HOW TO SET UP A TANK, condensed verions (retitled)

[wesley6610]

NarumiHayaashi, if you re-read the first posts of this thread, it is plain to see. But the basic principle is that you are giving your new tank a chance for the bacteria to build up and be able to handle nutrient removal on it's own BEFORE you add nutrient creators like fish and inverts. You will notice that brown film on your rocks, sand and glass as a sign that new chemical reactions are underway, but it doesn't mean that it's complete.

So all you need to do is wait patiently...or, you could add some dead fish/shrimp from the grocery store to help the bacteria along, but not a lot, just a small amount for your sized tank. Allow it to decompose on it's own and start testing your water every couple of days for Nitrate, Nitrite and Ammonia; this will give you the ability to monitor these nutrients rise an fall and thus the end of your cycling once all levels bottom out near undetectable levels for your kits.

[Sk8r]

Absolutely: when reading an INFORMATION thread, start from page one. All the info tends to be clustered at the front.

[Blitzie]

Sk8r
All I can offer to say to you is Thanks.
I am coming back into the hobby after several years away and I have read these 6 pages 3 times and each time I learn something else

[Eman79]

Howdy! This is an awesome, informative thread. I have reserected the 55gal my Dad set up 15+ years ago. After reading, I have 2 questions.

1) I have a trickle filter with bio balls. At least until my feet are wet, its going to be a FOWLR tank. Why are bio balls unsuitable for reef? In a different thread, I was told everyone hates on bio balls but the only negative that was brought up was that they need maintenance/cleaning.

2) you mentioned that most marine tanks don't have a cover other than egg crate or something to prevent fish jump, that evaporation is good. I live in Denver where it is very dry, and at least right now in the winter, cold. (house set to 68-70). So without cover my evaporation rate would be very high. Other than for cooling ( and I will be using LEDs ) is there any other reason to leave the tank open, or can I cover it with plexiglass?

Thanks so much!

[sean04]

For #2: One of the main reasons is to oxygenate the water.

[mike0423]

I am very new to the world of salt water aquariums. I started my cycle 2 weeks ago on my fowlr. I noticed I have a lot of air bubbles, why? And how do I get rid of them?
Thanks

My tank: 72 gallon bow front, 100 pounds of sand, 60 pounds of live rock, 10 gallon sump, Berlin protein skimmer, 2 evolution 1400 power heads, led lightening

[Eman79]

Originally Posted by sean04

For #2: One of the main reasons is to oxygenate the water.

Realizing that most people here hate trickle filters, isn't a high oxygenation rate one of their benefits?

[SKurj]

I have questions in regards to cycling and adding some residents?

When to add CUC to the DT during the cycle? tank will be 40gL with at least 10lbs of LR and aragonite (I am planning mostly snails in a fowlr)

When can chaeto be added to the refugium (hob)?

[sphilli40]

thank you for the great info.

[soul4surfin]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

1. if you're going to have corals you need to aim at having either an all-in-one tank---or a sump, skimmer, and good lighting. Your rock and sand take the place of a filter.
a. stony coral and clams: need brighter light, good circulation. For sps (colored sticks) you need high flow and a super skimmer.
b. 'soft' coral is more forgiving, can exist without a skimmer if you don't push it, but it's a good idea to have one.

2. if you're fish-only you can get by with a filter: you have to change it meticulously. Rock and sand will help it out, but are never as strong in the presence of a filter (up and down of food supply as it's cleaned and not) as without one. Still, with big messy eaters, you may need that filter. Putting a little mushroom rock in your tank is still a good idea: spread-out mushrooms are an indicator of good water quality. Shriveled mushrooms are an indicator of trouble---far ahead of when your fish will announce it by showing distress. Gives you a heads-up visual test and helps.

