# 120G Salt Waster Beginner



## PoolBoy (Mar 25, 2010)

Hello Everyone!
I'm new to this forum and new to the world of aquariums.... I'm a 26 year old Pool Guy that recently traded 3 months of pool service to a customer for his complete (I think) 120 gallon salt water aquarium. I want to learn about aquariums (salt water in specific), fish compatability, live rock and corals as these are the things I obviously want in my tank. I also need HELP with setting up my tank and how to maintain it. I am 100 % new to this so I don't know anything. I recently purchased "Salt Water Aquariums for Dummies" in the hopes of learning how to put everything together and get this thing going. The book is very useful but I would like a little more help on a personal lever so I resorted to this forum. Now let me tell you what I have.........


1. *Glass aquarium:* 48 x 17 3/4 x 30 (according to the measurements that should be a 110-120 gallon tank)

1A. *Black wood stand and Canopy with lights attached to the canopy lid.*

2. *Reaction stage 4 UV Sterilizer:* http://www.saltysupply.com/JBJ-Reaction-4-Stage-Canister-filter-UV-Rated-to-1-p/jb2115.htm

3. *AquaC Remora:* http://www.proteinskimmer.com/Product Pages/Remora.htm *(the skimmer has a pump attached to the fitting heres the link for the pump) *http://www.zootoo.com/fish_pumpsvalves/suprememagdriveutilitypumpmode3

4. *Ocean Pulse Duo Model # WM-01:* http://www.jbjlighting.com/prod-ocean-pulse.html

5. *MarineLand Stealth Heater: *http://www.petco.com/product/13811/Marineland-Stealth-Visi-Therm-Submersible-Aquarium-Heaters.aspx

6. *Accela Submersible Powerhead:* http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/245273/product.web

7. *Digi-Mag Thermometer:* http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750630

8. *JBJ 96W 10K / JBJ 96W Blue Lighting: *http://www.aquatic-store.com/en-us/dept_732.html




So here are my first questions to everyone with knowledge.....
1. What do you like and dislike about the equipment?
2. What am I missing?
3. How do I hook everything up (what goes where?)
4. What is Live rock and Live Sand?
5. What is the best guide (if any) should I follow? The tank is drained with nothing in it except what i mentioned above, but nothing is hooked up. What is the VERY FIRST step I should do?
Thanks and sorry if I am asking stupid questions!


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## Kellsindell (Sep 15, 2008)

PoolBoy said:


> So here are my first questions to everyone with knowledge.....
> 1. What do you like and dislike about the equipment?
> 2. What am I missing?
> 3. How do I hook everything up (what goes where?)
> ...


First off, welcome to the forum! Always good to see new blood. 

1. You equipment seems fine. I think that if you really plan on doing SW your skimmer should be larger then the remora you linked us to. You will definitely need something that skims closer to 200g, this does depend on your "bio-load" or amount of life you keep in the tank. 
2. You are missing information about the lighting you have attached to the canopy. What size of lights are there in your tank and what type of bulbs. What are your plans for this tank? (more inquisitions will be asked in 5)
3. You may want to look at http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/member-submitted-articles/understanding-sumps-15930/. It's a great thread that'll get you started on putting your sump and so forth together. 
4. What make Live rock (LR) and live sand (LS) live is the fact that it has bacteria and other organisms living in them. Both are key to getting your tank started. Not all the rock needs to be live and not all the sand needs to be alive as well, but having some to seed your base rock and sand will be key to getting a good amount of bacteria, which act as a second source of filtration and for some fish, food. For LR the rule of thumb is you need 2lbs per gallon (please some one correct me if i'm wrong in this. It's been so long) and for sand, you need at least 4inches deep to have a successful filtration. If your sand bed isn't a deep sand bed (DSB) then you need to stay always from the 2-3in range. It can cause issues and many complain about the sand crashing (that's something all in it's own which can be explained later). IF you don't want a lot of sand then go with 1in or less for a sand bed. The sand will be there for aesthetics alone and serve as no filtration purpose. 
5.Very first step is to do a lot of research, otherwise you will do as i did for a long period of time. You'll kill things and get frustrated and get out of the hobby for a while or permanently. Slow and steady are going to be your friends here as well. There are tons of books that'll be beneficial to you as a new Aquarius. Joining a local club is also great. I'm in Dallas, Texas and am a member of the dfwmas club and love it. We have meetings and help each other out. There are many benefits to clubs. I personally can't give you any books that will help you, but i can give you a site with so much information it'll be month before we see you on here again. www.reefkeeping.com It's an online magazine with a wealth of information. Look up people like Randy-Holmes Farley and Eric Boernamen, they are very informative people. Please ask any questions you may have. I specialize in lighing and can answer most questions you may have about it, but I don't know everything because there is still so much more then we have discovered in the hobby and in marine biology as a whole. 

(i didn't know they made a reefkeeping for dummies... that's halarious)
Happy reefing
Michael Hernandez


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## Kellsindell (Sep 15, 2008)

OH, and i forgot. 

Source water is key to the hobby. IF you have bad source water you will have issues down the road. You need to use RO/Di water to maintain your tank parameters. Using a declorinator is just irresponsible. I know they can seem expensive, but if you get one and make your own water, you will save money in the long run, along with the hassle of lugging around water from the local pet store (LFS), instead of buying 5gallons at a time and then hauling the water around.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

And Kells, always good to see you back online! 
Welcome to the forum PoolBoy


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## PoolBoy (Mar 25, 2010)

I don't have a "sump tank". Would getting a sump tank be the first thing I should do? What size, brand and how many chambers should the tank be? What else should I consider when buying one? Also, my aquarium is not "drilled" or "ported" like many I have seen in this forum. So that means my hoses will go over the aquarium right?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

Give this a read: Understanding Sumps. This should give you a good idea of the whats, hows and whys of a sump.


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