starting first saltwater tank...

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flchevygrl

New Member
My step son and I are wanting to setup a 55 gallon tank. We ordered some fiji pink sand. And I read somewhere that the bagged sand had to be rinsed and cured as well as the live rock. Which I knew the live rock had to be cured or bought cured.
2nd qustions is....We are setting up a holding tank for frags and what not. And that tank won't have sand in bottom just egg crate material or frag racks. Can we safely use a marineland hang on back filter for filtration (penguin 350)? We are buying water from local fish store which is set for coral salinity. Would water and filter be all we need to setup holding tank?
We have no saltwater experience but I'm sure we will school ourself. Lol
Thanks in advance for any input....
 
jay0705

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Iam guessing you know you need a heater. As for coral you will want a protein skimmer, its not needed for fish only tanks but reef tanks its reccomended
 
honu808

honu808

Member
Welcome. If the sand is bagged wet it has bacteria which you need so do not rinse. If the sand is dry then yes rinse it. Never use tap water so when you get tired of paying someone else to mix it for you, use RO/DI water. I bought my own salt mix but bought ro water from lfs. I got tired of hauling 6 five gal buckets around though.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Hi,

Welcome to the site...

First purchase, a good beginners book. Saltwater tanks are too expensive to start up and maintain by schooling yourself as you go. You need a clear understanding and idea of what you want to do. The LFS isn't a good point of reference to learn from...They are there to make money, and if you have no idea what is right or wrong, they will be making plenty of profit from you, and you will be doing things in the most expensive way possible.

The fact you say the fish store is selling you water with the proper salinity for coral, screams to me, you need a book. The conscientious Aquarist, by Robert Fenner would be a great starter book.
 
Bryce E

Bryce E

Active Member
Yes the hang on back filter can be used safely. Not a problem. The penguin 350 is rated for a 50 to 70 gallon tank. I always try to go around double what something is rated for. Id say you want to go the next one up for a 55 gallon. Emperor 400 perhaps?

Don't know if you already got it or not but that's just my opinion.

Refractometer is good to have (Even a cheap $5 hydrometer will suffice) If you are getting water from your LFS at the correct salinity just remember that you'll have water evaporation increasing the salinity and you'll need to add fresh water to keep the salinity where you want it. (Which you may already know) Welcome to the fun!
 
honu808

honu808

Member
Lfs reef mixed water is still usually low. They are there to make money and saving on salt helps. Forget hydrometer and get a refractometer imo.
 
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flchevygrl

New Member
Heater never crossed my mind...since some people use chillers.
But will add it to shopping list.
The sand we order is caribsea fuji Pink with water in it. So then with us using it we don't rinse it...right? Yeah already doing math on gallons of containers we are gonna need and that will fit best in trunk.
We have ordered some saltwater books. I treat the Lfs employees just like any other sales people. Was thinking I'd buy a test gallon and test it for me own. Before I go buying tons of water from them.
and is it correct that ro water is usable if it's reads 0ppm? And as for top offs room water or distilled water only...

as for hob filters...already bought...caught them on sale for freshwater tank...24.99 ea bought 4...lol
Had planned to run 2 on 55 gallon setup freshwater...but Lfs said those would also work if I decided to go saltwater. Would one be good or best to do two? Will look for a refractometer...
 
Bryce E

Bryce E

Active Member
I'd put 2 on it. And a lot of people run chillers due to the hi heat output of intense lighting commonly used in reef tanks. So if you're looking to get into coral then you'll want to make sure that you have sufficient lighting as well. But chillers are expensive and led lighting produces far less heat.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
flchevygrl said:
Heater never crossed my mind...since some people use chillers.
But will add it to shopping list.
The sand we order is caribsea fuji Pink with water in it. So then with us using it we don't rinse it...right? Yeah already doing math on gallons of containers we are gonna need and that will fit best in trunk.
We have ordered some saltwater books. I treat the Lfs employees just like any other sales people. Was thinking I'd buy a test gallon and test it for me own. Before I go buying tons of water from them.
and is it correct that ro water is usable if it's reads 0ppm? And as for top offs room water or distilled water only...

as for hob filters...already bought...caught them on sale for freshwater tank...24.99 ea bought 4...lol
Had planned to run 2 on 55 gallon setup freshwater...but Lfs said those would also work if I decided to go saltwater. Would one be good or best to do two? Will look for a refractometer...
Click to expand...
Hi,

The only reason I ever used a chiller was for seahorses, then it's a must. Even Metal Halides heat is controllable with a simple fan blowing across the top of the water. LED lighting is all the rage, so it's also the most expensive. You won't find a refractometer at a fish store...at least I never have. Order it on-line. I used two HOBs and since you already have them, that will be good for you to do too.

