New Saltwater Tank Build..What Do I Do?

kev651

Reefing newb
Hello everyone...I am new to the Saltwater Aquarium hobby. I have been running a 29 gallon freshwater aquarium for over a year and have never had a problem but I am now bored of it. I need something that takes time and effort. I recently got a 55 gallon tank with no accessories because I want to learn about a saltwater and I want to build it from scratch. I literally have nothing for it. What can everyone tell me that I need to run a successful saltwater tank? I want to buy something that is quality but cost effective. I would love to use live reef as well if possible. I really just need some guidance by the pros.
 
There is alot to saltwater. First step for you is to tell us if you want to go reef of fish only with live rock(fowlr). Next step is to insure that tank is new or not been used for fresh water. Typical fw tanks use copper to treat illness, this will kill livestock in saltwater. I would pesonally get the tank drilled(reef ready) in either way you wanna go. You should look into sump/refugium setups too, we hear typically go natural with filtration. Other than that we are glad to have you aboard.
 
Thanks for the reply...this is a brand new tank off the shelf...i would like to go with live coral if possible but i dont think getting the tank drilled will be an option...what is the real deal with have a sump filter and a hanging filter like I have on the freshwater?
 
a sump is used to house a refugium...a refugium is used for live rock and chaeto which is a microalgae that consumes nitrates (fish poop) and phosphates (algae grows with this)

a sump is also used to house your protein skimmer, heater, carbon/GFO reactor to get all the clutter out of the tank

all you need for filtration in a saltwater tank is the live rock, I know this sounds weird but that is it...you can use a hang on the back filter for carbon and other media but if you were to use the pads that come with it would become a nitrate factory (this means all the nitrates/fish poop would store there and make your tank toxic)

if you want to setup the 55, here is what you need to get started IMO

a really nice HOB skimmer that is rated for at least 75G
powerheads with enough gallon per hour flow to turn your tank over 20-30 times in an hour (55G's would need at least 1,000 GPH)
a good light fixture of at least 200+ watts
heater
refractometer (used to measure salinity)
saltwater test kit to monitor cycle
an auto top of kit (this will make your life really easy)

lastly you can add a nice tank controller like a reefkeeper light or Apex
 
kev...The first thing to keep in mind is that a saltwater system is much more expensive and takes far more patience than a freshwater system. I've had both and moved to SW from a similar beginning as you. I was bored with the FW and wanted to see what I could do with SW.

As mentioned, you have to think about your SW system in a different way. Once it is established it will become "relatively" self-sustaining. This means that you will have to do water changes (regularly) but not a whole lot else. That doesn't mean it's easy, by any means. SW systems are very sensitive to salinity, temperature, nitrate changes, etc and all of them can be catastrophic (meaning you can lose everything).

The best suggestion I can give is to start by getting some basic equipment. You'll need a heater, powerheads (to ensure water flow), a refractometer (a good one), and a lighting system. The light will depend on what you want to do. If you want corals you will need a very good light source (far beyond anything you've used in FW). You will also need a source of salt (reef crystals, etc) and a source of pure water (not tap water - you cannot just treat the tap water the way you can with FW). For water you can purchase a Reverse Osmosis De-Ionized (RODI) water system or buy water from a local vendor. RODI systems are much more preferable and cost far less over time.

Once you have the equipment and salt water you will need sand (for the bottom - not crushed coral) and rock (many people buy live rock which just means that the rock is full of beneficial bacteria). You will need a minimum of 1lb of rock per gallon of water (you can check on this site for the most common recommendation).

After you add your saltwater, sand and rock you will then need to cycle the tank (check on this site for suggestions). Cycling will take time. You cannot add anything to the tank until the cycle is complete. Once it's complete you can add your first fish but go slowly....

There are lots of great threads on here for starting your system. Read as many as you can and ask as many questions as you need to....This is a friendly group.
 
Marinne....

I agree with your cost estimate. I was running through some of my costs (for a 29 gallon biocube):

Heater: $50
Refractometer: $50
RODI System: $100
Live Rock: $7/lb x 40lbs (or so): $280
Sand: $40
Lighting: (came with Biocube but priced separately): $400
Salt: $40-80
Test Kit: $30
HOB: $150
Chiller (I have one due to the small size of the biocube and it makes my life so much easier) $500

Total without Chiller: ~$1100
 
You can knock down your lr price. Get 10lbs of lr and the rest as dry/base rock. 7/lb vs 2.5/lb. I love the sumps, keeps you dt clean looking w/o all the mechanics there and also helps if you get stray voltage
 
Great responses and alot to think about. There is something I am concerned about...I heard it was the best to drill your tank because with power outages with an overflow system that when the pump stops, you will have water all over the floor. So could someone try and explain to me again about filters? I guess I'm confusing myself. Should I just man up and drill the tank? $1000 was not as bad as I thought. AVEDA- so what kind of water do I need to use? If it cant be tap water?
 
