water to act as a biological filter. If you decide to get some base rock, try to mix no more than 50% of your rock as base rock.
How many pounds of Live Sand do I need? That will depend on how deep your sandbed needs to be. Determine what livestock you want to keep and then figure out how much sand you are going to need by several online sand calculators out there.
How much base rock can I use? As stated earlier, you can run an aquarium sterile with all base rock as long as bacteria is present. However, in a standard reef aquarium the norm is to run no more than 50% base rock to 50% live rock at one pound of rock per gallon.
Do I need to treat the base rock before using it? – Yes. Base rock needs to be treated before used in an aquarium. Base rock contains a variety of substances which should be removed before entering your aquarium. I guess you could call it “Curing” base rock. Soak the base rock in RO/DI water for a week and measure the salt content. You may be surprised that the rock contains excessive amounts of salt. Keep measuring salinity and make sure it’s zero before moving on to curing the base rock in saltwater. When curing in saltwater, measure nitrates and phosphates until through water changes, they return to zero.
What does “Curing” live rock mean? – Curing live rock means that you are letting the nitrogen cycle take place in a container that is not your display tank. When adding live rock to your display tank that is already fully cycled with fish, you need to add only fully cycled live rock to avoid starting another nitrogen cycle in your display tank.
Do I need to pre-cure my live rock? – If you are just starting your display tank, there is no need to cure your live rock outside of your display tank. The only time you need to cure your live rock outside of your display tank is if your display tank is already set up and already contains livestock.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. -(Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner)
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Can I use tap water? – The simple answer is: No. Without going into the vast complexities of water, tap water, even conditioned for aquarium use, contains chemicals, nitrates and phosphates which cause algae issues and the heath of livestock to decline.
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Can I use distilled water? – Yes, absolutely. Most people use RO water (Reverse Osmosis) because it is less expensive than distilled, but it is perfectly fine to use.
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What is RO water? Reverse Osmosis water is water that has been filtered by mechanical and chemical filtration and then passed through a membrane to completely strip the water of all substances contained within it.
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Why do I need to use purified water? – You need to use only purified water for topping off your aquarium and for mixing salt in for water changes because it will reduce the amount of nitrate and phosphate that is introduced into your aquarium by an outside source other than food.
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Should I buy my own RO Unit? This depends on your situation. If you do not have access to clean, purified water at your local grocery store, water store or local fish store, then buying an RO Unit might be for you. A home unit will also allow you to produce clean drinking and cooking water for you and your family.
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What is a Kati/Ani unit? –Kati/Ani units can produce as clean if not cleaner water than an RO unit can without any wastewater. These units use DeIonized resins to draw substances and chemicals out of the water. The resins need to be recharged periodically, but you can get many, many years of use out of them. If water conservation is your number one goal, these types of units are for you.
How often should I replace my RO units filters? The microfiber filters should be replaced when they become clogged, once every three to six months. The carbon block filters should be replaced every three months. This step is very important because if the carbon is spent, the chlorine and chloramines in the water can eat up the RO Units membrane and it can become less effective. RO Membranes need to be replaced every year or as needed.
What type of salt should I use? For fish only aquariums, a standard synthetic or natural salt that is low in cost is just fine. Fish only tanks do not require high amounts of calcium, alkalinity and magnesium like reef tanks do. Reef tanks require a good quality salt that is high in calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. Please try to buy “reef salt” when you can for your reef aquarium. There are many different brands of salt on the market. The best thing to do is to ask around and see what people are using.
What is salinity and specific gravity? Salinity and specific gravity are basically the same thing. It’s the term used to measure the salt content of the water. A salinity of 1.026 and a specific gravity of 35ppm have the same salt content. The most commonly used term is salinity.
What salinity should I keep my fish only tank? A salinity of 1.022 to 1.024 is pretty common when keeping marine ornamental fish.
What salinity should I keep my reef tank? Corals require a bit higher salinity than fish only tanks and they range from 1.026 to 1.026. Higher salinity than 1.026 may have adverse effects on corals and other invertebrates. At higher salinities than that, fish and inverts have a hard time maintaining osmotic balance.
How do I measure salinity? Unfortunately, the most common tool for measuring salinity is a hydrometer. Hydrometers can be very inaccurate, although it’s a great tool for determining if you have made saltwater or you still have freshwater. The most accurate tool for measuring the salt content of water is by a refractometer. If you have sensitive invertebrates and corals, you will need a refractometer to measure your salinity – there is almost no way around it.
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How often or when should I do water changes? This is a great topic of debate. Some people do daily water changes. Other people do weekly, some do monthly, some do yearly. This is a subject that you should study greatly. For a new hobbyist, weekly small water changes of 10% should be sufficient to balance and maintain an ideal environment for your new livestock. If monthly water changes are desired, 30% to 40% of the total water volume may be necessary to remove enough nutrients from the system to maintain homeostasis. So, how can people get away with yearly water changes? Well, that depends on the filtration you use, your husbandry methods and the bioload of the aquarium.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Something’s fishy
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When should I add fish? You can add one fish after your initial cycle has completed. This means that your aquarium water contains no ammonia and no nitrites. Nitrates are acceptable in newly cycled aquariums. One tip is to avoid adding damsels to a new tank. Many people add damsels because they are hardy fish – but they are the most aggressive little devils that you can imagine. Eventually you will want to add other fish, and damsels will not allow other fish to be added without being overly aggressive. It’s best to avoid damsels all together, unless you want a species only aquarium.
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What order should I add fish in? The general rule is to add the least aggressive fish first and build up to the most aggressive fish. In general, this means clowns, blennies, gobies, hawks, anthias, dottybacks, grammas, damsels, wrasses, tangs, triggers, groupers. Of course, you can not have all of these fish in one tank and it really depends on your setup as to what you can get away with.
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How many fish should I add? This is a complex question, and you will not find one single answer here. The best piece of advice that I can give is to talk to someone with more experience. Talk to people on a forum or other community and see what they think of your fish stock list for how big your aquarium is. There are many different books that give tank fish options. It’s up to you to determine how much fish is right or wrong for your own tank and filtration system. You do not want your fish to be too overcrowded because then it can lead to aggression and disease.
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How do I acclimate my livestock? - Please see this link.
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Do clownfish need anemones? No. Clownfish do not need anemones in order to survive. In fact, most anemones are best left in the wild so that they have a chance to live and reproduce. The less of an impact that we as aquarists can have on the wild, the better.
What does it take to keep an anemone alive? A large, stable, mature tank with very clean water, good flow, strong metal halide, LED(the expensive kind), or high end T5 bulbs for lighting and frequent meaty feedings. Keep in mind that perhaps 95% of all wild caught anemones die within the first year of captivity.
What does it take to keep a clam alive? Keeping a clam alive can be just as difficult as an anemone. Try to buy a larger clam if possible. Larger clams have more ability to use light as their main food source. Clams require stable, mature tanks that have strong lighting conditions and good flow rates, just like an anemone. Clams also need balanced calcium, alkalinity and magnesium levels in order to grow and maintain their skeletons.
Do corals add to the bioload? Yes and no. Corals that require meaty feedings will add to the overall bioload because you are feeding something. Corals that filter feed or only require strong lighting in general do not contribute to the overall bioload.
Do all corals require the same light? No. Some corals require low to moderate lighting conditions while others require medium to high lighting conditions. Therefore, do not expect a high light demanding coral to do well under a low to moderate intensity light. Your lighting system should be strong enough for your most light demanding corals.
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[snakeblitz33]

