thinking bout taking the plunge into saltwater tank.i have done fresh for years,cihlids,catfish,bass... think im ready for a change ,time to brighten it up. i have been doing some reading. i want to do a fish only tank with maybe few live rocks. what is my best approach to setting up a tank,cycling it,what filtration? it will be a 75g tank.
New To Salt,Help!!?
- Thread starter hghlndr85
- Start date
dookie;4820102; said:
WHAT!!!!!!!!??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO, NO, NO, NO!!!
Live rock is very very beneficial for saltwater fish tanks. It provides a habitat for your fish, it looks good, and most importantly it acts as a natural filter. Every tank should have a good amount of live rock in it.
You should do some reading and make a plan for what you will need to have a 75g saltwater tank. Looking at what kind of fish you want to keep and then posting it here will help before you start buying so that you can get info on what will be compatible.
You will need a test kit and have the tank setup and running for at least a month with no inhabitants so that it can cycle. You will know the tank is cycled when you can test for nitrates and there is a reading. Before that the tank will have to cycle through both ammonia and nitrite which are toxic to fish. This cycle is the same as freshwater really.
As far as equipment goes you will need:
A high quality protein skimmer(most important)(I highly recommend you look at the Aqua C remora)
A filter of some kind like a canister or overflow with sump. The sump would be preferable as it holds equipment, oxygenates the water, and is easier to maintain filter media than a canister.
A couple powerheads for flow. (I recommend 2 Koralia 3's or 4's)
Some live rock(this depends on the look you want. You just don't want to restrict flow throughout the tank)
Keep reading and asking questions and put together a plan and stocklist and then post the whole thing so people can tell you what works and what doesn't. If done right saltwater is very rewarding, I am sure you will enjoy the switch.
I have never heard that before. Its the best filtration you can have as a biological agent. I personally would never start a tank without live rock. Do the live rock thing...and MAKE SURE when you fill the tank you use RO/DI water from your LFS. If not, you will DEFINITELY be sorry later. Its very inexpensive. Good luck and have fun. Dont get too caught up in the chemistry, get the basics...amm, nitrates, nitrites, ph, and salinity.dookie;4820102; said:
nonstophoops;4821311; said:
+1 to that. I was in the same situation, had FW for years and finally added a SW tank. In my opinion the initial learning curve, work and $ is much greater than FW but well worth it once it is all working good. The problem with having both FW and SW is when you start thinking about another tank you spend a lot more time debating what kind and what stock it should have.
Past experiences or did someone tell you this?.I'd love to know how you came to this conclusion.....dookie;4820102; said:
krichardson;4821373; said:
Perhaps that poster was referring to the unwanted hitchhikers that come along in live rock sometimes? I once read someone recommend (and keep in mind, this is someone who kept a stunning reef tank), that if he could do it over, he'd fill the tank with dead "live" rock. Then he'd take some non-dead live rock and scrape the coraline algae off of it into the tank to get the cycle started. (Although I personally would place a few pieces of live rock amongst the dead rubble... eventually they'd seed everything else, wouldn't they?)