New to forum and SW aquariums

T

TexanTrail

Premium Member
This is a great forum with lot's of info in it. A couple of weeks ago, the husband of one of my wife's friends offered me his 55 gal aquarium and stand, with all the equipment for SW. It's been empty for a couple of years and I'm not sure what all is included. I haven't even seen it yet but he assures me it has all I need. He said it has a Magnum 350 filter. He said it doesn’t have any light bulbs, but it holds either 2 or 4 fluorescent tubes (I don’t remember what he said). I am hoping to pick it up this weekend. I want to begin with a FOWLR then later on add some coral to it. I would like to end up with a couple of clown fish, a butterfly fish, some type of brittle star or star fish to crawl thru the sand to keep it stirred up.

This is how I plan on starting, but would like your opinions also. FIRST, I'll repost and let y'all know exactly what I have so you may be able to tell me what else I'll need. Next, I'm going to fill with fresh water and make sure it doesn't leak and all the equipment works properly. Any suggestions on cleansing the equipment at this time?

I have found some "Pavestone" pulverized limestone from one of the members here (the floor guy) and he said he would also give me a cup of live sand to begin with. Probably put 2 to 3 inches in the tank (after rinsing and rinsing and rinsing, etc, etc). Do I put the LS on top of the limestone or mix it in? Find some LR to put in also at that time. Let the water cycle. I may throw in a dead cocktail shrimp or two and let the water cycle again. I've read here that works or get a couple of damsels to put in. One LFS says they have a return policy on damsels for store credit when you bring them back. Then I'll start adding one critter at a time and letting the water adjust.

I'll stop there for the moment. I know I'll have lot's more questions but I hope I've given enough info for starting out.

Thanks,
David
 
It sounds like you've got a pretty good sense of getting started once you get the tank plumbed.

For cleaning, nothing beats hot water and vinegar. You can use tap water, but you'll want to let it sit dry for a while afterwards to help break down chlorine/chloramine/ammonia. Just rinse it good with RO/DI water before you fill it up.

The live sand should be put on top of the sand bed, then use a scraper handle or a finger to poke it down into the bed a little bit. It also is a good thing to get some sand from a couple of different tanks. That will give you a more diverse collection of microflora/fauna.

Speaking of water, you should figure out how you're going to be supplying yourself with water, both to fill the tank and for water changes. Just about everyone here will suggest you get a good RO/DI filter for your home. Getting it from the LFS will also work, but if you get your water from someone else, at least get your own TDS meter to test it before it goes in your tank.

I prefer the use of shrimp over damsels. The shrimp is beyond caring about living in ammonia soup and doesn't require feeding, while using anything living will suffer damage and vastly shortened life spans. Both work just as well too. Just toss the shrimp in and start daily tests for ammonia. Once you get readable nitrites, you can pull the shrimp out, or leave it for your snails/hermits to take care of.

Also, start a tank log. Write down your test results as you go. Keep track of when you do water changes, and when you add anything to the tank. Hopefully it won't happen, but also document when anything dies. It helps you track trends and possible cause/effect if there is a problem. Take lots of pictures of your tank build and post them here too!

So far, you're heading down a good path. Be patient (it gets harder once there is water in the tank) and good luck!
 
Welcome to the site!!

Sounds like you are on the right path so far.. but i would stress some vital equipment be included in your initial purchases.

1 - Refractometer. These are critical, do not bother purchasing a swing arm hydrometer as they are always inaccurate. You want to be sure of your salinity.
2 - Either buy or resolve yourself to buying RO/DI water from a reliable source or buy an RO/DI unit.
3 - Invest in quality test kits. Initially you will want Ammonia and Nitrate. API are good for that. Moving forward you will want to get Alkalinity, Calcium and Magnesium. I would suggest the Elos kits.
 
get a smaller tank into the bottom of the stand before the main tank goes up, even if you dont fill the bottom one up immediately.

if you ever want a fuge / sump later - you will be happy you did.

if you want a background on your tank, put it on before mounting the tank and filling it, usually up next to a wall

if you can - allow space behind your tank / stand .. don't flush it to the wall. you need room for pipes, hoses, overflow box, etc.

i do have some limestone rock chunks in my tank - i heard it will slowly dissolve and will push pH towards 8.5 which is good for SW and also FW african chiclids.

i would not make your sand bed of all limestone. alot of critters like the starfish you mentioned want to bury or sift sand, and limestone is too rough/big/whatever.

and for the health of those same sand sifting critters - you want to get some good microfauna - copepods, amphipods, assorted plankton, microbes, etc - growing in your sand bed and live rock before adding those animals.
 
