First tank... and some questions!

[cutter74]

Hi all, i'm a complete newbie to saltwater and i'm currently planning my first saltwater tank. Having read Paletta's "The new marine aquarium" (excellent book, by the way!), i'm still left with some questions.

1. Just how important live sand is? I'm very skeptical about the beneficial abilities of sand that has been bagged and shipped halfway around the world. I was thinking of creating a shallow sand bed (approx 3-5 cm) with reef or aragonite sand. Will i have any real filtration benefits with such low substrate or do i have to go with live sand and deep sand bed? I don't know if this helps but i'm planning to use just live rock, a skimmer and if people recommend live sand for filtration (no external filter).

2. Can i add the substrate as soon as i first build the tank or do i have to wait until the tank has finished cycling?

3. My tank is 180 litres (apprx. 50G if i'm not mistaken). I'm planning to buy cured live rock. From what i've read, i'll be needing approximately 25 kg (50 pounds i believe) of live rock. Can i initially buy half now and add more later (cured always)when I can afford it, or will that mess my ecosystem?

4. Lighting. 3 Watts per gallon (145 Watts). Should i forget about anemones and reefs?

5. Final question. I know that as a best practice an RO/DI unit is highly recommended. Do I absolutely HAVE to have it though? I'm stretching my budget dangerously here. I've talked to a seemingly knowledgable guy at my LFS who told me that although he would definitely recommend it, the water quality of my location is good enough to not have to worry so much about buying an RO unit; at least not immediately.

I know that there are a lot of questions but i've just started and i'm feeling kinda lost with all the different choices... Thanks for your time.

 

[ReefNeck]

Hi & Welcome to the wonderful world of Saltwater Aquaria and to ReefCentral!

Let's address these questions:

#1: This will open up a HUGE can of worms and you will get opinions from None to 6" deep. Decide what you plan to keep in the tank and then make your decision based on that.

My Personal tank has a 4" sand bed (Live) and serves me well. I would add about 50LBs of Aragonite sand (Not Live) then seed it with a cup of Live Sand from a fellow aquarist (Preferred) or your LFS.

#2 Live sand & Live Rock will help your cycle complete faster.

#3 It's best to add all your rock at once but not an absolute must. You can go 50% Live Rock and 50% Base Rock to save some money. The Base Rock will become Live Rock over the course of time. (Say 6 months or so).

#4 With that lighting, Forget Clams, Anemones and SPS Corals as well as most LPS Corals. Some softies will be ok but not a large variety. Also, Forget the watts per gallon stuff and just get the best lighting you can afford. Take what you saved on LR and try to get a T5HO lighting fixture. This will allow you to keep much more that Compact Flouescents and won't kill the bank.

#5 If you don't use RO/DI water you may encounter severe algae blooms and constantly battle them. You may also have some levels way off in the tank. I Started with tap water and saw for myself. I use all RO water now and can see the difference.

Good luck to you and ask any questions you want to and we will all try to help you as best we can.

 

[cutter74]

Hi ReefNeck, thanks for your answers.
The lighting issue troubles me. I live in Europe and I'm having great difficulty finding web sites that will ship internationally comlete retrofit kits. I've been to a couple LFS's and since they are not specialized in lighting or modifying tanks, their solutions are restricted to suggesting either no hood tanks with metal-halides hanging from the ceiling (which i can't afford) or an additional ballast with T5s. Any additional info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your time.

 

[ReefNeck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6621899#post6621899 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cutter74
Hi ReefNeck, thanks for your answers.
The lighting issue troubles me. I live in Europe and I'm having great difficulty finding web sites that will ship internationally comlete retrofit kits. I've been to a couple LFS's and since they are not specialized in lighting or modifying tanks, their solutions are restricted to suggesting either no hood tanks with metal-halides hanging from the ceiling (which i can't afford) or an additional ballast with T5s. Any additional info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your time.

I'd go Bare Top to allow the best gas exchange at the surface. Glass tops or other tops restrict that.

That said, You can have a canopy on top to build your lights into without a problem.

Metal Halides are the Crem de la crem to most. T5 HO's are for some and VHO are for others. You say you can go with T5's.....I would if you can't afford Halides. (I can't afford them either yet).

I can't help with online dealers over there but maybe someone from there can chime in with some they are familiar with.

Best of luck with the setup.

 

[anemi]

Where about in europe do you live???

What size is your tank??

Im in the Uk and also just starting up, Arcadia Luminaires are over tank T5 units that come in a number of sizes and light configurations, which are very resonable price.

A very well known Mag in the UK (dont know if I can post the name) has a webbie with a list of aquatic shops that sell them(dont know if these shops ship inter).

 

[AllenFord_SC]

[welcome]