Starting a saltwater tank and have some questions

[Rtrn2Sndr]

Hi all.
Im new to these forums. seems like there are quite a few knowledgable folks on these boards.
I just purchased a 55 gallon tank last week. I have a Pro Clear Aquatic model 75 W wed/dry sump, a SeaClone skimmer I plan on putting in the sump in a month or so, and a 250gph pump for the return.
I'm completely new to saltwater and can use all the advice and help you are wiling to offer...
My salt level is at 1.021, pH is 8.2, nitrites are untraceable and nitrate is 10ppm.
my water is still a little cloudy, not sure why though.
I plan on going to my LFS to but one or two Damsels tomorrow to help the tank cycle.
I plan on having a Lion Fish, Snowflake Eel, Blue dot puffer and a hush hush or picasso trigger somewhere down the line.

I am not ready to spend big $$ on Live Rock and expensive lighting, and read that Lava Rock and Tufa Rock are good. Could I take any rock from my backyard and stick it in the tank??

Also, my current lighting is made up of two 17" fluorescent bulbs. What can I buy that's fairly cheap yet bright and nice? (preferably with a bluish hue)?

And last question... I want to put in some live plants... how do I choose? do some plants need special lighting? and will some harm the fish?

Any help and advice is appreciated. thanks in advance.
-Alex

[Ninong]

Hi all.

Hi Rtrn2Sndr, welcome to Reefland!

My salt level is at 1.021, pH is 8.2, nitrites are untraceable and nitrate is 10ppm.

I recommend increasing your specific gravity to at least 1.023 or 1.024.

my water is still a little cloudy, not sure why though.

That's difficult to answer. It could be caused by any number of things. Let's just say that it has something to do with the fact that your tank is brand new and hasn't had time to cycle yet.

I plan on going to my LFS to but one or two Damsels tomorrow to help the tank cycle.

You can cycle your tank without damsels.

I plan on having a Lion Fish, Snowflake Eel, Blue dot puffer and a hush hush or picasso trigger somewhere down the line.

Be sure to research your selections before you make any purchases so that you don't end up getting something you regret later on.

I am not ready to spend big $$ on Live Rock and expensive lighting, and read that Lava Rock and Tufa Rock are good. Could I take any rock from my backyard and stick it in the tank??

No, you can't take any rock from your backyard and stick it in the tank. Live rock isn't actually rock in the same sense that other rocks are rock. Live rocks are the dead skeletons of hard corals that have become more porous over the years as a result of biological infiltration. These pieces of coral skeletons become very porous and infiltrated with beneficial bacteria and wormy critters.

It isn't necessary to buy the most expensive live rock on the market. Even the cheapest live rock would be better than no live rock at all. I suggest you consider getting at least 25 lbs. of live rock -- 45 lbs. would be even better.

Also, my current lighting is made up of two 17" fluorescent bulbs. What can I buy that's fairly cheap yet bright and nice? (preferably with a bluish hue)?

That sounds a bit odd. Your tank is a 55-gal tank, right? Isn't it 48" long? I'm afraid I don't know what sort of fixture would have two 17" fluorescent tubes over a 48" tank???

Lighting for a fish-only aquarium is not a major expense. You could get by with just two normal output (NO) 40w (48") fluorescent lamps -- one super actinic and the other either actinic white or daylight. Fish do not require strong lighting and, in fact, many fish prefer less intense lighting.

And last question... I want to put in some live plants... how do I choose? do some plants need special lighting? and will some harm the fish?

All plants need lighting that is more intense than would be required for just a regular fish-only aquarium. Unfortunately, there are very few marine plants suitable for an aquarium. Perhaps you are thinking of macroalgae and not plants? Macroalgae require fairly intense lighting but not as much as marine plants. Rhodophytes (red algae) require less intense lighting than other algae.

It is not likely that you would have any problems with macroalgae harming any of your fish. Some macroalgae produce toxic chemicals as a defense against being eaten and those macroalgae (e.g., Caulerpa taxifolia) would simply be left alone by your fish. None of the fish you mentioned above will eat algae anyway. They're all carnivores.

[Rtrn2Sndr]

Quote:
Also, my current lighting is made up of two 17" fluorescent bulbs. What can I buy that's fairly cheap yet bright and nice? (preferably with a bluish hue)?


That sounds a bit odd. Your tank is a 55-gal tank, right? Isn't it 48" long? I'm afraid I don't know what sort of fixture would have two 17" fluorescent tubes over a 48" tank???

Lighting for a fish-only aquarium is not a major expense. You could get by with just two normal output (NO) 40w (48") fluorescent lamps -- one super actinic and the other either actinic white or daylight. Fish do not require strong lighting and, in fact, many fish prefer less intense lighting.