Life is a balancing act
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How much flow should my aquarium have? An average saltwater aquarium, regardless if it is fish only or have soft corals should have a minimum of 20x the turnover rate from powerheads or a closed loop system inside of the aquarium. Tanks with SPS (Small Polyp Stony) corals require much more flow than that, around the 30 to 40x turnover rate. Indirect flows are better than direct flow. The purpose of having water flow is to aerate the water, to carry waste and detritus away from corals and to keep detritus suspended in the water column long enough to be caught by the filtration system. If you have a dead spot in the aquarium, (area of low to no flow) then it may be necessary to move your powerheads to correct the problem or increase your flow rates.
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What is my ideal internal flow rate? Let us say you have a 75g aquarium and you need to know how many powerheads and how much flow you need. Buy two powerheads that are 750gph each and put one in each corner. 750x2=1500gph. 1500/75 = 20 or 20x your turnover rate which is the absolute minimum required. Position one powerhead to blow across the front of the rocks, and the other to blow behind the rocks. This will decrease the amount of dead spots in the aquarium.
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What temperature should my aquarium maintain? Some aquatic species require cold water such as catalina gobies, some jellyfish, and margarita snails. Therefore, it is essential to know what temperature is required by what species in order to let them survive and thrive. The average reef tank runs anywhere from 79F to 86F. The absolute most important thing to remember, other than that range is that when you pick a temperature on your heater – you need to make sure it stays within +-1F all of the time. Stable water temps lead to healthy aquariums. That is also a great point to make – stability is key to a successful aquarium.
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What should my ideal water parameters be in a fish only aquarium?
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Ammonia – 0
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Nitrite – 0
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Nitrate – less than 40
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pH 8.2 to 8.3 constant
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Temp – (varies, but needs stability)
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Salinity 1.022 to 1.024 (but needs to be stable)
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What should my ideal water parameters be in a reef tank?
Ammonia – 0
Nitrite – 0
Nitrate – less than 5ppm
Phosphate – less than 0.03ppm
pH – 8.2 to 8.4 constant
Temp – (varies, but needs stability) usually 79-86F
Salinity 1.026 or SG of 35ppm
Calcium – 400ppm to 480ppm
Alkalinity – 8 – 12 dKh (degrees of Karbonate hardness)
Magnesium – 1250 to 1400ppm
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[snakeblitz33]

