New to saltwater...need help

itsallme2500;4245347; said:

I have a 65 gallon freshwater tank right now and have my 29 gallon left over (upgraded)

I want to do a saltwater tank and have no experience with them.

I searched for a while on the forums but not all my questions are answered.

I want a FOWLR tank.

Im wondering about what substrate to use, how many live rocks I should buy, Really interested in somebody pointing me towards a cheap-ish but reliable light fixture and getting the lighting that is a very bright white light almost with a bluish tint to it (my freshwater light is pretty dull). And as far as lighting, should I have a glass lid or get the light that sits above the tank. Can anybody also suggest a good powerhead for a 29 gallon?
1. For substrate i'd go with a quality live sand.
2. If it were my tank i'd go with 30-35lbs of rock (i like the look of heavy rocked tanks and really rely on it for bio) but i'd go with a min of 20lbs of live rock
3. as for a cheap reliable light Hagen's Glo dual T5 HO fixtures are usually relatively cheap and put off quite a bit of light. For a FOWLR it'd do exceptionally just add an actinic bulb to get your blue tint.
I'd add the glass lid to the tank to keep fish in as with a FOWLR ya really don't have to worry about the loss of reflected light. it'll help keep evaporation down as well
4. I like Koralia's as far as powerheads go
I have a fluval 305 for right now, so what media would you suggest? I have filter floss and biomax in it right now, I dont know how different saltwater is.
Personally i don't like to use Canisters unless they're just used to polish water, in which case a quality carbon and few polishing pads would be what i'd add. maybe a phosphate remover to help keep algae at bay
Also curious if I need a protein skimmer and do I clean the tank as I would with a freshwater? Just skim over the substrate?
You don't need a skimmer, but i think they really help in keeping a system clean. when i do my tanks i usually choose the route of a skimmer, live rock/sand and powerheads for flow.
As far as cleaning substrate it depends what ya go with, if ya go with sand it will become live and practically clean itself just siphon big debris off the top.
Sorry for all the questions, it says im not allowed to PM until I get five posts and I like to have a lot of opinions.

thanks for all the help! Im still new and trying to learn!

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itsallme2500;4246538; said:

Thanks guys for the responses. As far as saltwater goes, what do I have to do for maintenance and what test kits do you recommend?
I've used API just based on availability in my area so i don't really have a preference
If I bought that light fixture that was suggested above, can it just sit right on top of the glass lid?
yes as long as there is at least a little bit of room beneath for air flow
Once I start my tank up, should I get turbo snails etc...to help control the algae?
couldn't hurt
How long will it take for my tank to cycle? I have a friend who just started one..said it took a day which I know is
if you have established live rock and live sand a day sounds normal
And what heater should I be looking for and what size powerhead?
i tend to like more flow in my tanks, but really depends what kind of fish you're getting. I'd prly go with the Koralia 2
Sorry for all the questions again

thanks!

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FLESHY;4249531; said:

Well, there are a lot of things I agree with, and a lot of things I disagree with.

Live sand IS a scam. On top of that, no sand, no matter how "live" will clean itself. I recommend getting a sand with a large enough grain that it can be siphon vacuumed.

Caribsea's "Reef-Grade" Aragonite is a personal favorite of mine, and many other hobbyists.

Rock is all about giving yourself enough places to put corals, and making your fish secure. Once you have both of those then its just up to you to make it the way you like it. I like my tanks dense with rock, but its really a personal opinion.

Sumps are the best way to filter saltwater tanks, but as it sounds like you cant do that, we are going to have to roll with the canister. None of my saltwater tanks have sumps, and all of them are doing very well. Then again, none of my systems have canister filters either. - And this is why I think that skimmers are so important.

API test kits are hit and miss...sometimes I feel okay with them, but then I compare them with a salifert, and I just wonder which one is right. Its to the point where I almost think that test kits are one of the biggest scams in the industry. Compare any three kits, you wont get two results the same.

Koralias are the best "bang for your buck" powerheads out there. If you want to get fancy and spend some money you could pick up a vortech.

Good info, lets start seeing pictures itsallme.

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