newbie setting up first tank

O

omartinez

New member
hi,

Up to this moment i'm a freshwater guy :wildone:

yet, i'm taking my first step into saltwater aquarium. I'm reading and have read a lot yet i've some question that i need some personal answer because i'm a little confused on that subject. First i will detail the proyect i have in mind.

Tank : Crystall 72"x18"x 24"High. The tank will be open top so no canopy or something like that
Filter : Sump, i still dont have the stand ready to know the exact size of the sump but according to the calc here i need minimun 20 galon and i think i can get a larger than this. the tank is not drilled so i will use a CS100DX overflow box from CPR rated at 800GPH with a Rio hyperflow 20 (the tank will be at 5 feet from sump)
Light: I plan to use LEDs hanging from ceiling
fauna and flora : actually i still dont know specfics but i will have some easy corals. Will have to look what i can get locally.

that is my general idea, know my questions

1.what is the ratio of Leds colors i need? how much blue? how much white?
2. is my tank size a good starting point?
3. are my overflow box and pump good combination?
4. How much substrate /sand do i need for a 1"? 1" is good?
5. How much rock do i need?
6. How much salt to startup?
7. are 5% monthly water changes ok?
8. after setup i will just use salt on water changes, right? top off is with fresh water?
9. how big i have to get the skimmer and what model/branch (vs price) is best?
10. do i need an uv?

and last but not least :

11. is saltwater aquarium difficult?

any suggestion are welcome
 
1. Personally I like 50/50 blue to white. But you can go with more or less of each depending on how blue or white you like your light to be.

2. I think that is a good starting size. Smaller tanks end up costing a surprising large amount. So the tank, stand, and rock normally end up as one of the cheapest purchases over the life of your tank. Also try and get the largest possible sump. More water is always better.

3. I suggest you do not get a over the top overflow. If its possible drill your tank and do an internal overflow it is much safer IMO.

4. 6" Is the most sand you should add. 1-2" is mostly just for show. 3-6" adds some filtration to the tank, but also reduces water volume.

5. 1 to 1.5 Pounds per gallon is a good rule of thumb.

6. A pail of instant ocean salt is 160 gallons. Calculate the volume of water in your system (display + sump - approx volume of rock and sand) You will also need extra salt for water changes and emergencies.

7. IMO no, you will not have a good looking tank unless you have a tiny bio load. 10% per week is a good rate. If your tank is HUGE then 5% per month is acceptable, but I'm talking around 400 gallons+.

8. Correct. Preferably pure 0ppm RO/DI water on topoff and to use to mix salt.

9. If you have a sump I like octopus brand skimmers. I would buy another euro reef rs 80 but I cannot find one for sale :( Octopus have a similar setup.

10. Nope.

11. Only if you find reading, learning, and taking things slowly difficult.

Check out stickies at the top of forums, use the search feature liberally, and I also recommend looking at all the old issues of Reef keeping magazine 2002 onward.
 
Last edited:
thanks...i did read that and other stickies...now reading general post and more info but for the moment i could like direct responses to my questions just to make sure if i understand what i read...
 
omartinez said:
hi,

Up to this moment i'm a freshwater guy :wildone:

yet, i'm taking my first step into saltwater aquarium. I'm reading and have read a lot yet i've some question that i need some personal answer because i'm a little confused on that subject. First i will detail the proyect i have in mind.

Tank : Crystall 72"x18"x 24"High. The tank will be open top so no canopy or something like that
Filter : Sump, i still dont have the stand ready to know the exact size of the sump but according to the calc here i need minimun 20 galon and i think i can get a larger than this. the tank is not drilled so i will use a CS100DX overflow box from CPR rated at 800GPH with a Rio hyperflow 20 (the tank will be at 5 feet from sump)
Light: I plan to use LEDs hanging from ceiling
fauna and flora : actually i still dont know specfics but i will have some easy corals. Will have to look what i can get locally.

that is my general idea, know my questions

1.what is the ratio of Leds colors i need? how much blue? how much white?
2. is my tank size a good starting point?
3. are my overflow box and pump good combination?
4. How much substrate /sand do i need for a 1"? 1" is good?
5. How much rock do i need?
6. How much salt to startup?
7. are 5% monthly water changes ok?
8. after setup i will just use salt on water changes, right? top off is with fresh water?
9. how big i have to get the skimmer and what model/branch (vs price) is best?
10. do i need an uv?

and last but not least :

11. is saltwater aquarium difficult?

any suggestion are welcome
Click to expand...

