# starting new 50g- newb



## mianaMW (Feb 22, 2010)

Hi, im new to this forum,and id like to learn more about fish keeping the right way. Coming from a small country in South East Asia,Brunei Darussalam, is a disadvantage for hobbyist like me since there is only one saltwater aquarium shop present. OFcourse ive had some experiences keeping freshwater fishes,currently i own 3 freshwater aquariums and 1 small 20g saltwater aquarium. and im planning to expand my saltwater aquarium by starting a 50g one. 
So far, the inhabitants in my saltwater tank:


2 ocellaris clowns
1 tomato clown
1 skunk clown
1 moon wrasse
1 starfish
2 anemones(sebae and ??)
As for the new tank im going to use these equipments:


50g tank with lighted hood
2 powerheads( to b safe)
2skimmers
hydrometer
18lbs live rock
40lbs live sand
 i will post up some pictures soon. but for now,any comments? what else do i need?


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

It sounds like you are off to a good start. I would recommend adding more rock. You could use a dry rock supplier to save on costs. I personally use Marco Rocks The finest aquarium rock available, base rock, live rock, reef rock, marco rock, reef tank saltwater fish, live corals, Marco rocks, Fiji live rock, Tonga Live rock. A 25 to 40 pound order would be appropriate for your needs. If you browse the site you will see many different types of rock. I use the Key Largo. You can see pictures of it on my 180 thread. http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/saltwater-fish-pictures-videos/pasfurs-180-fowlr-build-21979/

I would also recommend that you increase the sand bed depth to a 4'' level at minimum. Between 4'' and 6'' is optimal for denitrification. Marco Rocks also offers sand at a great price. They have a special on 40 pounds of rock and 40 pounds of sand that is dirt cheap.

What model skimmer are you using?


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## mianaMW (Feb 22, 2010)

hi,im going to add more live rocks and sand slowly. but for now,thats all i can afford right now. and th skimmers im using arent so good,m not sure what brand they are. but im planning to buy a bigger and better skimmer next month. what do u think? 

this is a picture of the new tank setup so far


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## DisneyCoralReef (Feb 26, 2010)

Waw :shock: why is there such a markeup on rocks at the store I went to! the ones they showed me were 100.00 per 10lbs of rock. I'm not exactly sure what kind of rocks they were, but WAY more expensive than what I saw. 

Great link! thank you so much for posting it, I'm a Salt Water Newbie so all this info is fantastic. Great thread! can't wait to see what else you add to the tank.


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I'm confused. The picture doesn't match the description above. Is this the same tank?


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## n1zjd (Jan 25, 2010)

Im a bit confused as well. I believe he/she has an established 20g saltwater tank and the picture is of a 50g that they are starting.

First I would like to say that 18lbs of rock isnt going to be enough for a 50g, you need to be thinking more along the lines of 50-65lbs of rock. And as far as the sand is concerned, unless you plan to have a 1" sandbed your going to need more than 40lbs as well. I have 50lbs in my 29g to give me a 4" sandbed. Remember, you either want a 1" sand bed or a 4-6" sandbed, I believe the latter to provide better denitrification. Either way though, the sandbed and live rock play a crucial role in marine environment being one of your main components of filtration so dont skimp here.

Whats the reason for running two skimmers? If they are both going to be HOB skimmers they are going to be an eyesore. Why not spend your money on a single, better quality HOB or better yet a sump mountable skimmer?


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## mianaMW (Feb 22, 2010)

Sorry for the confusion guys, thats actualy my unfinished 50g tank. ahh,i havent set up much,bt i did change the skimmer and bought a WEIPRO SA-2012. I hope its good enough. and i decided to use a topfilter for now(thinking of upgrading to sump nxt time). and also,sorry there are no pictures of my 20g now:S...but i will take some more pictures of the develoment of my 50g. thanks


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## mianaMW (Feb 22, 2010)

Hi, another update on my tank,im now using 66lbs of live sand and 26lbs of live rock. will post pictures soon


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

mianaMW said:


> Sorry for the confusion guys, thats actualy my unfinished 50g tank. ahh,i havent set up much,bt i did change the skimmer and bought a WEIPRO SA-2012. I hope its good enough. and i decided to use a topfilter for now(thinking of upgrading to sump nxt time). and also,sorry there are no pictures of my 20g now:S...but i will take some more pictures of the develoment of my 50g. thanks


You are in good shape with this skimmer. The WEIPRO SA-2012 will be good for your tank size. 

I do want to make sure you understand the concept of marine aquarium filtration. The skimmer IS YOUR FILTER. You do not want to use the topfitler in addition to the skimmer. In fact, the topfilter will compete against the skimmer reducing its effectiveness, by breaking down organic waste before the skimmer has the opportunity to directly remove the waste from the water.

Nice to hear that you have live rock in the tank. Looking forward to updated pics.


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