Starting From Sratch

[xcspartans8912]

Ok I have a 29 gallon tank, which has currently been running for over 2 years now, with a freshwater setup in it. I asked the manager at the LFS about converting it to a saltwater, fish only tank. He listed what I would need to get started
Marineland Emperor 280 filter w/Bio Wheel.
25lbs Live Sand
At least 15lbs live rock to start with
30 gallons salt for water(obviously)
I already have a competent heater and digital thermometer. Also, all he said was to bleach the tank to kill all the freshwater bacteria and then fill it with like 65% RO water and 35% regular water. After that, he said to let it cycle for about a week and then add this little packet of bacteria that he said would cycle it faster. I dont believe this, but maybe someone can tell me what it was in the packet. After that, he said I would be able to add fish. They do free water testing there, and I was planning on waiting for about 2 weeks anyways then having it tested. I really want to get a lionfish, and have studied them closely. It seems I would be able get a dwarf lionfish if he was small enough. I know that you cant put anything with them that can fit in their mouths, so I was planning on a trigger, maybe a Clown, Humu Humu or Niger Trigger. Does anybody know how large these can get? Thanx for any tips or suggestions.

 

[big]

Welcome to the boards....... First thing would be to spend a bunch of time reading all the sticky post at the top. Lots of well thought out and expert advice up there.........
I will leave the LFS for someone else to comment on.. Lets leave it at that for now......................................
My Mother told me many years ago "If you can't say something nice about someone keep your........ "

 

[chasar]

This is a great place to get information, I wish I had it when I started my first tank, which was a 29 fresh convert. First I would say that you would want to upgrade the emperor 280 to a 400. You wasnt to have about double the filtration for salt, and more is better.
The pack of bacteria is what it says. If you get the bagged live sand, some of them come with a package to add which puts the live in the sand.
I think that all of the fish that you mentioned are too big for a 29. Lion fish can be bought small, but grow at a rapid pace. Triggers get big also.
Saltwater is very rewarding but gather information first. Here is a great place for it.

 

[mopar9012]

Originally Posted by big
http:///forum/post/2831238
Welcome to the boards....... First thing would be to spend a bunch of time reading all the sticky post at the top. Lots of well thought out and expert advice up there.........
I will leave the LFS for someone else to comment on.. Lets leave it at that for now......................................
My Mother told me many years ago "If you can't say something nice about someone keep your........ "
I think I know what you are talking about...soo Ill say it!
A lot of people dont like their LFS because they tend to tell you things just so you buy an item. I rarely ever ask my LFS questions, I just come to this site and I/you can get all the information you will need.

 

[ibew41]

look at the fish section here and see if the fish you want will fit in your tank,also see if they will live together

 

[jeanheckle]

I just recently started a 29 gallon as a tank for my bedroom. I used 30 pounds of sand and about 50 pounds of live rock. I have 2 black ocellaris, 2 bangaii cardinals and a yellow watchman goby with a pistol shrimp. I will eventually add an anemone when the tank is ready. Like said prior you need to make sure you add only fish that can live in a tank that small and 29 gallons is a small tank. I also only have a hang on the back filter, but will add a sump soon. This is an addictive hobby and I predict in no time you will be upgrading to a larger tank,

 

[catfishcity]

First of all you should use 100% ro water to fill ur tank. it is the purest water u can get. that filter should be fine along with live rock. you should prob get at least 25 pounds of rock, and 30 pounds live sand. i prefer live sand because it helps cycle the tank faster. do not believe what your lfs is telling you. most of the time they dont even know what they r talking about and they just want ur money. lionfish and trigger fish should definately not be put into a tank that small, they just grow to quickly and need more space to swim.

