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#1
01/14/2004, 04:25 PM
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starting up new tank and could use help
all help would be great. to start i have a 35 gal hex tank in it right now it is set with 10 lbs sand filled with water salt at 1.21 temp at 80 deg f. tank is running with fluval 204 filter 200watt heater and a 15w aquarium lamp. on sat iwill be putting in live sand 10 to 20 lbs and 25 to 35lbs live rock. looking for any help this is my first tank and juct want to have some fish to start for my new baby to look at he loves looking at fish in store. is this a ok setup or do I need more equipment. all help would be great.
Penman |
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#2
01/14/2004, 04:31 PM
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You'll definitely need more lighting. I'm assuming you're using a normal output bulb... you're going to need to upgrade this to VHO/PC/MH if you want to maintain the liverock/live sand and any invertebrates that you'll most likely buy down the road.
I would raise the salinity to around 1.025 (34ppm)... it's much healthier. Keep an eye on this as it changes pretty rapidly in smaller tanks. And definitely be looking to get a protein skimmer. |
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#3
01/14/2004, 05:12 PM
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The lighting is not really critical on a FishOnlyWithLiveRock (FOWLR). Increase the salinity to 1.025 and get a good HOB skimmer like AquaC Remora Pro.
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"The people along the sand All turn and look one way. They turn their back on the land They look at the sea all day." Robert Frost |
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#4
01/14/2004, 05:16 PM
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Also make sure you get a good quality test kit with ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, alk, and phosphorous. This will let you know 1. when you can start stocking your tank, and 2. if things start to go awry. Test every 1-2 days while cycling, and maybe once a week thereafter.
Laura
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Laura Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll never work again. Teach a woman to reef, and you can watch your savings dwindle away to nothing ;) |
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#5
01/14/2004, 06:21 PM
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One thing (of many), I learned the hard way, is to get some decent lighting from the start. My first tank was going to be fish only with live rock setup, so I just used several NO output bulbs. However, like many others out there, it wasn't long before I thought that a few low light corals would look nice on that live rock, and upgraded to some powercompact lights. This worked for about a year, then of course, I sure wanted to add some stony corals, or a clam or two, and had to ditch the pc lighting and upgrade a third time to metal halide lights. It sure would have been easier to have just put some decent lights on at step one, instead of having to invest in three complete lighting setups. Just some food for thought...I think most would agree, this whole reef thing gets pretty addictive, and planning ahead for this today as much as possible, sure makes it easier (and cheaper) tomorrow.
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