Totally new to saltwater scene.

[mjs9046]

Hello Everyone,
I am completely new to the saltwater arena. I would like to start my first saltwater fish tank, around 45 gallons. I have not purchased any equipment yet because I am still researching about the hobby. I have been shopping around for a nice tank with a stand, and also for a good price on an r/o unit. I would like to start out with a fish only tank, Can anyone suggest what kind of rock and sand I should purchase? How much sand and rock will I need for my tank? I would like to go with both lr and ls. Also my first investment will be a good r/o unit, any suggestions? Also is a UV filter necessary for teh tank? Thanks!

 

[jon s]

lurking....

 

[apos]

I'm mostly new too, but sounds really good that you are getting an r/o/di unit. I've been using treated tap water and things have been going fine, but I would have much rather had filters from the start.

 

[snakeblitz33]

UV is not necessary. Only if there is excess bacteria or parasites in your tank. I would recommend an Emperor 400 filter. Get a nice CPR Bak Pak Protein Skimmer. Protein skimmers are a necessity (or at least the majority of people think so). Get a really nice one and you will appreciate the fact that you did.

 

[turtlegirl933]

Welcome to the boards! I do not think a UV is nessisary. I believe the best filter would be a Fluval Multistage Canister 05 seseris modle 305. You might want to go with a larger aquarium that is within your buget. It will be easyer to mantain.

 

[mjs9046]

Thankyou so much for your posts , I greatly appreciate it, I would love to get a larger tank, but I just don't have the room for it in my little town home. My other question is would I need a sump? Is that only if you don't want things hanging on your tank? Can anyone please list the equipment I will need? I have ready these message boards and some people have sumps. ?? So far other than lr and ls, I will need a good filter, good protein skimmer, heater, testing kit, salt mix, r/o unit (i plan on making an investment in one) . am I missing anything?

 

[swalchemist]

I recommend and use a Tunze Comline filter in my smaller tank. The power is unmatched and they are so easy to clean. When I had my canister filter cleaning was a chore now I just open the top rinse out the reusable canister and go. Don't even have to turn the unit off. Price but it works better than any canister or HOB I have tried, look it up.

 

[sciknen]

it all depends im new here u can tell by how many post i have but i mite be able ot help
good filter for inexpesiveness
emperor 400- u wont be able to use it on a tank bigger then 55g
pm me ill tellu were u can get it for liek half the price of most stores
protein skimmer isnt really necessary if u get alot of LR
if u get around 55lbs of LR u wont need one
the rock on this site is pretty good i here
u will prolly need bout 30lbs of live sand
get it n e where
u can also get the rock n sand at ur lfs
sump is good too but its not a necessasity(cant spell)
for bigger tanks like 90+
its really really good thing to have
lightin u dont need anythin special other then the hood u buy with the tank
if u want to move on to corals u need more wattage (ask a dif person)
if u plan on goin up to bigger tanks Ro units are a good thing to have
lil cost cutting
i dont even have my 1st tank yet but ive done alot of reseach on the subject as u can tell considering 3 months ago i knew nothing

 

[geoj]

FOWLR tend to need to be feed allot because of the type and number of fish so I would go with a sump w/ refuge and skimmer. If you pick your fish so they are no feed or low feed and reef safe then when or if you decide to go reef tank you can. Also you get the benefit of not needing to feed as much and you can go on vacation with out getting a tank sitter. Reef safe fish tend to be smaller and you could put more in that 45… So what I am saying is if you plan to go reef now it will be no big thing when and if you do.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Originally Posted by sciknen
it all depends im new here u can tell by how many post i have but i mite be able ot help
good filter for inexpesiveness
emperor 400- u wont be able to use it on a tank bigger then 55g
pm me ill tellu were u can get it for liek half the price of most stores
protein skimmer isnt really necessary if u get alot of LR
if u get around 55lbs of LR u wont need one
the rock on this site is pretty good i here
u will prolly need bout 30lbs of live sand
get it n e where
u can also get the rock n sand at ur lfs
sump is good too but its not a necessasity(cant spell)
for bigger tanks like 90+
its really really good thing to have
lightin u dont need anythin special other then the hood u buy with the tank
if u want to move on to corals u need more wattage (ask a dif person)
if u plan on goin up to bigger tanks Ro units are a good thing to have
lil cost cutting
i dont even have my 1st tank yet but ive done alot of reseach on the subject as u can tell considering 3 months ago i knew nothing
lol, sure. Well, first of all, yes, you can use an emperor 400 on a tank bigger then a 55 gallon. The main purpose of a filter is just to run water through the carbon for essential toxin removal.
Live Rock is excellant biological filtration, however through the use of a protein skimmer, waste removal will be 10x more efficiant. The foam fractination effect is when micro bubbles are created in the water and then attach to dirt/detitrus/algae/bacteria/(and some mineral) particles in the water column.
If you get a protein skimmer, it will provide better waste removal, as well as creating a healthier system. If you do not get a protein skimmer, you should consider the use of a refugium, if you want the more natural means. If that doesn't work for you, you will have to do more water changes then most of us do.
Lighting does not matter, but depending on your taste and preferences for what K rating (or how white, blue, or yellow measured in Kelvin) your light looks, you can buy whatever you want. I do however recommend either building a nice canopy or something to elevate your lights above the water. Saltwater creep is bad for metal sheilds and lights.
By the way, RO/DI units are better, and RO water is absolutely necessary when dealing with saltwater aquariums. Saltwater aquariums have more delicate ecosystems and can succumb to cyano, hair algae, bacterial blooms, and so on because of the excessive amounts of nitrates and phosphates in regular dechlorinated tap water.

