attempting a saltwater settup

[wrano]

hello everyone,
I have recently purchased a 55g tank and have decided to try doing a saltwater setup, I have had many freshwater tanks but this will be my first saltwater setup so i am a little confused. I have a two biological filters with bio wheels, a protein skimmer, and a power head. I also purchased two ballasts with four florescent bulbs two blue and two white, I have a bunch of other bulbs if this configuration is not good. Is this sufficent? Last night I Filled the tank with one inch of sand that I got from a friend that had been in a 240g for six years. The water is very cloudy and isnt seeming to clear up should I be running my filters for now to clear it up or just let it settle. i havent added salt or any rocks to the tank yet I was told that after three days I should add some Damsels to start cycleing the tank any advice is much appreciated.

 

[FlyingFish65]

Recommend you buy the book <i>The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide</i> by Mike Paletta. Amazon or any LFS sell it. But what ever you do, don't add Damsels until salt is mixed for at least a day.

 

[wrano]

what about the cloudiness of the water is this normal

 

[BLAMMOTOR]

All I can tell you is: patience, patience, patience. You prob should have added salt before the live sand, many good living things in the sand may be harmed. (don't worry about the cloudiness it will clear in a couple of days - yes, run your filtration) Also open your wallet, you need approx 10 lbs of live rock per gal. Use this forum, it's the best resource you could have, and buy a book. Good luck.

 

[kevin21]

10lbs of LR per gal?? hopefully a typo....you need to purchase say 60 lbs of LR.

just take your time, bad things can happen when rushed...good luck with the new set-up.

 

[moprint]

turn them on but replace the filter pads in like a day because they will get clogged fast. Add your salt now, then your rock and let the tank cycle. I think there is a link to an article on the homepage, about cycling your tank.

 

[bwayne315]

Do you plan on keeping corals? How many watts of light do you have? If you want to keep any corals it is best to have 2 - 3 Watts/ gal. And if you want to keep SPS corals it is good to have some metal hallides.

The cloudiness should settle after a day or two. It is usually a good idea to mix the salt first before you put anything else in it.

Did you rinse the sand really good before you added it?

Definately wait and put the salt in before you add anything else.

 

[EdKruzel]

Your friend with the 240 should have helped you with the intial set-up.
All of the beneficial life in the sand has died, this doesen't mean starting over from scratch, but you will need to seed it again with a cup or two of live sand from your friends tank after you've added the rock and have completed the cycle.

Please begin by reading some articles here:
Help for beginners

Ed

 

[fishaholic911]

It is a saltwater tank you need salt in the water the sand is dead. like EdKruzel said seed the sand again. always mix your salt before you put it in the tank

 

[wrano]

Thanks for al the great replys. I did rinse the sand but now Im starting to wonder i f maybe not good enough. I have four fifty five watt bulbs, hoping two have live rock and corals eventully is this amount of lighting overkill.

 

[BLAMMOTOR]

oops, it was a typo on 10lbs per gal, kevin21 was correct on the amount

 

[BLAMMOTOR]

For lighting 4 watts per gal is just barely enough. If you want hard corals - metal halids are highly recommended. If you are new to saltwater, best to start with live rock and fish, work your way up to corals, more difficult to keep and more expensive. Take your time and research thoroughly.