Live rock, lighting etc. (newbies)

[Linda]

We have been successfully keeping FW aquariums for 5 months, and 2 months ago set up our first fish only SW tank. We have a bar goby, camel back shrimp and peppermint shrimp that we have moved from a 10 gal to 20 gal tank. My son has a 29 gal tank with 2 oscelaris clowns and camel back shrimp. We are using AquaClear filters. We would like to add some live rock to the tanks but are not sure if this is ok with the setup we have. I have read that you do need a skimmer with LR, and that you don't need a skimmer??? We asked the guy at the LFS store and he didn't know anything. The tanks have fluorescent bulbs. Is special lighting required for LR, and do you have to feed it something???

Thanks,
Linda

[Rovert]

Linda, welcome to the hobby. I'm a newbie myself (2 mo. old reef tank), but I've had very good luck with it.

You don't need the rock, but it does have many benefits, key among which are that it makes the tank look more natural, gives the fish a sense of security so they tend to behave more naturally, and helps with biofiltration. The skimmer recommendation was not for the rock, but for the health of the fish, because it helps remove bad organic compounds that accumulate.

Live rock just needs some light. Again, as with just about everything in this hobby, opinions on on how much light vary, but one thing is almost universally agreed upon - you need much more light in a marine tank than a freswater tank, and you should get as much as you can afford. There are the people who advocate minimizing costs and getting just what they need to get by, and there are the extremists that overkill their tanks with lighting. Knowing what you want to keep in the way of animals will determine how much light you need. Luckily for your wallet, fish don't need that much.

I would not recommend that you put the rock straight into the tank, though. There is always some amount of dieoff from the rock being exposed to air, which will cause a little 'mini-cycle', and would cause your fish to stress.

There is a debate regarding whether or not to run the skimmer while the rock cycles. That would depend primarily on whether it's cured, or not.

Hope this helps!

[Linda]

Thanks for the reply. I was told that you did not need a skimmer for a fish only tank, plus we started with a 10 gal and was told you could not get a skimmer for a tank that small.

Thanks for the suggestion of not putting the rock straight into the tank. What do you do with it though? And now I think I know what DO means, die off???

I'll keep reading, but it's hard to know what to do when you get differing opinions.

[TonyHNYC]

Hi Linda,
I have a 10 gal tank set up for for the past 7 months now. I do have a protein skimmer running and I highly recommend it. Fish especially release quite amount of waste, although mechanical filtration can take some out, a large amount gets dissolved back into the water where skimming is probably the best way to get it out.
The skimmer I am using is quite simple. (all it says on it is Sander Protein Skimmer with a german word Ozonreaktor) It is 6 inches long in total with a wooden airstone at the end. I got it for 30 bucks in a local pet stores and you need a strong airpump with a valve to control the airflow.
In regard to your live rock, it can cause some ammonia spikes when you place in directly into the tank. If you petstore had the live rocks in stock for a while, then that should be a minimal problem. Sometimes a lot of the animals in the live rock can die off....But, clowns are very strong and I don't know too much about the shrimp....

Good luck...
Tony

[shellisland]

Hey Linda! Welcome to the boards.

I don't usually submit alot of advice to the boards ( i usually ask alot of questions) but a good book that was referred to me was Robert Fenner's Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Not a hugely in depth book but it gives a wonderful overview of the whole 'saltwater mystique' Like that?! :D

I can tell you from personal experience, years ago I had a fish only setup with minimal live rock (just enough for cover) and never even heard of a protein skimmer. Whole tank died. Now, they may or may not be related, but I think fish excrete alot of wastes and the better your system is at cleaning it, the better. I have read tho that overskimming can deplete the 'good' stuff to.

I use a CPR Bak Pak on my tank, and I think they can be used on 20-30 gallon tanks as well. As far as die off from the live rock...if it has been cured at your LFS, then it should be fine, minimal die off, in which case just prepare to do a few small water chgs (like 5%)

As far as lighting, I think most of the live rock I personally have gotten has had critters that only require low light (little button polyps) but I have 4 55 watt power compacts for the other stuff in my tank-which if you ask some people is still too low!

Live rock is nice because it usually has creatures that help balance the tank out, sand dwellers that move the sand around, and natural food sources for certain fish.

Good luck :)

[Linda]

Thanks so much for the replies. We are looking thru our catalogs for a skimmer. Do you have them running all of the time?

[Doug]

Hi Linda and [welcome]

Doug

[Rovert]

Linda -

You'll probably want to go with an affordable hang-on tank skimmer. I own the Prizm, and like it very much, particularly because it's only about $70. It's more than you'd need for the 20, but you don't have to run it all day, either. I'm not sure if I agree w/ "overskimming", but again, as with most things in this hobby, it all depends on who you ask. Everyone's conditions for water, animals, and chemical balances are different, so what works for one, might not for the other. There is very little 'absolute' advice (other than salt water fish need salt water...), so you need to read as much as you can, and make your own decisions.

Ditto the rec for TCMA by Fenner, and Ron Shimek's book, which both do a very good job at explaining the basics.

[Flatlander]

Hi Linda: Live rock will be a great addition to your tanks. Unless one has coral growth on the rock, then your flo. bulbs are fine. Coral do require more light though.

Feeding the rock is not needed, again, of course unless there is coral growth.

A skimmer is required with any saltwater tank, that another source of nutrient removal is not used. The skimmer removes doc,s[ dissolved organic waste material]. This can also be removed with water changes or an algae scrubber or sump with a sandbed plus some species of harvestable calerpas.

As your load is light, a skimmer may not be needed. Regular water changes in a small tank, may be all that is needed. If you do go with skimmers, purchase good ones from the start. Most of us have bought many as we progressed. Something like the bac-pac is fine for a small tank. It will also help with oxygen/co2 exchange in the tank.

If you dont have it already, a shallow bed of fine aragonite would also help your tank. It will help with denitrification, create a home for lots of creatures and provide some natual foods, after it matures. Perhaps check out Rons forum for more advice on sandbeds.

[ltstring]

Hello Linda,
If you look at the classifieds on this site, fishpoo has a prizm skimmer a few months old for $45.00 + shipping. Not a bad deal.
My .02
Regards,

[Linda]

I have been reading with SW tanks you do a 25% water change every 2 weeks. Do you still do that if you have a skimmer?

We do have aragnonite in the 20 gal, but my son has gravel in the 29 gal. He wanted aragonite until we told him he had to pay for it :-)

[ltstring]

Hello Linda,
Yes, you should do water changes even with a skimmer. But average is 25% once a month. Some people do a 10% once every two weeks. Just check your water parameters and decide whats best for you.
Best Regards,