Tom_Shannon Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 i get to get a salt water tank for my birthday but dont no anythink could i please get some tip eg i have a standerd 3 foot tank is it to small and how should i design my sump :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDM Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 :bounce: read read read, then read read read, it is the best way to find out what you need to know. you will need some coral rock, this will need to be cycled, test kit so you can check how the cycle is going. then more reading, use all the referance sites and forums, and books are another great sorce of information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/links- ... t7074.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Hi Tom Shannon Welcome to the saltie/reefing world. I completely endorse what JDM and Jetski have suggested. My piece of advice - don't get too fired up about getting stuff swimming around in there before you have a bit of an idea as to what you are doing. It is an awesome hobby, but it is not the cheapest thing in the world to do. The equipment, lighting, etc can get very expensive (particularly when you just need to go the next step - which you will ) and the livestock ain't cheap. I'm not trying to discourage you - just hopefully save you some money and heartache. As JDM suggested - READ! And you are off to the right start - ask questions. I note you are in Hamilton - I think there is a few salties/reefers there. If you ask nicely, I'm sure there will be a few on this forum that will be happy to show you their setups (we can't help ourselves ) Again, welcome and have fun with it Cheers Skippy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KP Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 See Tom I told ya There popping out of the woodwork already. C'mon guys and girls pass out the invites and show off your setups. I would but Kerikeri is a hell of a long way from Hamilton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
land_lubber Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 I haven't seen KP's yet but Slappers has a very nice one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 I sooooo hope your talking about their tanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KP Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 There currently isn't much to look at, except the setup of the tank and equipment. Hopefully get some more stock soon. Welcome to check it out though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Seems to me that Tom_Shannon may be quite appreciative of the "hardware" side of things as well as the mobile parts of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
land_lubber Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 KP - I was just looking at your pics and wondering are you going to put any sand on the bottom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 A basic marine set up is like this. don't mess with anything less than a 3 foot tank. Smaller can be done but it's hard. 4 foot up is best. The filtration is done by bacteria that live in "liverock". Liverock is rock made from old coral skeleton and is porous. You should have somewhere around a kilogram of liverock to each 8 litres of water in the tank. The liverock is in fact dry and dead when you buy it at the LFS, but becomes "live" when after a few weeks in the tank it gets a bunch of bacteria living in it that eat the waste products from the fish. So one way to set up a tank is to put a thin layer of sand in the bottom. Put in the correct amount of rock, then fill with seawater. The seawater will need to have 10% freshwater added as our water is saltier then the ideal level. Then you need all this water to be moving, both to assist liverock filtration, and because most marine organisms need it to be moving. So you add a few pumps, enough to pump the entire volume of the tank ten times per hour (10 x times flow) This is the minimum, 20x or more is better. Then you need a marine grade light, most of the corals we keep are photosynthetic and need correct light. 1 watt of light per litre of water is a rough guide to the amount of light you need, but this may vary (upwards mostly) depending on what you are keeping. Don't use your old cannisters for biological filtration, leave that to the liverock. Cannisters and such do aerobic filtration only and do not supply the anearobic filtration important in a marine tank. Cannisters can be useful for using carbon, or phosphate removing resin though. The other thing you need is a protein skimmer. A good one is expensive, but the success of your tank will to quite a degree hinge on how good your protein skimming is. A good one will last you for life, get a needlewheel one they are the best. As I said you will hear other contradictory ideas and they will likely also work. I've just suggested one way to get a basic system going. Glad to hear you've done a lot of reading, that's the big thing, there's a lot of learning to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KP Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Gotta have sand!! Just waiting for my tank to stabilise a bit so I don't have to clean the diatoms and algae off the sand every week :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Gotta have sand!! Just waiting for my tank to stabilise a bit so I don't have to clean the diatoms and algae off the sand every week :lol: :lol: no you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KP Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Gotta have sand!! Rephrase to... I gotta have sand!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_Shannon Posted August 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 my computer is playing up so i can only come on when brodband wants to work and stuped telecom wont be out to fix it till the 22nd so bugger every thing you guys have told me is great thanks heaps my cell nba is 0211357746 so give me a txt when you have time to show me your tank i would love to c some good set ups and all the stuff that goes one behind the closed doors my tank that im using it 120L the other half want me to start small so i dont wast my money whel his money its my birthday present hehe i have one 75 watt matal halide i can get anouthe one made for me as my mates a sparky so he just makes them up for trade and i need some ideas on skimers ther is one an pet corner in town that they sre using to run ther 2 4 foots dose anyone know if that one is allright thanks again please get back to me and ill try if the computer wants work :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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