Taking the first steps....

[flipflop]

Hello all,
Im new here, but im just about to join you guys in the world of Marine Fish Keeping, Ive kept a successful chiclid tank for a long time now, so im not totally new to fish keeping however i know Marine is going to be a bit more of a challenge!.

So.. Ive been doing my research (lots of it), and i think ive got a resnoble idea of what im getting myself infor.

Tank wise im looking at going around 500l (100gallons ish), i realise this maybe slightly on the larger size for a begginer, however, i dont really like the idea of getting a smaller tank, then having to upgrade. So i thought ide put myself in at the deep end, and i didnt think that size would be too bigger task.

Ive been looking at protein skimmers in my LFS, they stock "V2 Protein" skimmers,

TMC: Aquarium Products - V2Skim Protein Skimmers

does anyone have any experience of these, or know if they are any good?, if not i shall look to purchase one online.

Im sure i will have lots more questions in the next few weeks, as ill be moving house soon then able to get cracking on putting my plans in motion, but if people feel like there are anything that they wish they had be told, or wish they had done before or during the set up of their marine tank your help would be invaluble!

thankyou in advance.
Phil

 

[marcah]

howdy and welcome to the site...:D
I dont think you are making a bad choice going for the 100 gal.. And welcome to the wonderful world or marine tanks. It will be tough at first but once you get yourself in for awhile it wil be an enjoyment.. As far as that protein skimmer goes sorry I dont have experience with it but if you do look online reef octopus makes a nice skimmer..
Good luck and enjoy... Dont be afraid to ask if you need it there are alot of people here that can help..

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!

100 gals is a great size, and generally bigger is easier because you have more water volume to dilute out mistakes or issues. Plus your fish options are much greater.

I havent heard of that skimmer either though. Hopefully someone else has!

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site..glad to have you aboard.

 

[flipflop]

So went to my LFS today, ive very lucky that i have a chain near me with 4/5 i can go to easily and they are all very good and very imformative.

Probably Going to be getting 5ft Solid Oak tank, which comes supplied with a sump with a corner weir box built in inside the tank.

Exclusive Products

(ive got it for a much better price than on this link) =)

Lighting wise im thinking of getting LED, which isnt going to be cheap, however from what i was told, in the long run it should save money by not having to replace them nearly as often as standard lights and also they run more efficently.

On advice from the LFS guy im going for a skimmer which is able to be used on a tank a fair bigger size than i actually need, which makes sense to be the same as i over filtered my old chiclid tank.

33kilos of live rock, and ive got some Texas Holey rock im probably going to use as base rock.

think im nearly at the point of emptying out my wallet now, scary thought!

 

[marcah]

the worst part is the opening of the wallet to start getting going.. :grumble:
skimmer should be rated for about double your tank size..

 

[Sir Alex]

If your going to do a nice full reef then I suggest more like 70 to 90 kilos of rock.

5 feet is kinda an odd length, so unless your doing DIY lighting it's going to be hard and expensive to get a fixture the right length. In fact, it would probably be better to go with a 6' tank (125 gallons+), since that's a much more standard length and you'll be able to keep some of the larger tangs and maybe a triggerfish.

 

[little_fish]

+1 about the 6 ft tank for the fish you can keep. But with LED's its not as hard to light that length. But having the built in overflow is soooooo nice.

Also, make sure that your "texas holey" rock isnt lava rock. Lava rock or lace rock can leach metals and other things into the tank that are at best going to feed endless algae problems or at worse kill all your livestock.

 

[ErinCahir]

+1 little_fish.

 

[flipflop]

Thanks for your help, i shall definantly look into a 6ft tank, it will just depend on money and space i have to put it... Also regarding the lights, my LFS is brilliant by if i am spending a lot of money with then (i will be with the tank lights ect) they will come my home and mount the lights and plum in everything for me for free, (or do it with me) to make sure its all done correctly.

Its definantly not lava rock, but thankyou for the heads up on that... ill only be using a small amount as base rock.

 

[Jmck]

To be honest, I was going to buy a 5ft tank. Im choosing to get a 6ft purely for more space.

You can have a 4ft lighting ficture above a 5ft tank with only .5 ft on each side with a lower lighting. This can be good to place some lower light corals. Anemones just wont go there on their own.


I would suggest you only use about 5 kilos of live rock and the rest as base rock. It should be a lot cheaper, but will end up being the same thing after about 6 months.

Do you know how to cycle your tank and about getting it started? Do you also understand that you will need an RO/DI unit?

 

[flipflop]

Yeah i know about cycling, i know its not exactly the same, but i did a fishless cycle on my Chiclid tank when i first got it, spent weeks of writing down readings of tests every day, waiting till everything was right before i added fish, and im fully prepared todo that again.

Besides, i have not got a clue about what im going to stock yet so that will be when i decide, only fish on my list at the moment is the Flame Angelfish, but im sure thats very predictable for most new Marine fishkeepers =)

 

[little_fish]

Be wary of the lighting your lfs is selling, i dont know of a single lfs store that sells quality lighting you could keep most corals with.

 

[Leslee]

Welcome to the site! Its great to have you around!!


I can't wait to see the build thread!

 

[flipflop]

Be wary of the lighting your lfs is selling, i dont know of a single lfs store that sells quality lighting you could keep most corals with.

Im very lucky, in The UK we have a chain called 'Maidenhead Aquatics' there amazing, their display tanks and the corals they have on display in all of there shops speak for themselves, there brilliant.

 

[Waddi]

Im very lucky, in The UK we have a chain called 'Maidenhead Aquatics' there amazing, their display tanks and the corals they have on display in all of there shops speak for themselves, there brilliant.

Nice, i used to live in Reading on the Army base in Arborfield.
Great place, really miss some family and friends over there!
So you live in maidenhead or around the outskirts??

 

[flipflop]

I live in Caversham Heights, the other side of Reading to Arborfield, the Maidenhead Aquatics in Arborfield is massive!

 

[Waddi]

I wouldn't know!! :(
I wasn't in the fish business back when i was in England, shame but now, if i do move back to the garrison i know where to go!! :D

 

[little_fish]

Ya, but are the lights they are using the lights they are selling. I will be very surprised if they are.

 

[flipflop]

The LEDS are "AQUABEAM 600 Ultra" i dont know if anyone knows about these of has any experience of them ?