My1st Saltwater tank...30 g. Help!

[Ryan88]

Whats up guys?

Yeah i want to start my 1st saltwater tank and it'll be 30 g. Im getting alot of mixed thoughts so im just looking for some more help here. Ill teel you what stuff i have already then ill take suggestions from there.
Aqua Clear 30 Filter
Hydrometer
Top Fin Water Purifier
Carolla Powerhead 1

Now im just really looking for tips on how to setup. I know that i def need that ro di water. I think i just want to do live rock/fish only for now. I guess i could add corals or reefs later? If not then thats alright. But for now I figured ill start with 1 nemo and see whats compatible with him and go from there. Maybe some damsels? But anyway Im just confused about where to get the water and how many 5 g's i should add to the tank as well as the live rocks. So just any further info would help.

 

[JohnS_323]

Whats up guys?

Yeah i want to start my 1st saltwater tank and it'll be 30 g. Im getting alot of mixed thoughts so im just looking for some more help here. Ill teel you what stuff i have already then ill take suggestions from there.
Aqua Clear 30 Filter
Hydrometer
Top Fin Water Purifier
Carolla Powerhead 1

Now im just really looking for tips on how to setup. I know that i def need that ro di water. I think i just want to do live rock/fish only for now. I guess i could add corals or reefs later? If not then thats alright. But for now I figured ill start with 1 nemo and see whats compatible with him and go from there. Maybe some damsels? But anyway Im just confused about where to get the water and how many 5 g's i should add to the tank as well as the live rocks. So just any further info would help.

The rule of thumb for live rock is anywhere between 1 and 1.5 pounds per gallon, so plan on something around 30 to 45 pounds. Based on that, you'd probably need about five 5g jugs of RO/DI water to finish filling the tank. You'll also need a bucket/box of Instant Ocean salt (I read in the other thread that that was your preference).

Do yourself a favor and take it slow and make sure you understand the basics. Doing so will save you A LOT of money in the the long run. One of our members (MikeNapoli) has a great signature that says "I would have saved so much money if I stopped TRYING to save so much money!". There is real wisdom in that statement! Rushing into things will only bring about problems down the road that will cost you a lot more later to fix. One suggestion would be to read through some of the Tale of The Tank threads. There is generally a lot of good start up info in them.

 

[Ryan88]

So you think i should def. do a bigger filter? if doing so i guess i should do a protein skimmer to buff everything up to. Im def going to do that RO/DI water. Now I can put that into the tank and then just add my salt a day later, THEN the live sand and live rock? My real question is when do i add my corals or reefs, more importantly where do i get them?

 

[Subliminal]

Ok, so I've read both of your threads and you seem really stuck on this 'how many 5g question'.

Are you asking how many buckets of salt you're going to need to buy to fill up a 30g tank, or how many buckets of mixed saltwater to fill up?

A ~$50 bucket of salt should last you approx 6 months in a 30 gallon tank. That's just a ballpark range, but its a few cups of salt to a 5g bucket, so probably no more than 10-12 cups for your initial fill.

If your intention is the later, it'd be 6 (or less), like Phyl said in your other thread.

 

[JRWOHLER]

OK I gave you a big rundown on a few things in the other thread.

Now I will save you some money. Next month we have a group buy at Premium Aquatics.
You can buy salt(there is some on sale), skimmer maybe an Octopus hang on skimmer if you so desire. You save 15%, get to pick it up free of shipping(which means that you get to meet some other members who have great tanks).
All this for a small membership fee. Plus you will get bonus points for being a memeber. ;D
Sort of shows a commitment.

See I can save you money. You will find ways to spend enough of it in this hobby.

Next what I did was buy 2 5G jugs from Trop. I kept one as salt and one as fresh water(for my top off and my FW tank). They hold slightly more then 5G and every two weeks I would use them up and refill them. So I replaced 10-15% of my water weekly. Or you can decide to buy a RO/DI water filter and do it yourself.

Here is the link for the DIY Fuge.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=679159&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
As an example you can research what you want in a skimmer if you go that route there are a few choices.
Again you get what you pay for ...the more you pay the more you get.

 

[Hawkeye]

Aqua Clear 30 Filter
Hydrometer
Top Fin Water Purifier
Carolla Powerhead 1

Ryan -

Which thread on this forum is your favorite so far? I'm just trying to figure out what tank impresses you the most - and then it'll be easier to steer you in the right direction.

I'm gonna run down your above "system" and then you can tell me if I'm off or on the mark.

Aqua Clear 30 Filter - Hang on the back filter. Nice for freshwater - but I have never seen one set up for saltwater. It provides a maximum 150gph - but when clogged up, only 1/3 of that - or 50gph. This means you need to clean it frequently.

Hydrometers are easily fooled by bubbles in the water that attach to the swing. Spend the $50 and get a refractometer.

Top Fin is the store-brand name for PetSmart. I've never used any of the products- but looking it up - I cannot find a "purifier" - I see a conditioner, a clarifier, etc. Anyways - in a marine set up - I personally would not use any of these products unless you were forced to use tap water.

Carolla Powerhead 1 - I'm guessing a typ-o since Hydor Koralia makes the powerhead that pushes 400 gph. I'll assume this is the non-controllable version. This is probably the only piece of equipment you have that I like for your tank. Even better would be if you had two of them pointed at each other. This would give you about 25x flow...ideal to keep the poop from settling.

Oh- you forgot to tell us if you ever dosed any medicine in the 30 gallon when you had freshwater goldfish. What happened to the goldfish anyway?

 

[Ryan88]

Ill pose the same thing here as i did in tale of the tank, just looking for some commments. Thanks again for everything so far!

Alright I had a really good idea last night.

Maybe ill just switch filters? I have currently a Rena SmartFilter running with my 50 g freshwater tank. And a 20 gallon filter with that tank to just for extra support. Maybe I coul;d just use the aquaclear filter for the 50 gallon along with the small 20 g filter. Then use the Rena for the 30 gallon saltwater tank? I should get alot better results im guessing. I dont know but i really appreciate the last response. Im going to tropi-aquarium tomorrow to try and get some of that RO/DI water so i could def have everything started by this weekend.