good afternoon everyone. im entering the world on saltwater aquarium as we speak. a friend of mine gave me a 65 gallon tank that i tested and theres no leaks. i ordered a 300w heater and a emperor bio wheel 400. i was told that wont be enough and soon i will need a proteim skimmer. im guessing my next step is to add salt and live rock and live sand. can i mix the live rock with dry rock to achieve around 60 pounds? it is very pricey. im just trying to talk to alot of different people about steps. im not even worried about fish yet. my goal is to have a fish only tank for now and work my way up from there. any assistance would be great. thanks
super new. would like any advive for new tank
- Thread starter one800nak
- Start date
grozier
something smells fishy
the emporior 400 should do fine depending on what you want in there. you can use live and dry rock, the live will feed the dry basically the same with the sand the live rock will feed the sand. Live sand isn't all its cracked up to be when you read about it. I ran a 350 in my 65g. tank for a year with no protien skimmer with no problems, but I would recommend using it. Just keep the live stock load down and do reagular water changes. I'm still new witht his stuff to but, thats my 2 cents.
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
I would actually not use that biowheel....those are best suited for freshwater. They will simply cause high nitrates in your tank. The rock and sand will become live, and that's all the biofiltration you'll need. The skimmer is great to have, but not necessary as long as you do regular water changes. I, personally, prefer having a skimmer, but again, it's not necessary.
Don't forget to purchase a refractometer to test you salinity, and of course a dropper test kit to monitor your cycle. You can easily cycle with a pieced of raw shrimp, or, like me, just toss in a cube of frozen mysis fish food and let it cycle your tank.
You're off to a great start!
Don't forget to purchase a refractometer to test you salinity, and of course a dropper test kit to monitor your cycle. You can easily cycle with a pieced of raw shrimp, or, like me, just toss in a cube of frozen mysis fish food and let it cycle your tank.
You're off to a great start!
so technically your saying i dont need a filter? and how do you feel about the rock? can i mix the live and dry rock? again money is kind of an issue. my local fish store is selling live rock for 7$ a pound and i see it online for 3$ a pound.
little_fish
Moderator
Hello and Welcome!
+1 wonton. You are better off not running a biowheel/canister filter, but a protein skimmer is a very useful tool to have.
You can buy just a few lbs of live rock and get the rest dry, its much cheaper so you have more money for the fun stuff! I like MarcoRocks Aquarium Products for dry rocks, best price around and excellent customer service. The only downside to mixing the dry and live is that the more dry rock you start with, the longer the cycle takes. But I think that is a good thing so people have more time to research the fish they want.
+1 wonton. You are better off not running a biowheel/canister filter, but a protein skimmer is a very useful tool to have.
You can buy just a few lbs of live rock and get the rest dry, its much cheaper so you have more money for the fun stuff! I like MarcoRocks Aquarium Products for dry rocks, best price around and excellent customer service. The only downside to mixing the dry and live is that the more dry rock you start with, the longer the cycle takes. But I think that is a good thing so people have more time to research the fish they want.
so i can go without the filter? maybe just the protein skimmer instead(i was looking at HOB reef octupus) and i understand i need at least 2 powerheads inside the tank facing opposite directions...
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
The filter is the live sand and the live rock, hence why there's no need for the cannister or the biowheel. The Octopus is one of the best affordable brands out there.
and yes, 2 powerheads on each end would be good. It should graze the sand without blowing it around. It takes a lot of tweaking to perfect the angles to minimize the number of dead spots on the sand.
and yes, 2 powerheads on each end would be good. It should graze the sand without blowing it around. It takes a lot of tweaking to perfect the angles to minimize the number of dead spots on the sand.
you seem very knowledgeable in your posts.i was wondering if you can give me a step by step to setting up my tank. ill be doing it over the next week. i feel so overwhelmed by the whole process. i have my 65 gallon tank which was filled to check for leaks. next i will drain out some water to make room for the rocks and sand. then i will add salt mix, rock then sand. how does that sound so far....
poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
You have come to the right place.. my best advice is to not get ahead of the advice you will be given by the experienced posters. in other words .....Ask first and buy later.. You will be way ahead on time, quality, and $$$.
how does my set up sound in the previous post? ^ (step-by-step wise...)
poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
I'll let more experienced forum members guide with the bio stuff. I don't mind helping with the hardware and such.. but ...