Let there be Light!
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What type of lighting should I use for a fish only tank? Any standard Normal Output fixture will do. But, to bring the colors of the fish out more, consider using a 50/50 lamp of 10k daylight and 420nm actinic (blue) light Small 2 bulb T5 fixtures are the cheapest and do the best for fish only systems.
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What type of lighting should I use for a soft coral only tank? Soft coral tanks require a low to moderate intensity of light, therefore 2 VHO bulbs, 2 T5HO bulbs, or PC (power compact) lights would be fine to give enough light for soft corals. Of course, this depends on if your tank is 24” tall or less. There is the option of multible high intensity LED bulbs that could also support the growth of soft corals.
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What type of lighting should I use for a LPS and soft coral tank? LPS corals need moderate lighting and therefore require more bulbs. 4 VHO bulbs, 4 T5HO bulbs, 4 PC bulbs, or one or two 150w metal halides would do well for a tank such as this. This is the most commonly kept form of reef aquarium.
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What type of lighting should I use for a SPS coral tank? SPS (Small Polyp Stony) corals require more lighting then the typical LPS coral because they are generally found in high lighting conditions in the upper reef crest. 6+ T5HO bulbs, Metal Halides and some good quality LED units can support SPS coral growth and coloration. Please try not to mix SPS corals in a tank with soft corals.
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What type of lighting should I use for a mixed reef tank? In general, it’s best to use a light fixture that will support the life and growth of your most high light demanding corals and invertebrates.
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What is a retrofit kit? A retrofit kit is a lighting unit that you have to do the finish work / electrical work with. They do not come in fixtures and generally have to be mounted on the inside of a wooden canopy.
What does PAR mean? PAR is Photosynthetically Active Radiation, which is the amount of available light for photosynthesis. In general, the better the PAR rating of the bulb, the more light a coral is available to consume.
What does Lumens mean? Lumens is the intensity of the light not measured by the human eye but by the intensity of the bulb.
What does Kelvin mean? Kelvin is basically the color of light that is measured in Kelvin. A 6500k light appears to be yellow. A 10,000k daylight bulb appears to be much more white. A 20,000k bulb appears to be much more blue. The higher the kelvin, the more blue the lamp appears to be.
What does lighting spectrum mean? To put it in simple terms, it’s ROYGBIV. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violate spectrum of light that the human eye can see. In terms of reef aquariums, we are looking to concentrate on the high yellow/white, green, and blue ends of the spectrum. This gives the corals a wide spectrum of light to photosynthesize in.
How long should my lights stay on? On average, a holdhold aquariums lights can stay on anywhere from 8 to 12 hours per day. Reduce the amount of time the light stays on if algae starts to appear.
How long should my refugium lights stay on? The refugium light needs to be on when your display tank lights are off. That can range anywhere from 16 hours on to 12 hours on, depending on your circumstances. The average time that a refugium light remains on, however, is 16 hours of daylight and 8 hours of dark in a 24 hour period. The darkness is just as important as the light. Remember to change your refugium light bulbs every three months to maintain maximum effectiveness.
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[snakeblitz33]

