Starting 75g first salt water tank

Fitler · 07-01-2009, 02:24 PM

Hey guys, I am pretty new here and joined up a couple of months ago. Anyways I have had experience with FW and much success with it. However curiosity and the want to do SW has overtaken me. I have read many many threads and topics here and have gotten some great info from all around the web. Right now I just have the 75g and its stand sitting here empty as I begin to plan out the tank. At first I was going to start out with a small 10 or 20g setup but I realized that any error on my part will be better sorted with a larger tank and I knew that I would just want to upgrade anyways. I don't care how much planning or time it takes to get this thing going I want to do it right the first time. I must say I feel a bit overwhelmed with everything I am reading. Its so much more involved then FW but I am up to the challenge. Unfortunately money is not in tight supply but its not like I have thousands to spend right now on this so its going to be a slow moving process and will take some time to get all my ducks lined up. I have so many questions that I literally cannot think of where to start.

My biggest concern right now is what route I am going to go with on the filtration for this thing. I would really like to go the sump/refugium/skimmer route but I want to start simple and plus I don't have the $$ right now for that. I do know that a good quality skimmer is needed and I know not to skimp on that. I think to start off with I am going to begin with a AquaC Remora hang on skimmer seeing as how it seems to be regarded as a good choice. It fits the budget well enough and the quality seems to be on par also.

Then we have lighting. My ultimate goal as of this moment is like I said, simple. Down the road, when the tank is established for awhile I would like to add some corals to the live rock but not anytime soon. I know also that its good for the tank to be established for awhile before adding any and then I will have to rethink the lighting to accomdate them. The tank came with one single flourescent 48in light and I of course will be upgrading. I found some T5HO fixures online that I am looking into. Here is the link... http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...ory=FILTFIT5T5

I was thinking of doing two of those ontop of the tank to give me a total of 216w which will be about 2.6w per gallon. I need information though on this and what kind of corals and whatnot can survive with that kind of lighting. I realize that in some cases you need upwards of atleast 5w per gallon but thats not the goal right now.

I also have yet to look into powerheads that I will be using and also I have to start looking into getting live rock to cycle this thing when the time does come. Now when I get my live rock, can I just add it to the newly setup tank or what? I know live rock has to cure but wont it be fine to cure while the tank is cycling itself? I also need suggestions on substrate. I want to have a live sand substrate also. Of course all of this is just what I am considering right now. I welcome any and all suggestions any one has. Like I said, im doing my research first and taking my time with this one.

Judge · 07-02-2009, 07:30 AM

Bravo Fitler for doing the research ahead of time and taking the steps necessary to do it right!!

I have the Aqua C Remora and am very happy with it. I would get the live rock, live sand and cure/cycle together. Patience truly is a good thing to have. As far as stocking and lighting goes, again research is the key. I would look at every fish and coral and see what is compatible with what along with your likes/dislikes and then make a fianl decision on lighting. Good luck, and keep in touch, we would like to hear of your prorgess.

Fitler · 07-02-2009, 12:40 PM

Oh I can promise I will keep up to date on my progress with this. I am very excited to get started. Each time I do more research I seem to tweak my ideas and plans a bit each time and get better at it. Right now its just a matter of getting all the pieces of the puzzle together here. Its going to probably take a few weeks if not more to get it all together but thats fine with me. Im going today and am going to pick up the salt mix along with a heater and I want to do a black background on the back of the tank.

Another thing, how reputable is ebay when it comes to buying live rock and such off there? I found a place that sells it for about $3 per pound and they claim its real, not cement and it looks very good in pictures. My local fish store has a lot of live rock but I can't tell if its good or not. Its fiji rock but I don't know if its actually real live rock and not cement made into live rock.

Then when it comes to heating would it be possible to maybe place the heater inside the protein skimmer somehow to hide it or is there no way to do that. I have never had a skimmer so I don't know quite yet how they are constructed and whether they can hold a heater and just heat the water as it spits it out.

I was also thinking of getting a biowheel filter for this thing and placing some live sand/small pieces of live rock in the back of it for added filtration. Has anyone done this? It would just be a small imitation of a refugium until I actually go to the length of putting one in the stand down the road. At that point I could just take the hang on filter out and clean it then use it for my freshwater tank.

Judge · 07-02-2009, 04:45 PM

Hi Fitler, I have not heard of trying to add the heater to a skimmer..don't see how it be possible with the Aqua C Remora. As far as the "bio wheel" I think IMO they are a bit gimmicky. I have a Marineland 350 Canister. Works great, not the easiest to change media, but a hard working filter none the less.

As far as Ebay goes, I can tell you that I have had nothign but excellent experiences with anything "live" I have purchased from there. However, I did not get my live rock there, I believe I used Aquarium Guys for that and it was the best. Quick ship, reasonable prices and superior packaging that providede limited die off.

I hope this answers some of your questions, if not ask away.

Fitler · 07-02-2009, 09:32 PM

Your doing a great job at answering these questions. I will consider a canister filter instead of a biowheel, truth be told I was kinda skeptical of those myself especially on a salt tank. I just liked the idea of being able to create a small refugium for the time being.

Here il show you what I found on ebay, I think it looks pretty good but then again im new at this so you would probably know better.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Live-Rock-3-50-L...3%3A1|294%3A50
I love the look of coraline by the way so I will be trying my hardest to get it to flourish in my tank when the time comes.

