Lucky me!! I managed to snag a 75 with stand for only $50! Now what to do with it? its going to be my first salt tank. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Brand almost new 75
- Thread starter fwlionfish
- Start date
I was leaning more to reef and I need some help choosing lighting. I am thinking about T-5's. Like I said I am new to salt I have been looking around the salt forum but still pretty unsure of everything.
I have High Output T5's and they are great. I have the Coralife Lunar H.O. system. I have 4 bulbs ( 2 10,000k and 2 actinic). I know some guys on here use a certain website that has "bargain" lighting.
Are you gonna do a sump?
Are you gonna do a sump?
I dont know yet I was thinking canister. But only because I have never run a sump before. I take really good care of my tanks so cleaning the canister wont be a problem.
The problem with canister filters is you throw out a large chunk of BB when replace it. I use a AC110, as most do here. I would recommend a sump or a AC110 (which I have). Also a quality protein skimmer is a must for a reef setup. If it were me i would do a sump/refugium with a in sump skimmer
OK I like the ac110's they are good filters I have no problem running them. And question on the skimmer, how well do the HOB's work? Also would the 2 10000k and 2 acintic be good on a 75 for some beginner anenomes. And how do you know how many hermit cabs and cleaner snails to use in a tank? Lastly thanks for the help so far its nice to get some strait forward answers
HOB skimmers will very. my recommendation would be the AquaC Remora Pro. Best HOB skimmer plus it's maintence free... http://www.proteinskimmer.com/Product%20Pages/Remora%20Pro.htm
Lighting wise, should be fine. I can keep anemones in my tank... Along with softies and lps's. Some people prefer metal halide for serious reef setups.
Rule of thumb (meaning use with caution) is one snail/hermit per gallon. In my Marine Reef Handbook it said 2 per gallon, or less if they are large. I have 10 astrea snails and 10 hermits in my tank. I prob need more of both but it depends on your need. I would start with 1/3 the tank size and add form there. That being said if there is a Petco in your area, I got both my snails and hermits on sale for $1 each. It was a good deal.
Lighting wise, should be fine. I can keep anemones in my tank... Along with softies and lps's. Some people prefer metal halide for serious reef setups.
Rule of thumb (meaning use with caution) is one snail/hermit per gallon. In my Marine Reef Handbook it said 2 per gallon, or less if they are large. I have 10 astrea snails and 10 hermits in my tank. I prob need more of both but it depends on your need. I would start with 1/3 the tank size and add form there. That being said if there is a Petco in your area, I got both my snails and hermits on sale for $1 each. It was a good deal.
first off let me say is craigslist.org is your friend.
secondly i really suggest you read a lot before you dive into saltwater because mistakes cost a lot of $$.
since you have the tank and stand here is what you need to buy.
-lights (t5s would be perfect for soft corals and LPS)
-over flow (useless you want to drill holes in your tank)
-sump w/ live rock and chaeto (sumps are great because they can be set up cheaper then canisters, they can be custom tailored to your needs and they hide your heaters)
-skimmer
-heater
-1 or 2 power heads
then:
-test fill empty tank w/ water (make sure there are no leaks) then empty
-fill tank empty tank w/ ro/di water and mix salt solution w/ heater and power head running.
-leaving running for a couple of days and test for salinity. should be around 1.025... if low add salt, if high add more ro/di water
-add sand and wait until it settles
-add live rock (rule of thumb 1 lb of live rock per 1 gallon of water)
-start cycle add raw shrimp (placed in a panty hose to avoid a mess)
-test your water... ammonia spike (start of cycle), then nitrate spike (middle cycle), and then traces of nitrites (close to end)
-cycle should take about 1-2 months.
-add CUC (clean up crews)
-add fish (slowly)
i'm sure i'm missing something, but that is the jest of it.
secondly i really suggest you read a lot before you dive into saltwater because mistakes cost a lot of $$.
since you have the tank and stand here is what you need to buy.
-lights (t5s would be perfect for soft corals and LPS)
-over flow (useless you want to drill holes in your tank)
-sump w/ live rock and chaeto (sumps are great because they can be set up cheaper then canisters, they can be custom tailored to your needs and they hide your heaters)
-skimmer
-heater
-1 or 2 power heads
then:
-test fill empty tank w/ water (make sure there are no leaks) then empty
-fill tank empty tank w/ ro/di water and mix salt solution w/ heater and power head running.
-leaving running for a couple of days and test for salinity. should be around 1.025... if low add salt, if high add more ro/di water
-add sand and wait until it settles
-add live rock (rule of thumb 1 lb of live rock per 1 gallon of water)
-start cycle add raw shrimp (placed in a panty hose to avoid a mess)
-test your water... ammonia spike (start of cycle), then nitrate spike (middle cycle), and then traces of nitrites (close to end)
-cycle should take about 1-2 months.
-add CUC (clean up crews)
-add fish (slowly)
i'm sure i'm missing something, but that is the jest of it.