newbie

I

itsmejuli

Reefing newb
Hello everyone! I'm so glad I found this site.

I'm new to saltwater aquariums. I've wanted a reef tank for quite awhile but couldn't afford a new set-up. Yesterday I got a great deal on a 30 gallon saltwater set-up. It came with everything, but I've no clue how to set it all up.

The tank was a mess when I went to the person's house to get it. He'd been neglecting it for quite some time and there was maybe 10 gallons of water in it and one sad looking clownfish. I don't know how that little guy survived. I took him to the shop where I'll be buying my fish and got a store credit.

The tank was disgusting as was the cabinet, pumps and protein skimmer. I got all of it cleaned up, took apart the pumps and cleaned the impellers. So now I'm ready to start setting it up.

I've a few years experience with freshwater, I have a cichlid tank so I know that its going to take weeks of cycling and patience to get this saltwater tank going. I want to do it right the first time.

I'll probably be posting some pictures what I have in parts so I can know what to do with it. Like the protein skimmer, I've no idea what type it is or how it works or how to put it together. All I know is that it hangs on the back of the tank.
 
Welcome to the site and the hobby juli.Were happy to have you as a member.
Go a head and post the pics ( there actually required as payment for advice:mrgreen: ) and we'll see if we cant get you headed in the right direction.
 
Hi and welcome! Sounds like you have a good start. Did it come with any rock or sand? If not, you'll have to buy rock as soon as you can (you'll need 1 to 2 lbs per gallon, so 30 to 60 lbs). You can either buy it all live, or save some money and buy part live, part dry. The live rock will seed the dead rock over time. Live rock will serve as your main source of biological filtration.
 
Thanks!

The tank did come with a lot of rock, it was disgustingly covered in algae and assorted other nasties.

I soaked it in bleach and water, hosed it down outside, and let it dry in the sun.

There was barely any substrate, maybe a couple of pounds and I'm not sure its worth keeping. I got it out of the tank but haven't done anything with it. It appears to be crushed coral and not a fine sand. I think spread out it'll give a depth of about 3/4 of an inch.

I'm glad to know I can reuse some of the rock and not have to purchase all new live rock.

I'm excited about taking on this project. I love learning about biology, I"m currently studying microbiology in nursing school so the salt water tank is going to be a very interesting project. I think I'll get myself a used microscope so I can see some of those little critters we often take for granted.

I'll be starting the tank next weekend.
 
welcome!

two of the best people(not putting everyone else down :) ) right there helped me so much in setting up my tank. good luck. its addicting:^:
 
If the substrate was crushed coral, you are better off tossing it and starting with sand. Crushed coral is inferior to sand in so many ways. It can lead to poor water quality since the large particles trap crap and poop and old food, and cleaning animals can't get into it to keep it clean. So it ends up looking like crap too.

When you go buy sand, you'll notice there are bags of dry sand and bags of live sand, which cost a lot more. Save your money and just buy the dry stuff -- it will become live after you add it to your tank anyways.

Since your rock is dried out, you'll want to buy at least a few pieces of wet, live rock to seed the rest of it with.
 

Similar threads

Mike
  • Sticky
New Member (Owner 😲)
Replies
0
Views
720
Mike
Mike
L
New Member
Replies
0
Views
1K
lkt1954
L
F
New to marine.
Replies
2
Views
1K
kbuser92
kbuser92
R
Reddish brown algae growing on sand
Replies
0
Views
2K
Rayb
R
Mike
We're Back!
Replies
0
Views
649
Mike
Mike
Back
Top