Newbie: Questions

Well to start off I kind dove in this thing head first. I mean I did what I now think was a big no no, got the tank set up and did not really read into it. After fooling around with freshwater for a while I decied to get a saltwater set up. This is that I have now:
30gal tank
Hood with 17watt flouro
30 Pounds of crushed coral
5 pounds of live rock.
Undergravel filter with power head
Sumbersable heater
1 yellow tank
two damsels
1 clown
starfish(the chip kind)
and a turbo snail.

First off I am prity sure that I need more live rock I am thinking about 10 more pounds. Also what else do you guys think that I need? Also this is what I think may get me in trouble. How much should I feed them? and the big thing was what kind of maintaince should I be doing and when?

I am a uber noob.
Urban

 

Undergravel filters? Those things are common in freshwater, dunno if it's gonna prove useful in a saltwater setup. It will basically be a detritus trap and will be a pain to clean in the long run. If going reef, light isn't gonna cut it and might want to bump it up for FOWLR. Again, if your going reef, your gonna wish you never got that star, they are carnivorous and have 0 respect for inverts or corals. Submersible heaters are a good idea for winter, but placing them in the tank can accidentally burn inverts crawling alongside it or on it while scanvenging for food on the glass.

You might wanna re-think a lot of stuff you started with and decide what you wanna shoot for. Good luck!

 

30 gallon seems pretty small for a yellow tang. I don't think they are recommended for anything under a 55 gal.. That being said I would get a heavy duty skimmer on there as soon as possible. Your going to be running a pretty heavy bio-load and I personally would want as much filtration as possible. Live rock is also a excellent bio filter, so i would definitley add some more. Good luck.

Eric

 

Well I am not going reef with this tank. I want to go reef with my 55gal when I move. I really dont know to much about reefs how should I go about getting filtering?

 

You should invest in a good Protein Skimmer and maybe a HOT filter like a penguin biowheel 350 since your are only doing a fish only tank. You will need the biological filtration if you get rid of the Undergravel filter. I like the penguins because you can remove the biowheels if you decide you dont need the bio filtration. You may also want to add a couple powerheads as SW fish require more water flow than FW and it will also help prevent dead spots in the tank. You should also plan on 1-2lbs of live rock per gallon, then you can get rid of the bio filters.

By the way, undergravel filters do work for fish only, but you have to vacum the deep sand bed regularly. I used this method along with a 650gph power filter 35yrs ago without any problems.

Good luck!

 

When are you going to get the larger tank?

As long as you keep it as a fish only tank and don't overfeed the UGF will do a good job for you, but probably not for an extended period. While you are waiting for the opportunity for the larger tank take some time and study what is required for a reef tank. My personal preference is to fing one good source of information, like a GOOD book or a great website ( like 3reef ) and sticj with that otherwise you will simply get very confused.

John

 

Don't trust everything that your LFS says and tries to sell you. If your not sure of something that your LFS says, ask around or 3reef

 

Agree with reef lover 200%!

 

I will be getting a larger tank in a few months. But I wanna go reef with that tank. So a protein skimmer and another power head? I am thinking of getting about 12 pounds of live rock this weekend. Anyone know where I can get some for a good price?
How do skimmers work and what do they really do.
Is this a good one?
http://cgi.ebay.com/AquaC-Remora-w-...itemZ7749543763QQcategoryZ46313QQcmdZViewItem

 

How large a tank are you going to upgrade too? Thats a good skimmer and you can use it for up to a 75g with the right pump, but if you are planning on going any bigger you might want to go with the Remora Pro or some other higher end skimmer. Skimmers remove waste products from the water. You should be able to find a used one on ebay for $100-150. Do not get one with the Rio 800 pump, you want the Maxijet 1200 or the Mag 3.