I really appreciate all the help and advice. I got my tank today, neither it nor the pump leak. I'm letting the tank sit overnight to make sure nothing happens. All I received was the tank, Magnum 350 Bio-Pro pump, a skimmer and a couple of heaters. No lights. Is there any local places to get filters and carbon for the pump or just go online? Do I need the bio-wheel for algea production? Does the Magnum 350 have enough flow rate to keep the water circulating enough for the fish and rock that I will put in later? As you can see by the attached photos, I will need some sort of air pump for the skimmer.

My oldest son has a 10 gallon tank he doesn't use. I thought about using it as a sump but there is only about 9 1/2 inches space inside the stand and the tank is 10 inches wide.. :? Any ideas for a sump or do I need one?

The more I get into this, it seems the more questions I have.

Thanks again for the advice and help. I'm hoping in a few months I'll be able to answer questions.... :wink:

David[attachment=1]IMG_1590-1.jpg[/attachment][attachment=0]IMG_1591-1.jpg[/attachment]
 
Well, this morning, I said what the heck. I took measurements of the tank. 48 X 12 X 18 = 45 gallon tank, not 55. :oops: My bad because I took his word on the size. Smaller than I wanted to start out with. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to send everything back or perhaps use this 45 gal tank as a sump for a larger 75 - 100 gallon tank. :?: :?: Maybe I can find a good used rr tank somewhere for not much $$$. No matter what people say, size matters..... :D

David
 
lol if u are feeling like this now before its up then u should get a bigger one and it still wont stop it later. i started with a 55 then went to 110 then bought second tank a 40. i dont want to waste my time with a 200 i think im going to pull the trigger on getting a 300. most people want a larger tank look at Donnie he as 600g and i think he wants bigger one :D i would be bored with a nano in a week. the Tank Build Logs forum if good place to see what people put into there builds and get ideas on how to do it right - easier the first time
 
Ok, so now I have a 100 gallon tank with stand. It's nice at 60L x 19h x 19d. I'm looking at using the 45 gal tank as sump/refugium. It will fit inside the new stand, but will only have 5 - 6 inches of space between the top of the 45 and bottom of the large stand after I put in my foam pad underneath. I don't think that will be enough room to get things in and out. Any thoughts about building a box to put underneath the new stand to raise it about 6 more inches? Would 10 - 12 inch clearance work?

Floor guy, my wife said I've already doubled everything before I got a drop of water. She wanders what's going to happen when I get bored with the 100gal? :shock: Hope to get with you in a week or so to get the limestone. Probably get 5 or 6 bags from you.

Thanks,
David
 
i dont know about making the stand taller it could prob be done might not look as good or build u a new stand but if it were me i would just sell the 45 tank and stand and buy a used sump or have one made. U can get a 35g tank with same foot print as the 45 just not as tall and make a sump.
 
You will never stop learning when it comes to the reef tank. One thing that stands out from what you've asked is that - no the main filter will not create the 'in-tank flow' that you need. Filters and return pumps are only for that purpose. In-tank circulation is done with seperate power heads and pumps designed for that purpose.

Keep asking away - we don't mind at all.

Some basics to think about:

Decide what animals you want to keep first and then design the lighting, flow, and aquascape around that plan. (IE. HAVE A PLAN before purchasing anything else.)

Get a big skimmer rated for a tank larger than you think you will ever need.

Do not throw chemicals at little problems - with good practices and a clean system, most issues will cycle themselves out.

Get GOOD test kits and use them.

DO NOT try to do things quickly - allow it time to work. Ask if you're not sure. This is not like freshwater - don't try to take a freshwater tank filtration mentallity to the reef; it isn't the same and you will get very frustrated.

Read as much as possible and then question it. Go through the New to the Hobby section here and read the Sticky post at the top about how to tell a Mature Tank. Read it multiple times. Go to some other reef sites and read their New to the Hobby section/Newbie Corner... even if it's dosen't seem to apply or interesting, at some point you'll run into the issue and go, "I remember seeing something about that..."

Learn to observe. Most things happen for a reason that we can figure out and follow a chain - some don't. Take it in stride but again, no jumping to 'quick fixes' - let it ride out.
 
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