Equipment
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What does HOB mean? HOB means Hang On Back. HOT means Hang On Tank. They are the same thing. Essentially, anything that hands off the back of the display tank to filter your water is HOB.
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What does a protein skimmer do? Protein skimmers remove dissolved organic and particulate organic matter from the water column before it has a chance to break down into nitrate and phosphates. This controls the amount of waste in the water column and allows greater control of nutrient density in the display tank. Protein skimmers remove built up proteins from the water column which would otherwise deteriorate water quality. They do this by utilizing a property of saltwater in which dirt attaches to bubbles, and then the bubbles rise up a tube and are collected in a cup. The result is what is called “Skimmate.” Skimmate is all the nasty junk that would have been removed through water changes. It’s a great way to keep your water clean.
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Do I need a protein skimmer? You might not need a protein skimmer when your first start your display tank. Protein skimming during your initial cycle is not necessary. Protein skimmers are also not completely necessary to maintain a healthy saltwater aquarium, but they are a great way to remove built up organic compounds between water changes. Plan to add a protein skimmer on the aquarium three to six months after you start your tank.
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Can I buy a skimmer rated for more than my tank size? Yes, you can. This is called “Go Plus One.” Go plus one means that you are buying a skimmer that is rated for the next size aquarium up. Overskimming is much better than underskimming in most cases and there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. Many people also turn their protein skimmers off during feedings and a little after to let their corals get the maximum benefit of their coral foods. Protein skimmers can also be set on timers to skim only half the time.
What does a mechanical filter do? Mechanical filters use filter floss, or some physical means of removing particulate organic matter and detritus from the system. Filter media needs to be maintained, replaced, or cleaned every three to seven days to maintain filtration capacity. Another note here is that filters need to be ran in groups of two. Replace only one filter at a time to avoid sending your tank into another mini-cycle.
Do I need a mechanical filter? No, you don’t necessarily. But they do help remove particulate organic matter in the water column. You can just as easily remove detritus from your sump or siphon it out of your rocks at each water change.
What is a UV sterilizer and do I need one? A UV sterilizer uses UV light to render microorganisms, algae, and other microbes sterile – or unable to reproduce. It’s used to combat green water and parasites in some aquariums. No, they are not essential to use to have a successful saltwater aquarium.
What is an algae scrubber and do I need one? Algae scrubbers use the natural filtration capacity of hair algae to remove nitrate and phosphate from the water column. Hair algae is given the opportunity to grow on a plastic canvas screen under ideal growth conditions. Once a week, the hair algae is then harvested from the screen. When the algae is harvested, the nitrate and phosphates are removed from the system. This is a great natural form of filtration for those of you looking to reduce your nitrates and phosphates naturally and control the growth of hair algae, cyanobacteria and other forms of algae in your display tank. Algae scrubbers also increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water as well as help keep your pH balanced and stable. No, it’s not essential to have for a successful reef aquarium. It’s also, for the most part, a DIY project. If you are uncomfortable with power tools, get someone more knowledgeable to assist you. If not, it may not be for you. Please read up on this method of filtration before attempting it yourself.
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What is an external overflow? An external overflow is a device that uses a siphon to remove water from your display tank and lets it flow into a sump underneath your display tank. A siphon is maintained by water being returned from the sump to the display tank. If bubbles build up in the siphon, the siphon may be lost. If you have a pump that is properly paired with your external overflow, there is nothing to worry about. An external overflow allows you to have a sump on a non-drilled aquarium.
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What is an internal overflow? An internal overflow allows water to pass to the bottom or side wall of your display tank and control the flow of water into your sump. The water is then returned from the sump via a return pump. An internal overflow will function regardless of what pump you pair it with, unless the drain hole is blocked. Internal overflows are perhaps the safest way to remove water from your display tank to filter it under your aquarium.
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What is a sump? A sump is a separate container of water, usually a glass aquarium, which holds all of the equipment necessary to filter, heat and process your display tanks water. A sump can also be a plastic container, and is generally placed in one of three places: Beside the tank, behind the tank or underneath the tank.
What is a refugium? A refugium is a separate container of water or a section of the sump that contains live rock, macroalgae, and sometimes sand in order to create a refuge for macroalgaes, copepods, and other filter feeding invertebrates to grow without predation. A refugiums purpose is to reduce nitrate and phosphates by way of growing and harvesting macroalgae.
What is a baffle? A baffle is a sheet of glass or plastic that is siliconed or cemented in place to control the flow of water in a sump and to reduce the amount of microbubbles sucked into your return pump. Baffles can also be used as make-shift mechanical filters if a piece of filter floss or sponge is placed between the baffles. The most common bubble trap baffles use the “under, over, under” approach.
