starting up a tank for first time....

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glomaro85

Guest
Hello eveyrbody, i have been reading all of the post on here for a while, so i decided to join... Hopefully you guys can all help me out. So i got my parents old tank out of the storage area. Its a hexagon tank. Im guessing about 35 gallons... So my mom says... Lately i have been having a really big interest in starting a salt water tank. So now what do i do? Get 35 pounds of LR and LS? Do i need special water and were can i get that... If someone could give me a step by step on what to do to get this tank cycling i would greatly appreciate it. Thank you
 
loodachris

loodachris

Member
Well Im still somewhat new as well...about a year and a half or so... First thing you need to do is make sure this tank is cleaned out reeeeeeeal good...DO NOT USE WINDEX(or the like)...You will need to decide what type of setup you want....Fish Only With Live Rock(FOWLR) or a reef...I suggest getting used to saltwater in general before you attempt a reef (corals). In the saltwater hobby/industry 35 gallons is nothing...This will greatly limit what kind of fish you can keep...So you need to do a loooooot of research as far as a stocking list...But anyway back to the setup... Once you have the tank believe me think things out before you do anything and always get 3-4++ opinions (and take peoples advice if you get conflicting information do more research as far as why the info is conflicting). DO NOT RUSH you will only get frustrated....You will need to start as follows:
1st) Youll need to (if you havent already) pick a good spot for it. Not in direct sunlight or really sunny rooms if possible. Not under a window or in a drafty area. This will avoid temp. fluctuations. Once you have the tank set up you will need your equipment... Secondly do research on Filtration for a 35 you may want to set up a sump (an extra tank or container the is connected to the main tank to house all your filters and heaters and whatnot) this way that stuff will be out of your display tank and more importantly give you more water in your system...Granted you will still have the main tank for your swimming room but you will have more water running through your system. This will help with water quality. You margin for error will be smaller. For example if you just had your 35 gallon tank you have 35 gallons( actually less) to work with so if you have an ammonia problem your tank will be effected faster and worse than if you were to have that tank plus a 20 gallon sump... In that case you would have an additional 20 gallons to help absorb that ammonia problem. Anyway back on track...Just do you research on what filtration would be best for you I suggest no less than 500 Gallons Per Hour of filtration with just the 35 gallons.
2nd) You will need a Protein skimmer... a good one (for all equipment take a look in the eqipment forum for better advice on these topics. But research well!
3rd) You will probably need a powerhead to put in the tank to get water movement along the bottom to keep food and waste from settling down there.
4th) You will need your substrate ( either sand or Crushed Coral) 9.5 out of 10 People here will recommend sand over CC. You can and should buy bags of live fine sand from the Fish/pet store at 35 gallons you may want to get about 60 pounds of Live sand.
5th) Water...you will need either Distilled water or Reverse Osmosis Water...Wal Mart has gallons of distilled water for $.64/gallon cheapest I've seen...Down the road you might want to look into a RO Machine to make the water for you...much easier. Then Mix this with a salt mix you get at the petstore...I use Instant Ocean.
6th) You need Live Rock anywhere between 35-70 LBS of it.
Once you have these( oh yeah I left out a Heate..invest in a good one) all set up and running let it run for a solid week. I just realized I left out lighting too...If you are doing FOWLR you just might want to get a 50/50 bulb...Let this run for about a week and then you need to use either uncooked shrimp or some people use damsels to cycle their tank but they are a pain in the

[hr]
$ to get out and they are mean little guys... But you need to begin establishing you biofilter takes about 3-5 weeks and then you can add your "real" fish....Hope all of this helps..Anybody please add/correct SORRY FOR THE NOVEL
PS You will also need a good hydrometer to test your salt level along with a good test kit ( Nitrites, Nitrates, Ph, Ammonia...)
 
