First Salt Water Aquarium...

clownfish · 10-03-2007, 04:20 PM

Hey guys, so, this is my first salt water aquarium, I have experience in fresh water. So I'm gonna ask a bunch of questions and I hope you don't mind giving me some pointers here. I have posted in other sections about skimmer selection, etc. But I think I'm gonna start anew and from the bottom to fully understand how is done and quit confusing myself and taking so much of your time. Anyway, here it goes:

What I have: 46 Gal. bow front tank (glass), Penguin Bio-Wheel filter, Glass lid, fluorecent light, heater, 40 lbs. of live sand, 15 lbs of live rock.

My tank's 2 1/2 weeks old today, the Nitrite level is not high, but it's not too low either, and pH is at 8.0.

About Skimmers:

Now, I have heard/read many different opinions about skimmers, I have decided to go with a Remora, BUT i have also heard that I don't need one while the tank is cycling, is this true?

About Live/Dead Rock:

Do I need to have all live rock or can I mix it up with dead rock? Reason I'm asking is 'cause of the price difference between the two. If live rock only is a MUST, can I gradualy add more as I go, so I don't end up using all my paycheck on it? or do I have to do it all at once? or like I said, can I mix it up?

What else besides rocks should I add as I go? and how often.

Lighting:

My lighting (from allglass aquariums brand) came with a fluorecent bulb, but I have heard I will need a special one if I plan to have corals in the tank. Is this true?

Invertebrates or Corals:

Are these hard to keep? when can I add them? how much? and what do you recommend for beginners?

Maintenance:

As fresh water aquarium owner, I used to do a 20% water change every 2 weeks, I also used a gravel vacum cleaner and soft scraper to take algae off the tank walls. Now, with a salt water tank how often is a water change needed, if needed, how much water and how is the sand cleaned? if necessary. Please give me some pointers/advice. I'm gonna cap this question: IS A WATER CHANGE NECESSARY WHILE THE TANK IS CYCLING? AND WHEN?

Things I have noticed in my tank:

I was looking at it today and noticed that some brown spots are developing on the sand bed and live rock. Is this a good/bad thing and is it Algae? The newest pieces of live rock I added recently do not have these spots, only the old ones.

That's pretty much everything I can think of right now, I'll ask more as I start reading your repplies when doubts arise.

Also, I live in Fremont, CA, if by a wild chance any of you know of a good, reliable place where I can buy live rock, skimmers, etc, please let me know. If not, well, a good, reliable website will do too.

A final detail: I plan to have everything HOT at the moment, I will use a sump and probably a canister filter as time goes and I gain more experience, but most importantly, I want to use my $$ on what's basic and important (live rock and other things you guys may recommend).

Thank You for taking the time to read this and I'll be waiting for your repplies. Laters.

BluePhish · 10-03-2007, 04:40 PM

Hey im in the same boat as you but with a 44 gal corner. bio wheel filter, 2 penguin PH, live sand, live rock. ive read 3 books cover to cover multiple times so im not completely knowledgeless (if thats a word). im gonna tag along on this thread to see what the community has to offer.

aquaboy · 10-03-2007, 04:48 PM

well im in Pa but i think i can help a tad!

Well, as far as lights go you will need very bright and specific kelvin rated lights, such as halides and VHO and HO and Compacts (my fave) (just google them)
The brown spots are either diatoms or coralline, either will do no harm if on the rock, caralline is actually desirible.
You can mix dead and live rock, but start with live, so you get a boost on Bio filtration and it "seeds" the dead rock as you add it.
As for water changes, 20% every two weeks would be GREAT.
You don't need to run a skimmer during cycling as it won't allow as much organics to build up, resulting in a low scale cycle, wheras you want a total full blown cycle.

In my opinion all you will need is a skimmer and you could do a fish-only tank, then if you add stronger lights you could begin to venture into the art of coral-keeping (WORTH IT). I to am kinda new and agree with the price of Live rock ( i spent $200 on like three small pieces). Good luck with your venture into Saltwater!

aquaboy · 10-03-2007, 04:51 PM

Welcome BluePhish! im open to questions, and expect many other 3reefers to chime in also! this a great website, i browse it all night until my mind is ready to explode with massive quantities of new found information!

baugherb · 10-03-2007, 04:53 PM

Welcome to 3Reef

coral reefer · 10-03-2007, 05:52 PM

Hello,
Let me start by first saying that you are not taking up alot of our time!!! We are here for enjoyment as well as learning and offering experiences, successes and failures!
Moreover, you will not be able to pick up all the information necessary to make you 100% successful, as their is too much available information as well as alot of trial and error. This being said, learning from your experiences or that of fellow reefers(good or bad) will enable you become more successful and better prepared to deal with the myriad of variables associated with the marine hobby and the health, growth and brillance of your livestock!

