New to salt water

[Tabills]

Hello,

I have gotten my old fresh water tank out that has been sitting for about 8 years. I would like to turn this tank into a salt water tank...obviously. lol

I have been to several LFS, been researching all over the internet, and am apart of two forums now. They all seem to be slightly different in how to set up a salt water tank. My tank is 29 or 30 gallons. The demensions are 30 x 12 1/2 x 18 3/4. I have an old glass heater that still works, a small and large filter that will not come clean, and a basic lighting system that came with the tank. So far I have clean the tank twice with vinegar and water and about 5 times with CLR. Everything is spotless except for a water ring right at the top of the tank. Will this harm anything if I can not get it off?

As far as the set up I had planned on getting the following equipment.
25 lbs of dry rock and 5lbs of living rock
30lbs of sand
Probably the 750 Powerhead
Salt Mix

I was told that I do not need to upgrade my lighting until I am ready to start getting coral. I will also end up upgrading the heating fairly quickly, although the old one I have now does seem to work. I will also be getting a rather detailed test kit.

I am unsure if i should go with a BRS RO/DI or a Buckeye RO/DI setup.

Thanks for looking.

 

[thegrun]

The water ring will not hurt anything, have you tried a razor blade on it? It sounds like you've got a good game plan to start with. Read the stickies at the top of this forum a couple of times, they contain a wealth of information. I like the BRS RO/DI unit, it is worth the money to get the upgraded unit with the TDS meter and flush valve already included.

 

[Tabills]

I used a razor blade on a few spots, but I did not use it a lot around the top or corners because of the silicone. I have seen a couple of articles about BRS quality and customer service become an issue lately. I am unsure if those were abnormal incidents or if the company is having problems.

 

[Lynxone]

Welcome to reefcentral! Sounds like a good plan so far. I have the BRS 5 stage plus with the flush kit and tds meter and I'm quite pleased with it. In fact I just did a filter replacement today on it. I must say I've never had a problem or concern with BRS customer service or quality.

 

[Tabills]

Is Marcorocks.com a good site to get live and dry rock from? I would otherwise get it from liveaquaria.com.

 

[JaGGed]

I recommend the BRS reefsaver rock. I used that in my 40b build and would do it again for another tank. Just the ability to avoid potential pests is great. Otherwise Marcorocks is another good place to get rock. Take advantage of one of the rock and sand packages they have.

 

[Tabills]

Ok, I will probably go with Marcorocks. I have been looking at test kits, and one of the LFS strongly suggested Red Sea. I have been looking at them and I can not find ph or amonia test from them. :/

 

[Tabills]

Also what are your thoughts on http://www.reefcleaners.org?

 

[JaGGed]

With testing you find a lot will tell you alk testing is more important for testing versus ph. I would say red sea or salifert for testing. Take a look through the forums and read all of the stickys in all of the sections. It will save you lots of questions. Loooadds of helpful stuff in the stickys. Also reef cleaners is good otherwise reef cleaners is good for clean up crew. Only at the end of the cycle though. The most important thing in this hobby is reading and research. Research something before you buy it and ask questions to get feedback. There are many ways to do one thing in reefing and all of them can be the right way. Just find what works for you and implement it.

 

[Tabills]

I have been reading a bit on testing and alkalinity does seem a lot more important. I will try to stick with red sea because that is what the better of my LFS uses. As far as the CUC, I will be getting that when you cycle finishes. I just want to be prepared as possible for when I start.

 

[afamousjohnson]

I would recomend getting a new heater. I went with the one I had that still worked when first running my 40 and within 5 months it shorted and heated till explosion over night. Terrible mess. The 50$ for a good new heater is worth it at the start.

 

[afamousjohnson]

Also on the marco rock....its awsome. If you want to see what you can do with it I have a new thread I just put up on here for my 90 build and I ordered a 40# box of their key largo shelf pieces to use in my scape.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/QYWOU2ulctM
here is a video as well. Thread is 90 gallons under the hood bonsai aquascape.
I haven't had any PH issues yet it all seems pretty stable with it. +1 marco.

 

[Tabills]

Also on the marco rock....its awsome. If you want to see what you can do with it I have a new thread I just put up on here for my 90 build and I ordered a 40# box of their key largo shelf pieces to use in my scape.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/QYWOU2ulctM
here is a video as well. Thread is 90 gallons under the hood bonsai aquascape.
I haven't had any PH issues yet it all seems pretty stable with it. +1 marco.

You think their 25/5# setup with be enough to decently fill a 29 gallon?

 

[afamousjohnson]

I almost ran out of space in the 90 with the 40#s but I also supplimented a lot of dry lr. So it all really depends on how you plan on scaping and what you plan on keeping in there.

 

[JaGGed]

What are your plans for the tank. Drilled w/sump? No sump? Skimmer?

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

A 75 gpd RODI will be a good fit for you.

Have you checked to see if you have chloramines in your tap water? If you tell me where you live and the name of your water utility I can check on this issue for you.

Russ

 

[Clownfishfan]

I would advise against a protien skimmer.
I used Marco's and I love it!

 

[afamousjohnson]

I would advise against a protien skimmer.
I used Marco's and I love it!

I trust in the skimmers. Its amazing when you empty the collection cup how much unseen gunk that is made visable for removal. You think man that was in my tank. The bigger the better. And with the small tank(w/no sump???)a hang on the back could always be used.

 

[Clownfishfan]

Skimmers remove a lot more than we think like coral/fish food and pods. Just because the water is clear doesn't mean it's clean. If you have ever been to a reef you will see it's not clear it has millions of particles in the water. There is a thread somewhere here called " mega powerful nitrate and phosphate reducer" and it explanes skimmers way better than I can(it's better explained on rs though). Iv used a skimmer and I can say I'm glad I learned what I did about them. Skimmers are not different than hang on back freshwater filters ,they remove particles in the water and people make a fortune off them.

 

[Tabills]

What are your plans for the tank. Drilled w/sump? No sump? Skimmer?

I will not have a sump or skimmer at first. I will be doing weekly 10% water changes at first. My plan is to keep the initial cost as low as possible and build from there.

A 75 gpd RODI will be a good fit for you.

Have you checked to see if you have chloramines in your tap water? If you tell me where you live and the name of your water utility I can check on this issue for you.

Russ

I plan on getting a RO/DI system before I get anything else. I had planned on getting the basic 75 gpd one. lol

I would advise against a protien skimmer.
I used Marco's and I love it!

The only thing that sucks is Marco's is out of live rock currently. I emailed him and he is not sure when he is getting more. This isn't a huge deal because I am still in the process of building a stand for the tank.

I trust in the skimmers. Its amazing when you empty the collection cup how much unseen gunk that is made visable for removal. You think man that was in my tank. The bigger the better. And with the small tank(w/no sump???)a hang on the back could always be used.

I planned on doing everything HOB. Eventually I will upgrade to a larger tank and then i will convert this 29 gallon tank into a sump. :lolspin:

Skimmers remove a lot more than we think like coral/fish food and pods. Just because the water is clear doesn't mean it's clean. If you have ever been to a reef you will see it's not clear it has millions of particles in the water. There is a thread somewhere here called " mega powerful nitrate and phosphate reducer" and it explanes skimmers way better than I can(it's better explained on rs though). Iv used a skimmer and I can say I'm glad I learned what I did about them. Skimmers are not different than hang on back freshwater filters ,they remove particles in the water and people make a fortune off them.

I will probably cross this problem when I come to it. lol I don't plan on upgrading my lighting or anything until I plan on getting coral, which seems to be a good month or two out from now.