Hi all, ok, here is where I am, I have a 75G with 2 Albino Oscars (Ceron and Cyrus) I have had them for a few months and things have been going wonderfully. Now, I have been getting the NEED for another tank and I have been very curious about a marine set up. So my What, Where, When is sort of that exactly. I know you need a tank, and a filter but that is about it. What sort of equipment do you need? (Explained in detail please) also how does a marine setup differ from tropical? Just basically a run through a marine setup and everything that goes with it. Any help would be greatly apreciated
What, Where, When??
- Thread starter Theunis
- Start date
Have you read the below sticky yet ?
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136531
It will give you a good idea of the minimum requirements of a salt water set-up.
For filtration I would suggest a good amount of live rock and a really good quality skimmer. Although others have great success using canister filters, IMO live rock and a skimmer is a better way to go. Once you have had a chance to reseach a little more you can deside for yourself. You will also have to decide if you want a FOWLR or Reef set-up. If you want a reef tank, then lighting will be very important and you’ll have to make sure you will have enough light for the corals that you will want.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136531
It will give you a good idea of the minimum requirements of a salt water set-up.
For filtration I would suggest a good amount of live rock and a really good quality skimmer. Although others have great success using canister filters, IMO live rock and a skimmer is a better way to go. Once you have had a chance to reseach a little more you can deside for yourself. You will also have to decide if you want a FOWLR or Reef set-up. If you want a reef tank, then lighting will be very important and you’ll have to make sure you will have enough light for the corals that you will want.
Theunis;4736805; said:
There are definitely some differences when going with a marine setup. More vigorous flow, higher water quality, and a stable salt level to name a few. I am assuming you want to start with a Fish Only With Live Rock(FOWLR) tank and am including the requirements to do so. If you want to do a reef tank, you will need to add to this, mostly in the lighting.
Depending on the size of tank you are looking to setup will make a difference. If you are going to do something like a 55 gallon or bigger you will want to have the tank pre-drilled. As I am sure you are aware, you can buy these pre-manufactured from the store. You can just get a hang on back overflow box, but having a pre-drilled tank will make life a lot easier. You won't have to worry about loss of siphon, starting and stopping the siphon, and noisier overflow.
Seeing as how I am recommending an overflow, I am suggesting you have a sump on your setup. You can go with canister filters, but I believe that in order to do it right and keep high water quality you need a sump. The sump can be a manufactured one or even better an old tank. The bigger the sump the better. You will be able to silicone in baffles into the sump tank to accommodate for heaters, skimmer, return pump, and refugium(not necessary but recommended).
I apologize if you already have all this stuff set up on your freshwater. The main things needed for a successful marine tank are...
1. Protein Skimmer-In my opinion every marine tank should have a high quality skimmer that is overrated for their tank size. This is not an area where you want to try to save money. Depending on tank size you can put a hang on back protein skimmer or one that would sit in your sump. For tanks 75 gallons I really like Aqua C remoras(or the pro model).
2. Vigorous water flow-This will be achieved through a combination of things. Powerheads, return pump from sump, and skimmer. Flow increases oxygen saturation(key for marine tanks) and keeps wastes in suspension for removal by filtration. You will want to achieve approximately 20 times the tank volume per hour of flow. You want 1500 gallons of flow per hour or more. You want to create as much turbulent flow as possible to simulate the ocean. Aiming powerheads at each other across the tank or at an angle off the glass will help a lot.
Example. Tank 75 gallons. So, return pump 500(make sure you account for head height. If you keep the pump 5 feet below the top of the tank water level it will lower the flow significantly compared to the rating which is at water level.), skimmer 100(Only if hang on and I wouldn't include this in the number.), and powerheads(ex. 2 Koralia 3's).
3. Live Rock-This is one of the biggest differences compared to Freshwater. Buying quality live rock will help keep your tank very healthy. The rock helps with biological filtration, breaking down ammonias into nitrites then nitrates and then into hydrogen gas which just leaves the tank into the atmosphere. It also provides food for some fish, hiding places, buffers ph, and helps keep calcium levels high. Good live rock is right up there with protein skimming as the most important. People use a general rule of 1 pound per gallon of tank size, however, all rock is different in density and would lead to very different results. You should add enough rock to make the tank look nice, provide hiding places for livestock, but not impeding flow thru and around the rock.
You can have a successful tank with just these things. Ideally, you would add a few things.
1. Sump-Like I stated above, they can house the skimmer, heaters, return pump, and refugium. The larger the size, the more they will stabilize your tank, more water to dilute wastes. They also increase oxygen saturation within the tank water. It also leaves you the flexibility to add other things if you want like UV sterilizers, Ozonizers, etc.
2. Refugium-This is not necessary, but can greatly improve the quality of life for you inhabitants. A refugium basically is a separate environment for a Deep Sand Bed, growing macroalgae, and letting small creatures grow without predation. The Deep Sand Bed is an fine aragonite sand bed(cannot be silica based or coarse sand) at least 3 inches deep. It completes the nitrate cycle much like live rock to keep water quality high. The macroalgae(Chaetomorpha is the easiest in my opinion) grows under light to capture nutrients which you harvest and remove from the system. The small creatures, sometimes not even visible, break down wastes and provide food for some fish as they float through the water into the return pump and into the tank.
You will also want to have less than an inch of aragonite sand in the bottom of the display tank.
You will need a container to mix saltwater in as well to stabilize both temperature and ph for at least 24 hours before doing a water change.
I hope this helps, please continue to ask questions. It may seem overwhelming at first, but it isn't much harder than freshwater when you understand the differences.
The only main differences is that marine setups are more inclined to sumping, usually include a skimmer, and usually use powerheads. (I know some freshies do too, but its not as common.)
Other than that just salt and a hydrometer or something else to determine salt content.
Other than that just salt and a hydrometer or something else to determine salt content.
Welcome to the site. I highly suggest doing some reading in this section, and many of your questions will be answered.
Nothing against Dustin, but take what was posted with a grain of salt (no pun intended). You don't need a lot of that stuff to maintain a healthy happy marine tank. Focus on mechanical filter and biological filter and you'll be fine.
Nothing against Dustin, but take what was posted with a grain of salt (no pun intended). You don't need a lot of that stuff to maintain a healthy happy marine tank. Focus on mechanical filter and biological filter and you'll be fine.
Zoodiver;4736987; said:
I think a skimmer, powerheads, and live rock is about as simple as it gets. I informed him of other things that will greatly help. I think sumps are very helpful for marine, but like I said not necessary.
Yes, to be honest you can get away without a skimmer, I dont know why you wouldnt get one though.
For beginners however it doesnt necessarily need to be a big ordeal to go salt, at least to begin with, they will upgrade over time.
Dustin's post was long and detailed, which may have made it seem daunting, but it was simplistic, accurate, and a very good "bare-bones" description. Setting up a tank in that fashion leads to easier maintenance, and better chances of success. My .02
For beginners however it doesnt necessarily need to be a big ordeal to go salt, at least to begin with, they will upgrade over time.
Dustin's post was long and detailed, which may have made it seem daunting, but it was simplistic, accurate, and a very good "bare-bones" description. Setting up a tank in that fashion leads to easier maintenance, and better chances of success. My .02
OK, have been reading and have a few questions.
Can you have a setup with only rock/coral with power heads and not have to have any other equipment?
Can there be a maintenance free setup?
What is the job of the protein skimmer?
What does a RO unit do?
Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks all
Can you have a setup with only rock/coral with power heads and not have to have any other equipment?
Can there be a maintenance free setup?
What is the job of the protein skimmer?
What does a RO unit do?
Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks all