Newb with crazy ??:

C

clearblue

Reefing newb
Well,

I have a 30g tank im looking to go saltwater in its simplest form. I was told easist to maintain and easiest on a newbie would be a fish only tank, this being liverock, live sand, saltwater, filtration, and eventually when water is stable fish. Correct ?

I was told that I would need to purchase saltwater, apprx 20lbs of rock, live sand and a filtration unit. looking at about $200. without filtration pump.

My queastion is living in Miami and sorrounded by beaches (not to mention a boat in my possesion) why do I need to purchase this stuff ? can't I just simply drive out to my local beach haul a couple of buckets of mixed sand an shells from the ocean break and about 3 5 gallon drums of saltwater. I also know of a fantatsic place for rock just a quick snorkle trip away, heck I don't even need my boat. Unless if there are other factors. I mean when you visit the beach you end up with plenty of sand in your shorts !

Just a reminder im a complete Newbi.... easy on the flames..:mrgreen:
 
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Some more info. We have yet to considered what fish we will keep. IM trying to establish the water filtration and have it all stable with water good quality, before introducing fish.

On the Filtration. Im planning on using a top mount filter system since the tank is not drilled. I have the Whisper Advanced PF 20-40 still in the box ( I can return it if need be ), Or will the Marineland Penquin 150 biowheel be a better deal? will I need something to keep top water movement? how about a heater for temps?

As far as lighting. will I need a timer for lighting intervals or a certain type of bulb or wattage?

chime in....
 
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My queastion is living in Miami and sorrounded by beaches (not to mention a boat in my possesion) why do I need to purchase this stuff ?
Click to expand...
First check your wildlife laws. It is probably illegal in FL to harvest live rock. You can hop on your boat and motor about 1 mi off shore and gather water. That should be fine. You can probably get sand while your out that far too. You do not want to collect the sand or water from the shore as it will be quite polluted as far as our home aquarium standards.
For your filtration, at least 1 lb/gal of live rock is best. If you are setting up a fish only tank, you can use whatever type of lighting you want.
 
Im not sure about the harvesting of live rock. I would have to check, I mean it is considered Corral right? Corral is illegal. I thought about maybe collecting water from
a running channel with plenty of current. But im leaning toward salt mix with this mix should I use purified water ?
 
Yep.You'll want to use RO/DI water.Or at the very least,distilled water.It'll save you alot of water quality head aches.
I dont know if the state of Florida considers live rock to be coral or not.I'd check before I harvested any.The fines can be pretty dang stiff if your caught in the wrong.
 
ro\di reverse osmosis deionized water. this water is better water than i drink from a bottle or from the tap.

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You can buy RO water from wal-mart or most grocery stores.Most have a machine set up so you can fill your own jugs.Mine cost about 33 cents a gallon.
 
Yote is right. RO water is sold in grocery stores and Walmart. Lots of stores have a machine where you can fill your own container, but all of them sell it in 1-gallon and 5-gallon containers (just look for it to say "Purified Using Reverse Osmosis" or something of that sort).

I would discourage you from collecting your own sand, rock and water though. Anything close to the coast will be super polluted, even on the nice looking beaches.
 
Ive collected what I believe is all I need for my 30 gallon project. I picked up 5 - 5gallon jugs of real 100% ocean reef water. 2- bags of Live reef sand, a Marineland penquin 350 w/d filtration system, Tetris heater, a thermostat, saltwater complete test drip kit, a skimmer forgot the brand, and 20lbs of live rock which I'll pick up after Ive got the water in the tank. From past experience which goes first, The sand then add water or other way around ? I guess what im saying is how do I keep from lifting to much sand and minimize settling time. I plan on not adding any fish until I stabalize the water best. then from what Ive heard Damsels are best for cycling.


Damn I forgot to pick up a powerhead ! any in particular ?

chime in..
 
Place the sand first.Put a bowl(not a small cereal bowl) in the tank and pour the saltwater into the bowl slowly.The bowl will minimize the sand getting stirred around.The die-off from the live rock will cycle the tank,so don't add any fish,especially damn-sels.It cruel to the animal and they make lousy community fish.A little fish food will do the same thing as adding a fish.

