I Am Veeeeery New!

[Waddi]

As by the title you can see that i am new to this gig. I have a freshwater tank at the moment here is a picture with one shark (because he is a bully):

I was just wondering what i need to setup a new tank, on my list i have:

New gravel (Sand)
Fan (Water circulation)
Protien skimmer
And maybe a new filter i have a Elite Hush 20 (But i dont think it works with saltwater)
Already have heater.

Anything else im missing apart from live rock and fish?!?!?! :D

 

[Bifferwine]

Hello and welcome!

Definitely go with sand over any other type of substrate. Pass on gravel or crushed coral.

Depending on what size tank you have, you may need more than one powerhead for water movement.

If you get a protein skimmer, then you will not need any other type of filter.

If you want a reef tank, you will need lights.

For live rock, aim for 1 to 2 lbs per gallon of tank size.

Saltwater is slower than freshwater, a good rule of thumb is to add no more than 1 fish every 3 weeks. Also, you are much more limited for space than in freshwater. 1 fish per 10 gallons is a good rule to follow.

Other than that, you will need a hydrometer or refractometer to measure the salinity of the water, you will need salt (obviously!) and saltwater test kits for pH, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have you. Biff has you covered on setting up a salt tank.

 

[Waddi]

OK. I have a Sun Glo T5 15W Lamp.
I was thinking about getting Geo Systems Natural sand but i didnt know if it was suitable for a saltwater tank.
I have a 50 Gallon tank, so maybe 25lb of live rock?? Ohh and how would i obtain Coral or live plants like anomene (Bad spelling?) I did see some at the local pet store (Petcetra for anyone who lives in Nova Scotia) But didnt know if they would sell it.
I am having to order in from America on amazon because i cannot find any decent Skimmers.
([ame=http://www.amazon.com/Coralife-Super-Skimmer-Protein-gallons/dp/B00374TUZM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1286063197&sr=8-3]Amazon.com: Coralife Super Skimmer Protein Skimmer for tanks up to 65 gallons: Kitchen & Dining[/ame])
Looked good for my experience.
How would i go about mixing the water, tap water?? My water comes from the lake and goes through a filter and UV is that good???

Sorry about all the questions!!! :mrgreen:

 

[Bifferwine]

The light that you have is not sufficient to keep any corals or anemones. You need to aim for at least 4 watts per gallon. So if your tank is 50 gallons, get at least a 200 watt light. A 15 watt light over a 50 gallon tank is fine for fish only, but not any photosynthetic inverts.

You would buy corals and anemones at any saltwater store, but like I said, the light you have isn't strong enough to keep them. Anemones require an established, mature tank. Usually after the tank has been set up for a year.

1 to 2 lbs of rock per gallon, so 50 to 100 lbs of rock.

What kind of filter do you have? Is it a reverse osmosis unit? Ideally, it should have at least 4 stages. If you don't have a good filter, you shouldn't use tap water, it leads to algae problems. Apparently, Canadian water quality is a lot better than American water quality, so you may be fine using tap. Be sure to use an additive that dechlorinates it.

 

[little_fish]

No, we like people who ask questions first and then go out and do stuff.

I am not familar with that sand brand nor could i find it when i googled it (didnt look too hard though), but if its is similar to this: Marine Substrates: Ocean Direct Caribbean Live Sand at Foster & Smith Aquatics you are probably fine. You want a sand that will slowly dissolve over time, stabilizing the pH of your system.

And i suspect that the light isnt what you want for saltwater. Look for T5 or metal halide lights if you want to do corals. If you only want to do fish, then that light will probably be fine. Below is a link to a good light, so try and find something similar if you want to do corals. With lights, you tend to get the quality that you payed for.

Current USA Nova Extreme Pro T5HO 10k/460nm Actinics

Also, you want 1-2 lbs per gallon, so i would shoot for around 75 lbs for your tank. You can get dry base rock and just a few pounds of live rock and the base rock will turn "live" in no time.

There is a thread devoted to vendors who sell in Canada, that would be a good place to find corals, fish and equipment. Some local pet stores have good stuff too, just see if their live stock is healthy, tanks clean and the staff is knowledgeable. Also you tank wont be ready for an anemone until at least a year. They can kill everything in your tank if they die, and they are some of the hardest animals to keep in this hobby. They need lots of light and pristine water conditions, which you usually dont have until your tank is around a year old.

Also that skimmer isnt very good. Like lights, what pay is what you get. Reef octopus is a very good brand, and you also want one rate for twice your system size.