1.) A lot of it is dependent on how you like the look of your tank. With that being said, whiter lights (towards the 10k range) seem to grow the coral faster, but does not produce as much vibrant colors where as the opposite is true for bluer lights (20kish). If you are getting LED's, however, you can control them at will and get the best of both worlds! The Radions specifically would do a great job at this.
2.) I think your tank is a great size. The size of your tank really only matters with the fish that you have in mind to put in it. You should be able to keep a couple of the smaller tangs in that size tank, imo =). I would also consider a larger sump... a 40 breeder would be nice.
3.) I really am not familiar with this. If you could drill it, however, it may save you some trouble down the line. That is a large tank for a simple HOB overflow.
4.) 1 inch is very reasonable. Plenty of info exists on how deep your sandbed should be. You may want to look at what others have to say about DSB (deep sand beds) but from what I have read a 1 inch sand bed is easier for people new to the hobby. My sand bed is right around 1.5.
5.) 1 - 1.5 lb per gallon is a good rule. You can do less or more... it really depends on what you want your aqua scape to look like.
6.) You want a salt content of approx. 1.025 - 1.026 for a reef. Stick with buying a refractometer and save yourself some trouble from the crappy inaccurate hydrometers. It costs a few more bucks... but is totally worth it.
7.) I do 10 - 20% water changes once every other week.
8.) correct. Top off should be RO/DI. Invest in a nice quality RO/DI unit... unit.
BRS (bulkreefsupply.com) sells a great unit right around $200 for the PLUS
9.) I'll let others chime in on a skimmer. BRS sells some nice budget friendly skimmers. I would get a skimmer rated around 2 times the size of your tank (in gallons). I have a reef Octopus skimmer that I got from BRS.
10.) It is not necessary and many people have there opinion if it is even worth the price or not. A UV will help control diseases such as ich, but will not eradicate it.

My last piece of advice would be to get a QT / HT (quarantine / hospital) to treat ALL of your fish in BEFORE you place them in your main tank (that includes your first fish). I, along with MANY other reefers experienced the importance of this step the hard way after getting ich in the main tank and loosing some fish a while back. Needless to say... I now QT ALL my fish before going in my main tank. It does't have to be anything fancy or expensive... basically just a 20 - 40 gallon barebones tank with a simple hang on the back filter (50 - 75 bucks or so). Here is an awesome thread that I have been following that have some very experience reefers talking about how they QT every fish that come in... and for how long.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2104697

Happy reefing!
 
thanks for the advice...

locally i dont have much safe options to drill a crystal aquarium so it is best for me to use an overflow box...and i already have it so....

are they so bad really, using that overflow? have someone use it with sucess?

the hyperflow 20 will be good pump?

i do plan to use a quarentine tank but i dont have the space to have a 20-40 galon tank...i will see if i can do a 20 galon maybe in a issolated part of the sump.
 
are they so bad really, using that overflow? have someone use it with sucess?
Click to expand...
They work. If they did not work they would not be sold everywhere. They are just more prone to failure then a standard internal overflow. I always recommend the safest possible route. But there are situations that it is your only option.
 
another thing i forgot to clarify :

I know (as in freshwater) not to add fish immediately...

in salty how much to i have to wait? or just i need to wait untiil i got 0 ammonia then i can add fish? or i can add some criter in the meantime?

I ask because i read some post talking about waiting months to add fish, it that right?

Also my temperatura is usually 30 to 33 celsius, right now is winter like 26 to 27 Celsius, carribean weather :)...do i need a chiller or i can survive?
 
omartinez said:
another thing i forgot to clarify :

I know (as in freshwater) not to add fish immediately...

in salty how much to i have to wait? or just i need to wait untiil i got 0 ammonia then i can add fish? or i can add some criter in the meantime?

I ask because i read some post talking about waiting months to add fish, it that right?

Also my temperatura is usually 30 to 33 celsius, right now is winter like 26 to 27 Celsius, carribean weather :)...do i need a chiller or i can survive?
Click to expand...

Here's some advice for you ...