Depending on how much flow you want/need.Two Hydor Koralias model 1 or 2($30-40 ea.).If you need something cheaper and reliable,Maxijets works well.
 
You can add it in any order you want. I do sand first, then I arrange the rocks, then add water. But some people like to put the rocks in after they've added water. If you don't have animals in the tank yet, it doesn't really matter. The water will be cloudy afterwards no matter what order you do it in.

I also second the opinion to not use any live fish, and do not get any damsels especially. They are tough, yes, but they are also highly aggressive and will try to kill any other fish you try to add afterwards. There's no good reason to cycle a tank using a live fish. Rotting fish food will have the same effect.
 
Once the cycle is over there are quite a few hardy fish.Personally,I go with most peaceful fish first than more aggressive fish later.

Blenny,some goby,dartfish are peaceful to other fish usually.Clownfish and pseudochromis are better added after the others get established.There is really to many to list,if you can check out some of fishes and post here,I'm sure someone has had experience with them.
 
Ok,, talking fish....Im getting ahead of myself.

I need to know exactly how does this cycle thing work and what exactly does it do?

At the momment I am waiting for my sand to settle in my 30g. I have the heater on. what will be a good temp to maintain?

I also have a small pump supplying oxygen. Call me crazy if I don't need it.

Before I powerup my Marineland 350 Im waiting for sand to settle. When would be a good time to drop in my skimmer ? when I have marinelife or adding fish food (fish etc..) or before?

I also have a powerjet which of course because im waiting for sand to settle It hasen't been out of the box.

I plan on taking water tests later today. I have a deluxe saltwater test kit. What do I need to watch for and some numbers would be appreciated.

As far as fish food helping the cycle what food is suggested, and how much?

I appreciate all of you help. You guys are making this new hobby exciting and cool.
 
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I need to know exactly how does this cycle thing work and what exactly does it do?

Basically,the cycle gets your good bacteria going.You get a build up of ammonia(highly toxic).Then bacteria starts to feed off of the ammonia and produces nitrite(still toxic).Then another bacteria feeds off of that and produces nitrates(which is not toxic in small amounts).Then if you've got enough rock and sand,the nitrates will convert into harmless nitrogen and leave the water through gas exchange.

At the momment I am waiting for my sand to settle in my 30g. I have the heater on. what will be a good temp to maintain?
Stability is the key here.You dont wont any more than a 1 or 2 degree swing in a 24 hour peroid.But any where from 76 to 80 is perfect.

I also have a small pump supplying oxygen. Call me crazy if I don't need it
You'll need a couple of powerheads on this one.An air pump will cause micro-bubbles and salt creep.A couple of powerheads rippling the water surface will give you better gas exchange without the mess.

Before I powerup my Marineland 350 Im waiting for sand to settle. When would be a good time to drop in my skimmer ? when I have marinelife or adding fish food (fish etc..) or before?
Get em both going.Theres going to a lot of fine sand blowing around that you'll want to remove.And the skimmer needs time to break in any way.So get em both going.

I also have a powerjet which of course because im waiting for sand to settle It hasen't been out of the box.
Get it out and start it running.You need to keep the crud in suspension so your filtration can remove it.

I plan on taking water tests later today. I have a deluxe saltwater test kit. What do I need to watch for and some numbers would be appreciated.
Ammonia-0 nitrite-0 nitrate-0 to 10 is ok,but 0 is perfered PH-8.0 to 8.4
Those will get you started.

As far as fish food helping the cycle what food is suggested, and how much?
Just pick up a pack of frozen mysis or krill.Drop in a decent sized pinch,give a couple of days then start testing for ammonia.
 
Yote's got you covered!

I will add, don't add ANY animals until your cycle is finished. This can take anywhere from a week to a couple months, which is why you'll need to check the water every week (or every day, if you are eager like that :)).

Your cycle will go like this: Ammonia rises, then drops to zero. Nitrite rises, then drops to zero. Nitrate continues to rise. In a new tank, the only way to bring nitrate down is to do water changes, so when your ammonia and nitrite both test at zero, you can do a couple water changes to bring your nitrate down close to zero. Only then are you ready to add your first fish and cleaner crew. Only add one fish every 3 weeks or so. The tank needs to adjust to having live animals producing waste, and if you add too many fish at once, it will overload it and crash.
 

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