I need some help...

[PRC]

Here's a good link to research fish. It will give you tank requirements, feeding, whether they're reef safe, etc.

www.liveaquaria.com

click Marine Fish and the list is on the left.

 

[Bifferwine]

In saltwater, it's an inch per 10 gallons. Very different than freshwater.

And I doubt you'll be able to find lights for a tank that size for $100, unless you buy used. Depending on where you live, Craig's List has a ton of good deals on used equipment.

 

[thunderbay]

So a lemonpeel angelfish wouldn't be a good choice for a 49 gallon aquarium. What is a good lighting system?

 

[Bifferwine]

For a 49 gallon tank, your best bet is to go with a set of T5s. How long is the tank?

 

[thunderbay]

The tank is 36" long.

 

[Bifferwine]

These would be your best choice for lights:

Current USA Nova Extreme Pro T5HO Aquarium Light Fixtures

I know those aren't in your budget, but lighting is one of the most important (and expensive) parts of a reef tank.

 

[reeffreak]

The tank is 36" long.

Visit the site from this thread.

A 4x39w(T5-HO) fixture is $60 is good for many corals including the ones you listed.The 6x39w version should allow you to be unlimited for $95.I don't know anything about the quality of light and the website.The price is really cheap so be careful,sometimes you get what you pay for.

https://www.livingreefs.com/reefshops-t27732.html

 

[thunderbay]

Yeah, I've had experiences with REALLY cheap lights. I just don't want to spend 300-$400 for lights; it's probably a good investment though...

 

[Bifferwine]

Visit the site from this thread.

A 4x39w(T5-HO) fixture is $60 is good for many corals including the ones you listed.The 6x39w version should allow you to be unlimited for $95.I don't know anything about the quality of light and the website.The price is really cheap so be careful,sometimes you get what you pay for.

https://www.livingreefs.com/reefshops-t27732.html

Those are really good prices, but they are the sale prices. Their regular prices are much higher. I'd give these a shot.

 

[thunderbay]

Yeah, I'll go with the lights from reefshops. So what kind of fish would you recomend for a starter? and for the protein skimmer; what kind should i get. Octopus has a recirculating, needle/pin, and extreme in sump. Or should I use a different brand?

 

[Bifferwine]

Have you read about the nitrogen cycle yet?

You will need to let your tank cycle before you add any animals. This can take from 3 weeks to 2 months.

When you set up your tank, you'll add sand and rocks, and then put in a piece of shrimp (from the grocery store) and just let it rot. This will build up the bacteria that process waste in the tank, so you will have them ready to go when you start adding live animals.

After the tank has cycled (ammonia and nitrites both at zero), you can add your first fish. You don't want to add more than one fish every 3 weeks, and in a 49 gallon tank, you can plan on keeping 5 or 6 fish total.

https://www.livingreefs.com/choose-your-fish-t27083.html

Some good starter fish are clowns, gobies, wrasses, blennies, firefish, cardinal fish or pygmy angels. Damsels are a really common starter fish, but they are very aggressive and can kill any other fish you try to add, so stay away from damsels unless you find their looks absolutely irresistible.

 

[thunderbay]

Yeah, I'm going to cycle the tank with live rock because cycling with hardy fish seems prety primitive...

I was thinking about 3 blue/green chromis, 2 clownfish, and a gobie.

 

[Jmck]

good to see your not going to do it the primitive way! Gotta say, everyone really has you covered on this one! (Biff, stop being a ninja! let someone else get in first :P)

Look at a dwarf angel as well, mine was the first fish to go in my tank (flame angel) and he looks amazing and has had no problems!

 

[thunderbay]

@Jmck, I was thinking about a lemonpeel dwarf angel instead of the gobie and clownfish.

And which octopus protein skimmer should I use, they have a pin/needle wheel, an extreme in sump,ect.? or shouldI just use a different brand?

 

[Jmck]

I dont know much about that specific one, but definitely a much nicer looking fish :D

So go for it

 

[thunderbay]

And should I use live sand or just play sand. I found a site that said playsand was better than live sand because it doesnt contain bad organisms, is that true?

 

[Bifferwine]

Not true. Play sand is silica sand, which can lead to algae problems. Diatoms build their outer shells out of silica, and using play sand gives them an unlimited supply of building blocks.

You don't need to use live sand either. Just use dry aragonite sand from the pet store. It's much cheaper than live, and will eventually become live as your tank matures.

 

[coolhandgoose]

I just got my reefshops lights and I'm very satisfied. I got the 6x39W t5ho since i want to eventually keep some high light corals.

 

[thunderbay]

Ok, thanks you've(bifferwine) been a HUGE help so far, so has everyone else.
Would this be an okay amount of fish, without overstocking?
3 Blue/green chromis
1 lemon peel angelfish

 

[Bifferwine]

I think you might find the chromis boring, honestly. If that's the combo you want, then no, it's not overstocking (not even close, IMO). But in a small tank like that, where you can only keep a few fish in the first place, I wouldn't make 3 of them chromis.