Salterwater noob, first post

[cbyron2003]

Hi all,

I have kept freshwater fish in the past and was planning to do the same, purchasing a new 180L/40G Jewel Rio tank.

However once I have got my tank I have decided to make the move into a saltwater tank and so have been doing some reading and talking to LFS for the past couple of weeks.

I know from past experience that my LFS is not always giving me the best info I need so I was hoping to run through what kit he has recommended and see what you guys think. I should point out that I am planning a FOWLR set-up at the moment but I will definitely be hoping to add some coral further down the line.

The tank that I got was set up for tropical freshwater and so came with a heater and an internal filter. For my initial set-up my LFS has recommended another external filter, (aqua one 750 series 2), a sack of white gravel and some live rock with a protein skimmer and lighting to be added later as per coral requirements. He has also suggested replacing some of my filter sponges with live rock frags.

Does this sound adequate/sensible to get things moving?

Do I need an external filter as well as my live rock.

Alot of posts on here refer to a powerhead, seemingly for water flow. Is this essential at the moment and what are the benefits/costs etc.

Reading through alot of posts on here and I must say it seems to be one of the friendliest/most helpful forums I have come across on any topic.

Cheers

 

[marcah]

howdy and welcome to the site..:D
along with the liverock he suggested on the lines of 1 to 2 pds per gallon, the skimmer he suggested both good suggestions.. now as far as the filters are concerned dont buy it, put your money into a couple powerheads for watermovement and some aragonite sand( doesnt have to be live will become live as it cycles) . that should be pretty much what you need to get you at least started, lighting I would look into a nice set of t-5 lighhting... I always like to have two heaters instead of one..
enjoy and good luck

 

[marcah]

soory,, as far as a skimmer goes i would put it on now so it has adequate time to break in.. and the reason for two heaters is it is the one thing that breaks most often in this hobby and while looking to buy another the tank will still maintain a propper temp..

 

[sen5241b]

If by external filter you mean a canister filter then I would not get one. They collect way too much detritus and you would have to clean it out every 3 days and that can get old fast. (They can be highly useful in an emergency situation when you have a spike of some toxin.)

You really need to read this: https://www.livingreefs.com/marine-aquarium-disasters-and-prevent-them-t20514.html

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have you aboard. They have you covered. Unfortunately, you can't really trust lfs's, they are out to make money, so before you make any purchases, research what you plan to get first, and feel free to ask questions, that's why we're here.

 

[ErinCahir]

Hello and welcome! The boys have you covered. :)

 

[Northstar24]

Welcome to the site, looks like your initial questions have been taken care of.

 

[cbyron2003]

Thanks for the replies guys. Very useful. Just an extra couple of questions:

This is the product recommended by my LFS

http://www.aquaone.co.uk/aquis_advance_2.ph

How much live rock would I need to use as a replacement. Can live rock be stuck together to create caves, landscapes etc. If so what can be safely used to stick it.

What am I looking for in a powerhead, do I need something relative to my tank capacity?

Thanks again

 

[marcah]

liverock should be in the range of 1 to 2 pds per gallon..
it can be put together either by threaded plastic rods or ziptying to get the rock to your liking..
as far as powerheads you want to try to turn your tank over around 40x per hour.. this will allow you to keep most any coral you would like..
that link just gives me an error msg..

 

[cbyron2003]

Marcah,

sorry missing a letter from the end of the link, should be

aquis_advance_2.php

Would this do a similar job to the powerhead? I am trying to figure out what my LFS had in mind when they recommended the live rock and external filter, apart from making more money obviously.

Thanks

 

[marcah]

no it is just something alot of LFS try to sell that really is a problem in a saltwater tank.. That typ of filter if not cleaned on a regular basis and I mean every few days will actually do more harm then good for a saltwater tank.. the media traps the particles that flow through and over a short period of time build up and will actually start raising the nitrates in your tank.. if you had one I would not say throw it out it can be used if a little carbon or other media is used, to clean up any water conditions that may pop up , such as phosphates.. just throw the media in you need until the water clears up then turn it back off until the next use was necessary..

 

[cbyron2003]

Thanks for the info marcah, loads of help.

Finally what is a sump, and will I need to use/buy one.