Can I use plastic totes as a sump? Sure you can, however before using a plastic container, check the grade of the plastic and make sure that it is food grade. There is a triangle on every plastic container with a number on it. Find the number and look it up on the internet. If the plastic is not food grade plastic, it may leach chemicals into the water column and perhaps harm your fish, corals and other invertebrates. So, great care should be taken before using. You can use a simple bubble trap by placing your return pump inside a smaller container inside the main sump. Another way to reduce microbubbles in a plastic tote sump is to place a small plastic tote on the inside of the sump and drill some holes in the bottom with some filter floss placed over it. This will quiet down the overflow and act as a make-shift filter.
What do I need to look for in a heater? Quality is what comes to mind when you look at what heater to get. A quality heater can mean all the difference for the health of your livestock. A heater should maintain your tanks temperature +-1F on a daily basis. I try to look for heaters that have a separate temperature controllers and monitors. This ensures that your aquarium will always maintain the proper temp.
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How many heaters do I need? Two smaller heaters are better than one larger heater because it will help stabilize your water temp better. Also, if one heater stops functioning, the other one will take over for the time being until you can get a new one. This just helps further stabilize your tanks temperature.
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What is an Auto Top off? ATO or Auto Top Off is a controller that uses a pump in a reservoir to top off the sump or tank when it gets low. This helps stabilize your aquariums salinity. In smaller aquariums, this is almost an absolute necessity. In larger aquariums it is also nice not top off your aquarium daily. As a general guideline, it’s better to have some redundancy. Therefore, it’s better to have a float valve on your RO reservoir than in your sump. If the float valve ever sticks open, it doesn’t drastically change your tanks salinity, it will just overflow your RO reservoir. Better to have freshwater damage and still have a healthy reef than a dead tank and saltwater all over the floor.
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How big should my sump pump be? Your pump should return enough water to your display tank to turn your sump over 10x an hour. A sump pump has head loss. Therefore, you need to calculate how much foot of head your aquarium has between your return pump and the top of your display tank. Then, go online and find a calculator that will calculate your head loss based on what pump you choose. (I personally like Danner Mag Drive pumps.)
How big should my sump be? For display tanks 30g or less, a 10g aquarium would do fine. For display tanks 100g or less, a 20g would be fine. For display tanks 240g or less, a 55g would be fine. It also depends on many factors, including how much plumbing and foot of head you have. Keep this in mind when you are plumbing your aquarium in.
What is a TDS meter and what should it read? A TDS meter reads the “Total Dissolved Solids” in your freshwater / top off water. A reading above 0 ppm says that your water contains some dissolved solids. Change your filters out if your TDS reads more than 5ppm. I also warn that you should change your carbon block filters out every three months like clockwork to avoid any chemicals from getting in your top off water.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Frags – Not just grenades.
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What is a frag tank? A frag tank is a tank that only contains fragments of corals that have been cut off of larger colonies. Frag tanks are used as basically “coral hospital tanks” while corals recover from being cut off of larger colonies. Frag tanks can be completely separate systems from your display tank or they can be plumbed into your display tank to share the same water parameters. I prefer the latter. Do not get frag tanks confused with coral quarantine tanks. Coral quarantine tanks should never be part of the display tanks water.
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Should I buy frags or colonies? Buy frags! Fragments of corals are cheap and easy to grow. If a coral frag does not do well in the tank, then you know not to buy a colony. Frags do grow into colonies over time and it’s the most fun thing to watch in this hobby. Buying colonies are for people who want a full aquarium right off the bat without having to wait for the frags to grow into larger colonies.
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Should I buy aquacultured or wild caught? Aquacultured is the best because you are not taking anything from the wild. It’s a goal of this hobby to make people aware of the delicate condition of our worlds oceans and it’s best to buy and grow your own aquacultured livestock, including fish, clams, and other inverts instead of taking them out of the ocean. Sure, you may spend an extra few dollars on a frag or fish, but that means that you are not contributing to the destruction and devastation of the worlds coral reef habitats.
How do I frag corals? There are many good books on the subject, and if you are really interested in fragging corals, I highly recommend reading a book called “Coral Propagation” by Anthony Calfo. His book contains all the valuable information in it that you would otherwise not get in a quick how to guide such as this one. Be aware that each different coral may have its own unique set of rules and guides. There’s also the danger of being poisoned by different corals. So be well aware of that before attempting to frag corals.
How quickly will my coral frags grow? This depends on how mature your tank is (1+years is a mature tank, on average) what kind of flow rates you have, what your water parameters are and how stable your tank is. A small frag may grow into a full sized colony within six months to a year of purchase. It also depends on the coral as well.
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[snakeblitz33]

