# First SW setup



## Manny (Oct 8, 2013)

Hey everybody! Well I have great news. After many years of keeping freshwater fish, I am finally starting up my first SW tank. It wont be the big huge tank I would love to have but I know soon after I get my feet wet with a SW tank, I will go buy a 100+ gallon setup. Trust me, I have done a vast amount of research on the matter. I am aware that this will require a lot of patience as I won't be able to add my fish anywhere near as fast as I will with a freshwater tank.
So far I have my 29 gallon tank, stand, external canister filter, heater, thermometer, hydrometer, salt, live sand, power heads, test kits, and tomorrow when I add the water to the tank (I already have the water mixed) I will go buy some live rock to put in there. I am going to be using about a 2-3 inch sand bed. 
Regarding the live rock, I will buy some but will actually be doing some DIY live rock. I have done some research on that and watched plenty of youtube videos where people are making them. I watched videos of weeks after people added there DIY live rock and it seems like a worthy investment and project/hobby. I made my first batch of rock today and am not curing it. 3 weeks from now I will start doing some tests on the water to make sure when the rock will be fully cured. I will post pictures of the rock tomorrow. There are a lot of people in my area who have been posting on craiglist that they are looking to buy liverock. If this works out for me, I might post a batch and see what others think of it.
So here is where I need your guys help, at what point do I want to add invertebrates into my tank? They will be the first creatures I add to my tank. I am guessing it will probably take my tank about a month to establish itself. do I want to add the inverts as soon as the ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels are ok or do I need to wait for algae and other organisms to start growing for a while before I add my inverts? 
Once I see that the inverts are doing good and have enough food, I will add two clownfish (I am assuming 3 is probably not a good idea right?). I really like saltwaterfish.com and will probably order them there. I will try to get them as small as I can that way i don't end up with two dominant females fighting each other. Some time at the end of the year I would like to add 2-3 anemones to the tank, if possible.
Next question is regarding lighting. I do want to eventually add some reefs in there. we are talking about 8-12 months down the road. I know that by then I will have a bigger fish tank but fact is, I don't have that fish tank yet so I will plan for what I do have. I am having trouble finding a hood. I found this one herehttp://www.thatpetplace.com/30in-aqualight-t5-ho-dual-lamp-light-fixture-2-31w?sc=10&category=2789 but I don't know if this would work for reefs or not. I think that wattage is too low. Am I wrong? Are the bulbs in this hood interchangeable? Could I buy this and when i am ready for reefs, change out the bulbs? Or do I need to buy a bigger, better hood? If so, does anyone have any ideas of which one to buy? My tank is 30" long. I know, from what I have read, that if there is something you don't want to be a cheapie with is the lighting. 
Ok so I think I will end this here. I can type all night  but will wait to ask other questions are they become more important. Thanks in advance guys. I can't express how excited I am.


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

One place I recommend getting your live rock/sand is Tampa Bay Rock. It comes with everything you need to help jumpstart and cycle your tank. Just follow the instruction and you will find it easy to do.I've read so many success stories of folks buying "The Package". It's well worth the money and you can get it in whatever tank size you have. Hey - you might even get freebie cool hitchhikers which is always a huge plus. Here's the link:

http://www.tbsaltwater.com/liverock/index.html

Ditch the canister filter. They are nitrate factories and not worth the trouble getting. Invest in a protein skimmer - either a HOB or in-sump. They do far better job keeping your tank clean and picking up fish waste.

No on 3 clownfish to a tank. All clownfish are males - never female. Get 2 identical size. Once they pair up, you will see aggression between the two. Don't worry because one of them is turning into a female. Once the ritual stops, things will calm down and you have a dominant pair. Also, they don't need an anemone to survive. I've seen clownfish host corals such as Torch, frogspawn, duncans, mushrooms even a small parcel of live rock to name a few.


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## Manny (Oct 8, 2013)

Well I got some really good live sand at a decent price. I already added the sand and the rock i bought. I set up my tank today. But about the canister, I guess I really don't know much about skimmers. I thought that it was something different than a filter. If I would have known that I would not have bought my canister filter. But to set things straight, if I get a protein skimmer, I do not need my canister filter? What makes a good skimmer? I have seen protein skimmers of all different prices. Will they all do the job? I saw one on ebay for $50. I'm sure this probably sounds like a no no right? Any insight on the lights? And about the anemone, I actually want one. I think they are pretty cool looking. Thanks for the response.


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

To answer your question - no you do not need to use a canister filter if you get a skimmer.

A couple of good websites to shop for protein skimmers:

www.marinedepot.com
www.drsfostersmith.com

I'd stay away from anemones for now until you get a grasps on their care. They need mature tanks and they're not needed for clownfish to survive. However - they don't always stay in one spot. They do tend to move until they find a comforatble spot they like. Be careful - there have been horror stories of anemone getting caught in powerheads and die. Read up first before making a purchase.


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## Manny (Oct 8, 2013)

Thanks Ice. You're providng to be quite helpful. Is there a way of doing something like adding reputation points or anything of that sort?


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

Read and research everything about setting up a successful marine tank. I highly recommend reading The Conscienctious Marine Aquarist.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

No, you can't just change lightbulbs. An HO light's ballast can't provide enough power to run the VHO lights you'd need for a reef. You'll spend more now for the right lights, but spend less than if you had to buy a whole new set later.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Once your DIY rocks are cured, in about 6 weeks, put them in a small tub of saltwater with a circulating pump with no filter media in it. Get some Tetra SafeStart, about 4 bottles, and pour it in to soak the rocks for a week. That will speed up their maturation.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

THEN you can add them to the tank and expect them to work. Otherwise you'll have a very long wait. Your canister filter is fine if you remember to use it only for mechanical filtration, cleaning it out every week.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Next you'll need a skimmer, one rated for 150 gallons or more. Skimmers are what make reefs possible. They remove waste on the molecular level, something regular filters can't do.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Sorry for these short posts. I have a glitch which keeps me from making longer ones. The good news is you won't need a skimmer until you're done cycling. After your first big post-cycled water change, add the skimmer.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Cycling with inverts is tricky. They don't produce much waste, and are highly sensitive to ammonia. You'd do better with some fish, even temporary fish you borrowed for the purpose. This is why it's much easier to just use enough real live rock in the first place.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

FISH! Okay, now I'm going to tell you the biggest difference between fresh & saltwater aquarium keeping---> In saltwater, quarantine is NOT OPTIONAL. If you don't quarantine your new fish, you will fail miserably, and that's all there is to it.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

The good news is that there are far fewer diseases to contend with in saltwater than in freshwater, and they are much easier to cure, most handily wiped out with any of a small handful of standard treatments.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

The bad news is that these diseases spread like wildfire, are very swiftly very deadly, and the infection rate among new fish is nearly 100%. Also, you can't cure them in a reef tank without destroying your live rock & sand. A separate quarantine tank is a must-have.


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

Well said TOS


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## Manny (Oct 8, 2013)

TheOldSalt said:


> THEN you can add them to the tank and expect them to work. Otherwise you'll have a very long wait. Your canister filter is fine if you remember to use it only for mechanical filtration, cleaning it out every week.


By mechanical filtration you mean as opposed to biological filtration correct?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Yes. If you let them work as biofilters, then you'll only get a massive level of Nitrate for your trouble.


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