first saltwater tank

[AussieMonster]

hey guys im just getting into salt after a long time on the fresh bench. this is my plan please advise with any steps or things i should be aware of. ( im very inexperianced )

give tank a good clean, ehiem cannister filter a good clean and add seachem purigen to cannister,

purchase 10kg of fine coral sand as well as marine salt ( ultimate aquacare ) mix salt with water in tank ( deep six chamber hydrometer) and turn the heater on ( eheim jager 150w ) wait a few days for temperature to rise and everything to settle.

purchase 4kg of live rock ( aiming for 15kg's ) and introduce to tank moniter levels ( aquarium pharacueticals ) over the next week. water change and then repeat untill 15kg of live rock is in tank )

** maintance will be 50L water change every two to three weeks **

once tank is ready and levels are fine introduce pair of clown fish and work from there..

what in your opinion would be the largest fish i could keep in a standard 3fter id prefer 1 - 2 large fish over 5 - 6 small ones. please help thank you

im going for a saltwater preditory tank in the end so whats in whats out like lion fish etc etc thank you!

 

[mr.reef24]

first off welcome to the wonderful world of saltwater fish keeping I will try to guide you as simple and easily as possible I have a blog about starting a saltwater tank you may want to give a read. Also I will do for you what I do with everyone new to the Saltwater side of the hobby I recommend you invest $17.00 into the best item to purchase on your pursuit to saltwater heaven. Here is the link to the most helpful book in the hobby;

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/14431/product.web

After you take the time to read this book which is about 80 pages long you will know the most essential elements to successfully keeping a saltwater tank. And, myself as well as fellow monsterfishkeepers will be here for you anytime you need. Just send a PM and i'll help you out post a thread I'll be there.

mr.reef24

 

[bromie88]

you should be able do get away with a fuzzy dwarf lionfish in a 3ft tank. i assume its 36x12x15. you'll have to keep up on the water changes though. id do about 20% a week. id also invest in a good skimmer rated way above the tank to get rid of all the crap lionfish produce. trust me i know, i have 2.

i have a fuzzy dwarf lion, and what i think is either a russels or antenna lionfish. the fuzzy is a real character, its way more active than the other lion, it will stay smaller too. they generally hit about 6" in aquaria, as aposed to other lions, such as volitans that can hit 15".

fuzzy dwarf lions can be picky though. jar jar (the one i have) is my second FD. the first one i had went on hunger strike and starved itself. it just wouldnt eat properly, no matter what i tried. some fish just dont take to captivity. jar jar was smashing brine shrimp a few hrs after i put him my tank. so make sure the one you pick is chasing food not just eating items that float past. for this reason i'd avoid mail order fish. wait till one comes into an LFS, dont ask for one though, as you will have to buy it. even if it doesnt eat.

make sure you have loads of LR to, you'll need the extra filtration. and some places for it to hide/sit. for the first few weeks it probably wont do much, but they are smart, and quickly learns who feeds them. id also suggest you get your rock in one go. if you get 1/3 of the amount you want, the tank will cycle ect. as soon as you add any more it will cycle again, the extent of the cycle will depend on the amount of new rock. it is easier to do in one go though. its out of the way then, and is one less thing to worry about.

if you want to use a canister filter. just use it for mechanical filtration. they dont work as a biological filter in SW they become nitrite factories if they arent properly maintained. they need to be cleaned once a week. but you can do that with your WC.

i use a fluval 405 on my tank. its a PITA to get into cleaning it. but once you get into the habit of doing it, it only takes a few extra minutes.