A Few Questions For Marine Keepers.

[aly_starh]

A few questions, i know i have started a few threads in the past about marine tanks, then opted for easier fish, but i think i will definetly go for a Marine Tank now.
The betta tank has been broke down:

So i have;-
*Tank- 65L Juwel Rekord
*Lighting- T8
*Heater- 150W Fluval

That is basically all i have just now, but i will be setting up the tank some time next year.

Some answers i wanted to know are;
1.) I have calculated i will need 7KG of Live Rock, i saw most places online selling them in a package so like 5KG or 10KG, the 5KG i saw were around £45, is that a decent price? Where do you buy your LR from? Can i buy 5KG first then the 2KG after?
Also just seen on Ebay, people selling "Live Rock", but its out of water, surely then its not Live Anymore?
2.) I have a 15W light on that tank, i know i will need to upgrade to keep corals. im interested in Zoas, Polyp, Mushrooms. So is it advised that i get a T5 Starter or PC's?
And what wattage will i need?
3.) Sand? Live sand is a gimmik i heard, so what would be best to use?
4.) My current Live stock, would be 2 Percula Clowns (ofcourse ) and maybe a Blenny. along with the CUC.
5.) I went to the Local Marine Shop and its £25 per 20L of RO Water, am i right in saying, i will be saving money if i have my own machine thing? hows this CLICK HERE
6.) What salt would you advice?
7.) What Test-Kit should i buy? The API master Test-Kit?

Sorry for all the questions, i am really serious about starting a little marine tank, so help would be Fab

 

[seffieuk]

Some answers i wanted to know are;
1.) I have calculated i will need 7KG of Live Rock, i saw most places online selling them in a package so like 5KG or 10KG, the 5KG i saw were around £45, is that a decent price?

Typical lfs price i'm afraid - but cheaper and better to buy from someone selling from a tank breakdown

Where do you buy your LR from? Can i buy 5KG first then the 2KG after?

I have bought one lot from ebay, a reefer breaking down a tank, another two lots from reefers breaking down tanks on UR

Also just seen on Ebay, people selling "Live Rock", but its out of water, surely then its not Live Anymore?

Some shops take photos of the live rock out of water so you can see what you are getting. But if it has been out of water for more than 24 hours, forget it


2.) I have a 15W light on that tank, i know i will need to upgrade to keep corals. im interested in Zoas, Polyp, Mushrooms. So is it advised that i get a T5 Starter or PC's?
And what wattage will i need?

You could keep those type of corals under t8, is that what you have?

3.) Sand? Live sand is a gimmik i heard, so what would be best to use?

Aragonite

4.) My current Live stock, would be 2 Percula Clowns (ofcourse ) and maybe a Blenny. along with the CUC.

I am afraid 65 litres is not big enough for a pair of clowns - imo you need a tank no less than 25 gallons, but other people say 20 gallons

5.) I went to the Local Marine Shop and its £25 per 20L of RO Water,

That is very expensive, are you sure you have that right? It's usually about 20p a litre

am i right in saying, i will be saving money if i have my own machine thing? hows this CLICK HERE

Yes buying an RO unit can save you money but more importantly you have control of the water quality you put in your tank

6.) What salt would you advice?

Any of the good brands - I use H2 Ocean

7.) What Test-Kit should i buy? The API master Test-Kit?

Salifert are more reliable

Sorry for all the questions, i am really serious about starting a little marine tank, so help would be Fab

No problem, happy to help

Seffie x

 

[aly_starh]

Yes, i have a 15W T8 bulb.
And i will double check that price, but i am 70% sure thats what it said.

Thanks for the help Seffie

 

[robincushing]

A few questions, i know i have started a few threads in the past about marine tanks, then opted for easier fish, but i think i will definetly go for a Marine Tank now.
The betta tank has been broke down:

So i have;-
*Tank- 65L Juwel Rekord
*Lighting- T8
*Heater- 150W Fluval

That is basically all i have just now, but i will be setting up the tank some time next year.

Some answers i wanted to know are;
1.) I have calculated i will need 7KG of Live Rock, i saw most places online selling them in a package so like 5KG or 10KG, the 5KG i saw were around £45, is that a decent price? Where do you buy your LR from? Can i buy 5KG first then the 2KG after?
Also just seen on Ebay, people selling "Live Rock", but its out of water, surely then its not Live Anymore?
2.) I have a 15W light on that tank, i know i will need to upgrade to keep corals. im interested in Zoas, Polyp, Mushrooms. So is it advised that i get a T5 Starter or PC's?
And what wattage will i need?
3.) Sand? Live sand is a gimmik i heard, so what would be best to use?
4.) My current Live stock, would be 2 Percula Clowns (ofcourse

) and maybe a Blenny. along with the CUC.
5.) I went to the Local Marine Shop and its £25 per 20L of RO Water, am i right in saying, i will be saving money if i have my own machine thing? hows this CLICK HERE
6.) What salt would you advice?
7.) What Test-Kit should i buy? The API master Test-Kit?

