First salt tank

[Enemyarms]

Ok, im a total noob to this, but from cregs list i found a nice setup for a salt water tank. Ive done some research and have had fresh water fish for a while. Below is what im going to pick up from this guys house.

3x damsels
4 x turbo snails
3 x emerald crabs
1 x red legged hermit crab
2 skunk clowns & hosted anomie attached to 2lb live rock.

Coralife Super Skimmer (65gal)
30lb’s crushed coral
30lb’s of rock (about 15lbs live, rest is good base rock and hasn’t turned live yet)

how does the baserock turn live?

I need to get a coral light for my tank. its going to be a 29gal tank. Im takeing prob half of his 20g water and i want to know if i can use water from one of my stable tanks.

it should come with everything i need, minus filters. do fresh water filters and salt filters act dif? do i need anything else? I also would like to add a eel to the tank, but i know they get large. What about a puffer?

Like i said, in a noob but im trying to learn. any info would be GREAT. THANKS

[leebca]

WELCOME TO REEFLAND!

Probably the most exciting part of starting up a marine aquarium is figuring out what you want to put into it. However, before you get there, there is a lot of things you'll need to learn.

First, read through this post so you understand the process, the equipment you'll need, etc.: Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

Then you'll need to get a handle on stocking limit: Fish Stocking Limit - for FO and FOWLR

You should learn from the above that the 29 gallon tank would be good for the Damsels OR the Anemonefishes, but not both. So an Eel or Puffer is also out of the question.

Regarding live rock, it is explained here: What is Live Rock, Anyway? From that post you'll learn about what live rock, base rock, etc. are. You should find the answer to your question that base rock doesn't ever turn into live rock in a marine aquarium.

Take your time to read for the answers to your questions so you're well informed. Then you won't likely be disappointed in the long run and have fun. We're here to help, however you need to start reading to gather a lot more information. The posts linked above contain other links to supporting topics which you should also read.

This is a link to a list of topics and their links. Find a subject and 'dive in:' Table/Contents - Link List

Good luck!

[Enemyarms]

Yummy! Info. Let me read. ty

[asting]

Please don't tell me you're picking it all up at once. Go slow and a fish at a time with at least 2 weeks in between.

Also, from my understanding damsels are usually pretty aggressive and territorial. I'd try to limit the amount that you add, and although they're great cycle fish, if you add them last the other fish will have been established and won't be threatened as much.

[Enemyarms]

Please don't tell me you're picking it all up at once. Go slow and a fish at a time with at least 2 weeks in between.

Also, from my understanding damsels are usually pretty aggressive and territorial. I'd try to limit the amount that you add, and although they're great cycle fish, if you add them last the other fish will have been established and won't be threatened as much.

Sadly i had to, but i used his water 100% and his rocks, sand, ect. everything but his tank. I lot my damn O ring from the skimmer, need to find it. Think it fell in the tank. How much Watt will my anomie need? the light i got at the petstore is 20w T8 but i was told it wont be enough for him to live.


When i add more fish, ill add them like you said, 2 weeks at a time.

[asting]

Well to be honest, you should be a little better off, because some of the bacteria may have survived (although some does reside on the tank itself, and some could have been lost on the transfer).

As far as the o-ring, if it's a standard O-ring any hardware or auto store even would have them.

Yeah 20watts for 29gallons isn't sufficient. I'm in the same boat now. I have a 17watt for both of my 30 gal tanks (one fresh one salt). You should have at least 2-3 watts per gallon. I'm thinking about something like this
Super Actinic R VHO Fluorescent Lamps By UV Lighting Co.* - AquaCave
which provides 75 watts (or roughly 2.5 per gallon). It could work with you, although something a little stronger would help (I'm also unsure of your fixture exact type). Even I'm having second doubts (i'd like to some basic soft coral), and am looking for something a little more without changing fixtures.

I would definitely upgrade to some better lighting, it could also help with other growth in the tank.

Good luck with the anemone though, they're really picky about water quality, so introducing that with all of the fish could be hard. Be ready to do water changes, which will unfortunately slow down the cycle.

[Enemyarms]

Well to be honest, you should be a little better off, because some of the bacteria may have survived (although some does reside on the tank itself, and some could have been lost on the transfer).

As far as the o-ring, if it's a standard O-ring any hardware or auto store even would have them.

Yeah 20watts for 29gallons isn't sufficient. I'm in the same boat now. I have a 17watt for both of my 30 gal tanks (one fresh one salt). You should have at least 2-3 watts per gallon. I'm thinking about something like this
Super Actinic R VHO Fluorescent Lamps By UV Lighting Co.* - AquaCave
which provides 75 watts (or roughly 2.5 per gallon). It could work with you, although something a little stronger would help (I'm also unsure of your fixture exact type). Even I'm having second doubts (i'd like to some basic soft coral), and am looking for something a little more without changing fixtures.

I would definitely upgrade to some better lighting, it could also help with other growth in the tank.

Good luck with the anemone though, they're really picky about water quality, so introducing that with all of the fish could be hard. Be ready to do water changes, which will unfortunately slow down the cycle.

Ill keep that in mind. Im going to head to my local salt petstore to see what lights he has. the one i have now is a single bulb. I hope i dont have to spend a lot of money. When the sand settled, it settled all over my rock, do i need to wash the rock off so the algae can grow? when i got the anomie it was prob 3/4th closed up, still is. i would love it to open up nicey.

[asting]

I'm not sure about the sand as I went with a different substrate (that I had and after research and mixed feelings on substrate I decided was fine).
As far as lighting goes though, it truly is important. The Anemones have high requirements. A new fixture is probably in order. Try searching craigslist or a similar classified site to find one used if it means you can step up to a higher quality.

[Enemyarms]

I'm not sure about the sand as I went with a different substrate (that I had and after research and mixed feelings on substrate I decided was fine).
As far as lighting goes though, it truly is important. The Anemones have high requirements. A new fixture is probably in order. Try searching craigslist or a similar classified site to find one used if it means you can step up to a higher quality.

Our local saltfish man was out of town for 2 days and he had ordered 3 dif sizes of lights, and 1 of them was the one i needed. nobody else works that dept so i have to wait tell he gets back. so tomm. Looks like one store has the light i need for 198 and he has it for 175-200 he said. i would order it online but i cant wait tell ebay shows up. i will check craigslist tho and see. My gf wants a Starfish and is eyeing a chocolate one.

Sigh i just got woke up to a drip drip from the skimmer. i had it turned up to far and the trash tube got full and overflowed. there goes that 3gal of water i just added.

[asting]

sorry to hear about the skimmer.

Yeah I picked up a Dual T5 today, and need to get some high end bulbs.

Maybe I'm missing something, but chocolate starfish just comes up with dirty results :O

A lot of starfish need really large tanks though, so I'd be careful.

[Enemyarms]

Ill keep that in mind, the tank i seen one in was prob a 150+ so i might talk to my fish guy about it before i add one. What other things could i add to keep my algae down? Shrimp?

[asting]

I've done a tad more research into lights, and a Dual PC unit would probably be the way to go as cheap as possible. Some units available as low as $80 (they run hotter than standard) although HO Flourescents are about the same for the low end stuff.

Snails and crabs are a big one. Snails are cheap, and do an effective job. Do you have a lot of algae currently? You may want to go slow, and only add those things if you develop an algae problem otherwise they'll starve.