So, I need help with starting my aquarium.

ottbry

ottbry

Member
I've got a 55 gallon aquarium that I want to make saltwater. I've got a basic understanding of how to start it, but I'm not clear on what all I need. I just want to be really sure that my idea for the setup is right before I start killing expensive fish. I was thinking as far as filtration and such go, I would have a protein skimmer, a canister filter, two or three power heads, live rock, and live sand. Does that sound good? I don't like asking at pet stores because I feel like they're just trying to sell me the most expensive thing.
 
cubnb79

cubnb79

Member
in my opinion i wouldnt by any expensive fish for at least a few months..that way you're used to doing water changes and doing all the cleaning stuff and your tank has time to cycle...you list looks good make sure you have a good lighting...T5 at least if your going to do coral down the road...hope you live close to you lfs b/c you'll find that you run there more than not for oh S#$% i need this...etc..
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
First, welcome!
Is the tank currently freshwater? Or is it empty? Or are you starting from scratch?
Welcome again!
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
You got all the essentials down to a T :)
I think the rule of thumb for filters is get one that is rated for twice the amount of gallons your tank is, so for a 55 gallon tank you would get a filter rated for up to 110 gallons.
You don't need the protien skimmer on day one... I didn't actually add mine until I had 4 fish, a crab, and a shrimp in my tank.
Speaking of skimmers, the one I'm using is an Aeroforce by CPR and I think its great. I think they just came out with the Aeroforce II but I'm not sure what difference is between the Aeroforce 1 and 2 is.
Oh and don't let the LFS fool you into thinking damsels should be your first fish! Sure they're pretty and tough enough to get your tank cycle going, but they are as mean as hell and you are going to wind up returning them when you want to start adding more fish.
Are you planning on having coral in your tank? If you are the lights are where I'd recommend you focus your research ;)
 
ottbry

ottbry

Member
Awesome! Thanks. I considered having coral, but I decided against it. Would I be able to add it later on down the road if I changed my mind?
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Thank you for coming to the forums and WELCOME! I hope you enjoy your stay.
I would not use a canister filter on a saltwater tank. I know some people have in the past with success, but it's hard for beginners. Too much cleaning and then things could go wrong. So, I would start with a simple Emperor 400 biowheel filter. It has two extra filter baskets for different media. Also, the filter cartridges aren't extremely expensive. It's a very good investment for a novice to amateur aquarist.
A protein skimmer isn't absolutely necessary at the beginning, but it is necessary to save up for one. Avoid at any cost Seaclone protein skimmers. That's another mistake because you see the price tag and think a skimmer is a skimmer - but avoid it at all cost. It doesn't work and is not worth anything unless you modify it a whole lot. I would suggest a coralife super skimmer - it's great value for the price. If you are going to buy a skimmer, I would suggest going double the aquarium volume, regardless of what the skimmer says, unless it's octopus, deltec, bubbleking, or tunze. There's a couple others out there.
For rock, you should at least buy 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of live rock per gallon, or until you have the aquascape that you prefer. Also, 1 1/2" to 2" of sand on the bottom. You don't have to buy all live sand, and infact, if you can, get a scoop of sand out of another persons tank and add it to yours. That's the best way to start off a live sand bed.
If you are just planning to have a fish only with live rock tank, I wouldn't invest a whole lot of money into lights. Save up some money and do a lot of research to find what type of lights will work for your tank if you are wanting to buy corals or expect coralline algae to grow.
Good luck and we're all here to answer any questions.
 