Ok, time to answer your questions as you begin your journey towards a successful marine biotope...
Your tanks water parameters are going to be all over the place during the cycling phase of your tank during the infancy stage. Keep testing your water to track the progress of your tanks cycle.
A skimmer is an valued piece of equipment, IMO! I would run the skimmer during the cycling phase, to rid contaminants and pollutants. As for the water changes, I would NOT perform a water change during the cycling phase. After the cycling phase, I would perform a small water change every week to replace trace elements, and dillute contaminants and pollutants such as dissolved organics and particants.
The issue of lighting can be a complex one! However, to simply put it-you need to determine if you want to add corals, then break it down further as to the genera and family of species you wish to keep. This part of the aquarium concept can make or break you with regards to the success of your corals and Tridacna Clams, especially! Take the time to familiarize yourself with the terminology, types of lighting, kelvin, lux etc.! It will help you significantly and you will be glad you did!
Their is an influx of books, articles and online material to help you with your coral and invert question. I have also written some on AC(People's Media Content)

An Introduction to the Marine Aquarium Hobby (Part 1) - Associated Content

An Introduction to the Marine Aquarium Hobby (Part 2) - Associated Content

Substrate, Aquascaping and a Deep Sand Bed (DSB)? - Associated Content

Great Aquarium Corals and the Ease of Keeping Them - Associated Content

Rock can be dead or alive and if you start off with just a couple pieces of live rock and the rest is dead initially, the dead rock will become alive with a diverse and desireable population of bacteria, polychaete worms, micro and microinfauna etc. soon enough!
If you add some live rock later on after your tank has cyled through, you may run the risk of a ammonia, nitrite and nitrate spike depending on the size of your tank and the amount of live rock you add(and amount of die-off associated with it).
The spots are often times diatoms, which are common, especially with a new tank. They should go away just as quick as they appeared. Cyanobacteria and nuisance micro algaes may pop up as well. Decreased feeding, possibly a phosphate reactor or remover and a carbon additive will help you to keep your nutrient level down to deter these problematic flora from taking over your tank...
INO, hold off on the cannister filter as that is not a necessity! As long as you have biological and chemical filtration with the skimmer complimentation-you will be fine...
Spend the time on a good book(s) regarding the marine environment and hobby and that of the living animals and plantlife associated with a reef/marine biotope!!!
Take your time to do it right from the get-go!!! The more you know and the better prepared and confident you are the better off you will be as well as that of the living organisms within your closed system environment...
Best of luck and I hope I have beeen able to help you out somewhat, without getting to verbose!!!!!

clownfish · 10-03-2007, 06:14 PM

Hello Coral reefer, thank you for taking the time to respond to my post, I noticed you said that if I add live rock after the tank has cycled, I run the risk of ammonia, etc. So, I gotta ask you, will dead rock be better then once the tank has cycled and how long 'till it does? Also, how does one know when the tank has fully cycled? Do you recommend adding all the live rock now while the tank is cycling?

BluePhish · 10-03-2007, 06:24 PM

Alright i got a few quetions. Ive had my tank filled with salt water spec. gravity at 1.022, temp at 79-80(is this too high). I got 2-3inch sand bed of aragomax, i have a tufa rock arch that i carved and hoping to seed. the rest will be live rock from the LFS. the tank has been running now for 12 days with the tufa and one piece of live rock, power heads and bio wheel filter without carbon is running for circulation. im pretty sure that the rock was fully cured when i bought it. Im gonna get the rest this weekend. one actinic fluoro and one daylight fluoro, for lighting, no skimmer yet. QUESTION i got the red sea marine test lab, ive done all the tests befor and after the piece of live rock was added, PH-8.2, ammonia-0, my problem is with the nitite and nitrate tests. On the card it shows 0 ppm as a light green color, when i did the test my test tube was clear, there is no color for clear. IS it possible for the chemicals to go bad. i tested befor and after the piece of live rock and no difference in results. i know one piece is not very much bio-load but i was expecting to get some reading of ammonia, nitrate, nitrite

coral reefer · 10-04-2007, 02:49 AM

You could do it either way! Like I said above it will depend on the amount of live rock you add based on the size of your tank and die-off associated with it.
I wouldn't worry about it too much, as I have added pieces of live rock to my tank much later after my tank had cycled.
As for the cycling question, periodically check your tanks water parameters...this will give you a ball park reading as to the status of your tanks cycle.

coral reefer · 10-05-2007, 01:43 AM

Never do a water change during the cycling process, but do it after the tank cycles and I would again do a small weekly water change!