Alright as you read, my first saltwater/marine tank, been a freshwater guy all my 20 years. got a killer deal on a 90 gallon with a stand for 75$ I love you craigslist. But i was just looking for some general tips and tricks outside what you find with a simple google search. I got my sand in the tank. Carib Sea super naturals, the dry stuff. and i got about half my water in im waiting to finish it up till i get my live rock either today or tomorrow. the 1st 20 gallons or so was tap water and then the next 30 or so was RO, i plan to finish with RO,i didnt realize tap water was a cardinal sin in saltwater tanks. What kind of live rock should i buy, just the plain base rock or some of the stuff with the purple algae on it? Also what in everyones opinions could i keep in here, i dont want to cram stuff in but i want the tank to look "filled out" and have some activity in it. Thanks Everyone for the help in advance
1st Saltwater Tank-----Wish me luck
- Thread starter BIGtyme
- Start date
You got a lot of research to do! 
As far as stocking goes, you'll have to decide what kind of tank you want: community, predators, eventual reef, etc. A lot of the common stock you'll see and hear are tangs (yellow, blue are the main ones), clown fish, damsels, angels, butterfly, wrasses. Not everything is compatible with each other, however.
As for water, you want to use water that has no (or very little) traces of anything. Nitrates are exceptionally evil in saltwater tanks as it causes all kinds of algae problems.
As for rock, base rock tends to be cheaper, while the purple stuff (which is coraline algae) tends to be more expensive. There are several variations of rock, depending on where it comes from. Many people mix base rock and the more expensive stuff to put on top of the base rock.
Anyway, my biggest recommendation is to be very patient and do tons of research.
Good luck!
As far as stocking goes, you'll have to decide what kind of tank you want: community, predators, eventual reef, etc. A lot of the common stock you'll see and hear are tangs (yellow, blue are the main ones), clown fish, damsels, angels, butterfly, wrasses. Not everything is compatible with each other, however.
As for water, you want to use water that has no (or very little) traces of anything. Nitrates are exceptionally evil in saltwater tanks as it causes all kinds of algae problems.
As for rock, base rock tends to be cheaper, while the purple stuff (which is coraline algae) tends to be more expensive. There are several variations of rock, depending on where it comes from. Many people mix base rock and the more expensive stuff to put on top of the base rock.
Anyway, my biggest recommendation is to be very patient and do tons of research.
Good luck!
A good way to set it up and save a few dollars is by buying 1/2 live rock and half base rock. Live rock is just that, live. It as beneficial bacteria growing on it, algae, plus sometimes worms, shrimp, anemones (not always good), etc...
When it comes to stocking just keep in mind what kind of tank and compatibility. i use liveaquaria as a reference then buy stuff from my lfs...
When it comes to stocking just keep in mind what kind of tank and compatibility. i use liveaquaria as a reference then buy stuff from my lfs...
Are you powering anything or just for water circulation? I have the Koralia Evolution series and love it.
I used the liverock to cycle thru - everything on the rock pretty much died causing the ammonia spike. I also used base rock to save on cash but also realized alot of rock is hidden/burried so why use expensive colorful stuff that's gonna die anyways as the "Base" or interior of the stack. As for water types - I don't use R/O but I don't use srtaight from the tap either. I have seperate tanks for top off and w/c's both get treated w/ dechlorinator which removes most heavey metals w/ the help of activated carbon. Problem with tapwater not nitates - if it is the EPA would quickly get involoved, it's phosphates from fertilizers. Phosphates can prohibit the processing of calcium, much like lizards need T5-8 lighting reefs and inverts need low but preferably no levels of phosphates - not so much important for fish. You got time and like - Eastbay said research.
I agree. Koralia and ones like those spread out the water flow over a larger area, thus resulting in a gentler flow. But the Maxijets are great and there are lot of ways to modify them -- which are detailed on the saltwater forums.