 

[mr_x]

hi. it's going to take about a month for a new tank to cycle with live rock. return the packet of bacteria. there will be plenty of bacteria in your tank after the cycle.
whatever amount of live rock you will end up with, i suggest adding it now. atleast 30 pounds.
catfish is right about the R.O.D.I water. don't put any tap water in your tank if you can help it.
i don't prefer live sand. i disagree that it cycles the tank faster. i think it's a waste of money. dry, aragonite based, sand, thoroughly rinsed before adding, will do the same job for less than half the money.
and now for the bad news-
none of the above fish will work for your tank. even the dwarf lionfish will reach 5"-6". that's awful big for a 29 gallon tank. the triggers will grow to be quite large.
a clown trigger will grow to almost 2 feet.
i believe a humu humu gets to be over a foot.
i would suggest getting your own test kits as well. the smaller the tank, the more drastic fluctuations in parameters will be. especially if you are set on a 29 gallon predator tank. it can, and most likely will, get dirty quicker than a peaceful tank, or a reef tank, due to the feedings.
buy your live rock, add it to the tank. wait for 2-3 weeks, then start testing your water. when you have no detectable ammonia, or nitrites, you can consider your cycle just about over. nitrates will be present at the end, but fish can tolerate a fair amount of nitrate. we all strive for zero nitrates, but 20-30ppm isn't horrible.

 

[bpro32]

there are people that have put dwarf lions in 29 gallon tanks and had success but most people agree that a 6-7" fish in that size tank. Check out the nano thread on here to see what other people have in similar tanks and don't listen to your lfs.

 

[lizjane01]

I have read here somewhere that bleach is a no no. Maybe do a search. I believe that it was recommended that white vinager is used.
Good luck with your tank. My 29 gallon has been set up for 3months. I have had so much fun with it. Everyone here has been so helpful.

 

[ajer]

Vinegar is OK. If you REALLY want it clean use 90% isopropanal alcohol. MAKE SURE THE 10% IS WATER! Rub it in the tank then let it sit for 2-3 days in a warm environment. the alcohol will evaporate long before this but wait to be safe. Another cleaning option is to use REALLY high salinity water. This can be a tad expensive as aquarium salt is pricey but this is a fast completely safe method. Get saltwater aquarium books from your local library. It helped me a LOT! Do this:

Hope this helps....

 

[unleashed]

ok first things first .. fw bacteria is not spread to sw.hense why we do fw dips on our sw fish.. so trying to sterilise this tank is a waste of time. number 2 never ever ever use bleach on anything for your pets including fish unless you plan on using a vinigar rinse after wards to get rid of the residue bleach leaves behind ( no bleach does not and will not evaporate and will kill your fish).. now as for equipment you can go as simple as a hang on back filter such as aquaclear etc.. I have even seen many prof pet stores use undergravel filters..it going to depend on you and how much maintenance you want to do.. so even if you have a whisper filter or similar type .yes that will do to start adding a power head will help alotif you dont have money to get a skimmr or want to get into overflow boxes you can purchase an attachment for a hang on filter that works like an overflow box but runs through your normal filer system cost like 12 bucks and works very well keeping the surface skimmed.. as for substrate i do suggest an arganite type substrate this helps in maintaining
proper ph.unlike silicate sands(which do not).. as for ading bacteria to your new tank to help speed up the cycle time i suggest adding bactervital.. i do believe its made by marc weise products..its alive culture to help speed things along but it does not replace a natural cycle..as for adding lionfish and other fish i would wait at least 2 months of cycle to be sure its perfect.. and yes im sorry but LFS have a habit of telling new hobbiest you need this you can do that just to get a sale.. best advice i can give any newcomer to this hobby is patients and lots of research..whis is not the only place for information yes we can give plenty of advise however we dont know everything..i strongly suggest googling anything b4 you buy it.. such as specifics on each fish temperment. foods. care .compatability and tank min size etc. even the does and dont in this hobby.. this is not for the weak wallet so to speak and mistakes can be costly.. but if done with patients it can be so rewarding

 

[mr_x]

