[Mekong]

I am new to saltwater aquariums. I have a green spotted puffer and a takifugu niphobles puffer living in a 30 gal. There tank is too small and I am going to be buying a 80-150 gallon for them soon.

What are the requirements of live sand and rock? Do I need special lighting, and what other factors do I have to consider other than ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph?

As for filtration I was planning on using my Emperor 400 power filter and getting a Red Sea Prism Protein Skimmer. Is this adequate?

I’m on a college budget so I’m looking to keep things simple.

[Ninong]

Hi Mekong, welcome to Reefland!

Robert Fenner has a very large section on setting up a marine aquarium. It will answer a lot of questions: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/index.htm

If you are setting up a fish-only tank -- with or without live rock -- you do not need special lighting. Regular fluorescent lighting is adequate but I would suggest 4 fluorescent lamps the length of your tank instead of only two. If you intended to keep photosynthetic animals (corals, etc.), then you would need "special" lighting.

The Red Sea Prism skimmer is probably inadequate for a tank in the 80-150 gallon range. I think you could skip the Emperor power filter and put all of the money into a better protein skimmer instead.

Live rock is a good idea in any marine system, with or without corals and other invertebrates. Live sand is another good idea for any sort of marine tank. There is a difference of opinion on the optimal depth of the sand bed and its composition, especially for a fish-only tank. Some people like fine particle live sand with lots of wormy critters and a minimum depth of 4" and other people prefer a shallow bed of much larger particle sizes. If you choose crushed coral (which I do not favor), then I think you are better off keeping the dept of the substrate 1/2" or less. If you choose a fine particle deep sand bed, then I suggest a minimum depth of 3.5"-4".

Check out Fenner's WetWebMedia website and then post any specific questions you may have.



P.S. -- Are you attending CSU Monterey Bay (formerly Fort Ord) or Monterey Peninsula College? I lived in Monterey for two years in the early 80's.

[Mekong]

Thanks a lot.

So about the lighting, if live rock and sand doesn’t need any lighting why would you recommend 4 strips of lights? I don’t think I will be doing any corals or special invertebrates because my puffers would just have them for a snack.

So hypothetically would I be able to keep healthy live rock and sand in my aquarium with absolutely no light?

I keep getting conflicting answers, the guy at the LFS told me to get one actinic and one normal florescent running the length of my tank for the live rock and sand.

I already have the Emperor up and running on my 30gal so I guess I’m gonna use it anyways on the 80-150, couldn’t hurt could it?

As far as a protein skimmer, can you or anyone recommend a good yet not insanely priced skimmer? (I’m hopping under 150 maybe 200)

Oh and one last question, what do I need to monitor other than ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph and salinity??

Oh an yeah I’m at CSUMB (if you haven’t seen the Ord lately, its been sold to developers and much of it is turning in to housing developments)

Thanks a lot

[Ninong]

Originally posted by Mekong:

Thanks a lot.

You're welcome.

So about the lighting, if live rock and sand doesn’t need any lighting why would you recommend 4 strips of lights?

Because I prefer four lights over a fish-only tank rather than just two. It is not completely correct to say that live rock and live sand doesn't need any lighting. Only the non-photosynthetic bacteria doesn't need any lighting. Anything photosynthetic, including photosynthetic bacteria and photosynthetic algae, requires light. Fully functional live rock and live sand requires light.

So hypothetically would I be able to keep healthy live rock and sand in my aquarium with absolutely no light?

No. It wouldn't be the same and the functional aspects would be limited, especially in the case of the live sand. Cyanobacteria and microscopic algae are an important part of a functioning deep sand bed and they require light. Live rock in a dark sump does not support the same amount of microcrustaceans (copepods, amphipods, etc.) as live rock in a lighted aquarium. Bacterial populations may be relatively unaffected but that is not the only beneficial aspect of live rock.

BTW, absolutely no light would require that you cover your entire system with a black blanket 24/7 because you would still have ambient room light even if you had no light fixture over the tank at all.

I keep getting conflicting answers, the guy at the LFS told me to get one actinic and one normal florescent running the length of my tank for the live rock and sand.

This is a common recommendation of LFS employees because most aquariums come with a simple light strip that holds only two fluorescent tubes. I just happen to be of the opinion that four would be better than two unless it is your intention to keep fish that are found at considerable depths, in which case less light would be desirable. The argument can be made that the fish couldn't care less about the amount of light unless it is too much light for certain species that are not used to it but I still prefer four normal output fluorescent tubes as a minimum over a fish-only tank. If the tank is fairly deep, then I think VHO or Power Compacts or even metal halides would be appropriate, but four normal output fluorescent tubes would at least be adequate.

I already have the Emperor up and running on my 30gal so I guess I’m gonna use it anyways on the 80-150, couldn’t hurt could it?

If you already have it and want to use it, go ahead. Just be sure that you maintain it on a regular basis so that it doesn't become a detritus trap.

As far as a protein skimmer, can you or anyone recommend a good yet not insanely priced skimmer? (I’m hopping under 150 maybe 200)

There are a lot of good skimmers in the under $250 category but not many in the under $150 category. The problem is that a fish-only tank of 150 gallons requires a really good skimmer, probably something that would cost more than $250. For a tank of only 80-90 gallons there are plenty of options in and around the $250 mark. I'll let someone else make a specific recommendation. There are many factors to consider in the purchase of a skimmer and some people may give more weight to certain factors than others. Trouble-free operation and ease of maintenance may be more important to some people than it is to others. The quality of the materials used and the quality of the workmanship can cause the price to go up, too.

Oh and one last question, what do I need to monitor other than ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph and salinity??

Obviously you need to monitor temperature but I'm sure you know that already. There is not much else besides ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and salinity that you need to monitor for a fish-only tank. You might want to occasionally check calcium and alkalinity just to see if the values are within reason but it's not as important as it would be for a reef tank.

Oh an yeah I’m at CSUMB (if you haven’t seen the Ord lately, its been sold to developers and much of it is turning in to housing developments)

Yes, I've seen that in driving by during my visits to Monterey over the years.

[Poseidon]

"As far as a protein skimmer, can you or anyone recommend a good yet not insanely priced skimmer? (I’m hopping under 150 maybe 200)"

"There are a lot of good skimmers in the under $250 category but not many in the under $150 category. The problem is that a fish-only tank of 150 gallons requires a really good skimmer, probably something that would cost more than $250. For a tank of only 80-90 gallons there are plenty of options in and around the $250 mark. I'll let someone else make a specific recommendation."

Here's what I have.... I bought it from premium Aquatics and Cory made me a fantastic deal with a MAG 12!!!

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...Code=Aquamedic

I found this skimmer works better without the "quadra helical injection" just unscrew the black plastic piece and AWAY it goes...

Here is a Picture of mine in action...

this was taken just after cleaning the collection cup...

[Mekong]

After spending that much on a tank and skimmer I think I will be rather short on cash. I was looking at home depot the other day and saw some florescent fixtures 4’x2’ with 2 or 4 bulbs. Could this lighting work for a fish and live-rock/sand tank??