i want to setup a salt water tank

[fleshgear]

i was thinking of using my 8 gallon cube tank, but then i thought maybe 10 gallon, but i think i might go for a 20 gallon.

i dont want to spend a lot of money.

i want to have corals, and only a few fish.

i was thinking of using a glass top, i have some good lights that i can use. how much light would be ideal and what would the minimum be?

can i use an aquaclear hang on back filter? or a fluval 204 or 304? or would that be too much? and what would go in the filter?

would i need an internal power head?

what is the point of a protein skimmer? that sounds expensive and like a lot of work, and i would like to avoid that.

how big of a tank could you go with before you would need a protine skimmer and a sump tank? i also have a 30 gallon tank that i am not using

when you do a water change how much do you change?

what do you have to test for? and how often? i dont test anything for my fresh water tanks, but i have most of the fresh water test kits

i went and checked some of the lfs and there was so much stuff there, it was kind of over whelming.

[Wingin' It]

I have been thinking about doing a 20 gallon SW for a while now...and this is what i've come up with.

Any filter will work, but take out the carbon and just leave the sponge part.

A power head will help keep things moving, which is good.

If you end up doing hard corals, you need like 2-4 wpg, but if just zoas then 1-2 wpg is fine.

The protein skimmer is a must if you don't want to be doing water changes every day or two, otherwise the ammonia build up is too much and kills everything.

For water changes, I read that 20-25% is sufficient every week or two, depending on what you've got in the tank. Same principle as FW.

I've come to the conclusion that it's going to be wayyyyy cheaper for me to just buy a set up off of a dis-enchanted member or person off kijiji, 'cause some of this stuff is getting to be very expensive. :boxed:

[fleshgear]

I have been thinking about doing a 20 gallon SW for a while now...and this is what i've come up with.

Any filter will work, but take out the carbon and just leave the sponge part.

A power head will help keep things moving, which is good.

If you end up doing hard corals, you need like 2-4 wpg, but if just zoas then 1-2 wpg is fine.

The protein skimmer is a must if you don't want to be doing water changes every day or two, otherwise the ammonia build up is too much and kills everything.

For water changes, I read that 20-25% is sufficient every week or two, depending on what you've got in the tank. Same principle as FW.

I've come to the conclusion that it's going to be wayyyyy cheaper for me to just buy a set up off of a dis-enchanted member or person off kijiji, 'cause some of this stuff is getting to be very expensive. :boxed:

i was taking with a few fish store people and one said for my nano cube i just need to put carbon in and some sort of a sponge.

the nano cubes dont have protein skimmers. and the edge tanks that i have seen only have the small ac filter

the protien skimmer is the part i want to avoid. unless i could get a cheap one, but then i guess you would get what you pay for.

where does the amonia come from? the live rock will take it, wont it?

i need to do some reading about protein skimmers.

why do corals need more water changes than the fish do?

[fleshgear]

what about heaters? or what should the temp be?

[Wingin' It]

I think the ammonia is the fish pee

and yes to the heater, I think Nathan kept his at around 80 or so.

[fleshgear]

could i just get one of those hob skimmers? instead of the hob filter? is the hob skimmer the same as a filter?

what else do i need as far as equipment goes?

tank

cover

heater? does it need to be a special one?

skimmer

light

power head

what else?

[Wingin' It]

I'm pretty sure the skimmers and the filters are different. As far as I know you need 'em both. But good news is, if you're going to keep it small, you can get the HOB skimmers, and they're really not all that much $$$.

The heater can be any heater. Submersible is probably best though (IMO).

In addition to your list, I believe you'll need the salt, the hydrometer and then I think you're set.

[JLake]

im with you winging it, ive been thinking about sw for a while, but im going to buy a whole set up off someone and hopefully they will include a little of their experience to go with it!

[T Dawg]

i went and checked some of the lfs and there was so much stuff there, it was kind of over whelming.

I think you just need to take it one peice at a time and go slow.

Temp depends on what you want to have in your tank. Just like FW what you want to keep dictates what you will need. There are starter corels and starter fish, low light, high ligh, you name it.

I think of corals more like fish than plants, in as much as some species are healthier with complimentry friends, some create more waste than others, and some need special diets.

Corals create waste just like fish, and will have different curent needs.

[werner]

Crap- that was a good presentation, wasn't it? I want one too.

[fleshgear]

Crap- that was a good presentation, wasn't it? I want one too.

it was very good, but what about setting up tanks smaller than 150 gallons.

i like the part about driving a Cadillac on a beer budget.

[fleshgear]

i was talking to another guy at a store, i mentioned that i had quite a few fresh water tanks and i wanted a 20 gallon sw tank. and he said why do you want a protien skimmer, just use an extra canister filter. that would get me by till i realize that i want a much bigger tank. and then the skimmer would just sit in my garage.

i like that idea a lot cause it is free.

[T Dawg]

i like that idea a lot cause it is free.

As long as you realize liking the idea and it being a good idea are not necessarily the same thing, at the end of the day it is your time and money to play as you want. Do what seems interstingand fun. You can always buy stuff later if you need. Half the fun of this hobby is trying and playing.

[T Dawg]

... I want one too.

I have always wanted one, and know exactly what I want and how I want it all to go together. But I have a deep dark secret, I am way to much of a sissy to touch stuff in the tank. I had an Endler jump out and I could not grab it with my hand to put it back in the tank, and the stuff I want needs hands on maintenance.

Oh, and I can't afford it yet.

[werner]

There are products for that...