Originally Posted by unleashed
http:///forum/post/2832581
as for ading bacteria to your new tank to help speed up the cycle time i suggest adding bactervital.. i do believe its made by marc weise products..its alive culture to help speed things along but it does not replace a natural cycle..
then why add it? why not just wait for the cycle to end? you are telling the OP to add something to "speed up the cycle" and then telling him he's got to wait 2 months for it to end.
all the tanks i have cycled and heard of cycling, with just live rock have taken a month or less to cycle.
Originally Posted by unleashed
http:///forum/post/2832581
i strongly suggest googling anything b4 you buy it.. such as specifics on each fish temperment. foods. care .compatability and tank min size..
and adding unnecessary things like bacter vital.
if you do a search on it, it's ingredients are:
INGREDIENTS:
Vitamins: Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E
Trace Minerals: Calcium, Phosphorus, NaCl, Potassium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Iron, Cobalt, Copper, Manganese, Iodine, Selenium, Zinc, Fluorine
Derived from ferment of: Stercuila urens, Anogeissus latifolia, Acacia Senegal, Eucalyptus, Monocalcium Phosphate, DiCalcium Phosphate, Calcium carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Potassium Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Sulphate, Manganous Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Zinc Sulfate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Chloine Chloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium B, Sulfite Complex, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement
Bio-catalysts: Cane molasses, Aloe Vera, Citric Acid
Inert Carriers: Gum Karyaya, Gum ghatti, Gum Arabic, Gum Kino, Crude Protein Extract, Crude Fiber Extract
the top three ingredients-Stercuila urens, Anogeissus latifolia, Acacia Senegal, are trees!

 

[-tara33-]

i agree with mr x, there is no need to add benificial bacteria, as you should wait a month anyway, live rock will do the job along with good media in the filter such as live rock rubble.

 

[privatejoker]

Originally Posted by unleashed
http:///forum/post/2832581
ok first things first .. fw bacteria is not spread to sw.hense why we do fw dips on our sw fish.. so trying to sterilise this tank is a waste of time. number 2 never ever ever use bleach on anything for your pets including fish unless you plan on using a vinigar rinse after wards to get rid of the residue bleach leaves behind ( no bleach does not and will not evaporate and will kill your fish).. now as for equipment you can go as simple as a hang on back filter such as aquaclear etc.. I have even seen many prof pet stores use undergravel filters..it going to depend on you and how much maintenance you want to do.. so even if you have a whisper filter or similar type .yes that will do to start adding a power head will help alotif you dont have money to get a skimmr or want to get into overflow boxes you can purchase an attachment for a hang on filter that works like an overflow box but runs through your normal filer system cost like 12 bucks and works very well keeping the surface skimmed.. as for substrate i do suggest an arganite type substrate this helps in maintaining
proper ph.unlike silicate sands(which do not).. as for ading bacteria to your new tank to help speed up the cycle time i suggest adding bactervital.. i do believe its made by marc weise products..its alive culture to help speed things along but it does not replace a natural cycle..as for adding lionfish and other fish i would wait at least 2 months of cycle to be sure its perfect.. and yes im sorry but LFS have a habit of telling new hobbiest you need this you can do that just to get a sale.. best advice i can give any newcomer to this hobby is patients and lots of research..whis is not the only place for information yes we can give plenty of advise however we dont know everything..i strongly suggest googling anything b4 you buy it.. such as specifics on each fish temperment. foods. care .compatability and tank min size etc. even the does and dont in this hobby.. this is not for the weak wallet so to speak and mistakes can be costly.. but if done with patients it can be so rewarding
The only thing I see in here that makes sense is to small grain substrate. Otherwise I wouldn't do anything in this post. You need to get a good skimmer and get a sump and fuge combo. Whether you make your own or buy one. I would make one, its much cheaper. As for the cycle it takes about 1-2 months without adding any marc weise products.
As for bleach, I used bleach on all my tanks and never had a problem. Just make sure rinse the tank out alot. You can put a dechlorinator in when you set the tank up and that will take care of the rest of the bleach. But again rinse well. I do agree with looking things up in this hobby before you buy them. It can cost you alot of time and money. Buy the right stuff from thet get go and you don't have to worry later on down the road.

 

[xcspartans8912]

Thanx Everybosy for the help. Im planning on getting all of the equipment and supplies for Christmas, so I should have it up n running by like mid-March.
And I agree with the patience, seeings how I have raised Discus fish for about a year, untill I had to move and those were hard and tiresome. So at least I know wat its like to wait. Again, thanx a ton for all the tips.

 

[unleashed]

Originally Posted by -Tara33-
http:///forum/post/2832613
i agree with mr x, there is no need to add benificial bacteria, as you should wait a month anyway, live rock will do the job along with good media in the filter such as live rock rubble.
I didnt say you NEED to add it i said it was optional..it does help keep amonia levels down a tad but I normally don't use anything either..if your adding just dead rock dead sand etc then its more helpful.. but if adding cured LR substrate then why bother.. many ways to start up a tank