I also plan on doing a small quarantine setup before adding anything to this tank. I don't do it for my FW tank but I know its a must for salt because the last thing I want is disease. That brings me to another thought.. UV steralizers. Is that something I am going to want to help guard against ICH and whatnot and how will one effect the rest of the tank?

Judge · 07-03-2009, 07:49 AM

OH YEAH..live rock sound and looks good and since you are just starting off on your saltwater adventure I would say go for it. Usually you can tell what kind of person/company you are dealing with by their feedback..this place is 100% +.
Quarantine tanks are always a good idea. You don't want to introduce anything bad into your tank...can take forever and two days to get rid of some things.
As far as UV goes, well I get my water now from Walmart. Yep, good ole Wallyworld. For me, it is not any more expensive than my RO/DI unit (which had so much waste) plus I have the added benefit of the UV. Cost is .37 per gallon and I do not have to worry about what's in it. Since the switch I have not had near the issues as with my own "city" water. I have a large holding container where I mix up the salt/water ahead of time so I can ensure that the temp/SG are the same as in the tank. I asually let it sit for a day or two before water change.
Again, I would like to say, "good for you" for taking the time to research and ask questions. Many do not, or get impatient and throw some fish in without any thought.

Fitler · 07-03-2009, 10:47 AM

You get your water from walmart? How does that work? I want to order a RO/DI unit from the Filter Guys but if theres something else I could use I would be up for it. You say you have the added benefit of the UV, meaning you do have one am I right? Also, I am probably going to have a few questions about the quarantine process when I get to that point.

Judge · 07-03-2009, 03:59 PM

Yes, they have 1 and 5 gallon jugs that are a one time buy. From then on I load up my jugs and go fill them up. I have two 5's and quite a few 1 gallon jugs. The water at Walmart is RO/DI that has been thru UV. I have never had a UV but I did have RO/DI unit 75 GPD that I think had much more waste water than pure water so it was costing me way too much. At Walmart it is a machine that you fill up your water. Works out good for me, and I do not mind toting the water. Does that clear things up a bit??

Fitler · 07-03-2009, 10:24 PM

Interesting, yes that answers it. I think I may have to go to the Walmart here and see what they have. I wouldn't mind carting the water around. About how often should you change the water on a salt tank? I have read different opinions and I realize it varies between different people. I have a couple questions too about quarantine tanks that has been bugging me because I cant find an answer.

Okay, so I plan on going and just getting one of those 10 gallon pre setup tanks you see at the store. You know the ones that come with the tank, filter and heater all together. Anyways I realize the goal is to get the water in the small tank to match as closely as you can to the main tank. When I set up the quarantine eventually, should I use water out of the main tank and maybe just put a piece of live rock in thats already been cured in the main tank? This quarantine tank obviously will be setup after the main tank is cycled through. Also how long from that point do I have to wait until I can put a fish in quarantine? The quarantine tank will have to cycle itself right? Even if I do use water and rock from the main tank? Also, do quarantine tanks have to be setup all the time or just when you need to use them? Also, is it okay to just use a simple over the side filter on a quarantine tank, like one of the filters that comes with the tank? Oh and one other thing, yes I know a lot of questions. Lets say I have put a fish in and over the course of a few weeks the fish is fine and ready for the main tank. Does that fish have to be acclimated to the main tank or can I just plop it in the main tank? What would your recommendation be as far as stocking up on medicine in the event of a disease? If I get a fish that does have a problem, what are some basic things I might want to have handy in case?

Whew okay I feel better lol.

PS. I see you have a FW tank with discus. I have one discus myself in my tank and I love those fish. If I wasn't going to saltwater route this time, I would be doing a Discus tank.

Judge · 07-05-2009, 09:30 AM

Ok Fitler, let's see if I can cover all your questions (or give it a whirl at least.)
First, I do a 30-35% water change every week. I make the water up ahead of time in a giant plastic tub that has a heater and powerhead in it to assure it is mixed well and the correct temp. Besides, IMO that is the only thing powerheads are good for. They can and will eat your saltwater friends.

Second, yes, you can add some live rock from your cycled tank. Please resist the urge to place corals in there. Some medicines will destroy corals. Just an added thought. (I know a guy who did that). Yes, I would cycle the quarantine tank, and then add whatever rocks from the already cycled display tank. As far as how long to hold fish in the quarantine tank, I would say a couple of weeks should do it. By that time IF anything is going to show up, it more than likely would have done so. Since you never know when problems will occur and when they do, especially with a saltwater tank, time can be crucial so I would leave the tank going 24-7. As far as the filter goes, since you should not have much of a bioload, I think your filter will be just fine.
Third, on the acclimation issue. Even if I knew that all parameters were identical, I would still acclimate. You can never be 100% that testing equipment or user err might not be off enough to at least cause some stress so I would acclimate for temp, and then slowly add some main tank water over a period of a half hour and then net the fish to place in the main tank. I would not transfer the water...just the fish.
Lastly, I am picky about my water conditions and IMO if you maintain good water quality and quarantine practices then disease should not be an issue. I keep no chemicals in the house. I have added Purple Up, something to combat Red Slime/cyanobacteria, and treatments to battle Aiptasia. No other chemicals do I add. I am not a fan of adding a bunch of chemicals, so I am probably the wrong person to ask for advice on what to stock up on, sorry.
I love my Discus, I have a Dragon and a Cobalt Blue, who is the boss of the tank. I also have to admit I have just started cycling my old 55...........