# starting a saltwater aquarium



## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

not sure if we are going to use the 55 or 150 gallon...a guy we know what breaking down his tank and was just going to toss the fish in the sea...well, i cant see any animal disgarded like they are currently in their old home...a 5 gal bare bottom with some fake rock and coral....my question is what do i need to do?!?! sand? rock? filtration? skimmer? the fish i have are a i think maroon clown, some kind of goby, a peppermint shrimp, and another fish i have not been able to id and will post pics later when i get them....


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## fishesfriend (Dec 8, 2009)

I would seperate the fish.


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

molliefan09 said:


> not sure if we are going to use the 55 or 150 gallon...a guy we know what breaking down his tank and was just going to toss the fish in the sea...well, i cant see any animal disgarded like they are currently in their old home...a 5 gal bare bottom with some fake rock and coral....my question is what do i need to do?!?! sand? rock? filtration? skimmer? the fish i have are a i think maroon clown, some kind of goby, a peppermint shrimp, and another fish i have not been able to id and will post pics later when i get them....


I'm not even sure what this says. Are the fish in a 5 gallon tank right now? When you ask what to do, what to do with what? The fish? What equipment to buy? For which tank, the Q or the display? And what size display?

Come on Molliefan, take the time to post a legitimate thread. If nothing else, just out of respect for your fellow members.


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

sorry for the half hearted thread...i can be a bit of a drama queen sometimes...but let me do some searching and i will post again when i have some more logical questions. the biggest problem i have is the plumbing....none of the tanks i have are drilled. we are going to be setting up ou 150 gallon for the SW tank


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

If you want to use the 150 as a saltwater and it is not drilled, then you will need to add an overflow for the sump. 

The CPR overflows are the best on the market and most reliable. Check it out:
CPR CS102 Siphon Overflow

You will want to use the air pump to ensure the siphon never breaks:
Tom Aquarium Products Aqua Lifter Water & Air Pump

I use the ASM skimmer in my 180, and I think you will find it easy to use:
In-Sump Protein Skimmer - G2 - 200 Gallon - 21 1/4 in. high | Venturi Models | Protein Skimmers | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com

You will want a Mag Drive for the return pump:
Mag Drive 1200 Water Pump with 10 ft. Cord | Water Pumps | Water Pumps & Power Heads | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com

That is your guts and glory. I'd probably order a huge supply of dry rock from MarcoRocks.
75 Pounds Key Largo Rock, <br>160 Pounds Bahamas Aragonite Sand<BR>pay $35 shipping only - KL75-160
and
50 Pound box Key Largo Rock, <br>Now Pre Cycled - DS-50
You can then add about 25 pounds of cured live rock and have a great display.

This will cost a pretty penny, but you will save a good $1000 ordering online from the links above, and you will have a very reliable system.

Fun!!!


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

i knew i could count on you pasfur!! thank you, i will be sure to check out all the links you posted, and i WILL be back with more questions i am sure....the original thread was my freak out session and i will be sure to take my time and post logical/understandable questions....and once i get all my bearing i will start a build thread including pics


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

ok....i have all the stuff you posted...it is jsut strewn in my garage right now in all different areas...it is all off of a 160 gallon SW tank. here are some pics of what we already have....


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

Everything looks great, other than the skimmer. You won't be at all satisfied with that skimmer on a 150. I would say 55 gallons max on that unit.


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

ok, i will look for a larger skimmer...is that brand ok?


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

and....the part 1 and 2 calcium alkalinity buffers a bought....the guiy at the LFS said to add it DAILY, either in the AM before lights go on or at night when the lights go off....


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

Marineland is a good brand, but the SeaClone is a not a good model for your tank size. Marineland dramatically overstates the size tank that this skimmer is good for. Now, you want a sump model skimmer. If you are a Marineland fan, they do make a nice in sump unit:
Marineland Pro In Sump Protein Skimmer 300 Marineland Pro Skimmer

Here are some other options that I would trust also:
Red Sea Berlin X2 Turbo Skimmer with Pump
In-Sump Protein Skimmer - G3 - 250 Gallon - 25 in. high | Venturi Models | Protein Skimmers | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com 
Octopus Needle Wheel Skimmer - Large - 8 in. | Venturi Models | Protein Skimmers | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com

You should look closely at the dimensions of each of these skimmers and measure the space you have available. I personally use the ASM G3 on my 180 FOWLR and have been happy with the performance. Each of the skimmers listed above has a good reputation in the hobby, for a low cost skimmer. I have personally used or seen each of the above skimmers in use, and would personally feel comfortable with any of these.

You can spend $500+ on a skimmer to achieve spectacular performance, but I have always had success in the price range of the skimmers listed above.


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

we did take back the marineland skimmer and purchased the reef octopus you have posted above...although we did pay a little more then that...money is kinda tight but we want to do this right so we are willing to spend what ever we need in order to do so....we are going to start curing the rock we have today and we need to go purchase 2 more bags of live sand...we already have 2....can we use another kind of sand mixed with the live sand we have?


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

just an update....we are still working on getting our SW set up..HOWEVER...the 250 we got scammed on (another thread)...the law was on our side and we picked it up yesterday....so this 250 is now going to be our saltwater tank. that being said....this tank IS drilled....so im not sure how much this changes the set up??


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## NC Frank (Aug 24, 2009)

I am glad one of my fellow tropical fish keepers is taking the marine plunge. Good luck!


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

thanks Frank!! you may become my leaning buddy!!


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## NC Frank (Aug 24, 2009)

molliefan09 said:


> thanks Frank!! you may become my leaning buddy!!


That is what I am here for.


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