saltwater Q?

[redbellyPirahna4]

i am gonna be setting up a nano6
i have fiji ls coming in and a nano powerhead coming in this week

to mix the salt with water do i have to get ro water from lfs or can i just use tap water?

since i am just starting the tank should i still leave the saltmix out for the night then add it or can i just put it in right away since i have nothing in the tank?

do i have to put a heater in the tank and if so wat temp should i set it at and would a stealth heater work fine in there?

 

[redbellyPirahna4]

opps posted in wrong section can a mod move it to the proper one

 

[BIGgourami]

well if it's your first SW tank i would rethink the 6 gallon.. more like a 20-30..

as for setting it up. this is how i do it...

test the tank for leaks/clean it out
test and clean equipment
LR
LS
bowl on sand bed
mix and pour water into the bowl so it doesn't disturn the sand too much
place and turn on all equipment (filter, powerhead, heater, skimmer, lights etc..)
begin cycling

tap water is ok as long as you don't want a reeg tank and dont have nitrates in the water.. otherwise i really suggest Ro water

 

[OnceLoyal]

I would go wuth the water from the local shop to be honest. To me starting out messing with salt is a real pain in the arse. Just another thing you need to worry about. Nutri water gets expensive, but it is good stuff. If they have naural water taken from the ocean I would go with that. Cheap and usually the salinity and everything else on the charts is pretty dependable. If you have the salt already and want to go that route you can mix it in tank if nothing is in there with no problem.
I would also as stated above consider going a little bit bigger, unless you think you have a good idea of what is going on with the "marine" tank. Just rememebr the smaller the body of water the faster things happen.
You can put the sand (in the bag) att he bottom fill the tank up with water and then cut the bag and gently poor sand. Either way is ok. GL man and let us know whacha up 2

 

[redbellyPirahna4]

thanks yeah i already bought salt the oceanic one that makes 50gal so i should b set for a while for salt, i cant go bigger cuz i already have a 55 and 29 set up and i have to get rid of the 29 cuz my mom is making me and to convert the 29 to a sw i think will be really pricy for all the stuff i would need.
for the filter setup that is in the nano should i keep the bioballs, ceramics, carbon? and if so how should i layer them bioballs on bottom, then ceramics, then the carbon. or since the fiji live sand is coming with some pieces of fiji rock and the cheato stuff should i make it to a little fuge in where all of that is supose to be and how would i light the fuge? and wat should i keep the water temp at for the tank??

 

[water_baby83]

for the filter setup that is in the nano should i keep the bioballs, ceramics, carbon? and if so how should i layer them bioballs on bottom, then ceramics, then the carbon. or since the fiji live sand is coming with some pieces of fiji rock and the cheato stuff should i make it to a little fuge in where all of that is supose to be and how would i light the fuge? and wat should i keep the water temp at for the tank??

Ok first things first - You said you are going with a Nano6? Well that's pretty small, so do keep in mind that not only will it be a bit more work to keep your parameters stabilized, but you will also be quite limited as to what you will be able to house in such a small area. If you are wanting to do corals, you will need to make sure that they are docile ones, such as mushrooms, zoanthids, xenia, or other small polyps that are non-aggressive and do not require great amounts of living space. Most other corals - soft and stony alike are more aggressive, and possess nematocysts, which can inflict injury on the unsuspecting tank-mate, or neighboring corals, and a large number of them will release toxic chemicals into the water, raging a chemical warfare on your tank, potentially killing everything.
So with that in mind - you need to decide what you are going to be keeping in your tank before all of your questions can really be answered effectively.

When it comes to your filter, do you have built in or will you be running an external source? You want to have at least your three main categories of filtration no matter which way you go, and those are:

Mechanical - - Filter pads, floss, or screens (to remove large particle waste)
Chemical - - The most basic and inexpensive, not to mention popular route with this is activated carbon(removes colors, odors, nutrients, and suspended solids)
Biological - - Ceramic rings, Bio Balls, Bio Bale, etc., etc. (establishes colonies of beneficial bacteria which break down and absorb accumulated toxins such as fish waste, decaying plant matter, etc.)

The way you want to layer any filter is with the Mechanical stage first to remove the large and undissolved particles from the water. The next layer you want is the Biological stage, as this is where your water is going to be "filtered" by the resident bacteria which feeds off detritus and toxins in the water. The third phase you would want is the Chemical filtration. This is pretty much known as the "polishing" stage, where pigmentation, odors and remaining solids are taken out of the water by the activated carbon. There are a million ways you can build up a filter, and several stages you can add onto these, but if you are simply looking for the basic requirements then go with this.

Another thing you will want to consider is a surface skimmer that can be attached to your main filter body. This will remove surface debris from the water such as oils, dissolved organics and wastes, not only improving the water quality further, and allowing more light to penetrate the water, but also more oxygen to pass through the water.

If you seriously wanted to create a fuge, it would need to be an inside one as a HOB fuge is not going to be possible for you. Additionally, I am not even positive they create them small enough for your tank, at least not practically.
I would advise you against this because you are already limited to your available space within the tank, and thats with it being empty. Add sand, rock, and anything else, and you can pretty much cut your space in half, with an actual footprint for live stock of that of a three gallon. If you have a decent filter, adequate circulation, aeration, and addition of supplements, plus the right choice of cleaners and plants, there is no need for anything else - like a fuge. IMO you would be wasting your time, money, and space within the tank.

There are several ways to set up a tank, and everyone has their own ideas as to what is easier, or what they prefer over the other methods. How you chose to fill your tank is up to you, but surf around the general salt forum because there have been several others who were also just starting out with saltwater, and in their threads I am sure you will find additional information that you seek.

When it comes to the water specifically, you have a few options:
** You can purchase the salt and mix your own with tap water:
If you do this, fill a large container with as much water as you will be using this particular time, throw a few air stones into the container once you have filled it with tap water, and allow at least 24 hours to pass before mixing in your salts. This gives the water time to "air out" from all of those "Filtering" chemicals the water plants use to treat our waters - a main one being chlorine, which is toxic to fish. Most of the harmful chemicals will dissipate and evaporate within this time frame as long as the water is aerated. You can also make sure to stir it often during this period too. Once at least 24 hours have passed, you can mix in your salt to the container, make sure to keep an eye on the salinity, and then add it into your tank.

** You can purchase salt and mix your own with purchased RO water:
If you do this, there is pretty much no waiting time. It will cost you more though because you are paying for them to filter the tap water for you. Only bad thing is that your RO water will be completely void of all nutrients and essential elements and will need to be supplemented once you have mixed in your salt, before adding it to your tank. RO water is good because you know that the water you are getting is "clean", however this is a more expensive route.


** You can purchase pre-mixed saltwater from you LFS:
This is one i strongly advise against, simply because you do not know where they are pulling this water from, or what it has been exposed to and therefore might be harboring (disease, infection, etc.). No matter what the assure you of, it's a gamble, and one that I am never willing to take.

**You can purchase packaged natural sea water:
Most companies who offer packaged sea water have already filtered the water, but there is also those which offer organic sea water. With those you would need to be cautious. While the idea of having 'fresh' sea water in your tank is appealing, you also need to consider the potential danger you are inviting from parasitic larvae, disease, unwanted algae and other plant spores, etc. If you were to go this route I would highly suggest investing in a UV filter to ensure that your water was being cleansed of potential dangers.

Ultimately the choice is going to be yours, but doing your research, asking questions, and starting off prepared will provide you with a much better chance at success, and make it that much more enjoyable.
Hope this helped some. Let us know if you have additional questions. Thanks!

 

[doomsau]

WOW, lots of things to think about