Why do u CYCLE and???

[jennifer70]

Hello all i am new here and hope to stay a long time!! am setting up a 125 gallon salt water tank,and i wonder why people say to cycle it before u put anything alive in it but LR?Also what are anemones? what do u feed them? also i dont understand what a skimmer is? cant i used a reagule filter? what is a ovedr flow box and like with a fresh water tank they need air in them like a bubble bar does a saltwater tank need one? i realy like salt water and know it takes a long time to get everything going the way u want to , i just need a few good pointers. THANK U for taking ur time to read my post

 

[msd2]

glad to see your interest. A really good place to start is reading the sticky posts. Also go and get some books to get an idea of what your getting into. Saltwater fish can be great and rewarding but w/o a strong knowledge base it will be expensive and frustrating.
PS you don't cycle w/fish because most varieties will not survive the cycle, and even if they do its cruel to the animal.

 

[murph]

There are several reasons not to have those bubbles in a SW tank and I am sure someone more qualified will chime in on that, but you really don't need them for freshwater tanks either. The purpose of the bubbles is to cause surface agitation (small waves, ripples). This is where the exchange of gases occurs. Out with the bad in with the good; oxygen.
The same can be achieved with a power head or a good flow HOB filter and you wont have to put up with the persistent gurgling sound in the room where the aquarium is.

 

[_nix_]

Also, bubbles will cause salt creep above wherever the bubbles hit the top of the water line.
Whatever kind of filter you use, make sure that there is surface agiatation of the water. I.e. a powerhead blowing around the top of your water, etc. This increases the O2 transfer into your water.
Set Anemones are a long term goal if you would like one. They require strong light (VHO Min.), and a mature tank.
If I can but give you two "words of wisdom", is:
Patience, and good water flow in your tank!
I know, I know, that is more than one word, but deal with it!

 

[jjlittle]

Most answers you could get more detailed answers in most books on the hobby which I highly recommend you do you will need somewhere beside here to reseach on live stock etc. The cycle process is where the tank will get readinng of AMmonia / Nitrite /Phosphate/ levels that are very toxic to fish and coral. Live rock is ok it will ahev soem die off which will help the cycle process. But Live rock is a natural Biological filter for the tank and help the cycle process go much faster. SOme folk dont use a skimmer if you plan to have a reef tank I would 100% say to ge t a good skimmer for reef tank need to have almost perfect water at all time and skimmer is key factor in suppling that.Get a few good books on the hobby it will fill in alot of thing you will want to know and they are great for a quick giude to learning why thing are the way they are in this hobby. Welcome to the best hooby in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!