HOW TO SET UP A TANK, condensed verions (retitled)

hi all super new here. jus dipping my toes into salty. super great post op.
i just started to work for an aquarium shop doing maintenance for peoples tanks.fresh water of course.
my tank is getting pieced together for a fowlr for now and slowly go from there.
i have tons of question and have been reading alot. great forum and everyone seems super helpful and super nice.
 
Thanks for he post it had a lot of knowledge that I needed. I am coming from a freshwater cichlids background and am gonna be buying a 56 gallon acrylic tank with sump and some kind of metallic lights they said. Any tips??
 
My Biology II class is interested in setting up a salt water aquarium. We would be starting from scratch. We have a 25 gallon tank and I need to know what components including plants and other sea life would be appropriate for that size tank. Rocks, sand, filters etc are also an unknown. Any help would be appreciated.

I have been reading the posts but am feeling overwhelmed by all the information.
 
Sand?

Sand?

I noted in the newbie instructions that aragonite sand is preferred. Why would aragonite be preferred over other sands, such as Tahitian Moon Sand which is a black sand.

The reason I ask, is black sand certainly would pop the colors and some people who make reef tanks use the Tahitian Moon.

Thanks!

Jan
 
I have changed my 55gallon tank from freshwater to saltwater... I have placed the live sand in the bottom and I have the proper amount of live rock. I have had algea problems from day 1. I was told that the regular hang off the side filter would work just fine, but I would like to change it out to a sump. I have purchased a Aqueon 34500 ProFlex Sump Model 1, 44-55-Gallon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036S1FQG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

I'm lost from here... how do I suck the water out of the tank to go into the sump?
I have also purchased a pump and a return tube.... but I don't know how to set it up.

Please, someone help me! My tank is over ran with Algae and I really want to get this sat up properly!
 
The missing piece of equipment is called a 'downflow box.' It comes in two sorts: internal to the tank, glued in, in which case you drill a hole in the tank to accommodate the pipe exit/entry.....or HOB [hang on back] in which the box is external, and has a siphon to take the water out and a return line to shoot it back in. They also come in this variation, which claims to replace the loose siphon---worth a look. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/deluxe-cpr-continuous-siphon-overflows.html HEre's a You Tube how-to on that sort of installation. https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=cs+overflow+aqua+lifter+setup&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001 A 55 gallon tank will be happy with a 950 gallons per hour [gph] flow level.
 
Last edited:
Sk8r said:
f) plan a quarantine tank: no rock, sand, no cycle, just bare glass and water and a heater, not even a light. Keep all new fish there for 4 weeks to be sure they don't bring in 'fleas'. Parasites are not nuisances in this hobby: they kill, and they get into your sandbed and reproduce and infest every fish you own. Quarantine is serious business. You can start a fish in qt 4 weeks before you expect your tank to be ready.
Click to expand...

i'm new and new to this hobby and i'm trying to gather all the info before i get started on my new reef tank. i'm not at this step yet but i'm a bit of confuse here. "no rock, sand, no cycle" isn't freshly mix salt water is toxic to the fish? what kind of water i am using? thanks
 
RNhep said:
i'm new and new to this hobby and i'm trying to gather all the info before i get started on my new reef tank. i'm not at this step yet but i'm a bit of confuse here. "no rock, sand, no cycle" isn't freshly mix salt water is toxic to the fish? what kind of water i am using? thanks
Click to expand...
Fresh salt water is not toxic to fish, the ammonia that decaying food, waste, and other things produce is. You need to monitor your ammonia levels daily, if not twice daily, and do water changes to keep ammonia in check. This also means feeding sparingly, and cleaning up uneaten food. I hope this clears things up.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
kyle.nagel13 said:
Fresh salt water is not toxic to fish, the ammonia that decaying food, waste, and other things produce is. You need to monitor your ammonia levels daily, if not twice daily, and do water changes to keep ammonia in check. This also means feeding sparingly, and cleaning up uneaten food. I hope this clears things up.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

yes, thank you and one more thing below talk about substrate. and i found this at amazon is this the right stuff? http://www.amazon.com/Carib-Sea-ACS...010369&ref_=nav_signin&s=pet-supplies&sr=1-12

3. TO START: get aragonite substrate, 1 lb per gallon. Dry is as effective as 'live sand'. It all gets live eventually. I prefer medium grade, which does not blow about in a strong current: not as pretty as 'fine,' but in a high-flow tank, it stays put. Do not get crushed shell or coral---it has problems. I lay down eggcrate [lighting grid: Lowes] on the bottom to prevent rocks rolling.
 
tank setup

tank setup

Hey guys and lady's I'm new and need to know a few other things what type of wave maker would i use for a 75gal also the gph that is right for the best move meant in the tank for the live rock and to keep things moving. :fish1::fish1::fish1::fish1:
 
I used a 950 gph in a 50. I'd guess a 1000gph for a 75, but that's a guesstimate, not experience.
 
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