First Salt Water Tank Setup

D

dannyfg4

New member
Good Afternoon,

I am beginning my first salt water tank. I have done quite a bit of research on most of the things required for my first set up. But before I purchase anything I want to know what brands are recommended for each of the items.

I currently have a 26 gallon tank, and a Aquaclear Power Filter. due to space limitations this is the biggest tank I could have at the moment. Im looking to spend under $400 for the rest of the stuff I need.

Power Head - I was looking at the Hydor Koralia 240GPH
Lighting - Life Gard Ultra Slim
Heater - Do I need one? my home is set to 72-74 year round
Protein Skimmer - I have read many posts, some people say its a must others say you don't need one at all. and if I already have a filtration system do I need both or one or the other?
Sand - Caribsea
Live Rock - Aquamax Fiji Dry Live Rock
I will also be buying all the test kits I need to make sure I properly go through the Initial Cycle before I add fish or coral.

If I am missing anything please let me know, and If there are better brands.

Thanks in advance
 
dannyfg4 said:
Good Afternoon,

I am beginning my first salt water tank. I have done quite a bit of research on most of the things required for my first set up. But before I purchase anything I want to know what brands are recommended for each of the items.

I currently have a 26 gallon tank, and a Aquaclear Power Filter. due to space limitations this is the biggest tank I could have at the moment. Im looking to spend under $400 for the rest of the stuff I need.

Power Head - I was looking at the Hydor Koralia 240GPH
Lighting - Life Gard Ultra Slim
Heater - Do I need one? my home is set to 72-74 year round
Protein Skimmer - I have read many posts, some people say its a must others say you don't need one at all. and if I already have a filtration system do I need both or one or the other?
Sand - Caribsea
Live Rock - Aquamax Fiji Dry Live Rock
I will also be buying all the test kits I need to make sure I properly go through the Initial Cycle before I add fish or coral.

If I am missing anything please let me know, and If there are better brands.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
I'm pretty new as well but one thing for sure is yes you have to have a heater. The tank needs to stay at a constant around 77 to 78 degrees

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Welcome to the hobby!! There are tons of great brands in the hobby, so it's tough to go wrong... But if you're buying the cheapest of everything, expect you'll have to replace them sooner. Hydor makes a great circulation pump, not going wrong there. Lighting.... Well that's a tricky one. I don't know about the brand you mentioned, but lighting can make a HUGE difference with your setup. Id recommend going big on the lighting (especially if your gong to have corals). I would hold off on the heater for now and see how the tank does without it. I live in Colorado and don't have one on my 32 gallon ... My tank stays a consistent 78 degrees. With a smaller tank, the lights usually put off enough heat to keep your temps good. Good luck, and remember the slower you take it the better off you'll be. Keep asking for advice!

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Ryan Darilek said:
Welcome to the hobby!! There are tons of great brands in the hobby, so it's tough to go wrong... But if you're buying the cheapest of everything, expect you'll have to replace them sooner. Hydor makes a great circulation pump, not going wrong there. Lighting.... Well that's a tricky one. I don't know about the brand you mentioned, but lighting can make a HUGE difference with your setup. Id recommend going big on the lighting (especially if your gong to have corals). I would hold off on the heater for now and see how the tank does without it. I live in Colorado and don't have one on my 32 gallon ... My tank stays a consistent 78 degrees. With a smaller tank, the lights usually put off enough heat to keep your temps good. Good luck, and remember the slower you take it the better off you'll be. Keep asking for advice!

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Click to expand...

Oh, and for a tank that size, I don't think a skimmer is necessary... You'll want / need to do frequent water changes... (5g weekly) and therefore a skimmer is a mute point :)


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Welcome! What type of fish and corals do you want to keep?

I don't think the HOB filter is of any use if you'll have a power head for water movement. I'm fairly new myself (2 years), but I don't have a protein skimmer and I'm fine. You just have to stay on top of water changes, so you have to know yourself and your discipline. I had a few hiccups with overdue water changes, and I saw my corals suffer from it.

