Wanting to start tank, Give me help!

[reed x]

Whats up all, I'm wanting to get started in a saltwater tank, ive already picked out some fish i liked from this site. Im planning on doing a 40-50Gallon Tank im not sure which but ive found a few tanks that i have in mind. Also on that subject if anyone knows where to get good priced Tanks let me know!!
First off, Im needing help on what exactly i need for this tank, im already planning on ordering some Live sand, and then some live rock, would i need 20lbs of live rock? or more? Second im wanting to put a Reef in there. for all the fish to have hiding places. Some fish i found where it says "Reef safe" it says no, so does that mean they cant be in with a reef?
Any info you all can give me on how to start up my tank jjust let me know i can tell its an expensive hobby to have, so im going to start off with my supplys first. Tank, Stand, Pumps those kinds of things, then before i get fish ill order the live sand and rock and all that, ill need help to figure out all this ph level and that kind of stuff so i know what im doing so i dont kill the precious Fish that i order :happyfish also i was lurking around and i saw something about moon lightning? it looks cool and id love to have that on my tank how much does that sort of thing cost? and where does it go? thanks for all the help in advance. if theres anyone who knows ALOT about this stuff shoot me an email also at reed@kc.rr.com so i can talk back and forth with you easier.
i forgot to add, what is acclimation?

 

[reed x]

bumping.... need some major help i know what id like to do but need some assistance i know nothing and gotta learn this stuff! :thinking:

 

[brit0211]

Hey,
I'm new too, but I can tell you one of the best pieces of advice that I have gotten is to buy/rent some books about it, that way you can atleast be familiar with the topics and then you can post specific questions. Check out the books in the drygood section.
As for good priced tanks, thats my struggle right now. So I cant be of help on that.
From what I gather, you should probably get much more than 20 lbs of live rock. But, you could get some base rock so it will be cheaper and then add live rock (and the base rock will become live)
Acclimation is when you get the fished used to the water lightly instead of just dumping it in your tank. Fish cannot tolerate high fluctuations in temperature, so you have to introduce them to your tank slowly. I think there is an actual spot on this site that tells you how to do it.
Sorry I cant help much, but I figtured some imput was better than none at all... and since no one else was responding I figured I would give it a shot.... and also a bump.

 

[reed x]

thanks for your responce, any reply i get here is 1 step closer to understanding, as far as the rock goes i was going to order some from this website.... the $200 but which is better, Fiji rock or the Florida rock? that will come in time first things first i need to find a good tank! and im still not sure which size i want to get

 

[pblrdom]

jjst read thats teh best advice i have.
if you get the lr i prefer the fiji.
also if you need help with specific questions i will be more than happy to answer to the best of my ability.
also, you are going to need all of your equipment before you purchase any lr or ls.

 

[shawna]

once you have all of your equipment and have it all set up you will want to have live rock and sand as wel as either starter fish (i used brackish molllies they are less of a pia to catch later) others use damsels but they are hard to catch and bullies later plus they take up room for more desirable live stock later I've also heard that people have thrown a shrimp in to the tank (dead uncooked) to feed the critters and cause the cycle or spike of amonia this starts the bacterial cycle to start mt cycle took 4 weeks I have heard 3 to 6 weks for the ammmo spike then for it to disapate to 0 then is when you can think about the first fish what you might want to put in. also make sure you have your snails for clean up. there is a ton of stuff to go with this I would go up to the search bar and put in key words for setting up a new tank there is tons of info and the people here are awsome (I haven't quit yet) cried a few times but didn't quit
but listen to a ton of opinions this hoby sems to have a ton of diferent theories to it take what you can use considder the rest and sift through to what will work for you. I don't know if this was much help, but go to the search bar and read through cycle of new tanks etc. as far as to where to get a tank you can watch the paper sometimes people will sell off the tank just be 1000% sure it was only used for fish (other live stock leave behind the residu of urine and it will leach for years from the sealant and you willl not have a healthy tank.) hope this helped a tiny bit
shawna

 

