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Pet Forum / Aquaria / Marine Reef / May 2005new to saltwater and a few basic setup questions
I recently got 90 gal tanks for a steal so I have had 1 sitting in the corner for about 3 months now. I have a couple freshwater tanks(220gal worth) so I am not entirely new to keeping fish however I have never had a salt tank before. Here is a rundown of what I have read I will definitely need to setup the tank: heater a good skimmer(reverse flow venturi??)+pump for skimmer? sump(going to make myself w/refugium 42""x14"x24" )+ return pump lights(New 2x65watt 10K and 2x65watt actinic PC setup I already have laying around) 100-200lbs Live rock(1-2lbs/gal?) salt sand+some live sand Homemade HOT overflow Someday I would like to keep corals and inverts but I don't plan on attempting that until I am very comfortable with a saltwater tank and I don't plan on dosing anything(if possible). I have done a lot of reading online and been to a few LFS but they were more interesting in selling me something thank giving me really good advice. Does anyone know of a good place near Detroit, MI(LFS or clubs) where I could go/join to talk to some people about starting a salt tank. I want to make sure that I have everything planned out correctly before I jump in and possibly kill any tank inhabitants I might get. Thanks in advance! Peter Don't know about your area but, My canned newbie response: I would highly recommend reading: Natural Reef Aquariums: Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms by John Tullock This is the first book I loan to anyone thinking of a reef tank. Good Luck! CW > I recently got 90 gal tanks for a steal so I have had 1 sitting in the > corner for about 3 months now. I have a couple freshwater tanks(220gal [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > Peter Peter, For a fish and selected inverts setup your proposed system looks good. If in the future you intend to have a go at corals you will have to either be very selective of the corals you choose or you'll need to upgrade your lighting. The key here is to read, read, and read more. Try to read the most up to date material because the knowledge available and technology has advanced significantly over the past few years. Try wetwebmedia.com for research material. The other thing to consider is that you really need to decide what your aim is and stick to the plan. Stocking for fish only (FO), FO with selected inverts and a full reef are all very different. Obviously, the reef is the hardest because of the number of differing organisms that all have to live together without eating each other! It's a bit like a stocking plan for a freshwater tank but with a vastly greater number of variables. Good luck Mark A good piece of advice I was given is to read a LOT, visit lots of LFS and online stores and maybe even some catalogs and find out your "must have" per tank. Be it a fish or invert or coral, etc, and plan the rest of the system around that. If there's a fish you absolutely want, research the death out of it and find its environment variables, what else will live happily with it, what it needs for hiding places, things like that. Of course, I could be full of crap as I'm a newbie, but the theory sounds solid. I'm sure someone here will call me on it if its incorrect advice. Brandonb > Peter, > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > ** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY ** > ---------------------------------------------------------- No, you're not full of crap, it is good advise! It is, without doubt, the best way to save a lot of heartache, expense and possible cruelty to animals. Mark |
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