Gloom, Despair and Agony
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What is a quarantine (QT) tank? A quarantine tank is a tank that is separate from all of your other tanks that you can observe your live stock and make sure they are prepared and healthy to enter your display tank. Quarantine tanks can also be used to treat fish diseases and rid corals of pests before entering your display tank. There are two different types of quarantine tanks – fish quarantine and coral quarantine. If you have a reef tank, it may be necessary to have both. In large saltwater aquariums, quarantine tanks are absolutely essential for not introducing pests and diseases in the main tank. A typical quarantine setup will use a heater, a filter, and a small powerhead and something for a fish to hide in such as PVC joints or coffee mugs. Protein skimmers aren’t completely necessary on these types of tanks. Medications will be used in these types of tanks and the water from these aquariums should never be used or mixed with your display tanks water.
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How big should my quarantine tank be? A fish quarantine tank should be able to house your largest fish comfortably for 8 weeks. A coral quarantine tank should have the same water parameters and lighting as your display tank.
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What is a hospital tank (HT)? A hospital tank is an emergency tank that is sometimes used to help fish get better because of diseases or pests. It’s a place where a fish can recover without the aggression from other fish. Hospital tanks and fish quarantine tanks are almost the same thing.
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How big should my hospital tank be? A hospital tank should house your largest fish at adult size for 8 weeks or more comfortably by itself or with another fish.
What is chelated copper? Chelated copper is a medication used to treat cryptocarryon irritans (marine ich) and marine velvet which should never be used on a display tank. Copper is extremely hazardous to invertebrates and corals. Therefore, NEVER DOSE a reef tank with copper if your fish get a disease. Buy a copper test kit before using a copper based product. Copper that tests less than 1ppm does not help cure disease, and over 1ppm may have a negative effect on fish health.
How can I rid my display tank of chelated copper? If you were one of those poor unfortunates that decided to dose their main display tank with copper, there are a few ways to remove it from your aquarium. First, replace all of your sand, live rock, and water. Remove the filters and filtration media and completely wash it all out. Turn the tank over in the sun and let it bake for a few house. Then, bring it back in the house and set it up as a new tank. Once new fresh saltwater is in it and new rock and sand, test your water for copper while the new rock is cycling. If any copper does show up on the test, however much, use a polyfilter pad to remove some of the copper, then a heavy metal remover. On top of that, if you can grow some macroalgaes in the tank, that will further reduce the amount of copper in the system. Copper is unfortunately one of those things that is hard to cure once you have it in the system. I repeat as well, NEVER DOSE A REEF TANK WITH COPPER.
How do I get rid of hair algae? This is a multi-answer question and takes multiple methods in order to reduce and eliminate hair algae from the system.
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Only use distilled or RO/DI water for top off water and water changes. This stops a nitrate and phosphate source.
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Feed less food to your fish. You are probably overfeeding. If you feed flake foods and pellet foods, STOP. Only feed frozen foods. Rinse the food off under tap water in a fish net and then serve it to your fish. By feeding small amounts of frozen enriched foods, you improve the health of your fish and reduce the total amount of nitrate and phosphates that are being used by the algae as fertilizer.
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If you have a fish only aquarium, turn your lights off for a week or two until the algae dies. Once it has died, do several large water changes with distilled/RO water mixed with salt. This reduces the amount of nitrate and phosphate in the water column that the dead hair algae has released.
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If you have a reef tank, turning your lights off can be a bit more tricky. Try to reduce the total amount of light every day to two to four hours a day and replace your light bulbs if they are out of date. Yellowed bulbs can cause major algae problems.
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Read some good articles on how to get rid of hair algae.
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Use a phosphate remover such as Phosban in a phosphate reactor. These reactors are cheap and they are worth their weight in gold.
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Beef up your herbaceous clean up crew. Adding snails can help you reduce the smaller bits of hair algae that can build up in a saltwater aquariu.
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Increase your flow to unclog your rocks of detritus and use a turkey baster to blow off your rocks between water changes.
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Manual removal by hand and scrub brush
Magnesium dosing to 1600ppm – research this topic before starting
Hydrogen peroxide method. – definitely research this topic before starting.
How do I get rid of pest macroalgae? Eliminate rest macroalgae by harvesting it out of your aquarium by hand and a herbaceous clean up crew such as tangs and large Mexican turbo snails.
How do I get rid of cyanobacteria? This is a multi-answer question as well, and the basics are the same as ridding the tank of hair algae. Lots of flow, getting rid of detritus, reduce your total nitrate and phosphate and if that doesn’t work try a product called chemi-clean. Follow the directions to the letter to avoid a tank crash.
How do I get rid of diatoms? Diatoms will go away on their own in the initial cycle, however, is silicate is present in your top off water, a bad sand batch, or from some other source, it will go away on its own.
How do I get rid of dinoflagellates? There are two types of dinoflagellates. The first one is photosynthetic and can be treated like hair algae, and the other is non-photosynthetic and has to be treated by other means. Many people say that not doing water changes can reduce the amount of trace elements in the water column on which the dinoflagellates can feed. To me, that means you need to change to a better quality salt – but it might not be that easy. In either case, dinoflagellates are no laughing matter and should be addressed as soon as the pop up.
How do I get rid of a pesky fish? You can build a fish trap to catch the bugger, but most people will have to remove some of the rock work and siphon some water out of the tank in order to catch the pesky fish. In any case, it’s no small task. If you do have to siphon water out of the tank, it’s a great opportunity for a water change.
How do I make a simple fish trap? A 2 liter coke bottle makes an excellent fish trap. Cut the coke bottle at the top just before it domes, then cut a hole just big enough for the pesky fish to fit into where the cap would go. Then, turn the dome to fit inside the trap, concave. Tie a piece of fishing line to the top of the contraption and then put some of the pesky fishes favorite food at the bottom. Sink it in the aquarium and wait. When the fish swims in, jerk the fishing line up to disorient the fish and remove it from the tank. It definitely sounds easier than it is.

