# Got my first tank



## davidgallant (Oct 18, 2006)

I decided to get a tank today. I got a "premium Aquarium Kit" by All-Glass from Petco today. I also purchased a 1 pound live rock. A friend gae me 2" worth of crushed coral, and more goodies are coming tomorrow. Three anenomae, liverock, and other surprises are coming to me tomorrow from my friend. Here are some pictures of the tank.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

The pictures didn't show up?

Not sure how big your tank is but I believe 1lbs of LR per gallon is recommended.


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## davidgallant (Oct 18, 2006)

Zoe said:


> The pictures didn't show up?
> 
> Not sure how big your tank is but I believe 1lbs of LR per gallon is recommended.


The pictures were too large. I need to re-install photoshop and render them to a smaller size. I am getting many more pieces of large rock tomorrow, and will link pictures to my website when they are in.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

your gonna want to get some serious lights and let your tank age a bit before adding any anenomes or coral.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Please please please read before you go any further.


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## davidgallant (Oct 18, 2006)

Read what!? I have an experienced friend(infact a marine bio major) who lives next door to me in my dormatory helping out. I should be ok.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Read some good books by people who have done this for a long time such as "the conscientious marine aquarist" by Bob Fenner. It will help you a lot more than you friend is since I see he's already made a crittical error. In what little info you've given me... the crushed coral has been one thing I would never recommend. Crushed coral has all kinds of gaps, providing dead spots where detritus builds up and fowles your water. I would also check out chat on here when myself, damon and several other members are in, we can help you a lot.


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## DanCoFishTails (Oct 6, 2006)

Wow a Marine Bio Major....so he studies big bodies of water right? or micro-organisms and fish. How long has he had a saltwater aquarium with fish and corals in it? Did he read some intersting books before he started? Is he the sharpest tool in the shed? Would you trust him with all of your life savings? Would you venture to say that the people on here do not know what they are talking about because they are not Marine Bio majors.....


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## davidgallant (Oct 18, 2006)

DanCoFishTails said:


> Wow a Marine Bio Major....so he studies big bodies of water right? or micro-organisms and fish. How long has he had a saltwater aquarium with fish and corals in it? Did he read some intersting books before he started? Is he the sharpest tool in the shed? Would you trust him with all of your life savings? Would you venture to say that the people on here do not know what they are talking about because they are not Marine Bio majors.....


3 years of serious work. Would i trust him with my life savings? No, but I trust it more than a forum, or a ****************y forum poster... Him being a marine bio major has nothing to with being a fish hobbiest, but I figured that I would share. I am now liking this forum less and less.


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## DanCoFishTails (Oct 6, 2006)

Wow 3 whole years....

Well with 20+ years under my belt I think I can be anything I want to be especially C00000Cky.....!!!!!!!!


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## vvolfe1 (Oct 9, 2006)

DanCoFishTails said:


> Is he the sharpest tool in the shed?
> 
> :lol: Is that the Shed Aquarium you are talking about.:lol:
> 
> I have a friend thats a marine bioligist too. He is working for the MO DNR and he told me not to even ask him. Says he'd have no clue and he never researched anything in a salt water aquarium.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

Don't be offended by it David, they are trying to help and encourage you to do your own research and not depend on someone else to tell you what to do. 3 years is not a long time to gain a lot of practical experience - he may help you, he may not, but it would definitely help to have your own reading and research to back it up.
A lot of the people here know what they are talking about, and while they may not be the best at encouraging people who don't want help, but they are a wealth of information that you have access to.

So, you don't have to like em  but you are welcome to ask questions and get help, here.


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

I wouldn't totally say exclude your friends help, if he majors in marine bio then he may know a thing or two about fish, habits, etc. BUT, I would get some general knowledge on saltwater aquariums first before going any further. Things in the ocean itself (which is what he is probably only studying), and the aquarium, are almost two different things in a sense. I can't really explain it, it's in my head but the words won't come out, so hopefully I made sense .


First off, how big is the tank?

Also, I wouldn't be doing this so quickly, especially when your wanting anemones. Not only do most anemones almost NEED high lighting, they also need a stable environment,a day or three old aquarium just isn't going to cut it . If you place it in a cycling tank, the ammonia will surely kill it.

Lastly, skip the crushed coral, or plan to change it later on. In the long run, all it does is cause trouble. Leftover food gets trapped and decays, etc. Anaerobic pockets accur (not the good ones), and the like.


I hope that helps, and please, don't be discouraged frm the forums from just one user!


