# frist saltwater tank help please



## taklein65 (Sep 23, 2007)

My son and I are setting up a 40 gal hex tank for saltwater. Right now we have had the tank running for about 4 weeks water and salt only. 2 weeks ago we put in 35 lbs live sand. Today we put in an 8.4 lb pc of live rock (will get more over the next few weeks plus another 20 lb bag of live sand) 2 snails and 2 hermit crabs. Water is around 1.022 to 1.023 this is checked everyday. I dont have a test kit as of now. We have 1 old 201 powerhead in the tank running. What else should we get or change. The tank is going to be FOWLR as of now. Down the road what kind of fish do you thank is best he likes the Gobies, Blennies, Jawfish, Shrimp, Firefish to name a few (he's 11 and his frist tank). What combo is good ? How many can we put in there? Maybe a few corals? We have a 120 gal fw tank now so i have some extra stuff to use if need be i will make a list later and post. Thanks for any help you can give.


----------



## jake_25 (Sep 25, 2007)

maybe Green Chromis there realy hardy and i think they look pretty and a pair of ocellaris clown fish and when you get lights and your tank matures in a year or so you could get anemone for them. could you post some pics of ur tank


----------



## jake_25 (Sep 25, 2007)

And there not the least be aggressive so you can put any fish in after it if you put a pair of maroon clowns in first they will pick on all the other fishes that get put in after.


----------



## taklein65 (Sep 23, 2007)

*what are these*

Thanks for the quick reply, I'll keep those in mind. I do have a question for you I've been watching the rock and have seen some things on it. Frist there are some tubes about 1/8'" in dia these little fan like things come out and open up they are white with black and or blue spots on them i have seen 3 so far. Second there are these little black things about 6-8 of these they have what look like fingers on the ends. they roll back in on themselves into the holes in the rock. Third tonight I just seen 1 of the fan things it is a real bright red it is a little bigger then the others. Do you konw what they are? should i worry about these? Will I went in to take a picture and I see this. is this a little green brittle starfish? no bigger then a dime from tip to tip. yes no? can't post jpg? will try to post later. Thanks again


----------



## jake_25 (Sep 25, 2007)

go to this site http://www.xtalworld.com/Aquarium/hitchfaq.htm it should have it there


----------



## jake_25 (Sep 25, 2007)

if its not there post a photo


----------



## jake_25 (Sep 25, 2007)

Have you found out what they are yet


----------



## taklein65 (Sep 23, 2007)

Yes first is a feather duster 5 now  , second aiptasia very dark brown 10-12 now :evil: going to get peppermint shrimp saturday to kill them off :twisted: , third is still unknown looks like red duster but it opens back on itself like a flower not out like a duster see 6 of these 5 are very small all are really fast they shoot back into tubes in split second :shock: 8) just like the dusters. they are a bright red really pertty. the star looks like a mini brittle star fish  just like in the picture on that page he is just smaller than a nickel. kind of cool to watch him move most of the time you just see his arms. I got a picture but he is really hard to see and it wont let post the pic says jpg format not allowed. I'll convert it to something else and try again later along with the red duster things. Thanks again for your help :thankyou:


----------



## jake_25 (Sep 25, 2007)

im glad it all worked out


----------



## taklein65 (Sep 23, 2007)

Went to the pet store got 10 lbs of live rock at makes 18.5lbs now 1- peppermint shrimp and some purple up and essential elements for the rock to help it along. found another mini brittle star fish on the new rock this one is smaller than the last one.so far so good.


----------



## jake_25 (Sep 25, 2007)

i herd the purple up is crap and doesnt work i dont know much about it though should ask some 1 else


----------



## taklein65 (Sep 23, 2007)

our tank and rock is turning brown it is also growing on the glass looks like brown algae is this normal during a cycle. The 2 hermit crabs and the feather dusters all same fine still moving. If purple up is crap what should i use than? Thanks for the help


----------



## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

I don't agree about the purple up, I use it and it does seem to help. 
The algae is normal, you will go through various stages of algae growth during cycling. 
Now is the time to get the test kits, watch the cycling phase carefully if there are inverts in the tank. Inverts are much more sensitive during cycling and to water quality in general. Considering the size of the tank, if you don't add anything more for a few wks, let things do their jobs, you should be fine. 

The number 1 rule of thumb in keeping saltwater is patience!

If the tank is cycled successfully before adding your fish, and you add only a couple at a time, giving a few wks in between additions, I see no reason why firefish, a diamond or yellow watchman goby, ocellaris clowns (no more than a pair), and maybe something like a coral banded shrimp can't all work for you. The trick with a 44 hex is in not getting fish that get "long" or large, keep them peaceful (no room in there for anything aggressive), and watch out when it comes time for corals, anemones, and lighting. Hex's are one of the harder tanks to light for saltwater because they are deep, which requires a fair amount of light to reach the animals, and there is limited space to put it. I have seen a lot of people work with pendant lighting for a hex tank as a solution. If corals and/or anemones are something you really want, do some research on species so you know what needs less light and what is compatible. Some corals won't tolerate each other, and some anemones won't tolerate being that close to corals. Also watch the species of clownfish, not just for aggression levels but also for sizes. Some get larger than others. The best suited for a 44 hex are the ocellaris aka nemo clowns.