 

[xandrew245x]

Great information! I feel that my fingers would be bleeding after typing all of this though!

 

[snakeblitz33]

I'm glad you found it helpful. I tried to give an unbiased, no bs guide to reefing. I hope I accomplished that.

 

[mr. limpid]

You out did yourself Snake, you are really trying to get your own thread locked in the top of this form.

 

[snakeblitz33]

It would be nice.

 

[xandrew245x]

This information deserves to be stickied, he put a lot of effort into this!

 

[lngliv3]

Thanks for the interesting reading.... You spent a lot of time in this post .... Great job....

 

[snakeblitz33]

Thanks. Just trying to help.

 

[kiefers]

Kiefers tip........ buy a puppy, cheaper and less time invested. Lol

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///t/390214/snakes-tips-and-tricks-for-new-hobbyists#post_3456327
Kiefers tip........ buy a puppy, cheaper and less time invested. Lol
I spend more money on the dogs than the fish tank. Original set up Vs purchase price of a good well bred puppy...the tank cost a bit more to start. However monthly cost is much more for the dogs. Also when it's 3:00am and 15 degrees outside, and puppy needs to potty...need I explain time invested Vs plain ol PITA.....Fish seldom demand that kind of commitment, water changes and cleaning the skimmer can be done in normal hours when I feel like doing it.. .Unless I hear snap crackle or pop..the fish tank never disturbs my slumber.

 

[kiefers]

Lol...... ya, your right.