garnet13aj

garnet13aj

Active Member
Yes, you can add corals later on if you decide. I too decided on a fish only aquarium when I first started saltwater but after a few years decided to switch to corals. At that point you'll have to make sure the livestock you already have is compatible with corals and get some lights strong enough to grow corals.
Personally, I don't have a filter of any kind on my tank. If you have a good enough protein skimmer and enough flow and liverock AND you don't over feed you shouldn't need one. But if you tend to overfeed or don't have a adequate clean-up crew a filter is definitely a good idea.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Hi, welcome to the site....As you can see, opinions are plenty around here.
I started with a 55g tank, I switched from freshwater (over 30 years) to saltwater. I ran canister filters for many. many years on my saltwater tank without a hitch. It runs silent, has a spray bar...huge plus... and it's great for carbon and other media....I would never use a bio wheel penguin type filter on a saltwater tank, although many do. Too much salt creep, because too much splash. The best filtration system is a sump hands down.
The only difference between a reef tank, and fish only are the lights. If you think you might go coral some day...it was good advice to always get reef safe fish. To get a saltwater fish out of a tank is no easy thing...most times you must remove all the rock just to get to them. So if you stay with reef safe fish.... you will be good to go. There are corals who can live under fish lights.
You can kick start your cycle with a chunk of raw shrimp, as soon as you get an ammonia spike, remove the shrimp and let narure take over, the good bacteria will build and feed on the ammonia, changing them to nitrites and then to nitrates. Just make sure you get good test kits, not strips...the lab type. I use Seachem.
Garnet13aj.....come on really???? Do you have a sump? I don't know how many folks say they run no filter, just a sump with a protein skimmer.....
....not using a filter at all is terrible advice to someone starting out.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///forum/thread/387175/so-i-need-help-with-starting-my-aquarium#post_3404556
Thank you for coming to the forums and WELCOME! I hope you enjoy your stay.
I would not use a canister filter on a saltwater tank. I know some people have in the past with success, but it's hard for beginners. Too much cleaning and then things could go wrong. So, I would start with a simple Emperor 400 biowheel filter. It has two extra filter baskets for different media. Also, the filter cartridges aren't extremely expensive. It's a very good investment for a novice to amateur aquarist.
A protein skimmer isn't absolutely necessary at the beginning, but it is necessary to save up for one. Avoid at any cost Seaclone protein skimmers. That's another mistake because you see the price tag and think a skimmer is a skimmer - but avoid it at all cost. It doesn't work and is not worth anything unless you modify it a whole lot. I would suggest a coralife super skimmer - it's great value for the price. If you are going to buy a skimmer, I would suggest going double the aquarium volume, regardless of what the skimmer says, unless it's octopus, deltec, bubbleking, or tunze. There's a couple others out there.
For rock, you should at least buy 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of live rock per gallon, or until you have the aquascape that you prefer. Also, 1 1/2" to 2" of sand on the bottom. You don't have to buy all live sand, and infact, if you can, get a scoop of sand out of another persons tank and add it to yours. That's the best way to start off a live sand bed.
If you are just planning to have a fish only with live rock tank, I wouldn't invest a whole lot of money into lights. Save up some money and do a lot of research to find what type of lights will work for your tank if you are wanting to buy corals or expect coralline algae to grow.
Good luck and we're all here to answer any questions.
Worst skimmer I ever owned was a Coralife...Oh how I hated that thing, don't get me started on the micrbubbles and constant floading....I gave it away. I agree about the Seaclone. I didn't like the Bak-Pak either, it just never skimmed. All were HOB (hang on the back) skimmers....I do like the Tunz and the Octopus (in sump) skimmers, they are awesome and really draw out the yuck.
There is one thing I have to address. I was told that skimmers, unlike filters....you don't want to super size (go bigger than your tank needs) because skimmers made for larger tanks won't skim if the tank is too small for it, something about your tank scum volume will never be enough to make the skimmer draw out skim as it should. A skimmer too small can't skim enough to keep your tank healthy...so buy the skimmer that is the right size for your tank. I always went bigger on a filter.
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
you don't even need a live fish! actually, a piece of raw shrimp works just as well, but without all the cons of a damsel.
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
after you add a piece of raw shrimp ( roughly 1 medium sized shrimp for a 55 gallon), first your ammonia should spike, then your nitrite should spike, and then your nitrates should spike, thus the "cycle"... after the nitrates spike, it's safe to add a cuc. If they do well, it's time to slowly introduce new fish.
 
rainbow grouper

rainbow grouper

Active Member
the fish I recomend is a yellow tang they are very hardy I started marine six months ago and the yellow tang is the only fish I still have from when I first started and don't say I'm incompetent as I had only just started marine and keeping a reef tank is no walk in the park so I just want you to know what you're dealing with a lot of you're fish will die & to have minimal deaths I will give you a list of fish that are very hardy and easy to look after
blue damsel, talbot damsel, yellow tang, possum wrasse,common and the common clownfish are all very good for beginners
 
ottbry

ottbry

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelerjp98 http:///forum/thread/387175/so-i-need-help-with-starting-my-aquarium#post_3404745
after you add a piece of raw shrimp ( roughly 1 medium sized shrimp for a 55 gallon), first your ammonia should spike, then your nitrite should spike, and then your nitrates should spike, thus the "cycle"... after the nitrates spike, it's safe to add a cuc. If they do well, it's time to slowly introduce new fish.
Do I just let the shrimp sit in there and decompose?
 
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