87

87

New Member
Hello I have a new 125 gallon tank, and I was wondering how long do I let it cycle and how many pounds of live rock do I put in it. I have HQI lighting, and should I get a chiller because the lights will be so intense?
 
symon

symon

Member
No matter what you will always get conflicting imformation! But taking your time is 1 thing we all agree with!
You should do a search on cycling you tank! Lots of great info there!
A tank will generally cycle in 2-3 weeks, BUT you need to watch you ammonia nitrite and nitrate lvls closely, they are your indicators for when your cycle has really completed!
Good luck, Have Fun!
 
murph

murph

Active Member
Clean tank a place it. Don't not set it up right against the wall. Leave room to comfortably accesses the tank from behind or possibly add a sump behind the tank at a later date.
Go to LFS and purchase;
1 bag of quality salt mix. Enough to make up 50 gallons. About 20 bucks
1 Maxi jet 900 power head. About 30 bucks but much cheaper over the net.
1 hydor flow deflector to attach to the power head. About 20 bucks
1 Hydrometer. About 15 bucks
Stop at Walmart on way home and purchase;
3, 7 gallon water jugs in the camping/sporting goods department. About 21 bucks.
Walk outside or next store to the grocery and find the RO water machine and fill the jugs. 30 cents a gallon.
Go home pour water in tank. I know, its not full don't worry. Mix in your salt mix and shoot for an SG of 1.025. Dos not have to be exact for now. Place your power head below waters surface and plug it in. Day one complete.
Day two start shopping around for some live rock. Get as much as you can afford up to 40 pounds. I know this is expensive. You can also use some suitable base rock but no more than 10 pounds or so for your system. Cured LR can also be added at a later date as you can afford it. Go home and place the rock on bottom of tank. Take a break.
Day three sand. If you can afford LFS argonite fine if not go to Home depot and get play sand. Use a piece of 1 inch PVC and slide the sand down through it to the bottom of your tank around your rock. Shoot for about and inch and a half. Ya I know tanks cloudy, don't worry. Now top off the tank with pre mixed water at 1.025 SG and make sure the power head is circulating the water nicely. You can also put a hang on back filter on the tank at this point but its not mandatory. Now ghost feed the tank every other day for a week with a pinch of flake food.
Your done, check back next month. Do not add any fish. Top off any evaporation loss with fresh RO water. Keep tank water around 79 degrees. May need a heater for this.
 
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glomaro85

Guest
Yah i cleaned my tank out with clorax quick wipes.... now what do i have to do???
 
newbyky

newbyky

New Member
I just set up a new 55 with skilter. my trites, trates,ph,etc. are great . I only have some ls and lacerock for now but i also used alot of quick cycle chemicals. It is my first saltwater tank so i am trying to go slow with it. what would you suggest my next step to be
 
murph

murph

Active Member
I would now set the tank out in direct sunlight for an afternoon to help dissipate any remaining chemicals after rinsing throughly with fresh water.
To play it safe I would also dose an ammonia detoxifier (available at your LFS) to the water prior to adding your cured live rock to help reduce die off as your tank cycles.
 
aredmon

aredmon

Member
Live Rock is expensive. If you are short on fundage you can just start with a little bit and just add as you go along. I have a 75gal and only 13lbs of LR. I buy a peice here and there when I can afford it. I did start with a little bit. Only 3lbs. By the time I got it home it had some die off on it and that kicked off my cycle. I didn't have to use fish or uncooked shrimp.
 
aredmon

aredmon

Member
I also agree with Murph on the letting it sit outside thing. The chemicals will get in the water and harm your fish if they are not all gone by the time you fill with water. Let it dry compleatly!!!
 
talath

talath

Member
Which fish are you considering? I ask because some get nice and big, others stay cute and runty.
 
puffer9006

puffer9006

Member
some people go with the rule an inch for ever 5 gallons i think that you can go over but just see how big the fish get. also alot of fish like lots of swiming room so if you get one and they dont have enough room to roam they get stressed out.
 
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glomaro85

Guest
Here are some i am considering... obviesly not going to get all but these are what i like...
flame angel
yellow seahorse
royal gramma
copperband butterfly
3 stripe
percula clown
manaarin dragonet
Those are the ones i really like...
 
talath

talath

Member
Aaah, the copper banded butterfly. It's my favorite, and it's happier than the butcher's dog at controlling aiptasia. Seahorse might not be a good choice. The Flame angle sure is a beauty though. Just be sure your tank is ready to accept these fish. Give it time with your little damsels and such.
 
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