First Salt Tank!

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Amaroq

Amaroq

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 1, 2007
490
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In The Little Town Of Bedrock!
Hi all,

So I recently got a 75 gallon and I'm trying to decide what to do with it. I think I wanna try salt for the first time and I wanna go with a two 'Wet Pets'. I was thinking a eell of some sort, SnowFlake or Jeweled, and then maybe a Niger Trig? I picked both only because they look cool, I have no idea if they could be kept together. Thats why I'm asking :nilly:So this being my first tank what would I need to make it salt? I have a 20 long that I was gonna do as a sump on the 75 and then I picked up a AC110 for free that I'm gonna throw on for extra flow. Is that all I need to filtration? Would that be adequate? Would I NEED to buy an RO unit or could I buy RO water from like a grocery store? I only use RO when I'm topping up the tank right? I can use tap water with the salt and thats okay? Do I need to get rid of the chlorine first? I'm a total newbie with salt! haha

I think I'd like to do some live rock and maybe small things like Zoas if possible? Just something that could add a little but of colour to the rocks at least?

Would love to hear your input!
 
It is NEVER advised to use tapwater in a saltwater tank!!! Especially if it is from a municipal water source. Have it tested first at a LFS that specializes in saltwater fish and inverts. Buy an RO unit, it is the safest way!!!!
 
RO unit isnt necessary unless your tap water is garbage. All an RO unit does is remove chlorine and reduce the hardness of your water (i used to sell/install RO units in peoples houses). Iv run my saltwater tanks for years useing Prime to condition my tap water, then mix with salt. As for filtration, Ac110 I believe has 500gph, so that should be ok for a 75gal, I have 2 Emperor 400's on my 90gal with a 65gal protein skimmer and I havnt had a water quality issue in over 2 years. So depending on your stock you will want to consider a protein skimmer or at least upping your filtration in the future.

As for stock, Snowflake Morays are perfect starter eels and max out around 2'. I wouldnt recommend a jewel moray as a starter eel, they get bigger and thicker than snowflakes but maybe a possible tank mate in the future if you upgrade. Either way lots of Live rock is essential to run a healthy marine tank.
 
I used Tap water in the beginning - the tank was a mess - overrun with red slime algae and nitrates that were uncontrollable.

Switched to an RO/DI unit - no red slime controllable nitrates.
 
Otherone said:
I used Tap water in the beginning - the tank was a mess - overrun with red slime algae and nitrates that were uncontrollable.

Switched to an RO/DI unit - no red slime controllable nitrates.
Click to expand...

It all really depends on how clean your tap water is, luckily mine is actually pretty good so I haven't had any problems.


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I live in an area where we have quite high pH (around 8.0 or so) I'm not sure of how hard the water is though. Assuming its of an okay quality I would be fine to just use a water conditioner like Prime for example? With a FOWLR system its to my understanding at least, a bit more forgiving as far as water quality goes then a reef tank, is that true? How would I go about testing my water quality? Do I need to invest in something to test for chlorine/chloramines or would a general test kit be alright? Should I really worry much about my Calcium and Phosphate levels if I'm not doing a reef tank? I can pick up an Instant Ocean Hydometer at work for around $5, would that be a good investment or is that a low quality product?

Will a Niger Trigger and a Snowflake eel get along together? Can I add other fish to the tank or is that good as far as stocking goes? I'd love to try and get an anemone and get a clown or two to live in there but if that isn't realistic then I won't be heartbroken to not do it. I know Saltwater tanks generally have lighter stock then a freshwater tank of comparison.

Could I get away without a skimmer for the first little while? A few months or so? I've read for filtration not to worry about Bio as that is what my sand and live rock are for, so does that mean for all my filters I should just do pure Mech? I'll be adding an Eheim Eco 2232 just because I'll have it laying around. Will the Eheim, AC110, and a 20 gallon sump be enough filtration/flow? Would I still need to invest powerheads? I'd like to skip them if possible just because I like having less equipment in the tank for looks. I haven't really decided how many GPH I wanna do with the sump. I think I'll just be doing a 1" PVC overflow I believe that gives me around 600 GPH. Would it be a good idea to incorporate a refugium? What would I put in it? I really don't know much about saltwater sumps... lol In regards to skimmers, whats the best style? IE Hang on the back, inside the sump etc.
 
Definitely get the hydrometer (necessary equipment for salt tanks), and no you dont need a protein skimmer right away, just stay on top of waterchanges and maintenance and you should be ok as long as you dont overstock. Iv always run FOWLR setups and I never bother worrying about calcium and phosphate, just pick up your basic saltwater test kit from your lfs (about $40), it will have the basic tests you need to get by. Again dont worry about chlorine, as long as you CONDITION your tap water with something like Prime, your 100% safe.

For your stock, Morays and triggers (also puffers) generally arent a good mix as the triggers love to nip at the morays tail. Not sayjng it couldnt be done, its just not advised. Large clowns might be ok, but eventually may end up as food for the snowflake, youd be better off with one of the larger clown species. If your lookimg for tankmates for a snowflake, fuzzy dwarf lionfish make great company, some colourful tangs or small angels. Look through my album on my profile for ideas if you want. Iv kept many different types of predatory fish over the years.
 
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