ne wto the forum

[maroman209]

Hello everyone. Im new to this forum, im actually new to saltwater aquariums. iive had a fresh water set up before, but i wanted to move to salt water.. all the bright colorful fish i like are all saltwater. so a few days ago i saw an add on craigslist i couldn't pass up. i got a 55 gal tank with glass top, filter, few lava rocks, and enough crushed coral to use as substrate. also got a little bit of salt, hydrometer powerhead and a few chemicals. Oh and a nice oak wood stand.. all for $100..

so i set it up where i wanted it, cleaned it out and started filling it up.. the guy who i bought it from had it running 2 days prior to me buying it but he was remodeling his garage so decided to sell it. i fixed the few lava rocks it had and started cycling it. i did clean out the filters but not all the way. i gave them a quick rinse so i could leave some of the bacteria in to help cycle the tank. after the first two days the water started clearing up.. i didnt use a plate to fill the tank so it took a while for all the crushed coral and sand to settle. i put in what little sand that came with the tank but today im going to buy more salt and some live rock.

i wont be needing much more rock but i do want to get some live rock in there.. hopefully make it spread to the lava rock thats already in there. my ultimate goal is to have the FOWLR running for some time.. so i can get the hang or salt water aquariums then someday move on to corals with live rock and fish.. but for now ill start with FOWLR. i have a lot of reading to do before i even start thinking about a coral set up..

for now this is what i have set up right now.. ill try to get more pics after i put the live rock in.. sorry for the crappy quality. taken with iphone





one question i have.. where can i get large quantities of distilled water? would the place i got fill up my 5 gal drinking jug be distilled water? would it be safe to use? i just go to the local grocery store and use the quarter machine..

i just cant see myself pouring water bottle after bottle..

thanks!

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[leebca]

First, you don't want to proceed until you've read this post: Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

I strongly urge you to also follow the guidelines in the above post. Go very slowly.

I'm concerned about the 'lava rock.' What do you know about it? Not all freshwater rock is suitable for saltwater. Not all lava rock is suitable for marine aquariums -- in fact, very little lava rock is suitable for marine aquariums. Was that rock in saltwater or freshwater?

After you've read the above, you might want to ask some questions. Feel free. We're here to help.

There is a whole list of posts that you should slowly get through to educate yourself on the hobby:

Table/Contents - Link List

Good luck!

[maroman209]

i dont know much about lava rock, but i do know that it as previously used in this tank before i bought it. and this tank was a salt water set up. the previous owner told me he had it running for almost a year. it seemed to me like he knew what he was doing, he had a very nice 180 gal reef tank set up. so i am assuming the lava rock is safe to use.

thanks leebca, i have read that post a few times, and will read it a few more. i always seem to catch something i missed the first time i read it.

last night i added some live rock, i plan on getting more but that was all i was able to get yesterday. i also bought the instant sea salt and got the water to the right salinity. my temperature is at constant 79.

i am going to need a power head to help with circulation in the tank.

any info about the water you might have for me leebca? is the water from the quarter machines we use to fill up our 5 gal drinking jug good for an aquarium?

here are some updated pics

[maroman209]

oh, one more question. What do you know about Bio-Spira? safe to use?

[leebca]

Not sure what "Bio-Spira" is, so I can't help much there. If it is some kind of bacteria culture or additive that claims to move the conditioning of the tank forward, don't spend your money. You can't rush Nature.

Drinking water is not good enough for the marine aquarium use. You'll need to buy store-bought DI water or start making it yourself. You'll want a dual DI system with an RO module, and a carbon filter module. They make about 1 gallon per hour and cost less than $250. You'll have to search around for them.

[maroman209]

i think my sisters boyfriends said he might have one i can purchase off of him. and yes bio spira is some additive that is supposed to make the aquarium safe for fish instantly.

ill stay away from it though..

will my 10k light work for the set up i have now? its only one bulb and i leave it on all day except for the 7-8 hours i sleep..

[leebca]

For a FOWLR setup, lighting has a large range. Choose a lighting that makes your fish look good!

If you want to encourage a healthy coralline algae growth, then tend towards the lights that are geared for their growth. However, they will grow under a multiple of lighting conditions, providing the water is balanced.

