TOTAL Newbie!!

[beancntr]

Hi all! I've been surfing the site and have found a lot of great information. Thank you all!!!
I just purchased my first tank - 72g bowfront - that I hope will someday be a reef tank with clowns. I have a MILLION questions! I have been reading anything I can get my hands on, but some things are still unclear to me.

I've read contrasting opinions on undergravel filters. I plan on using a sand base - what are your opinions on this?

Live rock - is it better to cure it yourself (since I'm starting from scratch) or buy it cured? Should you get all the rock you need initially or add as you go? How did some of you plan the layout of your rock or did you plan it!?

Do I need a powerhead right away, or can I wait until I add some corals? The setup I got comes with a skimmer, filter, and heater that I know of (buying it used). Besides salt and testing, what other things do you recommend to start?

I value opinions and comments. Forums are a great way to learn and I'm looking forward to starting my new hobby. I get the tank on Sunday, so I have a few days to prepare for our new arrival.

Thanks!

Cyndi
Littleton, CO

[Bifferwine]

Hi Cyndi and welcome!

Okay, I'll try to address your questions as best as I can. A lot of other people will weigh in here too.

Undergravel filter -- Definitely a big NO for saltwater tanks. Using one will put you on the fastrack to chronic water quality problems. Although they work okay for some freshwater setups, using one for saltwater is definitely a big mistake.

You can cure the rock yourself by adding it to your tank, and not adding any fish right away. This will also cycle your tank. Using live rock to cycle your tank and cure it at the same time is a good idea, better than cycling with a fish (that could die because of the cycle). If you want to get it all at once, that's fine, but it is expensive. You can add a little bit at a time, but if you do that you run the risk of starting another cycle every time you add a little more. This isn't that bad, but if you have sensitive fish or any invertibrates in your tank, they could be at risk from the ammonia and nitrite spikes.

You should definitely have at least 2 powerheads for a tank that size. Strong flow is extremely important even if you just have fish. It will oxygenate the water and will keep detritus, waste and food from settling on the bottom and rotting.

What kind of lights does it have? The lights are very important, they will determine if you will be able to keep corals and anemones, as they require much higher light than just fish. For fish, you can use a simple strip flourescent light, but you will need to get much more specialized (and expensive) when you start thinking about corals.

Also, the number one rule: Don't add too many animals too quickly! It is soooo easy to crash your tank in this hobby by getting overly excited and tossing in a bunch of fish and some corals all at once. Bad move! Start with one or two fish, if you can keep those alive for a few months, then you can add another fish. Once you are confident that you can keep fish alive without a problem, it's a good idea to add a new fish then wait for several weeks before adding the next. The bacteria populations in your tank have to catch up to deal with the increased waste load that comes with a new fish, so you have to give your tank appropriate time to adjust to the new animals. Don't rush things, and I've found it very useful to post on this forum before you buy a piece of equipment or a new animal, everyone here is very helpful and will tell you if we think it's a good buy or a rip off, or if that animal is difficult to keep or a good choice for a new tank.

Good luck!

[yote]

Hello Cyndi and welcome to the reefs.
You dont want an UGF,That is a sure way to cause yourself problems,especially if your planning on a reef.
Just starting out you can get either the cured or the uncured,Just remember that if you use uncured rock to cycle with,It stinks to high heaven.
I didnt do any planing on my how to place my rock.I just tryed to place it so that it looks natural according to the size and shape of the rock.
I would go ahead and invest in at least a couple of powerheads.You want to keep your water moving.
I do recommend to you go ahead and invest in a refractometer,their more accurate than hydrometers. Well worth the price.

[jhnrb]

Welcome to the site. Glad you found us. Nothing to add at this time. Please feel free to visit our helpful articles/saltwater articles forum. keep us posted and good luck.

[beancntr]

Thanks for all your advice. I know I will have to upgrade the lighting before I ad inverts. The tank comes with standard flourescents. From what I've read, staying with soft corals is easier for a beginner. I won't get my first fish until I know I can keep the water at least semi-stable. I will keep you posted.

[JellyMan]

Hello Cyndi welcome to the reefs,

ok as far as your tank goes your just starting out thats cool careful it is addictive. Now answer to your questions.

UGF - deffinately not what you want for saltwater tank.

Live Rock - your going to be cycling your tank there are pros and cons to cycling your tank with uncured Live Rock. Pro your tank will cycle with the rock. Con you could end up with hitchhikers you dont want such as the terror Mantis Shrimp, certain types of bristle worms or crabs and such. being as your not goin reef right away you can do it this way and watch your tank and pull out anything that might terrorize your tank its your call.

Powerheads - yes you deffinately want the powerheads keeps food from collecting on your detrius and giveing you poor water quality as quick also add oxygen through ariation so yes I highly reccomend that.

Research - do research on whatever your wanting in your tank you want to make sure it is compatible with what you have in there already and you want to make sure that you can accomidate the needs of the animal wether it be fish or coral.

LFS - When you go into a fish store your going to find fish you just have to have before you purchase it you need to look at some key Items.
Is the tank clean? Are there any dead fish in it? Do the fish look healthy any disease, are they rubbing against the rocks or gasping for air? ask the store owner to feed them so you can see them eat.

welcome to the world of saltwater it is beautiful and alot of work but done correctly you will get many years of enjoyment out of it, Hope this helps.

[Adrastos]

Welcome!

One option for the live rock is definitely curing it yourself. Buying liverock from a store can cost around $5 to $15+ per pound. In a 72 you are probably going to want atleast 100 pounds of rock (I'd recommend to atleast double the pounds per gallon). As you can see, it can be very expensive.

There are some good alternatives to buying live rock.. make you own! It's not that hard really..

GARF has some great how to pages.. including great information on how to create your own live rock. How To Do Information Pages

Also, check to see if anyone in your area sells lace rock. For me, all I will buy is lace rock from now on. It needs to be cured but it is amazing stuff. Much lighter than 'live rock'.. so you can buy a much, much large piece for less money than you thought possible. I have a piece in my tank now that would have cost me will over $150 if it were fiji live rock... it cost me $21 and looks neater than any 'live rock' that I have seen. The coral farm near me sells it for 2.50 per pound. He has 450 gallon display tank setup with only using the lace rock and it is amazing..

[beancntr]

Cool. That's a good tip about the lace rock. I will let you all know how it goes! Thanks for all your good advice.

[bobby]

If the tank is empty and you have the patients (which you will need in this hobby) then I would cure it myself. Yes as stated above add the power heads as soon as possible this will keep the water airated and keep the bad stuff from settaling on the bottom. BTW what kind of skimmer did you get with it? IMO that is a very nice tank to start with, I love the bow fronts. Well good luck and keep us posted.

[beancntr]

You guys crack me up!!! I've seen your posts in other parts of the site - thanks for bein' there! I'm not sure the tank set up has powerheads or not. I don't know what kind of skimmer it is - will let you know. Two days and counting until I pick the tank up. Bought salt today!