BRAND NEW SETUP(by a noob)

Hi Guys,

My names matt and i live in the uk, i am setting up a marine tank, its a 4 foot 38 gal tank, i intend to go for coral and about 10 - 15 fish currently i have:
>tank (£10),
>coral sand (£20),
>2 heaters (£20)
>a rack of 5 39w lights (£200 - got for £62!!),
>TETRATEST PH SALTWATER TEST KIT (£5 for each kit)
>NUTRAFIN HAGEN NITRATE TEST KIT...
>nutraRAFIN AMMONIA FRESH/SALT (NH3/NH4) TEST KIT...
>NUTRAFIN NITRITE TEST KIT
>refractometer (£20)
>LArge tub of red sea coralpro salt (£50)
>3 * thermometer (£5)

I need

20kg live rock
Skimmer
Filter
powerheads

currently my shopping list for the above consits of:
Hagen Fluval Fx5 External Filter
£105.73 £105.73
M.P1200 Powerhead 1100Lph
£16.04 £32.08
Deltec MCE300
£96.44 £96.44
Subtotal £237.07
VAT £41.48
Total £278.55

are these the right choices/ are these good prices - can i spend less on the skimmer or filter and still get the same results?

Look forward to sucking everyones knowledge and becoming a productive member of this forum.

Many Thanks

Matt

 

hi you don't want to go cheap on the skimmer, the filter you don't really need, i would get more rock then your planning on also

 

I think the amount of rock should be fine for now, it's about 45 lbs of rock, fine for a 38 gal. tank, you can always add more. One point, you mentioned that you want about 10-15 fish. In that size tank you shouldn't get close to that. The amount of fish depends on many factors and there have been threads on the topic debating back and forth. But it is safe to say that 10-15 is way too many. If you have 10-15 in. of fish that should be ok.

 

Hi Matt- I don't know much, but the folks on this site will give you good advice, and they're friendly, too!

 

Welcome to 3reef Matt. 10-15 fish in a 38 gal tank is ALOT!! Actually, your pushing the envelope, big time!! It can be done however, but with a great filter system to keep the NH3, No2 and No3 down. Good luck and keep us posted. Luna

 

I, personally, would not attempt 10-15 fish in a tank this small. Just my opinion...I have a 55 gal set-up and I only have 4 fish. That's just me, but I also have a very wide variety and assortment of corals (everything from soft, sps, and lps)...Fish produce a lot of waste that can cause lots of fluctuations in your nutrients...unless you have a super skimmer and a lot of live rock...10-15 fish is WAY too much for that amount of water...at least, that's what I think, anyway.

 

lot of fish you need a excellent skimmer and a refugium wouldnt hurt either. now if you have 10-15 small fish like citron or clown gobies it wouldn't be very bad.
the biggest change between fresh water and salt IMO is getting used to the fact that nitrates are deadly to some animals. in fresh i never even cared about nitrates, or very much about nitrites either. but saltwater livestock isnt as forgiving especially inverts.

 

Welcome!
I agree that 10-15 fish would be a lot, but it could be done (depending on the fish). If you want a large lvestock and corals though, plan on a little more rock. about a kilo per gallon, maybe just under, would be a good amount for a heavily stocked reef. Your equipment list looks decent, but you didnt say what type of lights you had, as that will be the main factor in what corals you can keep.
The only other suggestion I have is with the powerhead. You will have MUCH better results, with numerous, small powerheads rather than one big one

 

Hi Matt,

Welcome to 3Reef.
Its good to see another Brit on the site. Where abouts are you based?