Just Starting Out And Need Some Advise And Help Please

[stiddy]

Hi im new to the nano and reef world of fish keeping. Ive been keeping tropical fresh water fish for a couple of years now, but always wanted to dive into the marine side of things. Because of a lack of space I want to get a nano tank. I do accept they are harder work because any change within the water will be more dramatic.

Firstly I was wondering what tanks would be recommended by people. I would prefer a tank that I can pretty much plug and play. Ive found the Orca Nano Reef TL450 Aquarium, for a nice price of £135 + £40 for the stand http/www.onlineaquariumstore.com/acatalog/Orca_Nano_Reef_TL450_Aquarium.html#a1930

Just wondering what people think of this tank and what else would I need if i was to get it.

I would be using Caribsea Aragamax Sugar Sand, unless people think its a waste of money and im just buying into the product. Also I plan on using Live rock, probably somewhere between 5-7.5kg.

 

[sorgan]

hey the orca is a preety good tank i believe but needs a few bits doing to it to make it better, they are the removal of the filter media in the back and the filling of the chambers with live rock rubble and whatever reactors (phosphate, carbon etc) you decide to run. in such a small tank you will want to run carbon if you are keeping leather corals (due to chemical warfare)

for sand i buy whatever they have in the lfs, dont bother with live sand as its a gimick (your LR will seed the sand in time)
LR can be got for cheap by looking for local reefers breaking tanks (sun classified is good for this)

my tips on starting a new tank are, go slow, plan lots, use good salt and dont buy anything your LFS 'reccomends' without researching it

 

[Harry1996]

i agree with sorgan. but i think live sand is good because some of the ls =(live sand) has differnt sized sand in it giving your tank a more natural look. also if you can i would get the orca tl 550 as its bigger (128L)

 

[seffieuk]

Agree with everything Sorgan said - live sand, which is not really live, )how can it be live after so long in a bag without oxygen) is just a gimmick but what it does give you is a rotten nitrate problem from things that have died in the bag I like the caribsea, bahama mix, as it has shells etc in, which as Harry said is nice

If you go for the orca 450, you will be very limited fish wise, so for example you will not be able to keep a pair of clowns Instead of buying new, look for a second hand tank, there are many bargains out there

Seffie x

Woops, forgot my manners to the salty side of TFF

 

[stiddy]

Cheers for the advise, now looking at getting a Orca TL550, Are these suitable for say a pair of common clown fish + a cleaner shrimp?
Now looking at getting a different type of substitute from LS, will see what my lfs have next time im in. Completely forgot look last time I was there!

With regards to water, do I have to use the reverse osmosis water? Or can I used treated tap water, like I do for my fresh water tank? and just add in the salt and premix it before it goes into the tank.
Cheers for the help so far!

 

[nick87]

Cheers for the advise, now looking at getting a Orca TL550, Are these suitable for say a pair of common clown fish + a cleaner shrimp?
Now looking at getting a different type of substitute from LS, will see what my lfs have next time im in. Completely forgot look last time I was there!

With regards to water, do I have to use the reverse osmosis water? Or can I used treated tap water, like I do for my fresh water tank? and just add in the salt and premix it before it goes into the tank.
Cheers for the help so far!

Clowns should be fine in the 550.

RO water all the way, tap water will cause nothing but problems, especially as it contains copper with is deadly to inverts.

 

[seffieuk]

Cheers for the advise, now looking at getting a Orca TL550, Are these suitable for say a pair of common clown fish + a cleaner shrimp?

They are indeed and its exactly the tank I started with - I loved it

With regards to water, do I have to use the reverse osmosis water?

Use RO water straight from the start, will save you a lot of heartache in the future

Seffie x

ps take a look at my thread:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/253399-our-journey-to-the-salty-side-part-one/