 

[swalchemist]

"If you get a protein skimmer, it will provide better waste removal, as well as creating a healthier system. If you do not get a protein skimmer, you should consider the use of a refugium, if you want the more natural means. If that doesn't work for you, you will have to do more water changes then most of us do. "
Yep or both

 

[sciknen]

well guy wen it comes down to it
maybe he shud not spend alot of money on his first tank cuz he mite not wanna stay with the hobbie

 

[swalchemist]

If he doesnt spend some he wont stay in the hobby or worst yet become one of those nay sayers who warn others away saying SW is to hard. Which it's not you just have to do what you have to do. Sad truth is SW require more investment than freshwater and theres no real easy way around that.

 

[sciknen]

tru but u can spend less n be very successful
just as successful as speding a ton

 

[swalchemist]

Sucsess is measured in years and if you are constantly upgrading to what you need or should have gotten, you end up spending more on it in the end IMO.

 

[am00re34]

Originally Posted by sciknen
tru but u can spend less n be very successful
just as successful as speding a ton
while this may be true you need to decide upfront if you’re in or not. your chances of failure are much greater if you skimp upfront. If you talk to any of the experienced reefers on this site (or any site for that matter) they will recommend a VERY nice skimmer at a min.
Also, if possible a sump and/or refugium are very nice. (I currently don’t have one, but wish I would've had one for multiple reasons). They are nice because they hide things such as a heater or carbon, but they also add water volume which equals more forgiving to mistakes. If you have a refugium you can keep a type of macro algae which will lower nitrates and phosphates thus reducing in a better system with less ugly algae in the display tank.
Lastly I would recommend Live Rock, but this is very expensive and is often acquired by little by little. But Live Rock is the best thing you can have. It not only looks good, but serves the purpose of your canister filters or any other type of biofiltration.
Also things like UV Filters are nice to haves but definitely not needed for a beginner.
If you have questions I recommend taking the advice from the experienced reefers on this forum.

 

[mjs9046]

Thankyou all for the wealth of information. My next "newbie" question is. What is your opinion on using the Marineland Multi-Stage Canister Filter in my 45 gal tank. Can I use the 55 gal model in my 45 gal tank? the next step below is only a 30 gal or a 100 gal?? Also will I need a pump for the canister? sorry for all the dumb questions ..lol

 

[am00re34]

the canister filter will have a pump built in so you just need the filter and any media to go inside it. The only real differences in the different models are the size of the pumps. The bigger the pump the more water it will move. The more water that is moved the better.

 

[mjs9046]

Great thanks, You know I went to the lfs today and I find they are so much more expensive than shopping online, I found the canister I want about $40 bucks cheaper, and the same power heads to be half the price. I will definitely be ordering my equipment online instead of at the lfs that way I can buy better equipment from the start.
I plan on buying about 80% base rock and 20% live when I start the tank, the guy at the lfs told me that its much cheaper to do it this way and in 6 months to a year, the live rock will seed the base rock anyway. Do you recommend this strategy? I also plan on going with live sand, even though he told me to purchase argonite. if I do go with the aragonite, will the it seed also from the rock? he also tried to sell me on a tap water filter, but I think its a waste, because you can only get 50-100 gallons out of one filter. My first purchase will be investing in a decent r/o unit.

 

[mcbdz]

Originally Posted by MJS9046
Great thanks, You know I went to the lfs today and I find they are so much more expensive than shopping online, I found the canister I want about $40 bucks cheaper, and the same power heads to be half the price. I will definitely be ordering my equipment online instead of at the lfs that way I can buy better equipment from the start.
I plan on buying about 80% base rock and 20% live when I start the tank, the guy at the lfs told me that its much cheaper to do it this way and in 6 months to a year, the live rock will seed the base rock anyway. Do you recommend this strategy? I also plan on going with live sand, even though he told me to purchase argonite. if I do go with the aragonite, will the it seed also from the rock? he also tried to sell me on a tap water filter, but I think its a waste, because you can only get 50-100 gallons out of one filter. My first purchase will be investing in a decent r/o unit.
The info on the base rock and sand is true and fine to do. It just takes a little longer to mature, but my tank is 11months and you can't tell the base from the live. You just need a little to seed. I would go with the ro/di unit as you plan. I don't know much about the tap filters, but imagine not as good. Just remember you get what you pay for. You will also want to perchase a refractometer.