3. TO START: get aragonite substrate, 1 lb per gallon. Dry is as effective as 'live sand'. It all gets live eventually. I prefer medium grade, which does not blow about in a strong current: not as pretty as 'fine,' but in a high-flow tank, it stays put. Do not get crushed shell or coral---it has problems. I lay down eggcrate [lighting grid: Lowes] on the bottom to prevent rocks rolling.
a) rock: you need SOME live rock. about 10% live at 1-2 lbs per gallon. Choose really lacy, holey rock. Limestone. Dry rock will turn live. Takes about 12 weeks to cycle as opposed to 4 with all live rock, but will save you enough to afford better lights.
b) wash the sand before using it. Rock goes down first, then sand, then live rock if you only have a little.
c) use ro/di to mix salt with---usually 1/2 cup salt mix per gallon of fresh water. This yields a salinity of 1.024. Keep it there while you cycle: draw a 'fill line' on your sump or tank representing perfect salinity, and 'top off' with fresh ro/di as it evaporates.
d) marine tanks don't have lids as a rule. But a jump screen is a good idea once you get fish. Most will go airborne if frightened. You WANT that evaporation to go on, and the cooling that results. There are so many pumps and bright lights, heat is your enemy.
e) keep your temperature about 80, day and night. This is another reason to have no lid. It's a good thing to run your lights and everything BUT the skimmer, which just has nothing to skim until you have fish.
f) plan a quarantine tank: no rock, sand, no cycle, just bare glass and water and a heater, not even a light. Keep all new fish there for 4 weeks to be sure they don't bring in 'fleas'. Parasites are not nuisances in this hobby: they kill, and they get into your sandbed and reproduce and infest every fish you own. Quarantine is serious business. You can start a fish in qt 4 weeks before you expect your tank to be ready.
g) don't get 'miracle potions' of bacteria and for gosh sake, don't get a fish. You're good just with the natural dieoff from your rock, but if you just have to do something proactive, drop 4 flakes of fishfood in a day until you spot ammonia in your daily tests. Keep feeding imaginary fish daily---and 5 days after you fail to provoke ammonia, you are cycled.
h) expect sheets and waves of green hair algae. Phosphate is the cause, and rock and sand come in with a load of it. So does conditioned tapwater, which is why we suggest, nay, plead with you to use ro or ro/di water. You can get ro from your supermarket kiosk. Owning your own ro/di filter is a Good Idea, and you reach the breakeven point in about a year for a 50 gallon tank.
i) btw, the optimum tank size is 50-100 gallons for a beginner. The smaller or the larger the tank, the bigger the problems. For little tanks, it's like driving a sports car---every twitch produces a huge, often bad, result. For big tanks---everything is huge, heavy, and spendy, and water changes are (at 10% per week) both spendy and heavy to lift. The 50-100 tanks are middle of the road, let you keep blennies and gobies (50) or some tangs (100). Be sure, however, if the big fish (tangs and angels) are your love, you spring for the big and Lonnnnnnnnnnng tank. These are swimmers, high speed, and they need it, the way you can't keep a race horse in a little pen.
j) read the sticky on acclimation: a refractometer is a very good investment---it saves fish. If you are within .002 salinity, between the fish's bag and your qt tank, you don't drip acclimate: just put them in---and if you've prepared by finding out the salinity the fish's bag will be---you can prepare that tank so there is NO drip acclimation---which can kill. The explanation is in that sticky.
k)don't dose any chemical you don't have a test for.
l) if you have a salinity accident, correct it slowly, no more than .002 per hour. Topping off with salt water is a good way to raise it, just in the natural evaporation.
m) never trust a heater or thermometer. Use 2 thermometers, and touch the glass often in passing, just to be sure.
n) clowns are interesting fish, but they are aggressive---some more than others. The redder, the more so. And you should NOT get an anemone until your tank is about a year mature. Give your clowns a nice hardy coral to wallow in and they'll be quite as happy. Anemones are difficult, delicate, and in the hands of a new hobbyist, downright dangerous to the rest of the tank.

Most of all-----come here and ask BEFORE you do something, and NEVER impulse-buy a fish or invert. It mostly ends badly, and sometimes takes out a tank in the process. There's nothing your fish store gets that they won't get again, especially if you ask. Don't buy 'rare' things: translation: it usually doesn't thrive and often dies. Don't buy exotic fish. Same reason. These aren't decorator items. Get tough little guys that eat plain food and can put up with a few beginner mistakes. Leave room in your tank for them to grow. Many fish we keep reach a foot in length: know how big your fish will grow, and pick what will be happy in your tank.

Good luck---and always ask. There's a 'why' for all of this. It's better to know one sure way that works and get experience at this---and then you can try new theories. Don't get in a hurry, don't take chances, and don't shortcut. If there were a faster way, I assure you, everybody would do it. This is a hobby that's been around for more than a hundred years, and people have tried almost everything, finding many things that don't work. We've sifted out the things that do work, and if you can just get through your first year, you'll find this all makes basic good sense.

This might be rudimentary question, but I am setting up my first tank. I am wanting to use live sand, specifically Arag Alive. Common sense is telling my not to wash the sand as suggested above, because that would be defeating the purpose of buying live sand. Is that right?

[sjackson11]

I'll definitely be referring back to this once I get the ball rolling. Thanks man.

[NMC]

Thanks for that nice, concise summary. Very useful. A couple of questions.
1. quaranteen tank won't have any biological filtration goin on and a fish in there for 4 wks. I have a 6 gallon Fluval I'll be using. I'm assuming I should run it's mechanical filter in addition to the heater. Is this right? Also wondering about water changes. Is it necessary in this tank if the fish is only in there for 4 wks and I have the mechanical filter going? If the fish graduates to the main tank with no evidence of disease or parasites, can I use the same water for the next guy? Do you quaranteen snails and such?

2. Not clear on why no plants in the main tank. I won't have a refugium tank, not doable and am not clear why maybe sea grass and some of the less invasive macro algae wouldn't be appropriate to have in the tank. You mentioned blocking light as they grow. Is there other reasons? If you were add plants, at what point would you add them?

3. When are you supposed to add clean up crew?

4. While the tank is cycling do you just leave it alone aside from topping off and maintaining the appropriate salinity? No water changes?

Sorry for the questions that are probably really boring and obvious, but I'm close to getting started and have been reading and reading and reading and these little details are bothering me. I don't want to fail.