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

now I think we've got off to the wrong foot here. I just would put more trust into your OWN research. Check out www.wetwebmedia.com if you don't want to read a book. Those guys there have degrees, have been keeping fish most of thier life, and have written some articles just for you! Great info to start with in my opinion. Also like I said... come into chat when you get the chance... we can help you a great deal and hopefully shed some light on this hobby. 


As for the forum remark... I guess you'll get that everywhere you go. But I can guarentee that those who have replied to this thread have a lot of experience... maybe 50 years combined. Experience and knowledge comes hand and hand usually.


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## PerculaClown (Apr 25, 2006)

You can also check out www.reefkeeping.com they have some great articles also.


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## Reefneck (Oct 15, 2005)

Fishfirst said:


> But I can guarentee that those who have replied to this thread have a lot of experience... maybe 50 years combined.


And considering that I have thus far been biting my tounge.......It would be "maybe" 75 "years combined" had I not. :angel:


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## DanCoFishTails (Oct 6, 2006)

I wasn't trying to offend anyone, but when you do not read or do research on your own, why have an aquarium? If I had one set up and didn't know enough about it I would be reading everything I could to help myself.


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## CollegeReefer (Sep 1, 2006)

Not sure how I missed this thread, but I am here now. I am sorry that you got a lot of negative feedback on your thread, but with what you stated in your original post it is somewhat expected. Everyone in the saltwater section wants to see new people come to the hobby and succeed. When someone is not on the right path of keeping a saltwater tank things are said that can sometimes seem mean. Too many people jump into this hobby without any prior knowledge. Too many people jump in relying on other people instead of doing there own research. And because of this many tanks fail but that isn’t the worst of it. Every time someone has a bad start to keeping a saltwater aquarium, there is always loss of life. Even though many will say it is just a fish and money, we here are saddened that a fish, invert, or coral has died because of lack of knowledge of the hobby. 

Now from what you posted, we have very little information about your set up. What size is your tank. It is my guess that you have a tank that is 20 gallons or less. What does this mean for you? It means you will be spending lots of time with your tank because a tank under 50 gallons is hard to keep. I know because I have a 20 gallon tank as well. I check to make sure everything in my tank is ok through out the day. Also be prepared to make 20 percent water changes every week. It is necessary to keep a tank of that size. Also make sure you have someplace to get RO/DI or distilled water. I say this because you do not want any water impurities getting into your tank. If I was allowed to have a tank over 20 gallons I would have a much bigger tank. The larger the tank the easier it is to keep because there is more water volume to work with. It gives you more room for error.

With that said, there are a few things we need from you to help you out as much as we can. Tanks size, how much live rock, type of mechanical filtration, lighting, and other things. Also did you cycle your tank? I am guessing not. Some things you are going to want to ask your friend about are how the nitrogen cycle works. You need to have a good understanding no how it does work so you can watch your water parameters. You water should have zero no2 no3 ammonia). Also you are going to have to watch your ph, temp and saltinity. To you know what these need to be at. What are yours at. What are you planning on putting in your tank. 

i have to run for a little bit, but will write more later.


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

You definitely want to seriously consider reading AND researching on planning a SW tank set-up. It sounds to me you may have gotten a 20 gal. tank and going to throw everything what your friend is giving you. Considering you say he's next door to you in a dorm - obviously at a college. Please listen to these guys & gals here. They have tons of experience combined and know what is involved. You are going to need good lighting other than the good old standby fluorecent lighting that came with the kit, skimmer,etc ... Most of all - you need to know your fish compatibilty and their minimum tank size minimum. But if you trust your marine bio major than any of us. Go ahead. I wish you the best of luck.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

*ahem*

I think we already ran him off, but maybe he'll return.

Some of us are also bona-fide biologists, not just biomajor wannabes/gonnabes, so it wouldn't be an altogether bad idea to listen to us a bit. Even many of us without such degrees have been keeping marine tanks for decades and thusly have a real clue. I also think you'll find that this forum is the mildest, friendliest one on the web... if you think your reception here was a bit rude, then wait until you see the treatment you'd get at the other sites... downright vicious they are usually.

Anyway, davidgallant, we really want you to be successful, and if you give us a chance, we'll really teach you anything you'd ever want to know so that you don't have to learn it the hard way. You're already off to a bad start, it's true, but so far you don't even know why. Your friend is obviously handy and convenient, but just as obviously quite a bit behind the times and prone to giving you bad advice. Naturally you'll both make many expensive mistakes in the next few years, but that's normal. Just be sure to take advantage of the fact that you do have alternative sources of information which will save you a lot of heartbreak and hassle if you use them.

(_ Oh, and I guess I put us well over the century mark. _ )


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