Setting up for fish only

2

2fastlx

Reefing newb
Hey guys, I just joined the forum after lurking for a bit, and have a few questions. I am doing a fish only 46-gal. When adding water, would it be better to use a reverse osmosis/instant ocean mix, or collect some clean offshore water? (I live in the keys) I have read here that tanks need to cycle before adding fish. The local pet store has a crushed coral mixture that supposedly has bacteria in it, and requires no waiting when used. Does this sound right? I want to make sure everything is done properly as I dont want to run into an issue down the road. Also, what would be a good water change routine for this size tank with 4-5 small fish and a couple small inverts in it?

Thanks for any help,
John
 
If you can get water that you know for sure is clean you can use it. There are downsides though, you'll need to do water changes more often as the ocean water will "die" in our tanks. Also, you risk introducing bad things like parasites and disease into your tank that way.
Your tank will need to cycle before adding fish, the way to get that started is either by adding live rock or, after you setup your tank, drop in a piece of shrimp and let it sit in there to start your cycle.
I would not use that crushed coral, the large size of the substrate can trap food and waste which can cause nitrate spikes later on down the road. You'd be better off using a regular sand for the bottom of your tank.
 
Welcome to the site. As far as the routine for water changes go, I think most people do a 20-30% water change every 2 weeks..

As far as crushed coral goes, I don't have any experience with it, but I've read threads that say stay away from it because it can trap detrituts and other gunk, in the tank, possibly causing harm later on down the line. Most people use some form of aragonite, it comes in different sizes from medium to fine.

Ha Ha Ninja'd by BL1
 
Thank you both for the quick replies. Now that you mention argonite, I remember seeing that there as well. As far as live rock goes, Im not familiar with it. Does it require anything special to keep it (lighting, ect)? What is the time frame for letting the tank cycle? I may just go the reverse osmosis route. A buddy in the neighborhood has a 150gal/day system, so it shouldnt be a problem.
 
Live rock is rock/coral skeletons either from the ocean or established aquariums. Live rock is a natural filter in our aquariums. It doesn't require anything special for it. Every tank takes different lengths of time to cycle, it can be anywhere from a few days to a few months to cycle. You just need to test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates to find out when your tank finishes cycling.
 
Yeah, you definitely want to use RO/DI water to mix your salt with. Live rock is the rock that you see in saltwater tanks, it acts as a natural filtration system. When purchasing LR you want to look for rock that isn't real "dense" you want rock taht has lots of nooks and crannies in it. Cycling time can vary, typically it will take between 4-6 weeks. Until the tank is completely cycled you shouldn't introduce any livestock. There are some good newbie read threads around, give me a minute and I'll find them and post the links.

Nija'd Again!!Curse you BL1!!!

Here's the link for the articles.

https://www.livingreefs.com/3-great-articles-every-newb-should-read-t26698.html
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys and thanks for the articles PRC. I guess I was confused between "live rock" and actual coral. So in a nutshell, I would set up the tank, add the water and sand, add live rock and then wait for the levels of ph, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite to be within normal limits?
 
You don't need all live rock, you can use some live rock and mostly dry rock (it's usually cheaper that way). People have varying definitions of "normal limits". So, before you start adding things you'll want your ammonia and nitrites to be 0 and nitrates should be between 0-20ish.
 
Good to know BL1, thank you. If I have it correct, dry rock will become live rock eventually over time? I'm trying to remember, but isnt there a formula to use to figure out how many inches of fish a tank will hold without overpopulating?
 
Yes, over about a 2-4 month period the rock should become "live" and you'll see it starting to change color and look like all the other rock in your tank. That inch rule that they use for freshwater doesn't really work for SW tanks. But you should be able to keep 4-7 fish (depending on their size of course)
 
The inch per gallon rule pretty it about as usless as tits on a boar hog when it comes to saltwater.Reason being,a lot of the fish,even when small ( 3 or 4" ) still need a lot of room to swim.
 
Thanks guys, one inch per 10 gal. sounds familiar. So if I understand this right, the live rock actually filters the water? I was going to get a bio-wheel filter. The pet shop recommended one (emperor I think) that had slots for 2 cartridges. I think they said I could put 2 different types of filters in it or something. Do the bio wheel and the live rock filter different things, or would I just have double the filtration by having both?
 
The emps are good HOB's it should have a total of 4 slots,2 for floss and 2 for whatever you choose....usually carbon,i'd use chemi-pure...Live rock as a filter just isn't what it is said to be.i thought it was a good filtration too,but then read this http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/feature/index.php
that whole 1 inch -10 gallon,i mean cmon,who here does that:lol:...well i guess i do,simply because i hate a crowded looking tank
 
Alright, guess I should have done a search first. It seems the consensus is that bio wheels are no good. What are my options as far as supplemental filtration in addition to some live rock. I obviously need something to move some water to get some oxygen in there. I was doing some reading on protein skimmers, would this be a better route than a bio-wheel, or is it overkill for a fish only tank? Sorry for all the questions, Ive just been doing so much reading my head wants to explode:mrgreen:
 
I know what you mean and everyone will have different opinions....Being one of the few on here with a FOWLR,i run no skimmer ,i have hob's(aquaclears,they have nice big open boxes) turned into fugeses...I do have bio wheels for 4 years now,no problems ,except trates at about 5...which is nothing to a fish.I run chemi pure in one and i have 200+lbs of LR..(did this before i read the article,but i guess it does something).....just ask away,and i'll give my opinion as others will too,then thats when we all start butting heads:lol:
 
Thanks nemo, that makes me feel a little better:Cheers:

From what I read the problems people have with them seem to be from lack of cleaning. If I do regular water changes and scrub it each time I shouldnt have an issue right?
 
I would just skip the Emperor. Those types of filters tend to lead to high nitrates. Which is fine in a fish-only system -- fish can tolerate nitrates, inverts cannot. If you are considering doing a reef setup down the road, then I'd advise you to get the right equipment from the start. A protein skimmer and live rock will be all you need for filtration. If you do get the Emperor, all the cartridges and filter pads will need to be cleaned regularly, about once a week. If this sounds like too much work and hassle, then go with a protein skimmer. They require very little maintenance. I clean mine about once a year.
 
This is true,i clean mine 2x a week,but its really not that big a deal,IMO and my trates never go past 10,usually hover at 5....i always knew i'd have fish only,or at the very least ,easy stuff like shrooms.Still great filters IMO..
 

Similar threads

M
Novice needing advice!!
Replies
0
Views
1K
montgrl99
M
A
Filter jbj 45
Replies
0
Views
5K
Aggrofish
A
R
Need Help lowering nitrate levels
Replies
3
Views
3K
Rmckoy
Rmckoy
J
Hello everyone! New tank issue @#$!
Replies
9
Views
4K
SarahSmile
SarahSmile
ShadoWReX
WOW!!! A lot has changed...
Replies
1
Views
2K
Ian
Ian
Back
Top