Bifferwine
I am a girl
You will want to avoid bioballs in a saltwater setup. A sump is a good idea, but pass on the bioballs. Use live rock rubble instead.
Help from step one
- Thread starter thefickens
- Start date
thefickens
Reefing newb
your confusing me. lol. That sump from that link is for saltwater. and other research I've done says the same for saltwater. I don't necessarily feed too much that it hits the bottom but there will always be that little bit that does hit the bottom. And as far as I'm understanding I just need live rock and a clean up crew with my normal 2 week water changes and it will be just fine. BUT if i get a sump/refugium wet dry then water changes aren't necessary?
thefickens
Reefing newb
bioballs aren't good now??
little_fish
Moderator
That link is to a cichlid forum, definitely freshwater. Bioballs are fine for freshwater, bad for saltwater.
And no, you can never eliminate doing regular water changes. People have done it, but not to benefit of their creatures. What things like a fuge and skimmer do help keep the water cleaner, so you dont have to do as frequent or do smaller water changes.
But you are are correct about only needing enough rock and doing regular water changes.
And no, you can never eliminate doing regular water changes. People have done it, but not to benefit of their creatures. What things like a fuge and skimmer do help keep the water cleaner, so you dont have to do as frequent or do smaller water changes.
But you are are correct about only needing enough rock and doing regular water changes.
thefickens
Reefing newb
Ya ok, didn't see the originating sight. oops. ok...So what I have figured so far is that live rock and sand will keep the tank clean enough with regular water changes. and for beginning that is fine. as I develop my tank getting the sump/refugium plus wet/dry filter plus skimmer will benefit everything alot. but taking each expensive step one at a time is fine and can survive without them. So literally I can tank my freshwater tank now...take the fish out...put live rock and sand in...add the saltwater...and it will be fine as is???????
thefickens
Reefing newb
take**
little_fish
Moderator
Yep! But you will need to cycle your tank.
And skip the wet/dry filter, its in the same category as bioballs.
And skip the wet/dry filter, its in the same category as bioballs.
thefickens
Reefing newb
what exactly does cycle the tank mean. and so no need for the drip wet/dry method. just take that out of the mix and do the sump/refugium???
thefickens
Reefing newb
Oh. Different terminology. water developement to me. Ya I know about cycling. I was gonna "cycle" it for like 4 weeks with live rock and sand.
little_fish
Moderator
perfect!
But you can save yourself a ton of cash by buying just one piece of live rock and then the rest as dry rock and sand. After the cycle, it will all be live anyways.
I like to buy dry rock from MarcoRocks Aquarium Products
But you can save yourself a ton of cash by buying just one piece of live rock and then the rest as dry rock and sand. After the cycle, it will all be live anyways.
I like to buy dry rock from MarcoRocks Aquarium Products
bjohanson1234
.........
Welcome to the site. Believe me, saltwater is a different animal than fresh water. It took me a long time to break those habits from fresh that caused salt to be more difficult. My tank has sand on the bottom about 1-2" deep and live rock. Then a sumptuous that holds my heater and return pump made from a 10 gallon tank. I also have a fuge with live rock rubble and cheato. I also have a skimmer. That is all I have and my tank has been stable for years. The biggest change is the lack of canister or HOB filter. I used to run one but had constant water problems. The reason you don't need one to catch the left over food and :pooh: is because the liverock contains a multitude of bacteria, pods, and worms that eat it and break it down. These guys can work so fast that if you have a fish that dies, chances are you wont find a body. Any questions just ask. The folks here are a great source of info.
thefickens
Reefing newb
i appreciate the input but i don't really understand all the slang you typed. lol. after the 1-2" i don't know what you said
Bifferwine
I am a girl
I think he meant "sump that," not "sumptous". :lol:
Fuge = refugium. It's a section of a sump, or a stand alone container attached to the tank, that contains macroalgae such as chaetomorpha. The chaeto naturally reduces nitrates and phosphates, which are the causes of nuisance algae in your tank and can be detrimental to your animals.
Fuge = refugium. It's a section of a sump, or a stand alone container attached to the tank, that contains macroalgae such as chaetomorpha. The chaeto naturally reduces nitrates and phosphates, which are the causes of nuisance algae in your tank and can be detrimental to your animals.
kevdogg
Reefing newb
+1 bj
The sump is a good place to hide equipment, i.e. heater, skimmer.
Just remember that other then the natural cycle of the tank SW it completely different then FW.
(SW- Saltwater, FW- Freshwater)
The sump is a good place to hide equipment, i.e. heater, skimmer.
Just remember that other then the natural cycle of the tank SW it completely different then FW.
(SW- Saltwater, FW- Freshwater)
thefickens
Reefing newb
Alright so I have officially decided to turn the 55 gallon into the saltwater. Everything is on sale on craigslist so once it's sold I am converting. I'm getting a large live rock and then a bunch of dead rock with some live sand too. Planning on setting that up and then just letting it run for like a month. But let me get this straight...I DO NOT need the biowheel filtration??? All I need is a powerhead??? for now at least
bjohanson1234
.........
Yeah, bio wheels tend to cause nitrate issues just like bioballs.
You're going to need more than one powerhead.
Do you have an accurate high-range thermometer, a reliable heater that can maintain a solid temperate of 76-80 degrees? You'll also need a reliable test kit. A lot of people get the API ones, but the Salifert ones are the best liquid kits (but pricey!).
You don't need to buy live sand. It's a waste of money and while it can help to get your cycle going, you're likely not going to need it if you're planning on 4 weeks. That's a good amount of time. Just buy regular aragonite sand and it will become live well before the 4 weeks.
Also, people here don't really like them, but I really like the liquid bacteria populations like Microbacter7 which you can buy. They contain all sorts of nitrifying bacteria and good stuff for the tank. Most people say they're not necessary, which they aren't, but I like the fact that they provide a large variety of types of bacteria. I figure, the more variety the better.
Protein Skimmer:
I highly recommend the AquaC Remora skimmer (with the maxijet 1200). I bought mine used (spent $40) and it's great after a good cleaning.
You don't need a skimmer though for awhile. Cycle the tank without one for sure and look into getting one when it's finished. :-)
Do you have an accurate high-range thermometer, a reliable heater that can maintain a solid temperate of 76-80 degrees? You'll also need a reliable test kit. A lot of people get the API ones, but the Salifert ones are the best liquid kits (but pricey!).
You don't need to buy live sand. It's a waste of money and while it can help to get your cycle going, you're likely not going to need it if you're planning on 4 weeks. That's a good amount of time. Just buy regular aragonite sand and it will become live well before the 4 weeks.
Also, people here don't really like them, but I really like the liquid bacteria populations like Microbacter7 which you can buy. They contain all sorts of nitrifying bacteria and good stuff for the tank. Most people say they're not necessary, which they aren't, but I like the fact that they provide a large variety of types of bacteria. I figure, the more variety the better.
Protein Skimmer:
I highly recommend the AquaC Remora skimmer (with the maxijet 1200). I bought mine used (spent $40) and it's great after a good cleaning.
You don't need a skimmer though for awhile. Cycle the tank without one for sure and look into getting one when it's finished. :-)
thefickens
Reefing newb
i hate saltwater already...................
little_fish
Moderator
Then dont do it, no one is forcing you to take up saltwater fish keeping. We are just here trying to help you do it right, saving you time, money and a lot of heartache.
