I'm thinking about starting a new saltwater tank, my first one. i'm going to go with a 40 gallon tank to start. could anyone give me a detailed explanation on exactly what i need, and how i should set it up? with reef and all. please and thank you!
first tank
- Thread starter Agliata45
- Start date
Agliata45;5022192; said:
Okay, I'm fairly new to saltwater, too, but here are some basics that I picked up when I was starting out:
- Cycling-- This is a must. Do this properly and expect good results for the future inhabitants of your aquarium. There should be some detailed guides on the forum about it.
- Salt-- Get yourself a good salt mix such as Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. Also, be sure to get something to measure the specific gravity (salt levels) with, e.g. a hydrometer. You'll want your SG to be in the 1.023 to 1.025 range.
- Live Rock-- While not completely necessary for all saltwater aquariums, it will make your life easier and is quite possibly the best form of biological filtration for a saltwater aquarium. Have this in your aquarium from the start including during the cycle. Get the highest quality live rock possible to ensure that your saltwater aquarium stays as healthy and balanced as possible. The old saying was one pound per gallon, but more is good, too; just make it work for you and focus mainly on quality. This stuff is also needed in order to maintain a successful reef.
- Sand-- Get some good quality aragonite sand. Figure on one pound for every two gallons of aquarium volume. Be sure to add this from the start, including cycling.
- Lighting-- You mentioned wanting to do a reef, so you're going to need some pretty intense lighting. Look into getting metal halides or a T5 HO light fixture. Have your lighting up and running from the start, including cycling.
- Protein skimmer-- Get one of these: It will make your life so much easier and is extremely helpful for maintaining excellent water quality. Look into getting an AquaC Remora; they're the best bang for your buck. Turn this on after the aquarium is fully cycled.
- Filtration-- Be sure to have great filtration. Many people have found sumps to work well.
- Circulation-- Get some powerheads in there to keep the water moving to prevent excessive bad algal growth. Look into the Hydor Coralia Nanos. Have these up and running from the start, including cycling.
- Heating-- Keep the water in the mid-70's F, and all should be well. Have your heaters running from the start, including cycling.
- Clean-Up Crew-- These critters will keep your aquarium relatively algae-free and detritus-free. Get plenty of snails, such as turbo snails, to help keep the algae to a minimum. Hermit crabs will help with the detritus. Add these critters at any point; after cycling is preferred.
that was awesome thanks a lot! you even named specific products. i do have a freshwater tank already running so i do know about cycling and all that, but i figured saltwater is totally different. ill do more research on it and hope more people reply to this thread!
Cycling for saltwater is a lot easier than freshwater.
Get some live rock...Maybe 15lbs at a time every week or so, according to test results...And then wait about 6 weeks or so or until the tests are good.
The koralias are good from what I've heard...I'm trying to get my mom to buy me two right now for a 10g I'm setting up. You would probably want two in yours, but bigger ones...Maybe 2 600gph. That would be great flow.
I'm stealing this link from FLESHY - www.aquatraders.com is good for cheap light fixtures.
www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com is good for other products such as the koralias and protein skimmers, etc.
You'll learn more about those later on.
Stocking the tank in a saltwater isn't exactly the same though...
Generally saltwater fish need more space per fish. I'm saying generally because this isn't true for all species. Some gobies, I think, occupy a 1' x 1' area their whole life in the wild (apart from finding a mate).
For your 40g tank, I would stock it with a firefish, a pair of clowns, goby of some sort, and then some inverts and corals. If you're doing a reef, you want to focus more on the corals rather than the fish. Compared with a lot of saltwater fish, most corals are quite delicate.
Get some live rock...Maybe 15lbs at a time every week or so, according to test results...And then wait about 6 weeks or so or until the tests are good.
The koralias are good from what I've heard...I'm trying to get my mom to buy me two right now for a 10g I'm setting up. You would probably want two in yours, but bigger ones...Maybe 2 600gph. That would be great flow.
I'm stealing this link from FLESHY - www.aquatraders.com is good for cheap light fixtures.
www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com is good for other products such as the koralias and protein skimmers, etc.
You'll learn more about those later on.
Stocking the tank in a saltwater isn't exactly the same though...
Generally saltwater fish need more space per fish. I'm saying generally because this isn't true for all species. Some gobies, I think, occupy a 1' x 1' area their whole life in the wild (apart from finding a mate).
For your 40g tank, I would stock it with a firefish, a pair of clowns, goby of some sort, and then some inverts and corals. If you're doing a reef, you want to focus more on the corals rather than the fish. Compared with a lot of saltwater fish, most corals are quite delicate.
so wait...theres a difference between one live rock and another? lol. like for a 40 gallon tank how much money is gonna cost to get said materials. i'll find a tank on craigslist no worry about that but besides the tank what would i need and whats it going to cost me?
No, but you don't want to shock your system by adding 40lbs of live rock all at once.
The live rock you can also get off craigslist for $1-2 a lb, and the powerheads are $30-40 I think. That's all I know really.
The live rock you can also get off craigslist for $1-2 a lb, and the powerheads are $30-40 I think. That's all I know really.
Agliata45;5022478; said:
Getting started with saltwater, especially a reef with corals, is going to be pretty expensive if you buy everything new at regular prices. You're looking at spending at least $1000 to get started at regular prices; you can save a ton if you buy stuff used and/or on sale.
The major kickers will be the light fixtures, the protein skimmer, and the live rock:
- You're going to need some pretty good lighting for a reef, so there's no getting around that part. You're looking at $200+ for lighting. Here's what I currently have on my 55 gallon aquarium for lighting.
- The protein skimmer is another necessity for a reef or saltwater in general. The AquaC Remora will run you around $150 to $190 if you buy it with a pump and the drain fitting. Pay the extra $20 or so to get the drain fitting; it will make your life so much easier. Just attach the properly sized tubing and have that empty into a five gallon bucket to avoid having to empty the collection cup on a frequent basis.
- Lastly, you have live rock. I have found live rock near me in the $5.00 to $8.00/lbs. price range, so if prices for you are anything like they are here then you're looking at some pretty pricey stuff. Be careful about getting live rock off of Craigslist; if it hasn't been in a running aquarium for longer than a few days then it's most likely all dead and therefore useless for its main function. You can also order it online from vendors such as LiveAquaria.com in the realm of $3.00/lbs. plus shipping and most likely end up with much higher quality rock. You're looking at $200+ on the live rock.