first saltwater tank and couple of questions

surferido

funky buttlovin
I just set up my 29 gal freshwater tank into a saltwater tank. i bought two 30 to 60 gal filters that do 660 gallons an hour and have a powerhead. i added sand yesterday and my tank is really clouded and can barely see the powerhead. do i have too much filtration and what should i do?
 
JMO,But you can never over filter your tank.
Even with what you've got running now,you will still need a skimmer and live rock.
 
Because it completely removes waste from the water column.Where regular mechanical filter just trap it.
A skimmer removes dissolved organics by foam refraction.Therefore completely removing it before it can break down any farther.
The filters you already have trap waste particles in the pads,which leaves them to break down and add dissolved organics to your water.
Plus a side benefit of a skimmer is better gas exchange which help get more oxygen into the water.
 
+1 yote on the skimmer, a skimmer basically does for our tank what waves do for the ocean, all that white foam that the waves leave behind is the same foam and waste that skimmers pull out
 
A skimmer is a gazillion times more effective than any type of filter out there, when it comes to saltwater tanks. The filter types commonly used for freshwater just don't work well when it comes to saltwater. They do an okay job for lightly stocked tanks, but if you want to have lots of fish and inverts that are sensitive to water parameters (like corals, shrimp, anemones, clams, etc.) you will be better off just having 1 to 2 lbs. of live rock per gallon and a protein skimmer. No additional filtration will be needed if you have those two basic things.

About the cloudy water, it usually takes a couple days for the water to clear up when you've just added sand. You'll have to be patient, there's nothing you can do to speed it up.
 
Surfer,

Welcome to the site.
I suggest you start by reading this article : https://www.livingreefs.com/articles/beginners-guide-t503.php.
This should answer many of your starter questions.
Focus on the sections 'C' through 'G'.

I am assuming you have a 29g tank, non-drilled, possibly a Euro-tank from Petco or something.
You will need some basics for starting.
The filtration you are mentioning you have is typically for FRESHWATER and will not be beneficial in a SW tank.

1.) You should have good lighting for a REEF tank as corals will require special lighting.
2.) You will need Live Rock for filtration as well as Live Sand.
Adding new liverock & live sand will typically put your tank into a "CYCLE" which needs to complete before adding livestock (anywhere from 1 week to several months).
3.) You will need a protein skimmer for removing excess waste from your water and cleaning up your overall water quality. I suggest an OCTOPUS Hang-On-Back skimmer for a non-drilled, non-sump tank.
4.) You will need some powerheads in the tank for circulation & flow. Without this, you will have stagnant water and nothing will survive. I have a 30g with (2) Koralia #1's. One circulates the water around the tank. The other breaks the water surface with a ripple to circulate water and aerate the water.
5.) You will need a heater. Your water should be between 76-80 degrees without much fluctuation. Drastic temp changes will be detrimental to your tank.

Read some of the articles on Living Reefs and ask plenty of questions.
When working with a SW tank, patience and slow progress is the key.

P.S. pick yourself up some water quality testing equipment :
1.) Refractometer for checking Specific Gravity (Salinity)
2.) Thermometer for testing water temperature
3.) Water test kit (PH, Nitrite, Ammonia, Nitrate) for fish only tanks
4.) Additional water test kit (Kh, Phosphate, Calcium) for reef tanks

Sorry about the long post & sorry about the Bucs big loss last week!!!
I lived in Tampa for 7 years and went to every game (in the old stadium).

Good Luck!
 
thanks everyone im going to get a skimmer tomorrow and my water has cleared up alot..but one more question what should i do with the settled pockets of very fine sand that have collected
 
would 2 skimmers be benefical or is it not really needed...i want my tank to be perfect before i even think about getting fish
 
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