# just looking for some friendly advice.



## simster571 (Jun 2, 2008)

hi all im new here.

i just bought a 60 gallon aquarium..(odyssea b60) that I would love to turn into a saltwater aquarium. I dont have the money now but slowly I want to start the process. I have done alot of research on here and read many online guides about saltwater aquariums and im starting to feel more confident about setting it up. I do have a few questions about my new tank and a saltwater setup tho.

as mentioned above it is an odyssea b60 and its almost brand new. the only thing about it is that the lights dont work. one of the bulbs is for sure bad..do all the bulbs have to be working in order for any to turn on or is my ballast or electrical screwy? also where can i find the filters for this thing, it has the pump and all but no filters to go in it.

i plan on doing a FOWLR setup, and plan on buying about 100 lbs of live rock for it, according to what ive read, this should do correct? One thing not clear to me is...do I need to get shrimp and crabs and stuff to go in the bottom to clean and what-not? i am also looking for recommendations for peaceful and easy to take care of fish and critters. I am familiar with freshwater setups but this is my first saltwater so I want to make it as easy on myself as possible.

also, if i have live rock do I need live sand or will regular sand be ok? or if I get live sand can I use less live rock or do I just need both? What would be the minimum amount of live rock I could possibly use?

thank you in advance for all the help.


----------



## DJOstrichHead (Feb 29, 2008)

Buy 30 lbs of "live" live rock and another 70 pounds of dead base rock. This will cut costs and the live rock will seed the dead rock in no time. Aragonite sand would be find instead of live sand. 

Dont buy any sort of hang on filter, they just become a hassle later and live rock is the best form of filtration. 

Buy two big or three medium sized powerheads to move the water around

buy the live rock first and fill in the base rock as you buy it, but after you wash it off and let it soak in water for a couple days. add the sand only when you have finished laying down any rock that will set on the bottom, or else it might shift if its setting on the sand. 

A small cleaning crew of 8 hermits, 4 narsissus snails, 4 cerith snails, and 4 trochus snails will keep the place clean til your ready to move to the next step. just toss in a little fish food every couple days


----------



## jumpman23 (Apr 28, 2008)

*“the only thing about it is that the lights dont work. one of the bulbs is for sure bad..do all the bulbs have to be working in order for any to turn on or is my ballast or electrical screwy?”* 

T5 is best use if you have corals, but bear in mind the water temperature & algae will rise, you shouldn’t have problem if you’ve a chiller to regulate the water temperature. For economical light bulbs, you can try the Nirox sun bright bulbs & moon bright bulbs, or for good effect you can try the JBL which is 3 times more expensive than the Nirox but the effect is very nice. Fish definitely require lighting else they will continue to remain inactive hiding inside the rock.

*“also where can i find the filters for this thing, it has the pump and all but no filters to go in it.”*

You need a good filtration system either sump tank or canister for 60 gallons. Sump tank is much recommended here, you can keep additional live rock there to breakdown the harmful substances. This is also a cheaper alternative compare to canister. There are various filter canister out there, the risk of having canister, some might have water leakage, some might have problem with pump breakdown, and some might be noisy. Always remove the carbon cartridges and replaced with bio balls, bio rings, or anything that is biological. If you plan to get a canister, always check on the warranty, I recommended Eheim, Hydor, or Tetra, but there is always a risk on other brand even with the one I recommended. 

*i plan on doing a FOWLR setup, and plan on buying about 100 lbs of live rock for it, according to what ive read, this should do correct? *

First of all, you must understand that live rock contain millionth of bio organism, these organism are essential to sustain saltwater livestock.

A sumptank is very good for a big tank, because you can have additional liverocks to process further the bad or harmful substances. Bear in mind in both cases either sump tank or canister filter, you need a good Protein skimmer reliable enough to do the skimming process. :idea: 

*One thing not clear to me is...do I need to get shrimp and crabs and stuff to go in the bottom to clean and what-not? *

You don’t need them, Protein skimmer, sump tank or canister filter are your water treatment department to do the job regulating your water condition. :idea: 

Does it really make sense at all imagine how many of those little creeps are required to completely clean up 60 gallons?  

*i am also looking for recommendations for peaceful and easy to take care of fish and critters. I am familiar with freshwater setups but this is my first saltwater so I want to make it as easy on myself as possible. *

To begin your journey, you need to control and maintain the water condition, salt content, then question whether you can afford to build a sump tank or canister, and Protein skimmer. Check your water condition regularly to monitor whether your equipment and filtration materials are working effectively. I recommend JBL filtration product for saltwater fish, these are very good product and proven in my tank after I replaced the filtration cartridges with those.

*also, if i have live rock do I need live sand or will regular sand be ok? or if I get live sand can I use less live rock or do I just need both? What would be the minimum amount of live rock I could possibly use?*

As I’ve explained earlier, live rock contain micro organism to control the water quality, the more the better depend on size of your tank. It should be good enough to regulate and maintain your water quality.

Get yourself a salinity checker (check salt content), PH, KH, NO2, Ammonia test kits.

1st step for you is to maintain your water quality. A good water quality the fish will be happy.

2nd step is to check which type of fish food is suitable for your fish.

3rd step check the water condition regularly.

4th You need a good sea salt, mixing them with Filtered Water or RO water, measure it then pour into your tank. Re measure again once it is inside the tank. A good salinity level should be within 1.020 – 1.023

5th Observe your fish and analyze. Fish with less movement mean something is not right with the water condition, food that don’t eat mean the food is not their favorite, and fish require lighting to stay alert and healthy.

I’m a newbie in saltwater fish too, this is my 1st project in 1.5 ft tank, my long term goal in another 3 quarter will be a 4 ft main tank and a 2 ft sump tank. I need to learn how to regulate the water, and the fish behavior, and what type of fish food is best, then only qualified myself into those area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8DI7kzR0DM


----------



## DJOstrichHead (Feb 29, 2008)

yeah i've kept trochus, turbo, scalet hermits, narsissus, and cerith

turbo are horrible for obvious reasons, almost lost me my tank



narsissus are my fav. they i only have 3 in my 29 gal but they are amazing at cleaning up and stirring my sb.


----------



## jumpman23 (Apr 28, 2008)

> "yeah i've kept trochus, turbo, scalet hermits, narsissus, and cerith
> 
> turbo are horrible for obvious reasons, almost lost me my tank
> 
> narsissus are my fav. they i only have 3 in my 29 gal but they are amazing at cleaning up and stirring my sb."


How many of each, and can u post some picture of these lil wonderful creeps of cleaning crew like wat u've mentioned.


----------



## DJOstrichHead (Feb 29, 2008)

trochus - 6
cerith- 6 
narsissus 3
scarlet hermits- 2 

It's a real light crew, i'll probably add some more narsissus 

I'd looove a scallop or some more feather dusters to help more


----------



## Age of Aquariums (Apr 13, 2007)

DJOstrichHead said:


> I'd looove a scallop or some more feather dusters to help more


I thought Scallops where kinda hard to care for, not 100% sure though, as I've only had one.


----------



## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

Check out my thread in the SW pictures and videos. My 10G Nano Reef. It has 2 Astrea Snails with 2 Hermit Crabs who are working wonders.


----------

