Getting Started! Please Help

Hi, my name is Ryan and i am trying to start a saltwater tank. I've heard that they are really hard to set up and maintain but they are really cool and I want to have one. I am on here to get some help and advice to get started. I have already bought a 55 gallon fish tank off on craigslist and it was a great deal. (if it doesn't leak, fingers crossed) I know that I have to get a stand for the tank, place it away from windows and direct sunlight and away from fluctuating temperatures. The tank I have does not have a lid so I need to get one. I just don't necessarily know where to get started. Some of the questions that I have include;

What kind of filter should I get and the differences between the filters?
How to mix saltwater and will tap water work?
I want to get live rock but whats the purpose and do I need a different filter?
what kind of sand do I get and where do I get it from?
I've heard a lot of different filters but do i need all of them or just one?
how long do I have to wait before adding fish for the water to be ready?
Is live rock a biological filter if so do i need another filter?
how to clean the tank and how often?
Do i need any chemicals?
Would under gravel filters be a good way to go?
What I need to get to test the salt level?
What is a skimmer and do I need one?
A list of everything I need to get started!!

I know I have a lot of questions and kind of confused but any bit of help/advice would be greatly appreciated. The biggest thing that I am confused and concerned about is which filter to choose.

 

Welcome to 3reef Ryan.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/new-hobby/whats-important-successful-tank-108699.html

The link up above will assist you greatly.

You will need rock, be it cured or dry. Yes this will be the biggest part of your filtration systems.
It takes approximate 4-8 weeks to the tank to cycle sufficiently to sustain livestock. There are short cuts but the old fashion way is a reliable and easy way especially if this is your first tank.
Tap water typically is not a good water source. If you can not purchase an RO/DI unit you will want to buy bottled water or water from the local fish store.

Filtration: Please research sumps and fuges. Undergravel filters are almost never used in SW tanks of today. The three types of filtration are but not limited too.

Chemical: Charcoal, purigen, phosban.....
Mechanical: Floss, sponge, skimmer, sock.
Biological: Rock, sponge, wet to dry filter, bio-balls.

The typical system incorporates all of the above chemical, mechanical and biological. Most systems have a skimmer, charcoal and rock for just the basics.

 

Move to-----New to the hobby.

 

+1

Just one point to add-- If you initially decide to purchase bottled water, make sure it's RO/DI or distilled. DO NOT use "spring water"; some is nothing more than bottled tap water, and that which is true spring water still contains minerals that could fudge your chemistry. Your salt mix will contain the minerals needed for making sea water.

 

+1 to Corailline's input. It sounds like it would be good for you to do some serious reading so that you understand the basics of keeping a saltwater system. Once you have the foundation, we are here to help answer specific questions that you have.

Welcome to the hobby and this is a great forum to get information. Very helpful and knowledgeable people on this site.

 

I also am new to the hobby. What I found most helpful is to just keep reading as much as possible on the subject. The forums here are extremely helpful. I know I felt overwhelmed initially, but I found asking one question at a time a good strategy. That way people can give you tons of information on a specific topic, rather than a quick summary of a whole bunch of topics!

 

Hi Ryan, I'm going to try and help you out a little.

Hang-on-back or HOB is a self contained filter that just hangs on the back of the tank. Water is sucked up a tube and into the box part that is outside the tank. In there is your filter media which consists of mechanical (a floss bag), chemical (activated carbon inside the bag) filtration. The floss bag also serves as a biological filter as bacteria can live on it. Some of these filters use other types of media like sponges, bio wheels, and ceramic rings to provide more places for good bacteria to live.

Canister filters are cylindrical or square filters that incorporate some the media I mention above to filter the water. They may incorporate bio balls which also provide an area for biological filtration. These filters can be located under the the tank out of the way.

Wet Dry/Trickle Filters are also located under the aquarium. The have an area that water trickles down through which is great because there is a lot of area for aerobic bacteria to grow and the water is exposed to a lot of air. Before the water goes through the trickle area it usually passes through some sort of mechanical filter like a filter sock or filter pad. After the trickle area it falls into the sump area. For chemical filtration I've heard of people putting activated carbon in a filter sock and securing it to the side of the sump. This kind of filter has another advantage, you can locate your heaters, skimmers, an other unsightly equipment down in the sump as opposed to up in the tank.

Refugiums are probably the most natural of all the filters. They filter the water by use of several methods (or a combination of methods) mangrove trees, live rock, miracle mud (I don't know the specifics on this but I'm sure other reefers here could help you out.) and deep sand beds. You can also hide equipment down in the pump side of the refugium too.

The last two types of filters operate on a siphon principal whereby by water flows by siphon down to the sump/refugium and then gets pumped by submersible pump back up to the tank. The have a specific operating level that if one were to overfill them and there happened to be power outage could result in a flood!

As far as which one you should pick, you need to research the pros and cons of each one and decide for yourself. Read through the link that Corailline gave you, it should help you better understand things.