Sorry for all the questions, i am really serious about starting a little marine tank, so help would be Fab

lm no expert and im sure others will correct me if im wrong on anything.
but live riock is normally about £10 a KG
its best to get all live rock at the same time, but it can be done in bits, will just cause a mini cycle though.

t5 or t8 lighting is best.

fine sand is best and i thin about 3-4cm is enough, depending if you have any sand sifters.
i use the cheaper marin salt which has worked ok for me.
the master test kit is the best to use.

 

[seffieuk]

lm no expert and im sure others will correct me if im wrong on anything.

Certainly wouldn't dream of correcting you all opinions are are welcome

but live riock is normally about £10 a KG

Only if you buy from a shop, then expect to pay £10 - £15 a kilo

its best to get all live rock at the same time, but it can be done in bits, will just cause a mini cycle though.

Yep always best to buy all at once - if you are going to add bit by bit it would be best to store rock until you have it all and then start adding live stock

t5 or t8 lighting is best.

That is a matter of opinion but for your needs and the corals you suggested - indeed yes

fine sand is best and i thin about 3-4cm is enough, depending if you have any sand sifters.

Which sand is 'best' depends on your needs, as eluded to by Robin - some go bare bottom (without sand) - I just have a very thin layer of bahamas sand

i use the cheaper main salt which has worked ok for me.

Always use the best you can afford - if you are going to keep any hard corals, such as a euphyllia you will need to be looking at Calcium and mag levels in particular

the master test kit is the best to use.

Not imo it isn't salifert and the D & D for phosphate appear to be more reliable

Seffie x

 

[AK77]

Some answers i wanted to know are;
1.) I have calculated i will need 7KG of Live Rock, i saw most places online selling them in a package so like 5KG or 10KG, the 5KG i saw were around £45, is that a decent price?

Live rock is pricey. Like Seffie says, look for somone breaking a tank down. I find Ebay is a great place to get live rock, as there's always someone closing a tank down and you can get a good price for LR. If you pick it up locally and its out of the water for less than an hour, you could probably avoid cycling the tank. If its shipped over night, then cycling the tank would be recommended, as die back will occur.

What I have done is purchased some ocean rock and mixed it in with my live rock. The ocean rock will eventually become live as the bacteria and critters move in. It will take a good 6 months or so but, its a very good way of increasing your filtration system on a budget. My ocean rock has been in the tank for a few weeks now and has bristleworms inside it (moved in after 2 days lol), starfish and amphipods running all over it.

2.) I have a 15W light on that tank, i know i will need to upgrade to keep corals. im interested in Zoas, Polyp, Mushrooms. So is it advised that i get a T5 Starter or PC's?
And what wattage will i need?

As Seffie says, you can keep those corals under T8's as their lighting requirements aren't that great. I would recommend though that you upgrade to at least T5's as this will allow you to keep a larger variety of corals, like leather corals, kenya trees, etc. Over my nano I have twin T5 compacts, white/marine blue @ 35w total. You could also get a 70w metal halide flood light and change the bulb in it to a marine 14'000k. I used to have two 150w MH lights over my old Juwel 180 and the corals grew really well under them. You can pick up a brand new, self contained unit off ebay for £35 and I think that includes the shipping! Either build a framework to house it on, or simply bolt it to your wall. I'd recommend that if you do this, build a new hood for your tank that encloses the light, as the "bleed" from the sides can be annoying otherwise. Having halides will enable you to keep virtually all corals.

3.) Sand? Live sand is a gimmik i heard, so what would be best to use?

Aragonite is great. Its calcium carbonate based so will help buffer your PH levels. Don't bother with live sand unless you get it from another reefer or from a tank at your LFS. Live sand in a polythene bag that's been sat on a shelf for 6 months... is very much dead sand.

4.) My current Live stock, would be 2 Percula Clowns (ofcourse ) and maybe a Blenny. along with the CUC.

