new to saltwater need lots of help.

jesse

jesse

Not That Kind Of Reefer
first of all idk how the site works so im still adjusting to it but i have lots of Q's and i hope you guys can help out.


:sfish::question::sfish::question::sfish::question::sfish::question:
i have never had saltwater fish so idk whats the deal with everything i need. i am currently going to move into the dorms of my university so i need a small enough tank to fit in there. i dont wanna get fancy with anything so i got the biocube 14 as recommended by a friend. i dont know what is needed and what i can do with out for the time being, as in stuff i will need but in a later date when i have settled with everything. if anyone can help out with what i need id be very thankful.
:sfish::question::sfish::question::sfish::question::sfish::question:
 
Hello and welcome to the site..glad up have you aboard. All you really need for a tank that size is 1-2 lbs of live rock per gallon, some sand, and a powerhead. Weekly water changes will take care of the rest. Feel free to ask questions.
 
Hello, welcome to the site. Something to add:

Living in dorm rooms when I was in college required moving quite often. End of semester cleanings, room changes/upgrades, summer break. College life for me also encompassed a lot of time away from the dorm for trips, parties, adventures, and weekends home to do laundry.
Having a smaller tank requires diligence becuase of the reduced water volume. Less volume means smaller issues are not diluted and swing in greater ratios.
I applaud your interest in the hobby. I know you will already have lots of textbooks to read in a short amount of time, but a good recommendation is to read The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: by ROBERT M. FENNER.

I don't mean to be a Negative Nancy, just food for thought.
And best of luck to you!
 
thanks to everyone for ur help. i will think it through and i will look through all the threads.


does anyone know or have a link to finding cheap supplies as in live sand and/or rocks plus other equipment?
 
You dont even need live sand, save yourself the money, after a while the rock will make the sand become live.
And to my eye, doesnt look to be live sand.
 
Yep, you can save even more money buy buying live rock, but also dry rock, which will in time be seeded by the live rock, saves money and works just as well.
 
ok so i got my salt mixed and my sand but i think i added it wrong because my tank has been really cloudy......should i put the pump on so it can filter it out or is it better to turn everything off to make sand settle? \

second question.....my sand is not live. should i buy live a pound or two and mix it in to the other sand to maybe seed it or will it not work?
 
Just wait for the sand to settle out, it might take a few days but it will happen.

Also no need to buy any live sand, it will turn live in a few months. All "live" means (in terms of both rocks and sand) is that it has a population of bacteria living on it that can break down fish waste. There is far more bacteria capable of living on the rocks than in the sand which is why we suggest getting live rock.
 
ok so i was looking at other posts and should i buy all live rock or get a couple of pounds of live rock and the rest base or dry rock.........


also i just leave everything off till the sand settles? when i turned it on the water flow made it cloudy again so i turned it off. should i keep it off or what?
 
ok i got about 3 lbs of live rock for now and i asked for one that was in a tank with fish already since it was pretty small. (kinda broke right now) and it was all purple. the lfs guy said it was coraline alge. thats good right?

another thing what should i have on it. as in light all day or what?
ps. u guys said something about putting fish food or a shrimp in there. should i do this now? if so what kind of shrimp (cooked? raw? alive?)
all i have right now is some sand and one piece of rock. is that enought to slowly seed the sand or cycle it?

also if u guys know where i can buy dry rock by small anounts that would be nice. thanks
 
Normally i would look at place like marcorocks.com for dry rock, but because you just need a small amount it might be cheaper to get it locally. Make sure you dont get lace rock or lava rock, those can leach out bad stuff into your tank.

Also you want to make sure your rocks are sitting directly on glass bottom. The sand can shift and move over time, increasing your risk of rock slide which can have disastrous results.

And he was talking about cycling your tank, so toss in a piece of table shrimp and let it rot away! When your ammonia, nitrites are at zero your cycle is done and you are ready for fish and corals! I would do a water change to get the resulting nitrates down before you add anything though. Until then, no need for water changes.

You want your light to be one for about 8 hours, so i would go get a cheap timer from home depo
 

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