As far as water goes, I have a 10 gallon tank and at first tried to use tap water. I lived in the country and soon discovered that I had ammonia in the tap water. Now I use water from RO machines in grocery stores. They also have ultraviolet filters on them as well. I buy 5 gallons at a time in a carboy and then mix up water at home. At about .25 a gallon plus the salt mix, for me it is a good trade off rather than to buy an RO/DI unit. I have nothing against them though.

Definitely not play sand. I chose decorative black sand that was meant for saltwater tanks. Next time I'll go with Aragalive live sand or something similar. You can find this at your LFS, or online.

Most people with smaller tanks have just one, such as a canister or HOB. In a large tank, I'm not sure if one filter could do the job. Perhaps someone with a tank your size could give you an idea of what works for them.

At the LFS I see canister filters and HOBs that are rated for larger aquariums so I would assume they could do the job. As long as they would provide adequate chemical, biological and mechanical filtration.

This depends on things like are you using live sand vs not live sand. (Same with the live rock vs base rock) Live sand and rock tend to speed up the process.

You will know when it is safe when you ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels are zero. You can track the process by testing daily.

Yes live rock is a form of biological filtration. I would say yes another "type" of filtration, chemical and mechanical. I say type because if you were to use a trickle filter than the Live rock would provide the biological, but you still have to filter out the food/detritus and have some sort of chemical filtration. Which could be like a said above-a bag of activated carbon in the sump.

I do a 10% water change weekly. For a larger tank that has a skimmer it may be more like every two weeks. I would research through the forum and find others who have a tank your size and see what they do. Larger tanks do tend to be more stable and easier to maintain.

By chemicals what are you referring to? Do you mean additives like calcium and strontium? That will be something that comes into play down the road depending on what you stock your tank with.

NO! They are cool in freshwater tanks, but not saltwater.

A hydrometer or refractometer. There two kinds of hydrometers, dip and read and floating. I use both of these, one for my quarantine tank and on for my DT. Dip and read is definitely easier to read. A refractometer is the most accurate.

A protein skimmer removes unwanted organic compounds. I think most people with larger tanks (20 g and up) use them. I currently do not have one on my 10g, but then I do the weekly water changes to get rid of these compounds.

Main List
1. Heater
2. Lighting
3. Filter
4. Power Heads (move water around so food/detritus is in the water to be filtered out)
5. Hydrometer or Refractometer
6. Salt
7. Live rock
8. Live sand

Odds and Ends
1. Power strip
2. Fish nets
3. Buckets

Hopefully that gets you started! If you have more questions, I would be happy to try and help you.

Jess

 

wow Jess! That was very nice of you to give such a detailed response - here's some karma for you!

 

Thanks oldfishkeeper,
I figure we were all there once! Thank you for the Karma too!

 

As far as water is concerned. Good RO/DI from a trusted source and confirmed with a TDS or conductivity meter is best, followed by Distilled water then RO only.

RO/DI is best when made by yourself so you alone have ultimate control of its quality and the small amount of maintenance on the filter every 6 months or so. If you cannot afford or do not want to spend the $130 for a reef quality RO/DI system then my next suggestion would be find a trusted local fish store which will test its quality in your presence or in many cases they sell premixed RO/DI saltwater but again I would want to see the TDS of the water before adding the salt along with the specific gravity of the final product.

It is rare to find RO/DI in a vending machine or in bulk such as bottles or jugs, its just not something everyone uses for other purposes. You will find distilled water at the grocery though and many bottled water delivery services sell 5G jugs of distilled water. It will be very close in quality to the 0 TDS RO/DI water in most cases. Wal Mart has 1G jugs of distilled with purple caps that is very popular.

You can find RO in veding machines but I am hesitant to recommend that except as a last resort. You are at the mercy of the vendor and the machines are not normally inspected or regulated by any health authorities so it is hit and miss. The normal maintenance consists of changing the sediment and maybe carbon prefilters andwiping the cabinet down with a bleach rag, none of which has anything to do with TDS removal. If you buy from a vending machine I highly recommend buying a $20-$25 handheld TDs meter such as the HM Digital TDS-3, TDS-4TM or their new AP series. It is a lifesaver and eye opener.

You can also find RO in jugs or bottles intended for drinking but it is often remineralized so it tastes good and refreshing. This adds TDS back in. If you buy RO make sure it is not remineralized or has any other ingredients and things like UV, ozone etc really don't add anything for our purposes. Depending on your location, I have found here in AZ there seems to be a Water & Ice type store on every corner which is staffed and not just a vending machine. I have made friends with some of the owners and staff and find them to be extremely helpful when you mention it is for an aquarium or reef. Yes it is RO only but they bend over backwards to test the TDS or conductivity for you and are pround of their small business. Eeven with our tap TDS in the 500-800 and higher range they do a good job in getting it down to the 7-8 TDS which is many many times better than tap water. Not as good as RO/DI or distilled but will work for many if an RO/DI is not in your budget or future.

Water is the single largest ingredient in a reef tank and everything depends on its quality and its stability. Good water should always be the first thing on your list as it will save some major headaches or doubts in the future.