Its not just the size of the tank but also the bio-load that having 3 fish would put on your tank's eco-system. If the fish produce more ammonia than the LR can handle, then you will get spikes which may kill the fish and just nuke the tank. Aside from the ammonia, the nitrate levels will be difficult to keep under control, which in turn will affect your corals.

At my LFS I've seen a pair of clowns housed in a tank less than 30L (think it was one of those little Xcubes). It can be done but, in something that small, its not really fair. Its not just about keeping the fish alive but giving them a decent quality of life.

5.) I went to the Local Marine Shop and its £25 per 20L of RO Water,

My LFS was £3.50 for 25L, although this was some time ago now so its probably gone up to nearer £4, since all their other prices went up ridiculously . Having your own RO unit will save you money in the long run and as Seffie says, you monitor the quality of the water and don't rely on some spotty gimp to check the TDS level. It is also more conveinient, as you produce the water yourself and aren't restricted to shop opening hours.

6.) What salt would you advice?

I've used Kent Marine and Seachem reefsalt. There was a vendor on ebay selling the big 20kg buckets of it for about £15 cheaper than anywhere else on the net. Search of Seachem reefsalt on ebay... I'm sure the seller was called Shaun1974 or some other number combination like that.

7.) What Test-Kit should i buy? The API master Test-Kit?

What Seffie said

 

[aly_starh]

Thank you everyone, you have been exteremly helpful!

*Goes off to search Ebay*

 

[aly_starh]

Ill keep my questions on this post now.

So now the powerheads are sorted (well not really, but i know what to look out for)

I need to look at lighting now. I have a 15W T8 in the hood. It needs replacing. So how is this... Click here

Or is there anything you would reccommend.

 

[AK77]

Have a look at this. I had the 150w version over my Juwel 180. A 70w above yours will really light it up nicely!

 

[seffieuk]

I would never have thought of doing that

Seffie x

 

[AK77]

I would never have thought of doing that

Seffie x

I had two of them bolted to the wall in my bedroom lol. 300w of light on my old 180L tank. As they are self contained units with internal ballasts etc, all you need to do is replace the bulb with the marine 14'000k ones. They are IP65 rated, so there is no risk or electricution. If you can wire a plug, then you can wire one of these. Apart from that, the only other thing you need is an in-line switch to turn them on or off, unless you do it at the wall or simply leave them on constantly, just plugged into a timer.

My corals grew very well using them. I was planning on doing an LED build like Morri but, I may just end up getting one of these instead.

 

[aly_starh]

Thats looks like a very good light AK. Would just the one be needed? And also are they outdoor flood lights?
oh and also, what is the minimum required lighting for some basic corals...

 

[AK77]

Thats looks like a very good light AK. Would just the one be needed? And also are they outdoor flood lights?
oh and also, what is the minimum required lighting for some basic corals...

Hi,

Yes, they are outdoor floodlights which are waterproof, making them ideal for aquarium use. They are also incredibly bright, so only one would be needed. In all, you are probably looking at £50 for the light and the 14'000k bulb. All you require then is some 3 core flex and a plug. Its probably best to plug it into a timer switch so that it comes on automatically for a select time period.

This would mean you can keep a much greater array of corals. The bare minimum are T8's but you will be limited to the corals Seffie mentioned and even some species of those will struggle. The other option would be those that don't require light, such as sun corals. Personally though, for £50, I would go with the MH light as your tank will look stunning.

 

[aly_starh]

1.) I have calculated i will need 7KG of Live Rock, i saw most places online selling them in a package so like 5KG or 10KG, the 5KG i saw were around £45, is that a decent price? Where do you buy your LR from? Can i buy 5KG first then the 2KG after?
Also just seen on Ebay, people selling "Live Rock", but its out of water, surely then its not Live Anymore?

Ok the price per KG at my LFS is £7.85.

5.) I went to the Local Marine Shop and its £25 per 20L of RO Water, am i right in saying, i will be saving money if i have my own machine thing? hows this CLICK HERE ?

Just double-checked and it is;

Including 20L container =£10.50
Re-fill= £3.50

So it works out to be around 17p per litre.

I will eventually buy my own RO Unit, but will get it from the LFS first.
How do those prices seem?

 

[aly_starh]

How is this for sand; http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Caribsea-Reptilite-Calcium-Substrate-Smokey-Sand-4-54kg_W0QQitemZ310111249682QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Reptiles_Spiders_Insects?hash=item4834122512


http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/GEO-MARINE-ARAGONITE-FLORIDA-CRUSHED-CORAL-10-LB-8-50_W0QQitemZ370211310253QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Fish?hash=item5632504aad