My first marine tank and I have a lot to learn! Please help!

[KristaM92]

I would like to set up a 46 gallon tank with a dwarf lionfish. I've always kept freshwater, never marine. So I have a lot to learn. Basically, I need a step by step on how to do this. What equipment do I need? Do I need HOB filter or just a protein skimmer and a power head? What do I need to make the lionfish feel comfortable in his home? decor? substrate? Also, are there any tank mates the lionfish could have in a 46 gallon?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[gotfish1000]

go to this site and purchase his guide i used it to set up my tank and it has been the best purchase i has made for my tank!!!! http://www.mrsaltwatertank.com/getstarted/

 

[Wiggles92]

I would like to set up a 46 gallon tank with a dwarf lionfish. I've always kept freshwater, never marine. So I have a lot to learn. Basically, I need a step by step on how to do this. What equipment do I need? Do I need HOB filter or just a protein skimmer and a power head? What do I need to make the lionfish feel comfortable in his home? decor? substrate? Also, are there any tank mates the lionfish could have in a 46 gallon?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Minimal Recommended Start-Up (minus filters):

• Aragonite sand-- enough to form a 0.5" to 1" layer (unless burrowing fishes are being kept); 30 lbs. should be more than enough
• High quality dry rock-- one pound per gallon or so
• High quality live rock-- just used for seeding the dry rock; check for parasites and other nuisances
• Protein skimmer-- not sure on brands for larger ones; be sure to oversize it since it's your most important piece of equipment
• Powerheads-- circulation is very important and helps to prevent dead spots & detritus build-up
• Lighting-- go for a 50/50 split of high K rated white lights and actinic (blue) lights
• Heater-- shoot for one that will keep the water at 78°F
• Salt mix-- I've used the original Instant Ocean and Coralife salt with good results; get enough to get a specific gravity of 1.023 to 1.026
• Mixing container-- Mix and aerate your saltwater for a few days before using it for water changes; a large Rubbermaid garbage can works nicely
• Saltwater test kit-- Very important; get one that does at least pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and phosphate
• Hydrometer-- Used for testing salt levels (specific gravity); refractometer is way more accurate than a hydrometer but costs much more

For your filter(s), a sump is preferred over HOB filters which are preferred over a canister filter. Biological filtration is king in saltwater which is why a sump is preferred above all other methods of filtration because it gives you more room for extra live rock and macro algae (such as chaeto); you can also keep your heater and protein skimmer in the sump to reduce the amount of equipment on the display aquarium.

Also, do not buy the "live" sand that many stores sell; it's not actually live and is not worth the money.

 

[fishy12]

Be careful with lion fish if you get stung you could be in some trouble because of toxins, I been told by people around MFK that its kind of like how a bee sting works with toxins if your allergic to the lion fish sting you could be in trouble if not it will just hurt a lot. I recommend octopus protein skimmers, for filtrations I suggest a sump, they are better bio filtration, but a lot of live rock could help out. If you have more specific questions post them or check out the search bar I know its boring but does help a lot. Here is a good link on lighting if you plan on adding corals or anenomes.

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html

 

[Wiggles92]

You need to cycle your aquarium prior to adding any livestock. You need to have the sand, dry rock, and live rock in place prior to beginning the cycle as the goal is to get the sand and rock seeded with the beneficial bacteria that account for your biological filtration. Be sure to have the saltwater mixed, aerated, and heated to the proper temperature prior to filling the aquarium. You will also want to get your powerheads in place and will have to adjust them during the cycle in order to optimize the flow across the rocks in order to prevent dead spots where detritus will pile up. You do not want to turn the protein skimmer on during the cycle as it will only slow down the cycle; you may turn it on once the cycle is complete a few days to weeks prior to adding the fish(es). I also recommend turning on only your actinic lights during the cycle as they will help to give the coralline algae (the pretty pink/purple/green/white encrusting & beneficial algae) a head start as those algae love actinic lighting.

 

[KellyFrancis]

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html

Wow. What an article...I think I'm going to be cross-eyed for a week! lol. Lots of handy info in there! Thanks for posting that!

for the OP: For what its worth, I'm new to the game too and I've been debating for weeks whether to go with LED's or MH's on my FOWLR. That article, while I didn't understand half of it, was very useful in making that final decision.

Good luck!!

 

[cichlid_king]

Wow. What an article...I think I'm going to be cross-eyed for a week! lol. Lots of handy info in there! Thanks for posting that!

for the OP: For what its worth, I'm new to the game too and I've been debating for weeks whether to go with LED's or MH's on my FOWLR. That article, while I didn't understand half of it, was very useful in making that final decision.

Good luck!!

Hope you went with LeD's. MH's are way overkill for FOWLR.

 

[KellyFrancis]

Hope you went with LeD's. MH's are way overkill for FOWLR.

Well the idea is to eventually go reef but yeah I did. I got the Current something or others on liveaquaria.