# Starting a first saltwater aquarium.



## Salamance (Aug 17, 2010)

Hello!

I have always loved fish and after owning 3 freshwater aquariums for quite a while, I would like to finally get a saltwater one. I have never had a saltwater tank ever and need to know EVERYTHING about owning one, either from you guys, or from external links (Google has failed me). I already have one empty 20 gallon long with no hood if that can be used but otherwise I have about a 700$ budget maximum for setup and stocking. Wight wise, the place I have to put it will be able to hold about 250 pounds but a little over wouldn’t be too bad. I don’t need a cabinet because that is the only place it will go. Is there any way to get a saltwater aquarium (preferably a reef one) under these conditions or should I stay fresh?

Thanks for your help!


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

see post 3 on this thread http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/saltwater-aquariums/90g-tank-set-up-equipment-list-48950/


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## Salamance (Aug 17, 2010)

Okay so i read all that but what now? I have decided to use the 20gallon for a sump tank (if mom lets me) or mabie something else but i still need to know more. What sise of tank can i have that will not exeed my weight limit? (including rock sand etc.)


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## outpost (Mar 30, 2010)

If you think that you need to do a bigger tank for your first you are mistaken. It is true that the more water volume the more stable your tank will be, but with a 20 gallon tank it won't be hard at all to keep it stable. Over time the freshwater will evaporate from that tank and you will have to top it off with fresh, RO/DI water. If your tank is kept in a moderate to cool room then as far as stability goes you will be fine. It's not like your nitrates can get out of hand super fast for no reason. if you over feed they will but you seem seasoned and probably won't do that. 

In my opinion the smaller tank will be easier to take care of and you can keep it really simple. You won't have to do as big of water changes and you definitely don't need a skimmer. No sump needed here either. I have a 30 gallon reef and I use a HOB filter with a bag of carbon in it to absorb nitrates and do a 3 gallon weekly water change. All of my sps, lps and softies are doing great. 

A 20 gallon tank is a great dimension also. You can make it look a lot bigger than it looks. Also with a 20 gallon it will be a lot cheaper to fully stock.

For a light I would recommend getting the 150 watt metal halide form aquatraders.com. It is a $100 dollar light that comes with free shipping. That will be more than enough light for the tank and you will get the cool "shimmer effect" like on the bottom of a pool on a sunny day. It would be good to keep the light above the tank about a foot or two to keep the tank from getting too hot and to cut down on evap. There are also Power compacts and and T5s but in the long run I think you will be more happy with the halide. The two alternatives won't really be cheaper than that. A good general rule of thumb is 4 watts per gallon of water. 

When you set up your tank I think it would be best to use dry rock and seed it with a couple pieces of live rock. You really don't need that much rock either. 15 pounds would be plenty. You could use a couple of maxi-jet 600 or 900s for flow in a reef. Flow is a lot more important in a reef than a freshwater tank. Corals need the flow to take away the CO2 and waste they expel and bring oxygen and nutrients to them. The flow should not be directly pointed at the coral but rather the glass at angles to create a good current. 

Some people might say that it is good to have a deep substrate layer but a thin one is superior. At the bottom I posted a link and he will tell you why.

Check this guy out:http://www.youtube.com/user/ipsfdotcomHe has a whole "10 gallon reef tank for noobies" on Youtube. It is a great guide to go by. He does it for a 10 gallon tank but you could do the same for your 20. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have and Qs. 
-outpost-


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## Salamance (Aug 17, 2010)

As it turns out my mom is not quite so keen on a saltwater tank as i am. Yesterday she said yes but today, she did a little research on her own and has decided not to let me have one. Also, after more then 15 days my escaped turtle seems to have come back from the dead. I no longer have ago ahead for a saltwater. Thanksforthe information though i will keep it in mind forwhen i get one (which i will). Thanks anyway!


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

outpost said:


> In my opinion the smaller tank will be easier to take care of and you can keep it really simple. You won't have to do as big of water changes and you definitely don't need a skimmer. No sump needed here either. I have a 30 gallon reef and I use a HOB filter with a bag of carbon in it to absorb nitrates and do a 3 gallon weekly water change. All of my sps, lps and softies are doing great.


Just a point of clarification. Carbon itself does not absorb nitrates, but there are many products on the market which do. In fact, carbon can quickly become biologically active introducing nitrates into a tank, depending on how the carbon is being used. I suspect you are using a different product, and simply said "carbon" for the sake of keeping it simple.



> When you set up your tank I think it would be best to use dry rock and seed it with a couple pieces of live rock. You really don't need that much rock either. 15 pounds would be plenty. You could use a couple of maxi-jet 600 or 900s for flow in a reef. Flow is a lot more important in a reef than a freshwater tank. Corals need the flow to take away the CO2 and waste they expel and bring oxygen and nutrients to them. The flow should not be directly pointed at the coral but rather the glass at angles to create a good current.
> 
> Some people might say that it is good to have a deep substrate layer but a thin one is superior.


Great post. It is awesome to see that there are in fact different methods towards achieving success. I personally use dry rock, but use a bit more rock that suggested here. In addition, I am a huge supporter of a 4'' to 6'' sand bed, with no plenum. 

Problems often arise when trying to do either method "kind of". It is perfectly acceptable to use less live rock and go bare bottom, with regular water partials to remove detritus. Reefs have been run successfully using this method for years. However, the fact that this method works does not suggest that the deep sand bed method is not acceptable also. It is methods in between which have problems, namely sand beds in excess of 1'' but less than 4''.

I really like this post. But I would strongly challenge statements such as "a thin (sand bed) is superior".




> Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have and Qs.
> -outpost-


For the record, although it is certainly not a forum rule, the Moderator team has frequently discussed and favors that questions and discussions be kept public when possible. Private discussions defeat the purpose of a forum, because the experiences of other members do not get included. Not to mention that other readers do not have the opportunity to learn from the discussion.


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