"considering" The Salty Side

[MrG09]

I have a spare 55gal currently doing nothing and empty i have always been drawn to marine but have always been put off due to the cost and maintenance involved but having read loads of different ways of doing it i am thinking of setting up a FOWLR, as for lighting the hood has two t8's in it, i am on a tight budget and want to get setup as basic as possible and then add the luxurys such as a protein skimmer and (if not a deffo requirement in the first place) a sump etc then later on maybe upgrade the lighting and go down the coral route
SO can someone give me a definative answer as to what is needed
I have the tank (55gal)
i know i will need LR around 1lb per gal
Ill need a couple of decent power heads for circulation
I Have a heater
ill need salt and refractometer
ill need saltwater test kit
i have arogonite sand
what else am i going to need for bare essential for now and what maintenance am i going to need to do, i know this may seem a simple question and it wil have been answered a hundred times before but i have read so many differing views and answers im a little bewildered at the minute
then as a seperate question what would be the basic luxurys remembering i am on a budget
and the last question i have some dead(obviously) ocean rock from my cichlids "spare" would this eventually seed from the live rock

 

[seffieuk]

I have a spare 55gal currently doing nothing and empty i have always been drawn to marine but have always been put off due to the cost and maintenance involved but having read loads of different ways of doing it i am thinking of setting up a FOWLR, as for lighting the hood has two t8's in it,

good sized tank - you can stick with the t8s and just replace the bulbs for marine - then if you want to keep corals you can upgrade the lighting

i am on a tight budget and want to get setup as basic as possible and then add the luxurys such as a protein skimmer and (if not a deffo requirement in the first place) a sump etc then later on maybe upgrade the lighting and go down the coral route

It is easier to add a sump first, but you don't HAVE to have one. With a tank that size I would say get a skimmer

SO can someone give me a definative answer as to what is needed
I have the tank (55gal)


i know i will need LR around 1lb per gal

you need approx 28 k

Ill need a couple of decent power heads for circulation

yes, either streams or koralias 3 or 4

I Have a heater

good - is it a non breakable one and does it have a higher enough wattage, you will need one of at least 200 watts

ill need salt and refractometer

yep

ill need saltwater test kit

Salifert- to start with ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH

i have arogonite sand

excellent, you will need approx 30 to 40 lbs depending on the depth

what else am i going to need for bare essential for now and what maintenance am i going to need to do, i know this may seem a simple question and it wil have been answered a hundred times before but i have read so many differing views and answers im a little bewildered at the minute

Bucket for mixing salt water
heater for above
powerhead for above

syphon
algae magnet - buy a good one
temp gauge
phosphate removersyphon


daily, check everything is working and clean the glass
weekly, water change and clean skimmer
feeding


then as a seperate question what would be the basic luxurys remembering i am on a budget

can't think of a basic luxery

and the last question i have some dead(obviously) ocean rock from my cichlids "spare" would this eventually seed from the live rock

I can never remember which is the rock that will be seeded from lr so will need to wait for someone else on this question

Seffie x



ps to the salty side

 

[MrG09]

I have a spare 55gal currently doing nothing and empty i have always been drawn to marine but have always been put off due to the cost and maintenance involved but having read loads of different ways of doing it i am thinking of setting up a FOWLR, as for lighting the hood has two t8's in it,

good sized tank - you can stick with the t8s and just replace the bulbs for marine - then if you want to keep corals you can upgrade the lighting

i am on a tight budget and want to get setup as basic as possible and then add the luxurys such as a protein skimmer and (if not a deffo requirement in the first place) a sump etc then later on maybe upgrade the lighting and go down the coral route

It is easier to add a sump first, but you don't HAVE to have one. With a tank that size I would say get a skimmer
ok then so what would be the easiest way of adding a sump to the tank, i really dont like the idea of gettin it drilled cos everywhere i asked said they would but if it breaks its my problem an i dont wanna try it myself, also in the sump what besides the skimmer and the heater and return pump would i want to put in there, what sorta size would you recomend as i will be making it myself using a cheap aquarium and siliconing the glas diveders in myself

SO can someone give me a definative answer as to what is needed
I have the tank (55gal)


i know i will need LR around 1lb per gal

you need approx 28 k

Ill need a couple of decent power heads for circulation

yes, either streams or koralias 3 or 4
ok have been looking at these, are these the only ones people would recomend or are there others out there that are ok

I Have a heater

good - is it a non breakable one and does it have a higher enough wattage, you will need one of at least 200 watts
i have a 200watt fluval tronic
ill need salt and refractometer

yep

ill need saltwater test kit

Salifert- to start with ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH
without going and checking i know the ammonia test outta my api fresh water test kite came with salt colour chart not sure about the others

i have arogonite sand

excellent, you will need approx 30 to 40 lbs depending on the depth

what else am i going to need for bare essential for now and what maintenance am i going to need to do, i know this may seem a simple question and it wil have been answered a hundred times before but i have read so many differing views and answers im a little bewildered at the minute

Bucket for mixing salt water
heater for above
powerhead for above
i have all of them

syphon
algae magnet - buy a good one
temp gauge
phosphate removersyphon
thats one thing that has been confusng me, phosphate remover..... how to i use or apply it and where? i know not to use the cheap ones due to aluminium leachin out

daily, check everything is working and clean the glass
weekly, water change and clean skimmer
feeding


then as a seperate question what would be the basic luxurys remembering i am on a budget

can't think of a basic luxery

and the last question i have some dead(obviously) ocean rock from my cichlids "spare" would this eventually seed from the live rock

I can never remember which is the rock that will be seeded from lr so will need to wait for someone else on this question

Seffie x



ps to the salty side

thanks for ya help its answered most of it for me, im thinkin if i can get around the drilling holes in my tank i will of not then ill take the plunge i think ill go with the sump from the start after reading a little more about them, and the stand is a tripple metal stand anyway so take the top tier off have the tank in the middle and box the bottom tier off to hide the sump etc,

 

[superman1]

from what i read i think its reef bones isnt it that will eventually seed. dont think its ocean rock.. but i could be wrong.

 

[seffieuk]

ok then so what would be the easiest way of adding a sump to the tank, i really dont like the idea of gettin it drilled cos everywhere i asked said they would but if it breaks its my problem an i dont wanna try it myself, also in the sump what besides the skimmer and the heater and return pump would i want to put in there, what sorta size would you recomend as i will be making it myself using a cheap aquarium and siliconing the glas diveders in myself

As long as you have the correct glass i understand it is really very simple you should really be going for a sump about half the size of your dispaly. Also put chaeto in there

Seffie x