questions for start up

[rookie101]

I am going to purchase a 125 gallon "fish only" tank. I have been reading about some procedures and start up advice, but I need more. First off, There are so many options for filtration. What do you think? I was thinking of a wet/dry filter and a skimmer with power heads. What do you think? I want to get live rock, but not sure what types are better. For this size of tank I am thinking of using two submersible heaters also. Any advise on what type of pump to use? What type of substrate do you recommend? Feed my brain please.

P.S. Are manderin gobbies as difficult to keep as I've heard?

[minireefer]

For rock try hirocks.com it will save you some big dollars.This dry argonite rock same stuff as live.Seed the dry rock with good quality live rock(maybe 100 lbs or more for filtration).Substrate my choice would be sand of defferent grain sizes(125lbs or so worth) .I would definantly use a wet dry protein skimmer combo.A sump or refugium.2 or 4 mag (5)or rio(1700) pumps at at each end will give a good water flow.You can even put those on a wave maker to get an alternating current.Maybe once the tank is mature with a steady supply of copepods the manderin will ok.Have a look at the articles page

[Davey64]

My question is for Minireefer, I too am Getting ready to start my first salt tank with Live rock ,sand substrate and fish, little later on some anenomes, anyway it is a 100 gal.,
so other people have said to mix the salt water prior to filling the tank , can I put sand in bottom and fill tank completely with tap water then treat it with novaqua and amquel and then start mixing in my salt, reason being I dont have the room or the aparatus to put in my apt. and let sit for a few days while the salt is bing mixed I assume i cannot introduce the live rock into fresh water correct ?
hope im not wasting anybvodys time, let me know if more info is needed I have had fresh on and off for about 10 Years or so But rookie for salt Thanks

[bjohanson1234]

as long as the tank is set up new, with out any fish in it, you can mix the salt in the tank
after you have stocked the tank, always mix the water before adding it to the tank

Brian

[bkv1997]

Dave64:

No don't add live rock, fish, etc until you ahve the saltwater mixed prior. I use a 30 gallon trash can to mix my water and it works well for a good price. If you do it like you mentioned above only fill the tank about 3/4 the way up as when you add the live rock you will need room for the displaced water.

Brandon

[bkv1997]

rookie101:

The ideal setup would be live rock with a very good skimmer. Bioballs aren't a big fan of mine as they tend to cause elevated nitrate levels. If your curious about this I can go into more details.

As mentioned by Minireefer a good base of Lace rock or the rock at hirocks.com would be a good start, then add a a higher quality fiji LR on top.

For water movement in the tank I have always liked SEIOs as they create lots of movement without the velocity as some of your other pumps.

So for the sump just use a 30-55 gallon aquarium it will be much cheaper than an overpriced wet/dry system. If you decide not to add LR then a wet/dry might be the way to go.

Hope this helps.
Brandon

[jhnrb]

Well others have answered some of your questions. Im here to respond to the feed my brain. I would refer you to the helpful articles forum listed at the top of this page, or, in the main forum screen under saltwater articles. there you will find a bunch of articles developed and presented just for the new system, the newbie, and a wide range of subjects from the difference between fresh and salt, to types of systems and their equipment. good luck and I hope this helps you get the answers you seek. always remember that there are many ways to set up and keep a marine system, and advice is usually given based on the givers preferences or experiance. this may or may not work for you, so, take some time and browse the helpful articles and then back here to clear up any confusion from the articles. welcome to the site. congrates on the 125, a very nice place to start as is the 75 mentioned above by others.