Newbie needs alot of info

[nyshoots]

Hi all, I'm buying a used 75 gallon tank with a sump and I need some advice on what to do with it. Ive kept planted fresh water tanks for a while but I know nothing about salt water. As far as I know the tank comes with everything except for lights, rock/sand, and fish. I'm interested in setting up a fish only tank but i'm not sure about anything else. A few of my fresh water tanks are bare bottom and I would like to do the same with this one if possible. Ive spoken to a number of people and they mostly say I should go with a fish only live rock set up but to be honest the cost of the 75 lbs of live rock that im told I would need is well beyond what I can afford rite now. Could I put a smaller amount of rock in the tank ? Can I put the rock/sand in the sump ? Which type of setup will be easier to maintain for a beginner ? My plan as far as stocking so far is to do a zebra eel and some lion fish after that im not sure. Any and all advice and info would be great

 

[Imbarrie]

I haven't heard you mention a protein skimmer.

You can start with a small amount of rock and add more as time goes on.
You can even find deals on cured live rock on this forum.


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[batt600]

How about you get a good sw book and do alot of reading then decide what you want to do because this is a very expensive hobby. so do some reading first before you jump right in.

 

[nyshoots]

Ive been reading about skimmers but Im a little confused cause there are alot of places that say that you really dont need one ? I want to set the tank up rite and I dont mind laying out money, I just have to plan it all out ahaed of time and I may have to do it over time.

 

[nyshoots]

Could you reccomend a good book ? I've been reading up on the net for weeks and there is just so much conflicting information. It's kind of frustrating because everyone I talk to has something different to say. For example when i first started getting into planted freshwater tanks I ended up spending a ton of money for crap that I didnt need. I found what worked for me and what worked for the kind of setup I wanted and ended up getting rid of half the expensive equipment that I had bought.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

Salt water tanks can be $$$$, so do alot of planing first and buy top of line not cheap b/c you will end up doing that later on anyway.
I am having a meeting for some newbies and experts(lol) next monday if you want to come by, will learn some good things to get started and even might go home with frags,pm me if interested

 

[batt600]

I dont know of a good book thats out now all the book i read were like 14 years ago when i first started some here could recommend a good book for you.

 

[cugel]

Its an expensive hobby, so you're smart to think ahead.

To save on the cost of live rock, you could use a deep sand bed, either a real DSB, or the Jaubert method. This would provide all the biological filtration you need, though you'd still want some live rock to provide an environment for the fish. You could also buy dry fiji rock (much cheaper than live and much cheaper to ship) from someplace like Bulk Reef Supply and let it become live in your tank, with the help of a few pieces of l.r. - something that will take some patience.

For books, there's Martin Moe's Marine Aquarium Handbook, which covers setup and fish only tanks. You'll find that most marine tank books focus on reef tanks, a good one is Tullock's Natural Reef Aquariums.

You can do without a protein skimmer in a fish only tank. You'll probably get an algae problem, but that can't hurt much in tank where corals aren't a focus. Besides, as a planted aquarium guy, you're used to dealing with algae.

 

[Imbarrie]

There is a lot of conflicting advice.

I would seriously recommend a skimmer on a fish only tank. The type of algae you get without one can only be controlled through water changes which will add up to the price of a skimmer.
If you didn't run a skimmer there would be no reason to have a sump. Unless you ran a remote sand bed or live rock there.
There are a lot of interesting macro algae that you really should look into. ESP with your background.
I would say there is enough on the web without getting a book. You will know when something starts to make sense after a while.
You may want to rethink the bare bottom tank. It won't stay bare after too long and eventually will cover with coraline algae. Besides sand and live rock is more natural for fish.




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[pauliwalnuts]

Wetwebmedia.com + Reefkeeping.com have some of the best information to all your questions. You might develope an itch to go crazy so, plan ahead and take your time. If you ever need some begginner corals, pm me I'm sure that I will have something for you. Good luck

 

[nyshoots]

Ive been looking thru some of the posts on here and found some places online to buy the rock that are waaaaaaay cheaper than my lfs. Even if they charge me 150.00 for shipping it will still be cheaper than buying 75 lbs from the shop I go to. You will all think im crazy but I have never bought any live aquarium stuff online, I always get it thru a shop but The price difference is crazy. The shop I go to told me I needed cured rock at 12.00 lb.. My plan is to get a skimmer, put the tank together, and order the rock. My cousin says I should put a 1" layer of sand down and seed it with some live sand, ad the rock when it comes in and let the tank cycle

 

[reefnhard]

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist read that book

 

[Donewiththisplace]

Would def recommend reading before you do anything...salt water aquariums for dummies will give you a general understanding then go from there...check out peoples set ups and most importantly take it SSSSSSSLOW!!!!

Dont rush anything and be patient!!!

 

[Imbarrie]

Yea prices range depending on what and where you buy.
In long island I see live rock for 12 per pound but in manhattan reefs you can catch some for under 2 per pound.
I have never bought livestock online either.
And some fish like three inches minimum of sand not crushed coral.

Google setting up a saltwater aquarium.



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[rebelson]

the conscientious marine aquarist read that book

+1