want to try saltwater and got ?

First topic message reminder :

got some questions... trying to work with a budget.. would a canister filter work for a saltwater tank, and if so what size would I need on a 25g (24x12x20) I need to turn the tank over 8-12 times right?

or would a sump be better?

protein skimmer would a hob one work, or should I get one that sits in the sump?

do I need a refugium?

lighting, what type of lighting would I need? would 2 t5 ho bulbs work or should I do 4 bulbs. I plan for some soft corals... or maybe just an anemone.

live sand - is just live sand right is any brand better then the other, and how many pounds do I need?

live rock, how many pounds do I need and what type is the best. what should I get? tonya,fiji,vanuatu,etc.

salt/water will more or likely just buy local and make a couple of trips.

power head, will more or likely get a hydor k-nano, or should I get a k 1 ?

fish --- I like the pajami cardinals, banggai cardinals, and royal dotty back. are this fish reef safe, is my tank big enough?

plantedtankdude wrote:

cool, he said 80 would cover sand and rock. now I will just need to get r/o water and saltwater mix... is instant ocean okay? so instant ocean is okay cool. thanks.

dont forget the DI in your RO its important.
well back to shoveling:(

Yikes! We had to shovel ours about three feet wide last year when we got 3-1/2 feet of snow. It is a city block & a half long and steep!! It took all day!

Yeah with my changes I do 7-8 gallon one week and 4 gallon the next so that is about 2 or 2-1/2 months to use 50-55 gallon of mix.

cool I got a 15 pound bag of instant ocean for $12.97 after tax.

and cindy What's this DI you speak of to put in the r/o.

just an added filtration method on the water. I hear a lot of good things about reef crystals. I'm shopping salt mixes myself at the moment.

well hopefully I will be getting my rock,sand, and r/o water today. but am stuck. the stand has front and side trim that goes above the flat surface so i can get the tank down to sit it on the flat surface, how do I go about notching the sides so I can get the tank on the stand. would a saw or rotor saw work and just notch out 1/8 to 1/4 and inch on each side?

have pic?

I can get a photo, or should I just put it on one of the metal stands I have or would that just be tacky looking. --> a saltwater tank on a metal stand....

a bottomless metal stand? if so I wouldn't.

um okay I will try to make it work on the stand... :( need money so I can buy live sand and live rock. any one want to let me borrow some money.

go to goodwill find yourself a solid piece of furniture and use it as a stand.
one of my 1st tanks sat on a buffet but you couldn't tell by looking:)
just a thought.

okay cool. :) it's time to set up. I put in the live sand, then the rock, then the water. what else do I need to do? how far should the stand be from the wall?

Keep it far enough away from the wall for any current & future HOB equipment.

so would 5-7 inches away from the wall work? and how would I go about cutting some reflectors. i have 3 foot reflectors and i need 2 foot reflectors.

will I need lighting right away ones I set up this tank?

your tank can cycle it in the dark.
the space you need from the wall depends on the size hob skimmer you use.
you can buy 24 inch reflectors just google it. or you can cut it with a dremmel or tin snips.

cool I have tin snips. they are the hagen glo single bulb reflectors and i have two of them. I also got a hagen marine glo bulb for the antic now i need a 10,000k. oh and my friend has a red sea prizm hob skimmer is that a good skimmer? and does $25.00 use sound like a good deal for it?

and if I bought cured fiji rock, do i need to change the water each day for a week straight like one guy on dallasmas is telling me to do?

okay, I got everything in place time to setup... how many pounds of sand do I need to put in there, then I add the rock, then the water right?

oops, okay I gooled. sand then water then rock. :)

plantedtankdude wrote:

and if I bought cured fiji rock, do i need to change the water each day for a week straight like one guy on dallasmas is telling me to do?

plantedtankdude wrote:

okay, I got everything in place time to setup... how many pounds of sand do I need to put in there, then I add the rock, then the water right?

plantedtankdude wrote:

oops, okay I gooled. sand then water then rock. :)

if the rock is cured you dont need to do daily water changes.just keep the rock in a bin with a power head and heater and saltwater with the salinity @ 23-24 until your ready to scape your tank.

I would do a 2 inch sand bed appox 30lbs. the Caribsea comes in 40lbs bags in my area.

you can add the rock 1st then the sand that way you wont take a chance on a critter burrowing under the rock and toppling your rock work over.

seems like its coming along nicely and you are getting a lot of good info!

Thanks every one who has gave me good info and answers. I got the tank set up this morning, and tested the water only thing bad was my ph was 7.8 so they told me 3-4 and then i could add a few fish, and then some corals. could I grow those brain looking corals with just two bulbs? what are the temperment of purple fire fish gobies?

I will have photos soon, working on the reflectors, and getting the lighting in place.

PH rises though out the day if its 7.8 in the am it will likley be 8.1 or greater in the pm. PH is not your biggest concern. keep close watch on the basic 4 ammonia,nitrite, nitrates, and phosphates.

that was the reading around 3-4pm they said everything else looked fine and to just give some time. it was tested at a local saltwater store aquatic design... so if I got it tested around 3pm i bet at night it's around 8.2-8.4 and in the morning time drops around 7.7 to 8.0. does that sound right?

okay how do I prime this rea sea prizm skimmer. it's used but was working when I got it, my friend showed me that it worked on one of this saltwater tanks.. now I can't get it to work on mine.. I'll email him.

skimmers...break in so to speak. im assuming u cleaned it so it has to adjust to your tank, may take a few days, or longer.