Starting With Saltwater

drm180

drm180

Reefing newb
Hello. I just got a 29 gallon tank and want to set up a saltwater tank. I have a 10 gal. freshwater so I'm not completly new to this but I have no idea where to start. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks.
 
Lets see to start the quick list will be

Heater,
Live Rock,
Powerhead rated to 30+,
Something to measure the Specific Gravity,

and a couple of weeks to sit there and watch an empty tank :mrgreen:

You will need to get your parameters right at first, that will just be getting your SG to read 1.024. Once you get that let the liverock cure in your tank for a at least a month, checking your parameters and adjusting them as needed about once every two weeks.

Im sure someoene around here has some great links that could be more specific and really get you going whre you want to be. They are great here.
 
Welcome aboard Drm.
First off,Forget everything you know about freshwater tanks.:D
2nd.Have you decided on what type of tank you want? Fish Only With Live Rock,or Reef?
 
Hi and welcome to the site! A 29 gallon tank is a good place to start for saltwater. Plan on being able to keep around three small fish in the tank (you can't stock saltwater tanks like you can freshwater).
 
yote said:
Welcome aboard Drm.
First off,Forget everything you know about freshwater tanks.:D
2nd.Have you decided on what type of tank you want? Fish Only With Live Rock,or Reef?
Click to expand...

I'd like to have a reef but I'm not sure that I'm ready to do it just yet. Can you add a reef later? I want clownfish and anemonoe and would really like a seahorse or two. I have no idea how you can or can't keep them together though.
 
you can do either but having a reef tank means more money you will need better lights. you can start out with a FOWLR than move into a reef but you have to be very carefull what fish you pick in the beginning with a reef in mind than just upgrade the lights later and add corals
 
Anemones are more difficult to keep than most corals -- definitely not an animal for beginners, small tanks, or young tanks. You need very good lights to keep an anemone. Seahorses will need their own, dedicated tank. They have special requirements and need a different habitat than other fish.

Your best bet is to go with a fish only tank for a while. Learn how to keep your parameters stable while you save up money for good lights. Once you get good lights, you can slowly transition to a reef tank and start to get into corals.
 
Okay. I have a 30 gal heater, 120 watt. A Whisper EX30 filter. A flourescent light hood. I know I need a powerhead, Do I need anything else? I was looking at all the different types of lights. Is flourescent enough? Should I just return it and save up for a metal halide or some other stronger system? I don't want to waste any money.
 
look into a t5 set up that has indivudual reflecters. like a nova extreme pro. regular florescent lights is not enough for a reef but they are ok for just fish and liverock
 
Last edited:
You definitely don't need a metal halide light. You should get a T5 light setup instead -- they are much better for small tanks, cheaper than halides, and will allow you to keep any type of coral/anemone/clam that you want.
 
Wow. Thank you all so much. I'm looking at the Nova Extreme Pro now. I think I have all the information to get started at least. I'm glad I have this place to get more that I need now. Thanks again.
 

Similar threads

L
New Member
Replies
0
Views
1K
lkt1954
L
Mike
  • Sticky
New Member (Owner 😲)
Replies
0
Views
728
Mike
Mike
F
New to marine.
Replies
2
Views
1K
kbuser92
kbuser92
Mike
We're Back!
Replies
0
Views
661
Mike
Mike
R
Reddish brown algae growing on sand
Replies
0
Views
2K
Rayb
R
Back
Top