Helping my dad get back into saltwater aquarium care

[JoeBoxer]

Hi everyone,

Long time aquarist here (20+ years), but only in freshwater. Don't know the first thing about saltwater tanks. My dad used to keep saltwater, but a very long time ago (30+ years).

He has had several freshwater tanks since then, but is finally taking the plunge back into saltwater.

He has his eyes on a 240 L (63 gallon) rimless tank. It is 48Lx16Dx19H.

The guy at the LFS talked us out of trying Coral right off the bat. More expensive, more work, etc. He said for a non-coral tank we will need:

- heater
- filter (recommended Fluval FX4 for this tank)
- marine light (less expensive than the coral lights but more expensive than freshwater lights)
- crushed coral substrate
- dead and live rock mix
- extra pump to keep up the water circulation

He told us that we do not need a protein skimmer, that is only necessary if we are planning on keeping coral.

My dad and I have been reading many articles and watching videos to try to get up to speed. As you can imagine, it is quite daunting given how much stuff comes up online when you try to look this up.

My two basic questions are:

1) are the equipment recommendations correct?
2) are there any good reading/videos sources you can recommend for us?

Many thanks for any help or support. Looking forward to getting this tank setup!

J

 

[Deadeye]

Skimmer is a handy tool, it helps to get crap out of the water that usually only water changes takes care of. Not necessary for nano, but it is typically used on bigger reefs. You don’t need one, but it certainly helps.
If going strictly fowlr, it really isn’t much more difficult than freshwater. If planning on doing coral eventually, you might as well get the necessary light now and not have to buy 2 lights. Many easy corals out there too like leathers and xenia that are no more demanding than Anubias.
I like sand substrate but I’ve seen crushed coral work too.
Pump or wavemaker is a good investment for large tanks, as you mentioned.
I also recommend a 10 (or 20) gallon quarantine tank. There are some nasty parasites in saltwater and you don’t want those getting into the tank.
What kind of fish was he thinking? That would certainly affect some components of what is and isn’t necessary (high maintenance fish will need all the equipment while something like damsels are no harder than cichlids).
I’m pretty sure bulk reef supply is known to have lots of helpful videos.

 

[JoeBoxer]

Thank you! That is very helpful. Not 100% sure on fish but nothing too difficult, at least not right off the bat. He wants a harmonious community tank. Thinking clown fish, some sort of angel fish, blue tang, etc. He was thinking of having a moray eel but not sure if that would fit the setup.

 

[xenacanth9]

I hear skimmers are kind of expensive but make things a lot easier in the long-term

 

[Deadeye]

Thank you! That is very helpful. Not 100% sure on fish but nothing too difficult, at least not right off the bat. He wants a harmonious community tank. Thinking clown fish, some sort of angel fish, blue tang, etc. He was thinking of having a moray eel but not sure if that would fit the setup.

Something like a snowflake or golden dwarf moray could potentially fit specifically the golden. Blennies are known to be very eel like.
The larger angels would get too big, but the dwarf angels like cherub, flame, or coral beauty would do well.
Blue tangs get very big (10-12 inches), but even more so, they are very active. 180 gallon minimum is recommended. Kole tang or yellow tang are pretty much the only options for that size tank, and even then are a squeeze. With all tangs, they move a lot and need lots of grazing room to stay healthy.

 

[JoeBoxer]

Something like a snowflake or golden dwarf moray could potentially fit specifically the golden. Blennies are known to be very eel like.
The larger angels would get too big, but the dwarf angels like cherub, flame, or coral beauty would do well.
Blue tangs get very big (10-12 inches), but even more so, they are very active. 180 gallon minimum is recommended. Kole tang or yellow tang are pretty much the only options for that size tank, and even then are a squeeze. With all tangs, they move a lot and need lots of grazing room to stay healthy.

Thank you!!

 

[xenacanth9]

The golden would be a better fit due to size, however they are far more expensive. Choose wisely

 

[BIG-G]

I would start with the basics.
Make sure you have a plan/place for mixing saltwater for changes.
A basic setup can be a plastic tub or new trash can with a heater and small power head pump.
You will also need a saltwater test kit and hydrometer or refractometer, the latter being my preference. Refractometer’s have came down in price considerably and are more accurate than the floating style hydrometers.
As for the filtration recommendation, Fx filters are great and do a good job but…
In my experience canisters filters for saltwater tanks are not ideal for many reasons.
Maintenance on canisters can be a hassle and anything harder to do tends to get put off, and when that happens the accumulation of salt and calcium/mineral deposits on surfaces build up and seals start leaking pump impellers get noisy and blah blah blah..
You get the point
Ideally IMO a sump is the best way to go.
If that’s not a possibility then I would start with a couple HOB filters like Aquaclear.
The HOB type filters are looked down on by some of the more elitist of the saltwater hobby, but for someone just starting out or getting back into hobby HOB filters are a good option.
They offer a lot of space for mechanical filtration and some biological. (If you are adding live rock this should be just a bonus for bio because the live rock will provide that)
HOB are lots easier to visually inspect and maintain.
I agree with Deadeye that a simmer isn’t necessary but are handy. They can remove a lot of muck before it has a chance to pollute the water.