Also to mix your water you buy salt and add RODI water. RODI water is very important because tap water (your lake water included) will have things in that can cause lots of problems in your tank like algae overgrowth and if there is copper in it, it will kill any invertebrates that are in your tank. You should get a refractometer so you can measure the specific gravity of your water. If you want to a reef try and keep it around 1.025, but if you have only fish then it is ok to do 1.021.

Welcome to the site too!

Any other questions?

 

[little_fish]

ah, biffy beat me too it : (

 

[Bifferwine]

Check this thread out. ;)

https://www.livingreefs.com/vendors-ship-canada-t23997.html

 

[sen5241b]

You can hold off on the expensive metal halide lights and go with a Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR). FOWLR tanks can be very nice!

 

[Waddi]

So, now im thinking of just a FOWLR for starters (because i can always add more stuff in a year or two?)
But i have been browsing and i like the idea of the "Skilter 400 Power Filter" as it has some good reviews and it is two in one, and i dont have much room to spare and cant afford to have a sump.
Also can i use water that you use to fill up the cooler tanks with?? Or does it have to be special water? I dont understand the term "RODI" Reverse osmosis somthing somthing....... :shock:

I do apologize for all the questions i hate to be a nuisance. Just i am confused and would like to get it right!!! :12:

 

[Paligues]

Don't worry about the questions, we like them! Gives us something to do :P

I've never liked combo filters, but I guess its up to you. As long as you have a protien skimmer, you should be good.

From my understanding, sumps aren't completely necessary. My girlfriend's step dad ran his 125g without a sump for years.

As per the RODI (reverse osmosis deionized) water, the water in those huge blue jugs are RODI water. The thing you have to watch for is 'Natural Spring Water' because as far as anybody knows, it was filled up in the back room. Looking at it economically, it actually is much more cost effective to buy the RODI unit than filling up those jugs and lugging them around.

 

[dcantucson]

Welcome to the forum.

The abbreviation RO stands for Reverse Osmosis and DI is short of De-Ionisation, which are both techniques of purifying, removing the impurities from, tap water so that it is suitable for use in a marine aquarium. RO/DI is using both techniques, first RO then DI, to obtain the water. RO by itself has difficultly removing some of the ions from the water, so typically that treatment is followed by DI to ensure the last lot are removed.

The difference between RO and DI water is the technique used to remove the impurities/ions. RO uses a semi-permeable membrane which is fine enough so that essentially only water molecules will pass through it. As a result you produce about 3 times as much waste water as purified water. DI uses ion exchange resins, which exchange the ions in the water, such as iron, magnesium, copper for hydrogen and nitrate, sulphate, phosphate for hydroxide. DI is fine to use, and if done correctly is better quality than a straight RO system (without a DI on the end).

 

[dcantucson]

The Skilter Filter you referenced wouldn't be very good IMO.

Something like this would be much, much better.

Reef Octopus Hang on Back Protein Skimmer BH-100

 

[Paligues]

+1 dcantucson! I even learned something there :P

 

[Waddi]

If i got a protien skimmer would i need a filter or would it not be necessary?
I was also thinking of setting up a very small 10Gallon as well as my tank (I love fish) But this small one would just be a little "fun" tank if you get my drift. Would i still need a protien skimmer for it or just a small filter because of its side.
And i relly dont know what sand to use or where to get it, you see my LFS does not have a great selection and its a bag called "Geo systems natural susbstrate" or somthing along thos lines. Is that fine??
Thank you for answering all my questions your guys are legends!!!!!!! :bowdown:

 

[yote]

Forget the skilters.They are crap.
Go with the skimmer that David linked to.All you need for filtration is a good skimmer,good live rock,and plenty of water flow.

 

[Chito]

Ugh, Petcetera. I used to work there when I was a kid. I never worked at one in Nova Scotia, but if you have another option for a LFS, I'd recommend you take it. There's a reason we used to call it "Deadcetera".

 

[Waddi]

Yep Petcetera is not the best place, i am having to order most of my stuff in Online from Amazon ect.
But the Sand/Gravel substrate i bought today, it is almost like sand but very fine crushed gravel almost, i am hoping it will be fine for the Aquarium it is the only thing that is worrying me, because i cannot find any other decent base sand, i have a picture for you!!

Dont know if its ok??

So now i need just a skimmer no filter then?? I will get the Octopus one then, looks good to my Newbie eye!! :D

 

[Bifferwine]

That looks to be just fine for sand.

No filter is needed if you decide to go with a skimmer.

 

[Paligues]

There are a few places in canada that you can order stuff online. One really good one that I've been dealing with is JL aquatics. Just google them. They have some awesome stuff.. Actually check out the https://www.livingreefs.com/vendors-ship-canada-t23997.html. Biff showed this to me.