Other options to discuss with your son:
emerald crabs
snails... many different types to eat different types of algae and keep the sand bed clean
bangai or pajama cardinal fish
orchid dottyback
research your blennys, algae eating blenny would work with a goby if there is enough rockwork in the tank and you can keep them close in size; the way to have them both is blenny and firefish (firefish are a species of goby)
if you do indeed have 2 small brittle starfish now, I wouldn't add any other starfish... the greens can be quite aggressive when they get larger, so you'll want to watch out for that as it grows.
rock anemone
star polyps (green or yellow)
bubble anemone
capnella coral
xenia coral
any of the smooth mushrooms

These are just some of the animals to consider, obviously they won't all fit into your tank. If you find things that appeal to you, it will help to eliminate and/or add species to the list of what is ok to mix in 44 gallons. The smaller the adult size of the fish the more of them you're going to fit into the tank safely. Also, keep in mind that firefish are schooling fish and should be kept in a group of at least 3 - 5.

As for jawfish, I won't suggest these to a beginner. This is not an easy fish to keep. They are seldom seen, extremely sensitive to everything... llight, stress, illness, water params, etc. Once a tank is well established, (2 yrs at least), and experience is gained, everything is stable, maybe then I would suggest one... but not a good fish for new tank or beginners.

Let us know if there's anything more we can do to help!


----------



## taklein65 (Sep 23, 2007)

Thanks for the info will keep it in mind. I'll get a test kit tomorrow on my way home and post the readings. 
Thanks again


----------



## taklein65 (Sep 23, 2007)

this is the stuff i have on hand some is in use on the FW tank and SW tank the rest is just sitting around. should i or shouldn't i use some of this in the SW. Plans are now to turn the 120 FW into a SW and put the FW fish in the 40 in my sons room for him because of the weight of the tank almost 523 lbs for SW instead of 332 lbs for FW (??). what do you think??? what else should i buy and how soon. Will post water readings tomorrow. Thinks for your help. 
RENA 400 PUMP (fw)
RENA 300 PUMP (fw)
Aqualight Pro HQI Fixture 48" 2-150w (fw)
DUETTO DJ-100 FILTER (sw)
EMPEROR 400 FILTER (??)
Fluval FX5 Canister Filter (fw)
Magnum 350 Pro System Canister Filter (fw)
AquaClear 20 (201) Powerhead (sw)
ETH 300 IN LINE HEATER 300W 
UV 5 CLARIFIER
25W AQUASTEP UV STERILIZER (fw)
Aquatic Gardens Profile Aquarium Heater 150 Watts (??)
QUIET ONE PUMP 800
Ario 3 Air Pump with red leds (fw)
PERFECTO U/G FILTER 18 X 48


----------



## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

If planning to use halide lighting, get rid of all of the hang on filters to start with. You don't want the spray that will happen under the lighting. The fluval FX5 should be good for canister for the 120. The 300 watt heater should stay, power head should stay... remember that combined (not all from one source) power head GPH should equal 10 - 15 times the tank capacity. For a 120, figure GPH should equal 1200 - 1500 total combined flow rate.

As for lighting, I have to say, hang onto everything and wait until you determine what animals you will be keeping, so you will be adding only what you need and only needing to do it once. Lighting is very important to corals, anemones, etc. and different animals have different needs. We can coach you as you select animals.
Important: Do Not use the U/G filter system in saltwater!

There is also equip not mentioned that should be included on your list, such as skimmer, UV sterilizer, test kits, etc.

Hope this helps.


----------



## taklein65 (Sep 23, 2007)

i have these 1- UV 5 CLARIFIER, 1- 25W AQUASTEP UV STERILIZER. the only thing i don't have is the skimmer which one would you suggest for under $250. i have the API saltwater test kit 
ammonia - .50 ppm
Nitrite - .25 ppm 
Nitrate - 10 ppm
ph - 8.0
temp - 80f
there are bubbles coming from the sand and the algae on the rocks it looks like brown hair growing on everything should i worry about the bubbles or is this normal? I am looking at making a 35 to 45 gallon sump/refugium to put the skimmer in. I have seen these little critters running around the rock in the tank feather dusters are everywere rock sand this is good right?


----------



## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

taklein65 said:


> i have these 1- UV 5 CLARIFIER, 1- 25W AQUASTEP UV STERILIZER. the only thing i don't have is the skimmer which one would you suggest for under $250. i have the API saltwater test kit
> ammonia - .25 ppm
> nitrite - 0 ppm
> nitrate - 10 ppm
> ...


This would be my first choice for a skimmer: http://www.aquariumguys.com/nautilus.html And that's not a bad price, either. You will want to shop around, though. I would not invest my money in a used skimmer, there are a lot of things to check to be sure one is working properly and with used equip, you can spend almost as much in fixing one as you would spend in buying it brand new in the first place. This one would be suggested for in-sump usage. I use one of these on a 175 tank and I love it to death. It's easy to use, easy to clean, and easy to adjust if needed.

The bubbles are just air trapped in the sand and it will dissipate on its own as time goes on. You should notice it subsiding within a few days to a wk. The brown hairy stuff on the rock is what we call "die off". This tends to be sponge algae growth that dies due to the move and change of conditions. This is one of the biggest reasons I never suggest cycling with fish in salt water. Most rock will produce some type of die off simply from being exposed to the air and time it takes to move it from one tank to another. This die off will break down into ammonia, and will contribute to cycling the tank, so no fish are needed for the ammonia content. In some cases (many cases) the ammonia spikes from die off can be overwhelmingly toxic and can happen quickly in a new tank with little to no bacteria culture established, especially in a tank where there is a lot of new rock put in at once. A new saltwater tank averages 6 - 8 wks to cycle once the live rock and sand are put in.

The little critters are likely to be copepods, and yes, these and the dusters are normal and a good sign of a healthy tank that is just getting started. Patience and watching the "critters" is the best thing you can do at this point, while obtaining any additional equip and getting it all hooked up. These "critters" will help your tank in various ways and are nothing to worry about.

So far it sounds like everything is awesome! Keep us posted and feel free to ask any questions you may have along the way!


----------