[soul4surfin]

A follow up to my question about rinsing live sand. Found this post http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...w+to+wash+sand where someones states that on the bag of live sand is says specifically not to rinse.

Guess it really is a question of time spent rinsing dry sand versus buying live sand and paying more.

[soul4surfin]

How much egg crate did you put down? Should it be only enough to support the areas where you are putting rock?

[EwaF]

Sk8er,

Thank you for all the useful info.

Question: How big of a lr should I buy for my 29g Oceanic Cube (I think the actual water volume is 22 -- 26, not sure)? From what I see, rock is being sold per pound; is there a rule of thumb suggesting how many pounds of rock (and sand) is appropriate per gallon? Thank you!

[soul4surfin]

Originally Posted by soul4surfin

How much egg crate did you put down? Should it be only enough to support the areas where you are putting rock?

FYI I reached out to Sk8tr and he suggest lining the whole bottom, not just the areas with Rock.

[BretCreager]

Hi, great information, this, for the most part, will be my first tank, my better half has had many fw tanks and bought a 75 gallon tall tank, we have a 42 gallon that I'm going to make into a sump/fuge, my current question is about water changes.

You mentioned that a weekly 10% change is optimal. What does that 10% account for? I think I remember rating the sump is included so Would it be 75+42 (117) so I would take 12 gallons out, or would I consider the sump only half full, (21), some in the pipes, (2) the tank is at least a 25% not water (58) total adding up to roughly 81 gallons so I would do an 8 gallon change.

Again I have never ventured into this, I'm planning on buying much of what is needed that we dont have as a suprise for her, so she might know I'm just trying to learn for my self to be prepared.

Thanks and this forum and this thread especially has helped a ton, I'm planning on printing it out to keep in the cabinet for an easy to grab guide

Bret

[saltwater101]

Thanks for a great summary!

[Coral Reefer TX]

Thanks sk8r!
Any additional thoughts about what type of live rock is best?
Post #57 helps. I'm considering getting dry Pukani rock from Bulk Reef Supply. Then maybe adding some wet rock from LFS as well. Any thoughts regarding Pukani vs Fiji? Also curious about wet rock vs dry rock - I believe dry cycling can take up to 12 weeks, which is a disadvantage. Should going with 100% dry rock be considered in order to avoid possible bubble algae etc? I used to like the surprise crawly critters but not the bad stuff. I'm getting back into the hobby and I'll start cycling rock in a few days for a small tank - 40 gallons or so.
Thanks

[BretCreager]

Add on question.... When talking about things like how much rock to get the rule of thumb is somewhere between one and two pounds per gallon, is that total display tank volume, in my case 75 gallons or would I take away the amount lost due to over flow, sand etc? furthur more, do I add any of the sump to that calculation.

And coral refer tx brings another point, would it be a good mix to go half dry, 40% wet, and 10% live our is the savings from wet to dry not worth the headache?
Sorry to be so wrapped up in what might be a minuscule detail of how to look at things but with all my scowering on the internet to learn as much as possible in the next couple weeks it is one of few things I haven't seen in plain text

[carnophage]

if you use live rock and live sand how long do you have to wait for the tank to mature, for example to get a nem?

[Ckountz]

Hey Sk8r!
Great info! I am a newbie and just purchased a 150gl tank that it matured with coral, fish and mostly everything I need. I'm just concerned about when I go to pick it up? Hoping I don't loose anything after tearing it down, transporting and setting back up. Going to get as many buckets that I can along with some trash cans and try and take as much water from tank before I tear down as I can. Any other do's and don'ts? Also, with this tank comes a Solaris LED light that the guy I'm buying off of says goes for $2500 new? Is this accurate? I think the manufacture went out of business, but still seems like a nice light... Thank for any suggestions and anyone else that want to chime in here.

[Sk8r]

Wash the sand ---get all the hazy crud out. I assure you the bacteria on that sand will cling and survive in the billions. If you bring too much crud with the sand it will take longer to cycle---and it will---a short cycle in about 5 days if you set up well. Have a qt or other rig to hold the specimens while you wait for that little cycle. Softies MAY be able to tough it out in the tank: I had bubble coral (a stony) survive a fullblown 4 week cycle, along wth xenia and various mushrooms and sponges. So you might try just to run all your equipment including the skimmer full bore and see if it'll cycle quick and 'shallow', ie, not much ammonia. But fish are more sensitive to ammonia than are some corals,---it's lethal to fish in very small amounts--- and they should be in quarantine tank for safety until you're sure that tank has thrown its little snit and is running well.

I've never heard of a light that expensive---I was thinking around 800, new, but I'm NOT an expert in LED. WHen you get into complex controllers and lighting programs it could go up. You might ask in the Lighting Equipment forum.

[Sk8r]

takes a year to have a nem settle well. I've done it (being a newbie and not knowing) but I had 30 years of freshwater tanks behind me, so at least I didn't make water mistakes. If you want clowns, get a nice tough toadstool (soft coral) or hammer (stony) and they will happily settle in. Once you get the nem they will transfer their affections---maybe. They are hardy, adaptive, stubborn fish, and cope well.

[Merrell056]

Excellent information. Thank you!