I guess I am going to rephrase my questions here:

1. Filters: What I have learned: HOB filters, when power is lost, can overflow your tank.
Sump filters will need to have the aquarium drilled. Sump filters will house the
Protein Skimmer, heater, etc. Are there any other types of filters that are easier?

2. Substance: Please explain Live Rock, Base Rock, Live Sand, Sand in general, Coral, Reef

3. Fish: Unlike FW Tanks, there are vegetarians and carnivores. Which go for which type of Rock?

4. Protein Skimmers: Are they needed? What are they?

5. Lighting: Ive heard these are one of the most important factors. Are T5 lights good? Coralife Lunar Aqualight T5 HO Light any good?

6. RODI systems: Is this a filter type?

7. Saltwater: I dont want to buy this at a store. How can I make it myself?

8. Drilling Holes: Will local fish stores do this and what filter types will need this done?

9. Anything else I forgot?

After reading everyones post about 5 times, I think I understand a little more about filters. So you can actually use live rock as a natural filter?

For everyone who has posted, Thank You so much for the help
 
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1 instead of drilling the tank, get an overflow box. Eshoops or cpr.
2 live rock has live organisms on it, helps keep nitrogen in check. Dry rock, base rock are the same. Dry rock has no live organisms on it, this is why you buy lr to "seed" the dry rock. It takes 6months to ve benifical to your tank ie less fish until your tank can handle your bioload.
3 protein skimmers are the backbone to sw. They create bubbles to float heavier nasty crap out of the water column. (dont cheap out on this)
4 look at led lights. T5 are great, need to replace bulbs yearly because they loose their power.
5 rodi, i do not use but i have a different reasons.
6. You can buy salt at your lfs, look for reef salt, it has beneficial additives for your reef. 5.1 ounces per gallon equals 1.026 sal.
7api makes a test kit for you, really worth it to know your water quality.
8 take small steps and enjoy each step, do not rush it, you hard work will pay off, and eventually it pays for itself when you start fragging.
 
Mario- If I get an overflow box, if my power goes out, which is often in Houston, wont the tank overflow onto the floor? (Thats what Ive been told). This is the only thing im worried about

Would it be beneficial to go ahead and add a canister filter to the mix?
 
No to the canister filter, and no to the over flowing to floor. There should be enough room in your sump to allow for such a sistuation. I shut my sump off every day to feed corals and or fish. If you have a cpr overflow box, and your lifter pump for the cpr overflow box fails, then yes. Cpr overflows reqiire another pump called a lifter pump for everyday operation and eshoops donot. You also drill a hole in return line right above the water line in your dt to prevent backsyphion.
 
Okay now its starting to make sense Mario. You buy the HOB Overflow which hangs off the back, is plumbed down into your sump. It gets plumbed in a protein skimmer and filtration, then back into tank. Is that right? And for the filtration you could use bioballs, refugium, etc?
 
Bioballs, no, only if you do fowlr. Bioballs are good for producing nitrates. Your refugium will house your protein skimmer and cheato and heater, deep sand bed, etc. Please research or look at picture of different step ups. The sky is the limit of how to set them up. So people dont do sumps and just use a hob protein skimmers too. There set up are amazing as well, its just a preferance on how you want to srt it up. This is just how im set up, and lots of folks here do it different too. I just found out what works for me and could be completely different for you. Best thing to do is get a catalog from dr. Fosters and smith to see what is out there for equipment. I wish you luck and enjoy the entertainment. I now get people coming over just to look at my tank, good discussions. Try joining a local fourm too, and check out craigslist for used equipment to get things a lot cheaper.
 
Thanks Mario...

Bioballs are out then and I think I want to start a sump with a rufugium. So let me get this straight...I buy an overflow, it gets plumbed with pvc pipe to the protein skimmer in the sump, the it goes to the rufugium chamber, through to the next chamber that houses the heater, etc. and through a pump back into tank. Correct?
 
You can make a overflow out of pvc that would cost less then 20$. Go to youtube and type in DIY overflow PVC. Much easier then buy a box or drilling a tank. It's what I'm going to do when I set up my sump/refug.
 
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