When you said drain much of the water and add things... it needs to be RODI water. ...not tap water. And don't let anyone talk you into putting any rock in it that is not real dry (dried out live rock) rock or live rock.. I let a store talk me into that and it took me almost four months to correct the problem.
The killer trick in this hobby to having a quality kicker reef tank is TAKE YOUR TIME... and it also lets you stretch it into your budget while you learn.. if you get ahead of your learning curve and advice you will repeatedly make mistakes you didn't know about and have to fix, correct, or return often. Slow down and enjoy the learning process.
When you said drain much of the water and add things... it needs to be RODI water. ...not tap water. And don't let anyone talk you into putting any rock in it that is not real dry (dried out live rock) rock or live rock.. I let a store talk me into that and it took me almost four months to correct the problem.
The killer trick in this hobby to having a quality kicker reef tank is TAKE YOUR TIME... and it also lets you stretch it into your budget while you learn.. if you get ahead of your learning curve and advice you will repeatedly make mistakes you didn't know about and have to fix, correct, or return often. Slow down and enjoy the learning process.
Last edited:
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
LOL thanks, but I'm by no means the expert ;) Just been around a while and still remember how I felt with setup. Here is a good article:
https://www.livingreefs.com/getting-started-newbie-primer-t1110.html
But if you want something to just get you started (assuming you are not going to do a sump), then: you need just 6 things: Tank, sand, rocks, powerhead, saltwater, & a dropper test kit to monitor your cycle.
- step 1 is to get your sand. Avoid crushed coral; go w/ Aragonite or something finer. It doesn't have to be live (imho, live sand is a waste of money) -- rinse it out (I rinsed my multiple times w/ tap until the water ran clear). The amount depends on how much you want....I went with just enough sand to cover the bottom.
- Next get a good mix of live and base rock (you need 1-2lbs/gallon). If you don't care about a quick cycle, you can save money by getting all base (dry) rock (my 125g started w/ all dry sand and all base rock).
- Fill w/ saltwater (1.024-1.026), and just stick a powerhead in there for now to get movement. Toss in a piece of raw shrimp (or a cube of mysis) to kick off your cycle. While waiting for it to cycle, do the rest of your research on equipment.
You can gather the rest of your equipment -- 1 or 2 more powerheads, a couple of heaters, the hob skimmer, lights.
i just ordered 50 pounds of dry rock from marcorock.com and plan to get some some sand this weekend. does it matter when i add certain things. should i mix the water first then rock then sand?
poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
Some water.. then arrange rock down on the glass... then more water.. .. then (my way) wet the sand and put it in by the scoop letting it pour out just above the glass... then top off the water.. This way you don't overflow the works with the rock, sand, and your arms.
little_fish
Moderator
Also make sure you mix up the saltwater before adding it to the tank. Dont mix up the salt in the tank.
so i can just mix it up in a seperate bin or large bucket and throw it in slowly. and the the pumps will mix it and check salinity in a day or so?
little_fish
Moderator
you will want to mix it up in a separate bin. When you are doing water changes in the future, you will also want to let the water mix for 24 hours before using it in a water change. Newly made up saltwater is very caustic.
poksal
Well? .. I AM trying
I'd pour it over the live rock..(LR).
& mix it a couple hours minimum advance and check salinity before you pour it into the tank.
& mix it a couple hours minimum advance and check salinity before you pour it into the tank.
Last edited:
2XAl
Salt Addict
I had a 55 gallon mature tank that I got from a friend. When we got it it had a canister filter, 50-60# of live rock, a hang on skimmer, and two powerheads. I set up a FOWLR 20gallon in my office with a hang on biowheel filter and two powerheads, 20# of live rock before I REALLY knew what I was doing. From day one in both tanks I had an algae problem. Not full on bloom but always enough nitrates and phosphates to make it a headache. Thanks to the advice from members here I ditched the canister at home and removed the biowheel from the one at work. I have never had another Nitrate problem as long as I keep up with regular water changes. That being said, I would highly suggest relying on your rock and sand for filtration. The skimmer certainly helps but as mentioned isn't necessary as long as you keep up on the changes. I am currently moving from the 55 to the 90 and started the 90 with about 60# of base rock and 30# of live. It took a little longer than I wanted to cycle but saved a buttload of $$ in the long run. the best piece of advice I have gotten is- The only things that happen quickly in this hobby are bad.
Welcome.
Welcome.