Thanks for the response. as for the lighting, I have two hoods, each with a single 20" bulb. I am on my way to my LFS, and I plan on replacing the current hoods with all glass, that way I can put 4 lights on top.

As for the rock... I currently have around 40 Lb's of Lave and Tufa rock combined. I was told that live rock will help filteration, but will and be useless if I dont have the proper lighting. what do you suggest?

[Ninong]

As for the rock... I currently have around 40 Lb's of Lave and Tufa rock combined. I was told that live rock will help filteration, but will and be useless if I dont have the proper lighting. what do you suggest?

Live rock does not require "proper lighting" to function as a filtration/denitrification resource. "Proper lighting" would only be required to promote the potential growth of any photosynthetic hitchhikers on the live rock. In fact, the live rock will function quite well in the dark!

I suggest that you add just a couple pieces of nice live rock to your present lava/tufa rock. That will help seed the dead stuff with beneficial organisms.

[Rtrn2Sndr]

Thanks for all the help. The guy at my LFS told me I could either let the tank cycle for 4-6 weeks and then add live sand before I add my fish... or I could buy 2-3 Damsels and keep them for 3-5 weeks, and then I won't need the live sand.
Once I put in the Eel and Lion I want, the Damsels are gonna be food.

I will buy a few lb's of LR tonight and see if it survives.
thanks again.

[dougc]

Don't bother with live sand. It is a gimmick. Everything you need biologically will be in the live rock. The live rock should be allowed to cycle with no fish in the tank, even if it supposed to already be "cured". A lot of life in live rock does not survive the long trip from where it is collected. The die-off may take a few weeks. You can monitor this process by testing ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. During this time, you should do regular water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrites from getting too high and to remove the amazing amount of junk that will come from the rock. When your ammonia and nitrites are both down to 0, the tank is cycled and ready for fish.

Once I put in the Eel and Lion I want, the Damsels are gonna be food.

Never underestimate the power of damsels.

[Reefland]

Don't bother with live sand. It is a gimmick.

What do you base that on, just personal experience?

Sand beds properly set-up and maintained can be very effective forms on biological filtration; specifically for denitrification.

[Arctic Fox]

I think he meant the "Live Sand" that you buy in the wet bags at the pet store, because yeah, those are a gimmick. The critters in that stuff doesn't survive in large enough amounts to be of any real use.

But yeah, a live sand bed is IMO the best thing in the world to have in a tank. If it's properly set up, as far as biological filtration goes, it's second only to the live rock. In tanks without a great deal of live rock it's even better because that's where most of your filtration is, and it even looks pretty.

[Reefland]

Ok I'm with you guys now, your talking about that bio-active, cycled saltwater aquarium in a bag stuff. I sure didn't read it like that the first time.

[dougc]

What do you base that on, just personal experience?

Sand beds properly set-up and maintained can be very effective forms on biological filtration; specifically for denitrification.

No, I was not denigrating sand beds, just the bags of overpriced wet sand that are sold in stores. I sure don't want to start a DSB war.

[Reefland]

No, I was not denigrating sand beds, just the bags of overpriced wet sand that are sold in stores. I sure don't want to start a DSB war.

Yeah I see that now, didn't read it like that the first time though. Sorry 'bout that! I totally agree with you about that type of product too, simply not worth it.

[Ninong]

Ok I'm with you guys now, your talking about that bio-active, cycled saltwater aquarium in a bag stuff. I sure didn't read it like that the first time.

Scott,

No, the "cycled saltwater aquarium in a bag" stuff is a different new product from Instant Ocean (Marineland). What I think they are talking about here is one of the "live sand" products such as Nature's Ocean or Carib-Sea's Arag-Alive.

Nature's Ocean: http://www.naturesocean.com/

Arag-Alive: http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...ode=Substrates

The Nature's Ocean stuff appears to be sugar sized aragonite and Carib-Sea now offers "live" sand in all of their various particle sizes (and colors).

Whenever you see a new hobbyist talking about "live sand" who has also talked to his LFS, you can be almost certain it is one of these phony live sand products. They do not contain "critters." All they contain is bacterial cultures that remain viable for several months. There is nothing wrong with them. If you want to spend extra money for this sort of "live" sand, go right ahead. The truth is that all of the same bacteria will begin to colonize your substrate within hours anyway whether you want them to or not and whether you pay for them or not. A cheaper way to accomplish the same "boost" with "dead" sand would be to simply throw in a dead supermarket shrimp or even a teaspoon of household ammonia to act as fuel for the bacteria. Or you could even pee in the tank! :eek3:

[Reefland]

No, the "cycled saltwater aquarium in a bag" stuff is a different new product from Instant Ocean (Marineland). What I think they are talking about here is one of the "live sand" products such as Nature's Ocean or Carib-Sea's Arag-Alive.

Gotcha, I've been all confused on this thread.