[maroman209]

ok.. all i have right now is one t8 10k light.. im looking to upgrade and i have been doing some research. ill keep researching untill i have enough money for a nice set up. since my ultimate goal is to have some kinds of coral, i want to get a fixture that will be good for corals as well..

my LFS has an OMNI T5HO fixture.. it has 2 10k bulbs and 2 actinic and 8 led moon lights. and i can get this fixture with bulbs for 250..

ive been looking around and it sounds like a reasonable price.. the only cheaper ones i found were odysea and i read some bad things about them, although this was a long time ago. im not sure if they have improved the quality of their products or not.

do you have any recommendations for me as far as lights? nothing too expensive, but something that will be usefull with some soft corals when i decide to put some in?

is OMNI a good brand? heard of it?

sorry if im asking too many questions, i just dont want to waste my money on something worthless or mess something up :/

[leebca]

Ask as many questions as you need to. If they are addressed in other posts, I will generally direct the poster to those threads.

Pretty much as I mentioned before, any kind of lighting is okay. You don't have to spend a lot of money for lighting, when your goal is a FOWLR system. Find something used if you want, even, from those selling their equipment through the newspaper.

I usually don't get into brand name recommendations. Others may have knowledge of those particular choices. Probably best to post those kinds of questions in the Lighting Forum.

Good luck!

[twisted]

first i wanna say welcome! im not a fish only tank but just like the vibe of the tank you're starting so i'll def be following along in your progress. there is alot of great info here and many caring tank owners here that will be here for you. my advice, take your time. let nature do its thing. your tank is a canvas, become picasso!

[maroman209]

well after looking around on craigslist i found another good deal.. i was able to get two different light fixtures for $60.

one of the fixtures is a 48" JEBO and it is a 4 bulb t5 compact. it came with two actinic bulbs and two white ones..it only has one power cord but two switches.. here is the fixture


the other fixture is a 36" and that one is two t8 bulbs with moonlights. and this fixture has three different cords and three different switches and a fan. both work fine, but the 36 has one bad bulb. i dont think ill be using the 36" so i might turn around and sell it or maybe give it to my sisteres boyfriend as he has a 60 tall hes looking to set up. here is the 36"

[gregony]

What you have is a 260W Power Compact fixture (not to be confused with the newer T5 lighting), and a 36" 192W Power Compact Fixture. You probably already know they're not top quality, but for a fish and soft corals they'll work OK. The Power Compacts are kind of obsolete, but you can get pretty good prices for replacement bulbs these days (I'd recommend Drsfosterandsmith because of the shipping). If you don't know how old the bulbs are, you will want to replace them. I'd recommend 50/50's (half 10K, half actinic). Remember, if you use worn out bulbs, cyanobacteria will likely become a problem. And, I hate to say it, but you'll want to start saving for a new light fixture.

[maroman209]

i knew that these were not top of the line fixtures.. but i figured they would work for now, and for the price i payed it was worth it.. it looks way better than it did with just one 10k bulb. in the future i do plan on buying some better quality lights. but that will be when im ready for corals.. im a noob to salt water so first i want to mess around with FOWLR for a while and i figured these would b plenty of lighting.

the bulbs are about 5 months old i was told, but i do plan on replacing them soon.

would these lights be good for some anemones?

[gregony]

The only thing I "know" about anemones is how to kill them, so you'll have to ask someone else about those critters. Personally, I say leave them in the ocean.

I suggested saving for the new light fixture because the bulbs are likely going to increase in price as fewer and fewer people use them. You're kind of in luck, because another technological crossroads is approaching with LED lighting. If you can get two more years or so out of that power compact fixture, I think you'll be looking at better lighting options down the road. The T5HO's are the nicest option right now.

Plus, you'll probably want a bigger tank in a year anyway, everybody starts with a 55g and moves up kinda quickly. Or they give up and take up lawnmower racing.

[twisted]

i agree about the move up...yep, you'll be upgrading in a year. 55s are a great start but it doesnt take long to start jonzin for more water...if you are still looking for something to light your tank, dr foster has nova's with 4 bulbs for a real good price. i have a 48" on my tank and it does a decent job...just plan on good bulbs in about 6 months like giesman or something...

[Parrothead]

power compact bulbs down here in my neck of the woods are already expensive, a 36" - 92 watt daylight bulb is about $55 + and the actinics are starting around $65 and up, I need to replace mine in my 36" fixture but I'm gonna wait and just upgrade to the T-5 HO Nova Extreme 6 bulb, also those pc's do use a bit of juice, especially some of the cheaper brands

[leebca]

Please be sure to post your questions about invertebrates in the Reef Forum. They talk about invertebrates there. Here it's mostly marine fish.