1. Nothing good happens fast in reefing.
2. Cheap aint good and good aint cheap.
3. You are creating an ecosystem out of what starts essentially as a septic system.

It takes a while for your tank to balance. People seem to think after 30 days they can run down to the LFS and buy 50 fish and throw them in and instant tank.
Meanwhile ... deaths, loss of money, tragedy, and angry spouse (if you have one).

The more patient you are now, the more stable your aquarium will be and the better off you will be in the long haul. It takes about a year of good maintenance and patience for a tank to really stabilize. In that time you can add animals but do it s-l-o-w-l-y!!!!

I would wait a month at least before adding a small fish. It's probably going to be ok to add your cleanup crew a week or so after your tank finishes cycling. That usually takes about a month. I'd suggest adding your cleanup crew a week or two after your nitrates drop to zero.

Give a month or two (more if you can) between fish. Go slow!

My new tank has two small fish in it and it's 6 months old. I dont plan to really get to stocking until May when it reaches a year old.

The more you force the tank to cycle now, using tonics and miracle liquids promising instant success the more your tank is going to be reeling trying to balance out trying to become an ecosystem and managing whatever miracle elixir you are dumping into it.

In spite of what you may hear, there is no miracle hurry up formula.

Lastly ... marketing in the pet industry is insane. Do not be tempted to throw junk into your tank to combat mistakes. You dont know what it is or what it does. Really, a lot of that junk is questionable.

Nothing beats going slow, keeping up on your maintenance and being proactive.

Get a good test kit. As a noob you should test at least once a week.

Get a notebook and keep a log of your tests or get a tank minder program for your computer to keep track of your parameters.
You can use that notebook to keep a list of animals you want to get for your tank too. This is the time (waiting) to research the animals you want to be able to make sure they are compatible and that you can properly feed and provide for them.

Hope this dissertation helps you!

Good luck!! :)
 
what about the temperature issue?

i live on the caribbean and the temperature all year long is 30 to 33 celsius, except on this days till mid january where drop to 25 to 28 celsius...

this is my main concern right now.

Can i survive instaling some fans or i need to thing of a chiller?
 
Clean up crews is slang for the critters used to keep tanks clean. This includes but is not limited to: Hermit crabs :(, Snails, shrimp, sand sifters, sea cucumbers, urchins.

If you use only LED lighting you should not need a chiller. Fans have always worked for me.

As far as return lines go, you have 2 options, Drill the tank and use bulkheads to go in the side. This looks the best IMO but involves more work.

You can also just run the lines over the top edge. This mean you do not have to drill the tank, but you have to look at the lines coming into the tank.

You should put them as far as possible away from each other if you T them off.

Either way do not forget a check valve somewhere. This can prevent a back siphon that can flood your sump.
 
i've read that some people drill one or two small holes in the tubing just below the water line to break the siphon. will This work?

I will get a 6 fan kit to install in the sump.
 
That is the method I use on my 20G as a check valve. You must check the hole ever week during your maintenance, It can become plugged many ways.

When I choose a fan for my tank safety is the number 1 concern. I have heard of too many stories about tank and personal electrocutions to risk it. GFCI and a grounding probe are a must IMO.
 
thanks for the advice...

now i do have some water change questions

i will change 10% to 20% weekly..or can this be every 2 weeks?

how long do i have to leave the pump on to mix the water for the change?

and how long can i store this mixed water?
 
10% per week is a good starting. If you notice you get lots of algae growth, you may want to bump it up to 15 or 20 percent per week. You can change it every 2 weeks. Personally all the best looking smaller tanks I have seen do 10-25% weekly changes. If you have 200-300+ total system volume you can do 20% every two weeks much easier.

24 Hours with a powerhead and heater is what I wait to stabilize my NSW.


NSW Toxicity

You can store it for a month or two. Just make sure it does not get contaminated by dust or dirt while sitting. A good plastic garbage can with a tight fitting lid is what many people use. Just remember to remix and heat it when you are ready to use it.
 
a month? that's good for my plans but do i have to remix again before use?

what about storing the freshwater and mixing the night before change?
 
I let it sit still while storing. It can drop in oxygen levels during this time. You might want to mix it with the pump or power head turned towards the top, or use an air stone if you do not mind the salt spray.
 
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