# need some serious saltwater help



## tomgray (Feb 14, 2007)

*okay i am brand new to saltwater tanks...i have a complete set-up from what i know...
-120 gallon tank 60by24by18
-not sure the wattage but big enough light two bulbs one white one blueish
-told you i was new
-55 gallon sump
-ehiem 2217 filter
-protien skimmer
-apporx 75 pounds aragonite
-approx 10 lbs live rock (assuming practicaly dead)
-power head
-hang on over flow and hydrometer (on the way from california)

and i think thats it i am also getting some red sea salt i have practically no clue what i need and how much i can be looking to spend per year i know the start up costs for salt and rock but i just am sort of lost and open for any suggestions thanks alot to whoever can give me a hand and also i am new to this so little words haha*


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

hmm your live rock isnt enough, you should get 120 pounds of live rock for that size tank, thats the best for filtration, you might need more sand as well, 1-1 1/2 pound per gallon of live rock for filtration, you may add more for the viewing pleasures, the same goes for sand but i wouldnt add more. What kind of water are you using, tap, RO/DI, distilled? Also what type of tank were you planning, FO (fish only) fowlr (fish only with live rock) mini reef (a mix between corals and fish) full blown reef (focuses more on corals, less on fish)


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## tomgray (Feb 14, 2007)

i am buying live rock i am just looking to find some live roc that isnt goin to set me back like 700 bucks and i am going to the fowlr set-up and tap water i am sort of on a budget because i am in school and i have an expensive girlfriend lol


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## tomgray (Feb 14, 2007)

o and i am going with a hang-on over flow how many gph should i be looking at?


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

wait i must try to tell you not to use tap water. The tap water contains unwanted stuff which can ruin the ph and cause unwanted algae growth. Also with tap water the salt you use will have to be very different since there are so many things put in play. RO water doesnt cost that much and if you are willing to you can buy your own RO water filter. BTW if your girlfriend asks you for money and gifts for no reason then break up with her (its alright if she nicely asks you once and doesnt beg), if she doesnt ask and you give her presents since you want to be nice, good job  but its your private life and im no phsycatrist, Im not sure about overflows as i have never had a sump


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## tomgray (Feb 14, 2007)

awesome.....okay another question you will find that for every answer comes another question or two  but ya i am tihnking of transporting live rock from california but it is going to be a 5 day transport so do you think that i could do that? or would i have to buy some locally because the price locally is like 6 bucks a pound damned expensive and how much would an RO filter cost or just RO water???


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## Brandon (Dec 14, 2006)

Whered you buy all of this cause i live in canada too.


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## tomgray (Feb 14, 2007)

well i am in whitby ontario not sure if ur familiar but i went to big als and it was like 5.88 a pound and this site i am looking at has it with delivery for 400 bucks for 100 pounds which isnt bad i guess i am just trying to find a relatively cheap place to buy live rock


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

well in the chicago area RO water costs 30 to 50 cents a gallon, a RO filter costs around 100 dollars for 10 gallons filtered per day, you can get a more expensive one that filters more gallons each day


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## Melissa (Nov 28, 2006)

ok, well with like rock...you dont have to get it all at once. you can buy slowly, thats what we did. 

Now....have you set up the tank or is it waiting to be set up-?. Because if it hasnt been set up, the first thing you will want to do when it is, is cycle it.

You can fill up your tank at first with tap water, if you dont have r/o water. Most people do this anyway. Then when you do water changes you put the good clean water in.

i will write more in depth with things if you have other questions. there are also alot of other saltwater keepers who can help you too.


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## tomgray (Feb 14, 2007)

okay right now...i have some used aragonite that had salt in it and i just put water in without salt i was told this would be fine initially and it is filled up about a foot high and i have 75 lbs of aragonite and about 10 lbs of live rock which i think is just base rock now so would you recommend getting salt and starting up cycling now?


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

hmm, test all your filters first to see if they are working, expesially the sump


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## tomgray (Feb 14, 2007)

or could i just put only the water in without salt right away or would the live rock and aragonite get all messed up from that...sorry i guys and girls i am brand new to this i have only had a freshwater tank for like 4 months and i changed to salt because it is so much more facinating but from what i am realizing now it is much more expensive


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

By the way dont always take my information and use it right away as i have never owned a saltwater tank before, i have done research on them since i plan on having one myself this summer but i have never had one. My facts are based on research, not experiance


Good point, the freshwater will damage or kill the live rock, im not sure but maybe you can keep it in a bucket of saltwater for a few days while you make sure everything in the tank works?


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## tomgray (Feb 14, 2007)

i dont even have salt right now lol i just had this tank thrown on me and i wanted to get the rock in water
the guy said the aragonite had salt in it though
im prolly going to go to the store tomorrow and get some salt
but i need a hydrometer that i already bought online and wont get until monday with my hang on overflow


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## Melissa (Nov 28, 2006)

if you put your live rock in water without salt, it will die. Also if you leave it out of the water for to long it will die also.

And when you get all your supplies you can fill up your tank and start cycling it. But you really need your hydrometer in order to get the salinity right.


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## tomgray (Feb 14, 2007)

awesome i have a hydrometer on its way from california with an overflow so i guess ill just ahve to wait.......what other supplies will i need to start up the tank i just want to get the cycling stage going i would like to have some fish by late march if it is possible 

i currently have
-sump with bio balls and foam pads
-protein skimmer with powerhead attached
-ehiem 2217 filter 
-75 lbs of aragonite
-10 lbs of live rock (assuming almost dead)
-proper lighting not sure of the wattage

i am getting
-hang on overflow (in transit)
-hydrometer (in transit)
-salt 200 gallons worth
-live rock ( slowly working my way up to 150 lbs)


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## tomgray (Feb 14, 2007)

ps ...i am going with a fowlr tank


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## usmc121581 (Jul 31, 2006)

tomgray said:


> o and i am going with a hang-on over flow how many gph should i be looking at?


On my 120 I have a 1200gal/hr pump. As for the tap water. There will be somebody that will say something about it. But to fill it up the first time I used tap water. I dont have a Ro/DI filter so I wasnt forking out the money to buy all the water that walmart had to fill it up. So I filled it up with tap the *first time only.* Now everytime I need to add water or water change I buy RO water.


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