[shawna]

oh, read the bar next to this post that reads acclimation. this will help your live stock to survive the shock of transferring from their urent enviornment to yours. (wich you want to be close in values ) it's important. especially drip acclimation as well as temp acclimation (done together will help your live stock to survive. there are tons of variables that go into acclimating the fish/invert /coral etc to your enviornment such as ph salinity specific gravity alkalinity temperature etc. these delacate lil critters need to be introduced slowly to the enviornment, or you may loose them. to give you a lil idea I'm pretty sure I'm going to loose a star because my drip acclimation was hampered by a clamp that popped open and the water dumped in to the bucket rather than dripping in slowly. so instead of 4 hours it was forced to accept the conditions in about 1/2 hour( now all I can do is pray!)
so yep it's important
good luck and welcome
shawna

 

[reed x]

Thanks for the replys and giving me some much needed good info, ill take you up on the question asking cause i have tons! This seems like its a difficult hobby to do.... But by the looks of the tanks i believe its got its perks and its feeling of accomplishment when you can keep a beautifuly arranged tank clean and healthy. What im doing is going out tonight to look for tanks. to see whats out there that i can find, Thats what im starting off with first. But i do need help with the list of other things that i will need to go with it, Heater etc etc, Type of lights. i also wanted to get something i was reading about i THINK its called moon lightning im not sure, you turn it on a night it actually looks like moon refelctions on the bottom of the tank, very pretty to look at while you sleep :yes:
after i get all the supplys i need then ill do some more research, i know i need Live sand which i was going to order from this site. i believe ill need 2 bags of the 40lbs to make about a 4inch/5inch depth in a 50gallon tank. then i wanted to get the Fiji rock which was the 40lbs of it.
heres where i start my questions....After i have everything hooked up onto my tank in the proper places. What do i start off doing? i know ill line the bottom with the live sand, but then do i put the Live rock in right away? or do i just order the sand, line it on the bottom then fill the Tank and after all the levels in the tank are safe to put in fish then add the rock? Ive been reading other messages about which water to use. Some say Distilled water at the least. then something about RO/DI water. what is RO/DI??? Do i get this water and fill the entire tank up then what all do i add to this water to correctly make it into my saltwater? the questions are endless. Though i have used the search button and found alot of great info i still have a hard time understanding it because im so new to this, ive never even had a fresh water tank but i wouldnt want to waste the money on something like that... its kinda like the saying why go out for burgers when you can have steak at home.. eh? Thanks for all the helps ladies and gents.... with your help ill graduate from newB to elite fish lover in no time

viva le america!

 

[chazz66]

The first thing I did before I even bought any eqiptment is buy a couple of good books on the subject and read them cover to cover.There are a lot of people who want to do this as quickly and cheaply as possible. Those people are almost surely going to fail. Take your time,do your research and learn as much as you can before jumping in.

 

[reed x]

So far ive been checking out tanks, i actually am going to go for either a 75gallon or a 100 to 150gallon tank now instead of the 50..... im going with a Oceanic systems tank.... they seem to be well put together and have a 5 year warranty on leaking and stuff, i found dealers so im going out tomorrow to find it, After i get that ill be asking on here what the best protein skimmers and filters and heaters are and other supplys i need to get, Trust me im not trying to do this in a cheap way at all, if im going to do it, it needs to be done right and have the best products because even if you do it cheap its still expensive, so why not spend a few bucks more for top of the line. :joy:

 

[blemmy_guy]

Well best of luck, and i like shawna started with about 6 black mollies, slowly adding salt to my tank over a period of 6 weeks. there are people out there that have started off with a bang and im sure you can, just harder i would guess. all i can relaly say is have TAKE YOUR TIME slower the better! but its worth it in the long run good luck, and use the board here at SWF. the people here are awesome and soooo helpfull. todd

 

[blemmy_guy]

This is a pretty awesome wet/dry with skimmer.. take a look http://cgi.----.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWN:IT

 

[cnlight]

Quick question for you, what kind of fish were you wanting to have. Because some fish can not go with others and some aren't reef safe and some, well you get the picture. I'm happy to hear that you want a bigger tank, thats great. The more options you have and its all around better. I like the oceanic brand of tanks, I have a 37 gallon myself. Any other questions, we are hear to help.