You still need a power head, or better to have two, it circulates the water (the wave is the life of the ocean and your SW tank)

I'm glad to hear you ordered book's...wait for them before you actually set things up. You will need live rock, the rock goes on the very bottom of the tank, and the sand goes around it, you shouldn't build on shifting sand. A rock slide could crush a critter, or break the tank.

. Top off requires the same RO water, Super Walmart by me sells it for 37 cents a gallon. You can get RO from just about any grocery store. It's going to read 0ppm until you add salt. Most grocery stores post the TDS reading, and the last time it was serviced (total dissolved solids... basically it's the amount of pollution in the water) anything under 10 is okay, the closer to 0 the better.

When you are ready to cycle the tank...use a chunk of raw shrimp, or ghost feed, or even pure ammonia...but please don't use a live fish. Everything you add to your tank will dictate what you can add later. A "cheap" damsel will kill off some very expensive fish, they are known for bites drawing blood when they mature, that includes your hand. So many LFSs offer to sell a damsel to cycle the tank...DON'T DO IT!
 
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flchevygrl

New Member
I did order a refractometer online should be here end of week. Sand will be here tomorrow. Overflow is here got the eshopps 1200 I think its the 1200. Kid did bring a few books home from grandparents.
Here's our in hand book list...
101 best saltwater fishes by scott w Michael
101 best marine invertebrates by same as above
mini encyclopedia the reef aquarium by Philip hunt
Algae a problem solver guide by Julian Sprung
Natural Reef Aquariums by Tullock

He has been talking to lfs dude...who is recommending us setup frag tank first. Since son wants to attend the Orlando frag show in april. We went to the one they had at mosi in tampa fl. Was ready to break his bank account on corals he liked. But reminded him we had no where to put them. So don't go melting the plastic just yet. lol

As for adding a chunk of shrimp to tank...Can I use frozen shrimp we bought for fish bait? Or just buy a single shrimp from wally world market?
Also Is it even possible to have something ready to go for the april show? We have a 20gallon long that we were gonna start off using as frag tank...just no light but that's a easy solution....lol
I know I have a few more questions but lunch is almost over...


thanks again for all the help
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
I suggest setting up a fish tank first, and once you learn the basics, especially keeping stable water parameters, then moving up to a frag tank. Corals are normally more expensive than fish, so start at the bottom and work your way up. You may want to do the math to see how much premixed saltwater will cost over time. You'll likely find that a decent RO/DI system and a large box/bucket of salt will cost less over the long haul. This will be handy, since your primary filtration is typically used for fresh water tanks, so water changes will need to be performed more frequently. Once you start your frag tank, you'll definitely need to invest in a decent skimmer and proper lighting.

April show? Not likely. It takes about a month to properly cycle a new tank. Some cycle sooner, some longer. You have to monitor the nitrogen cycle to know when it's in the final stage, and do NOT skip any steps during this critical cycle, unless you relish the thought of watching things die. Nothing good ever happens in a hurry with saltwater, but bad things can, and do. The more patience you have with this hobby, the better your chances of success will be. You have to decide if you want to have a pretty tank for a little while, or if you want a "work-in-progress" tank that will bring years of enjoyment. It takes around six months to a year for a tank to fully mature, so don't rush to cram it full of goodies. Allowing the natural filtration to adjust to the extra bioload that accompanies new additions, by slowly stocking the tank will help keep the system stabile. Learn all you can, slowly build your livestock amount, be diligent with upkeep and maintenance, and you should be successful in this wonderful hobby.
 
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