I am new - and need advice.

[greg1186]

hello forum.

I just ordered a 14 gallon biocube and have never had a saltwater aquarium in my life. After being in the petstore multiple times and gazing at all the bright corals and fish i decided to go for it and see what happens. I have been doing a lot of research in the past two days trying to get a feel for what im in for. I guess what i am asking for is some advice/information for a newbie at salt water aquariums... I feel like i am overwhelmed by all the calcium, salt, nitrogen, protein, and other chemical talks...

so can someone explain how to setup my biocube, how to cycle it so it is safe to put in corals and fish... and what corals and fish are good for beginners like me? I plan on really getting into this so it would be a great help...

thanks a lot - hope to be hearing from people soon : )

 

[Bifferwine]

Hello and welcome!

With a 14 gallon BioCube, you can probably keep 2 fish. A pair of clowns would be good if you are into clownfish.

Did you buy test kits?

Check out these articles.
https://www.livingreefs.com/basic-equipment-list-t19611.html
https://www.livingreefs.com/why-using-tap-water-bad-idea-t19865.html

Your tank will have to cycle before you can add any livestock. The easiest way to cycle a tank is using some live rock or fish food. It's not a good idea to cycle using live fish. During the cycle, the ammonia will rise first, then as that drops, nitrites will rise, then as that drops, nitrates will rise. Once ammonia and nitrites are both at zero, the cycle is considered complete and you can do a water change, then add your first animal.

The cycle usually takes 2 to 4 weeks, so patience is key.

For a tank that size, you do not need a protein skimmer. Just keep up with regular water changes every week or two. You do not need to test for calcium unless you keep corals.

Do you plan on making the saltwater yourself or buying it pre-made? It will be cheaper to make your own.

Feel free to ask any more questions you have!

 

[greg1186]

hi and thanks for the speedy reply... i know at my pet store they sell huge buckets of the salt you need... so i assume ill make my own... and they sell RO water for a dollar a gallon... i do plan on keeping coral and anemones so i guess ill need calcium? i plan on having more colorful coral and anemones than fish.. i think they are so pretty. and where can i buy live rock and how much should i get?? is live rock called live rock just cause its the rock the corals and anemones live on??

 

[Bifferwine]

You can get RODI water from Walmart or the grocery store for cheaper than $1 a gallon. Distilled water is the same quality. You can use that too. If you want to make your own, an RODI unit costs around $150 or so. You will be using water almost daily to top off evaporation and to do water changes every week or so.

I would advise against adding an anemone to a tank that size and with that lighting. Anemones require established, mature tanks and very high lighting -- the BioCubes don't come with lighting strong enough for anemones. Also anemones need pristine water conditions, which are harder to achieve in smaller tanks. For corals, you will be fine though -- they are not as difficult to keep as anemones.

You may not have to add calcium to the tank, if you keep up with water changes. Salt mixes contain most elements in the correct balance. But again, you won't know for sure unless you test for it.

You can get live rock at any fish store. You can also get it online for cheaper. You will need 1 to 2 lbs of rock per gallon, so 15 to 30 lbs of rock.

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have you. Biff has you covered, don't worry about adding chemicals to your tank, just do weekly water changes.

 

[greg1186]

ok, whats RODI? so i could use distilled water? and also what exactly classifies anemones? i really liked the frog spawn... green hammer.. and bubble tips.. are these anemones??

 

[Bifferwine]

RODI means reverse osmosis de-ionized water. It's a type of purified water. Distilled water is also purified. You can use distilled also.

Anemones are a type of animal, but they are not corals. Frogspawns and hammers are corals. Bubble tips are anemones.

I think if you look at some corals online, you will find plenty of corals that you like, and you won't have such a desire for anemones anymore. :)

Check out corals on this page. It gives a good description of each one's care and needs.

Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

 

[greg1186]

ok thanks for all your help!! im sure i will have more questions in the near future..

check out this website of a store in new york city... its close to my house and i am thinking about using this store when i am ready for coral and stuff like that....

Unique Corals :: Exotic Live Coral & Fish For Saltwater Aquariums :: Unique Corals

 

[Bifferwine]

It looks like a good site. The soft and LPS corals are the easiest to keep, and the most appropriate for your tank's lighting. SPS corals are tougher to keep.

 

[greg1186]

ookayy thanks!

i know it wont be forawhile till i actually get some fish and coral but here was my tentative plan....

some corals.. now thinking lps and softies since you say those are good..

a clownfish
a goby
a star fish
a shrimp
a blenny
and a snail

can you recommend certain types of these for me?
im scared that maybe i will pick out a fish that will eat or pick at a specific coral or maybe a coral will sting a fish that will want to live in it?

 

[Brian_G]

hello and welcome :)

fishwise-keeping in mind you can only keep 2 fish or so in a tank that size.

clownfish are damsels and can be agressive when added first.
gobies are jumpers so if you want to keep them just make sure it has a lid
starfish are cool, there are many to choose from. be more specific though. some starfish eat corals.
shrimp are nifty, cleaner shrimp are my favorite and they are usually pretty social. they also clean parasites off of your fish at their "cleaning stations"
blennies are going to be harder to choose from in a tank that size. there are only a few that will have enough room in a 14 gal.

The site biff sent you to (liveaquaria.com) tells you if each fish is reef safe and gives good information about each one.

one more thing, dont always trust your fish store. they are in buisness to make money and a lot of people on here have been given wrong information by stores. DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE WASTING MONEY.

snail, well this would be part of your clean up crew and you may want quite a few. they go around eating whatever they wish keeping everything clean.