i just bought a saltwater tank from friend. he had someone set it up for him and cant help. i want to know if anybody can tell me how to put water in, etc. Freshwater is my thing lol. btw the tank has a little bit of water and 2 fish and a snail. should i put an air pump for them?
How to set up a new saltwater tank
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Youll need to beef up filtration, if you want to stay with hang ons go with aquaclear 110. Could use canister but clean media regularly in bucket of saltwater to remove waste. Invest in a good protein skimmer as well. If its going to be a reef then its a whole new ballgame. Best thing to do here man is to grab a book. The best beginner sw book is the conscientious marine aquarist, covers everything. There are too many aspects to cover post by post so maybe narrow down a few important questions you have and we can answer them accordingly. Do your research and dont cheap out on crappy equipment, itll really inhibit your success.
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Thanks, i really appreciate. I plan on a FOWLR tank. The tank has some really nice lighting system, i forgot the name. If i plan on corals in a few months do i need to change anything in the water? and what tests do i need to do. the tank came with a trashbag full of tests and two powerheads.
Forget the idea about the air stone...the ocean doesn't have pockets of bubbles coming out of the sand....Throw a powerhead on each end of the tank, and make sure there are very few dead spots of current...
If you are going FOWLR, make sure you get fish that don't bother corals or eat inverts if you plan on changing it to a reef in the future. As you will likely not see your shrimp any more if so.
When adding coral its a whole new ballgame like he said... FOWLR tanks only require you to test salinity, ph, and nitrates....
Reef tanks essentially you need calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, nitrates, ph, salinity, and nitrites all checked on a regular basis...not to mention that corals need to be fed regularly as well, and also need a higher degree of light to produce zooanthellae.
If you are going FOWLR, make sure you get fish that don't bother corals or eat inverts if you plan on changing it to a reef in the future. As you will likely not see your shrimp any more if so.
When adding coral its a whole new ballgame like he said... FOWLR tanks only require you to test salinity, ph, and nitrates....
Reef tanks essentially you need calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, nitrates, ph, salinity, and nitrites all checked on a regular basis...not to mention that corals need to be fed regularly as well, and also need a higher degree of light to produce zooanthellae.
Most Reefers started out as FOWLR's, you kinda have too as it's hard to grow corals in an immature eco-system. There are tons of different types of corals some so easy to maintain like Gorganians (Sea Fans) that actually prefer immature tanks to those with lowered nutrient levels. Others on the other hand need to be seroiusly pampered in all aspects of water chemistry and lighting - it takes time to get your head around all this stuff.
Choosing Reef fish only is an excellant suggestion if a reef is in your future - keep reading and researching - take it slow.
Choosing Reef fish only is an excellant suggestion if a reef is in your future - keep reading and researching - take it slow.
Yes starting a reef right off the bat isn't the greatest idea. There is a lot of redundancy in the testing that you have to do so its easy to slack on the precision of the water parameters. Some people get it right away and some don't. Its easy to spend 30 to 100 dollars on a nice looking frag to only have it die a few days later.
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