newbie on a budget

[nicksatx]

okay im interested in turning my old freshwater 10gal into a SW tank. ive read quite a bit, and i understand the matinence needs. if i do go for it i will be doing a fish only setup. as far as i can tell i dont need a skimmer right? i know i can only keep two fish max. i was thinking two clowns. if i buy them young they will be compatible right? if not its better to know that now. ive read that i need live rock. how much should i get exactly? and i wont need any special lights for the live rock right? one last thing with the two fish would it be impossible to have a couple shrimp in there too? if anybody replies to this thanks in advance. peace

nick

 

[1979camaro]

you can use normal output flourescents for live rock...in a ten gallon fish only i would shoot for 8-10 pounds of lr...shouldnt need a skimmer but you must keep on top of water changes...at least 20% weekly I would say...the store should be able to sell you clowns which are happy pairs...I wouldnt just get a couple and hope...you need to get smaller clowns only, true percs or false percs or black percs would be my reccomendations...could probably keep a cleaner shrimp or blood shrimp with the clowns, just make sure there will be enough room for them to hid in the rockwork...they like to be under dark ledges...you could keep snails and crabs too...of course then you are getting into a LR with inverts tank...personally, I think you might want a couple blue legged or red legged hermits and maybe some margarita snails for a little cleanup crew and some added interest, but thats just me....whatever you do, remember to go slowly and let the tank fully cycle with the LR before adding anything alive. Also, make sure you use quality water for water changes

hope that helps, and I'm sure you will get some other imput

Kevin

 

[nicksatx]

hey thanks for replying camaro. i was planning on getting either tru or false percs. which ever ones look "normal" like nemo. laugh at me all you want but i love that movie. anyways 8-10 pounds of LR sounds good. i always heard that hermits were a pain. always trying to escape and such is that tru? also do they just eat whats left on the bottom or do i have to get them there own food? one more question on filtering. should i use an undergravel filter too? or is that overkill? and once i get the the LR in there how long will it take to completely cycle ive read lots of different times some say itll be a week or two others are more like a month. how long has it been in your experiance? and can you recommend a brand of sea salt? thanks again man. peace

nick

 

[1979camaro]

undergravel filters are bad...they are nitrate producers...the live rock should provide sufficient filtration when coupled with adequate water circulation provided by a good power head or a HOB filter with the media removed...I think the hermits that are a problem with escaping are FW hermits because they need to breath atmospheric air...truly aquatic ocean hermits will not try to escape...as for your cycle it is impossible to say how long it will take, you will need a wide range of test kits, but most critical in this system will be pH, ammonia, and nitrite/nitrate, and a hydrometer (for measuring salinity)...as far as salt goes I use instant ocean if I mix it myself, but you can usually buy premixed from your LFS at a reasonable price so I would look into that. Nemo is a true percula I believe...haven't seen the film since it came out...they will be a bit pricier (probably $70-80 a pair compared to $40ish) but I think they are much nicer looking...I would also go to the LFS and get a couple books on the subject, Fenner's consciencious marine aquarist is good, but a bit dated...there is a new book out but I cant remember the name...crap...well, look in the regular saltwater section under some of the newbee posts and you should be able to find a good reading list.

 

[wayne]

Give the UGF a miss - just use the live rock and make sure water circulation is good. If you get Mike Palettas New MArine Aquarium it has a complete shoppin list for a 10, and is almost an essential read. Change a gallon of water twice a week - I use Instant Ocean too. Remember you'll need to let the water stand and be ciruclated for a couple of days before hand so you can either get a bucket and put a powerhead in that, or consider buying the stuff if it isn't too much hassle.
I would jsut get 2 very small commons and let them sort it out for themselves.

 

[nicksatx]

ok no undergravel filter. ill look for that book wayne. right now all i got is "the book of the marine aquarium" by Nick Dakin. its more of a fish index than a how to for begginers book. i dont think i can afford 80$ in fish so ill have to go with the false percs, and if i dont need a UGF should i use a HOB filter. i mean i know that the biological filtration is done by the rock but but i dont see how it could keep the water crystal clear like activated carbon. i should get coral sand for the substrate right? right now what i need is substrate, powerhead(do i just need one?), instant ocean, various test kits. set everything up and come back ina few days for the Live rock. does thta sound about right?

 

[1979camaro]

you dont want to add any chemical filtration to the water unless there is a reason...a marine tank is unlikely to be crystal clear anyway...lost of particulates etc floating around; i like the idea of using an hob instead of a powerhead (I have one of each in my 20g nano) because i can add things if i need to...generally however i run it without any media. if you decide a powerhead is the way you want to go (this works really well too)...i would get one powerhead that will move a couple hundred gallons of water per hour and see how that goes for you...sounds like you are on the right track...add the LR once you get your ph, temp, and salinity stabilized...

 

[nicksatx]

so all i need is a HOB? it only moves like a 60-70 per hour. i could always use a small power head too right? so once i get the ph, temp and salinity stabilized then i can add the rock. no ones mentioned live sand so i guess i dont need it? well i think im about ready to start buying stuff now thanks for all your help camaro. peace

nick

 

[1979camaro]

i would use a small power head in conjunction with that HOB...as far as live sand, you can use the stuff the sell in the store if you want, get a seed from a local reef club/friend, or just wait for the LR to colonize your sandbed and make it "alive"...personally I didn't spend the extra $$ on LS and it is full of critters now just from my LR

K

 

[nicksatx]

yea thats what i thought about the sand. im going to buy stuff on friday i think. it sucks living so far from from the city when you need to buy stuff. its great most of the time but when u need something all the stores are somewhere else and it sucks. well ill try and post pics when i get it all set up. thanx again camaro. peace

nick