new to marinelife!

hello, im completely new to saltwater, but have experience in fresh water.
i want to get my 30gallon up and running of salt water, but dont know where to start.
i know im supposed to ad salt to my water first, but dont know what after.
should be have everything ready before i start? or get stuff as days pass?
can somebody wiht some time in their hand please give me a hand and guide me through this?
thanks,

regards,
danny

 

Welcome to the saltwater hobbie..!!! To start just to get your tank filled and begin a cycle. you will need about 30lbs of live sand... And 20-30 lbs of live rock pending on the aquascape you wanna achieve. Then RO-DI H20 mixed with salt at or about 1.025ppm. Filtration and lightin would be next. With filter's and Lighting i guess would depend on what kinda tank you want FOWLER "fish only" or Reef of course with corals..
I hope this gets your tank at least plugged in and cycling. And i am sure theres a helpin hand out there that can help where i left off or might have forgoten..

Good Luck..!!

 

take your time read alot here and ask alot of questions. live rock and live substrate a must. then take a good long cycle.... save as you go and depending on the type of tank depends on the equipment needed. do not skimp on lights or skimmer....good luck and do not let anyones comments discourage you from asking questions.... If you cant afford live rock I would go to reefcleaners.org and get the rock he has. I havent ordered yet but it is far better from the post I have read for the past month than other rock. when your ready for a good cleanup crew go to the same sight and also for macro-algae needs...Do not trust the people at your local pet shop read and study and ask about everything before going into it. it will save you money and possble livestock in the future. The saltwater is an awesome exerience. just take your time and let it happen...do not rush into it like i have....good luck...

 

Welcome to the reef! There's lots of good "sticky" threads about starting up a tank on here. Read til your eyes bleed...

 

any suggestions on lighting?
halide seems more appealing but t5 is wallet friendly.
i cant decide. and does anybody know anywhere that sells marine supplies for a decent price in ontario (preferably in the greater toronto area)?

 

look online. I started here and grew from there (info wise). There are alot of helpful people on here and can answer almost any question you have. I would suggest reading some books.... BUT don't start with salt water for dummies...i did and its not worth your time. there are some better starter books out there. In fact this forum is more useful then that book... not that i can write a book :/

 

Hi Danny,

Your post caught my eye because you plan on a 30 gal. that's what I have. My tip is water quality, get an RO/DI unit if you can...somewhere between 100 and 200 bucks. I know alot of dough for water! But bad water will be a constant irritant in the future. Your LFS may have RO/DI, this would be great.

I'm using a 250 Metal halide.

 

The only thing I didn't see on here that you must purchase is a hydrometer and a saltwater test kit. These are must!! This is the only way you are going to know if your tank is completely cycled. Metal halides are a lot brighter, I just bought some for my tank and they come with the vho's and led's. So, if you can afford it, it is worth the money. Another thing I didn't see mentioned is filtration. Almost everyone on here says a sump or refugium are the way to go with saltwater. I am in the process of making my own sump, I currently have two canister filters, which I really don't like. Only because it's hard to keep them clean and I can't put a skimmer in them or hide the heaters ect. in them. lol Good luck and again be very patient. This is one hobby that you really need to take your time and enjoy!

 

Metal Halides will put you into the world of chillers as well. It depends on what corals you want. If you only want LPS (large polyp stony) then you will be just fine with a nice T5 set up (Current SundDial is a nice option). Running MH with a chiller will also cost more in the long run with energy bills. Since it is your first salt system I would suggest starting with T5 and soft/LPS corals. They are easier to care for and you can always upgrade down the road when you have been up and running for a while.

You might also want to look into getting a sump of some sort. Even a rubbermaid container will work. Any increase in water volume will help you out with keeping your water perameters up. Once you decide on your setup ask about skimmers, usually AquaC or EuroReef are good brands, and everyone has their favorite. But ask around and see what you think. There are a lot of little things you need for a reef tank too, like supplements, test kits, power heads...

When you start cycling look around and ask what next. See what inverts you will need (snail, crabs...) and when can you start adding fish. Always being cautions and take your time is key. Ask a lot of questions and do your research will get you far.

 

Welcome to 3Reef>>>>>>