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
Always helps to add salt to the list too :lmao: I have got for Instant Ocean but I have been told there is not much difference between the different brands.
 
Ryan Darilek said:
Welcome to the hobby!! There are tons of great brands in the hobby, so it's tough to go wrong... But if you're buying the cheapest of everything, expect you'll have to replace them sooner. Hydor makes a great circulation pump, not going wrong there. Lighting.... Well that's a tricky one. I don't know about the brand you mentioned, but lighting can make a HUGE difference with your setup. Id recommend going big on the lighting (especially if your gong to have corals). I would hold off on the heater for now and see how the tank does without it. I live in Colorado and don't have one on my 32 gallon ... My tank stays a consistent 78 degrees. With a smaller tank, the lights usually put off enough heat to keep your temps good. Good luck, and remember the slower you take it the better off you'll be. Keep asking for advice!

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Click to expand...
What brands would you recommend for lighting?

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Stevenlatham01 said:
Always helps to add salt to the list too :lmao: I have got for Instant Ocean but I have been told there is not much difference between the different brands.
Click to expand...
How do you do your mix? Do you have a RODI system or you buy the water in gallons?

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dannyfg4 said:
No Im not 100% sure. I wanted to establish the tank than decide. I want mainly corals and a few fish

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Click to expand...
It would be wise to plan a direction you want to go... Soft corals, LPS or SPS. Planning everything out now will save you money in the long run. If you want an anemone, you want to plan for that now instead of deciding after the fact then having to sell your lights for pennies on the dollar. I'd recommend getting lights that are programmable with a controller... Such as AI Prime HD or similar :)

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If you don't use live rock, you need the HOB

I use dry rock, aquaclear 70 with matrix, polyfill
After its cycled and running few months I added
Carbon, Purugen and Phosguard

I also use the Aquaticlife 115 skimmer

I'm trying a finnex refugium hob right now

My tank is 17 gallons
 
Ryan Darilek said:
It would be wise to plan a direction you want to go... Soft corals, LPS or SPS. Planning everything out now will save you money in the long run. If you want an anemone, you want to plan for that now instead of deciding after the fact then having to sell your lights for pennies on the dollar. I'd recommend getting lights that are programmable with a controller... Such as AI Prime HD or similar :)

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Okay. I figured out what I want. Fish wise Im getting 1 Goby and 1 Pistol shrimp, and 2 Clowns. Coral its going to mainly be soft corals. Once I become more experienced Im going to jump into LPS Coral. I did find a Led light fixture 36 inch long programmable on amazon for $135 it has great reviews. For these fish will I require any special equipment?

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Get the chinese black box. One will be enough for you. Plus they are less than $100. No need for skimmer. Do need a heater. Fish list is spot on. Dont get in to mushrooms. They spread like weed and will leave no room for other corals. Go for easy LPS.
 
ssky said:
Get the chinese black box. One will be enough for you. Plus they are less than $100. No need for skimmer. Do need a heater. Fish list is spot on. Dont get in to mushrooms. They spread like weed and will leave no room for other corals. Go for easy LPS.
Click to expand...
What is a Chinese Black Box?

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Chinese black boxes are led light boxes. Search google for marsaqua or viperspectra and you'll get an idea. But in short these are led lights. very effective but low cost.
 
ssky said:
Chinese black boxes are led light boxes. Search google for marsaqua or viperspectra and you'll get an idea. But in short these are led lights. very effective but low cost.
Click to expand...
Perfect. Going to look into those

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Imo buy a bb for first lightning experience, get in as cheap as possible not to be scared, cheap for first experience, learn and evolve.

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Is this a good deal. I was on facebook looking for equipment and this 30 gallon with stand came up for $30.
0dc068e0b8a0ee21b3fa6cf1b7f44f41.jpg


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