 

[reed x]

well im deff going with some Clowns, i would like a blue hippo tang, Flame angel, blue eyeed anthias just to name a few, i tried to go for fish when i looked that said they were reef safe... and that the temperment is peaceful, i would like a snowflake eel in there but i have a feeling he'll eat my lil clowns if he gets big enough so thats probably out

 

[reed x]

that wet/dry skimmer looks complicated, oy i think ill definently need help when it comes to figuring out how to set it all up correctly

 

[cnlight]

Starting off with a pair of clowns is a good thing, and you could have a hippo tang in a 100 gallon tank, but no smaller. Also I would say no to the eel in a reef tank, it will eat your smaller fish and eels really need to be in a fish only setup.
A wet/dry filter isn't too hard to set up, but the best thing you can do is to have lots of live rock and live sand. Power heads for water flow, a good protein skimmer, and keeping your water changes regular. Most filters come with instructions and I'm sure someone hear can point you in the right direction. I personally don't know much about wet/dry systems, but I have good and bad about them. Post another thread about them and see others have to say.

 

[reed x]

well im Def getting Live sand and Live rock, ive already decided im going to get the 45lbs of Fiji rock thats on this website..... and probably depending on the size of a tank enough live sand to make up about a 4inch depth of it..... can i have live rock in there and reef? i dont know if its the same thing or what... im still confused on alot of this stuff... after i get the tank ill ask for help on here of exact supplys i need as far as like the salt or whatever, pumps etc etc, ill probably have 2 heaters running

 

[reed x]

i wanted to list some Fish that i want to get for my tank just let me know if its good, it will be later down the line when i get all this done but here we go
First off, im going to order a Reef Package from this site to keep my tank nice and clean!
here are the fish i want
BlueHead Wrasse(LOVE this fish)
Blue Hamlet
Blue Hippo Tang(Also another favorite)
Clarki Clown(again a favorite and a must)
Coral Beauty Angel(beautiful fish!)
Flame Angel(another favorite)
Percula Clown(gotta have em)
Yellow Wrasse(get some yellow coloring in!)
what do you all think? probably get a few clowns, and then 1 of each of the other fish... maybe 2 blueheads but im not sure because the temperment is bold whatever that means.... thats just looking ahead first thing is first ill get the tank, you all let me know after i get the tank which supplys i need like Salt, and all that and ill get top of the line for that, then before i get fish ill get started on the tank and put in some Fiji live rock and reef or whatever i need, just give me some help i love you people! TEACH ME

 

[blemmy_guy]

Reed i remember Exactly how you feel! It was sooo exciting setting up my tank (still is ) and all i had was the LFS to help, and i found out later that they really didnt know too much about SWF anyway. When i found this message board is when i really started learning, there are so many great people on here and they all want to help, take al there advise and then pick the things you feel comfotable doing. as for the wet/dry filter i showed you, i thought the same thing but trust me its much easier than it looks, and you get a lot of Bang for your Buck with it. But for the first 8 or 9 month i used the hang on the back Penguin type filters, and they did ok, but not nearly as good as the new filter.
What size tank did you say your getting, and when you getting it:notsure: Talk at ya soon. Todd

 

[reed x]

im wanting to do either a 75gal or a100gal im not sure yet, i keep going back and forth and cant make up my mind, problem is i think to myself "Is this going to be to hard and should i not waste my time and money" other part is i think it would kick ass to have a tank set up in this room..... i LOVE watching fish, like when i was at a local pet shop this clown fish came out from behind some live rock when i passed by, so i stopped to look at him, and he kept peaking around the corner at me, then would swim back around it, peak around the corner at me, and swim back in, For some reason that just amuses me :joy: i just hope if i do this i can do it right, i know alot of people their first year of doing it lose alot of money in fish, i still have a hard time understanding and i dont know how to even set up the tank or what to put in it first before the fish go in